where it arrived on the 21st, 23rd, and 24th of September.
The regiment having been selected to proceed to India, made
preparations for transferring its services to that part of the
British dominions. Previous to embarking, it was constituted a
corps of LIGHT INFANTRY, to take date as such from the 25th of
December, 1822; and the usual augmentation was made to its numbers.
[Illustration: THIRTEENTH, PRINCE ALBERT’S REGIMENT OF LIGHT
INFANTRY.]
[Sidenote: 1823]
On the 1st and 3rd of January, 1823, the regiment embarked on
board the ‘General Kydd’ and ‘Kent’ Indiamen, under Lieut.-Col.
M‘Creagh and Major Robert H. Sale, and landed in May at Calcutta,
where it received six hundred and twenty volunteers from corps
about to return to England.
[Sidenote: 1824]
Soon after the arrival of the regiment in India, the tranquillity
of the eastern dominions of Great Britain was interrupted by the
sovereign of Ava, who governed a numerous nation of Burmans,
inhabiting an extensive territory, lying in one direction, between
the Chinese dominions and Bengal. For many years the Burmese
officers, in the country contiguous to the British territory, had
been guilty of acts of encroachment and aggression, which at length
became of so outrageous a character, as to render it necessary to
call upon the court of Ava for an explanation. No answer was given;
but after overcoming several petty tribes by which his kingdom
was surrounded, the King of Ava made preparations for invading
the British territory. Troops were assembled to penetrate the
Burman empire, and to put an end to these acts of aggression, and
an armament was prepared at Port Cornwallis, under the command of
Brigadier-General Sir Archibald Campbell and Commodore Grant, for
the capture of _Rangoon_, a city, and the principal part of the
Burmese empire, situate on the north bank of the river Irawaddy,
thirty miles from the sea. The THIRTEENTH light infantry embarked
on this service, on the 5th of April, 1824; their commanding
officer, Lieut.-Colonel M‘CREAGH was appointed to the command of a
brigade, with the rank of Brigadier-General, and the command of the
regiment devolved on Major SALE. The fleet entered the Irawaddy on
the 10th of May: the Burmese made a feeble attempt to defend the
city, but their batteries were soon silenced, and the place was
captured without the loss of a man; the inhabitants quitting their
houses and seeking refuge in the thickly-wooded country.
Brigadier-General M‘Creagh was detached with three companies
against the island of _Cheduba_, on the Arracan coast, where he
landed on the 14th of May, captured the Burmese stockade by storm
on the 17th, made the rajah, or governor, prisoner, and reduced
this fertile and productive island to submission: in which service
the THIRTEENTH had Brevet Major Thornhill, Ensign Kershaw, one
serjeant, one bugler, and eighteen rank and file wounded.
The Burmese army continued in great force in the neighbourhood of
Rangoon, under the protection of fortifications of wood, called
stockades, and of the thick jungle which covered the face of the
country.
On the 28th of May, a hundred rank and file of the THIRTEENTH
regiment, commanded by Major William H. Dennie, with a detachment
of the thirty-eighth, advanced, under Sir Archibald Campbell, and
attacked two stockades by storm, without ladders, captured the
works with the bayonet, and killed about five hundred of the enemy.
The THIRTEENTH had Lieutenant A. Howard killed; one bugler, and
nine rank and file wounded.
When driven from one series of stockades, the Burmese erected
another at a greater distance. On the 10th of June, two companies
of the THIRTEENTH, under Major Robert Henry Sale, advanced with
other troops, to attack the enemy’s stronghold at _Kemmendine_;
when about two miles from the town, the head of the column was
stopped by a strong stockade, full of men, against which the
British artillery opened a well-directed fire, and in half an hour
a breach was made. The forty-first, and part of the Madras European
regiment, stormed the works in front; and the detachments of the
THIRTEENTH and thirty-eighth assaulted the rear face which was
ten feet high. The soldiers being encouraged and animated by the
spirited conduct of Major Sale, who showed an example of valour
and personal agility, climbed the works, one helping another up,
and entering simultaneously with the party by the breach, they
bayoneted every man that opposed them. The loss of the THIRTEENTH
was limited to one private soldier killed; Lieutenant Petry, and
ten soldiers wounded.[12]
This point being gained, the column advanced about a mile, and
at four o’clock in the afternoon, took up a position against the
enemy’s principal stockade; batteries were erected during the
night, the artillery opened a heavy fire at daylight, and the
Burmese forsook their works and fled.
On the 17th of June, Brigadier-General M‘Creagh joined with the
three companies from the island of Cheduba.
In the beginning of July numerous columns of Burmese warriors were
seen in front of the British position, when four companies were
ordered to make a reconnoissance under the command of Major Dennie:
they discovered the enemy in force on the plains of Kumaroot,
and returned with the loss of one man wounded. On the same day,
the Burmese attacked the British posts, but were repulsed: the
THIRTEENTH had two men wounded.
The Burmese position in the rear of the great pagoda was attacked
on the 5th of July, when the regiment had one private soldier
killed; Lieutenant Knox Barrett, one serjeant, and sixteen rank and
file wounded.
A general attack was made on the 8th of July, and three hundred men
of the THIRTEENTH, under Brigadier-General M‘Creagh, formed part
of the force detached, under Brigadier-General M‘Bean, to storm
the enemy’s works. The attack was led by Major Sale, at the head
of the soldiers of the THIRTEENTH regiment, with heroic gallantry,
and seven stockades were carried in rapid succession. Major Sale
encountered the Burmese commander-in-chief in the works, and slew
him in single combat, taking from him a valuable gold-hilted sword
and scabbard. Three other stockades were captured by other portions
of the armament; and the men, under Brigadier-General M‘Bean,
fell in with a number of Burmese flying from a stockade attacked
by the shipping, of whom they bayoneted a great number. Eight
hundred Burmese were killed on this occasion, and thirty-eight
pieces of artillery, forty swivels, and three hundred muskets were
captured.[13]
Two serjeants of the THIRTEENTH were killed; Captain Johnson, two
corporals, and five private soldiers were wounded.
The terror of these attacks caused the Burmese troops to remove to
a greater distance; and the difficult character of the country,
rainy weather, inundations, and the necessity for procuring a large
supply of provisions before the army advanced, detained the British
some time in the neighbourhood of Rangoon.
Meanwhile the Burmese recovered from the consternation into which
they had been thrown, and a veteran chief, named Maha Bandoola,
was appointed commander of the army of Ava. This chief approached
the British position on the 1st of December, with upwards of
fifty thousand foot, a body of Cassay horse, and three hundred
pieces of artillery, and commenced forming entrenchments. The
British beheld the legions of Ava, ten times more numerous than
themselves, without dismay; and the left of the Burmese line
presenting a favourable opportunity for an attack, Major Sale
advanced with two hundred of the THIRTEENTH Light Infantry, under
Major Dennie, and two hundred and fifty of the eighteenth Native
Infantry, under Captain Ross, and stormed the entrenchments with
distinguished gallantry, in sight of the whole army. The soldiers
of the THIRTEENTH led the charge with great intrepidity; they
burst through the entrenchments, overthrew all opposition, and
spread terror and dismay on the enemy’s flank. The native infantry
followed the example; the Burmese fled, and the victorious British
soldiers returned to their posts laden with trophies.[14]
The THIRTEENTH foot had Lieutenant O’Shea, one serjeant, and three
rank and file killed; Captain Clark died of his wounds: Ensigns
Blackwall and Croker, one serjeant, and twenty rank and file
wounded.
This victory was followed by a decisive triumph over the left wing
of the Burmese army, on the 5th of December, on which occasion two
hundred and forty-five rank and file of the THIRTEENTH, under Major
Dennie, formed part of the first column of attack, under Major
Sale, which penetrated the enemy’s lines, and routed the legions of
Ava with a facility which proved the superior prowess of British
soldiers. The first advantage was followed up, the powerful army
of the enemy was overthrown, and of the three hundred pieces of
ordnance which the enemy had in position, two hundred and forty
were brought into the British camp.[15] The loss of the regiment
was six rank and file wounded.
Anxious to retrieve his disgrace, the Burmese commander rallied
his broken legions, called reinforcements to his aid, and took up
another position, which he fortified with great labour and art.
These formidable works were attacked on the 15th of December, when
two hundred of the THIRTEENTH, under Major Sale, formed part of
the column of attack under Brigadier-General Cotton, which made a
detour round the enemy’s left to gain the rear of his position at
_Kokien_, which was to be attacked in front by another column. On
arriving in front of the position it presented a very formidable
appearance; but the English general knew from experience the
character of the troops he commanded, and he gave the signal
for the attack, when the soldiers rushed forward with the most
determined and enthusiastic bravery, and in less than fifteen
minutes they were in full possession of these stupendous works. The
THIRTEENTH met with very determined resistance; their commanding
officer, Major Sale, received a severe wound in the head; he was
succeeded by Major Dennie, who was wounded in the hand, but who
continued at the head of the regiment until the action was over.
The Burmese only resisted a short time, and then fled in a panic,
leaving their camp standing, all their baggage, and a great portion
of their arms and ammunition behind them.
Lieutenants Darby, Petry, and Jones, two serjeants, and seven rank
and file, of the THIRTEENTH, were killed; Majors Sale[16] and
Dennie, Captains Thornhill (Brevet Major) and James M‘Pherson,
Lieutenants M. Fenton and Pattisson, Ensigns Wilkinson and
Blackwell, two serjeants, and forty rank and file wounded.
[Sidenote: 1825]
These splendid successes, connected with the services of the royal
navy, had produced important results; the maritime provinces of
Mergui, Tavoy, Yeb, and Martuban, had been captured, and seven
hundred pieces of artillery had been taken from the Burmese. To
wrest additional territory from the court of Ava, the THIRTEENTH
regiment was detached, under Major Dennie, with other troops, the
whole under Major Sale, against the city of _Bassein_, in the
south-west part of the ancient kingdom of Pegu, which constituted
part of the Burmese empire. The regiment embarked on this service
on the 10th of February, and after a tedious passage arrived,
on the evening of the 14th, off Pagoda Point, Great Negrais. On
the 26th the expedition entered the river, and the THIRTEENTH,
thirty-eighth, and twelfth Native Infantry landed and captured a
stockade. The troops afterwards re-embarked, and proceeded to the
next stockade, which the Burmese abandoned as the soldiers went on
shore to storm the works; and so great was the consternation of the
enemy, that the city of Bassein was set on fire and abandoned. The
expedition anchored opposite the smoking ruins on the 3rd of March,
when the troops landed and took post in the area of the principal
pagoda: many private houses were not destroyed, and the inhabitants
were induced to return to their homes. On the 13th of March,
Major Dennie made a reconnoissance up the Bassein river; he was
afterwards joined by another party under Major Sale, and the whole
proceeded one hundred and twenty miles up the river, to Lanrince,
and returned to Bassein on the 23rd, having had two men wounded.
No resistance being met with in the province of Bassein, the
THIRTEENTH regiment embarked for Rangoon, where it arrived on the
2nd of May; meanwhile the army under Lieut.-General Sir Archibald
Campbell had advanced up the country, and had captured several
strong towns.
On the 8th of August, the regiment embarked from Rangoon, to
join the army at Prome, where it arrived in boats on the 25th.
Soon afterwards overtures of peace were made by the Burmese, but
hostilities were resumed in the middle of November; and the army of
Ava having repulsed the attack of three bodies of sepoys, became
suddenly elevated with a high idea of its own power, and advanced
to envelop the British troops at Prome.
About sixty thousand Burmese environed six thousand British and
native Indian troops; but undismayed by this formidable host, the
English general left four native regiments for the defence of
Prome, and advanced, on the 1st of December, to attack the enemy’s
left wing at _Simbike_. This post was stormed by the troops under
Brigadier-General Cotton,[17] and the works were carried, in
gallant style, in ten minutes. The THIRTEENTH were engaged in the
operation, but did not take part in the assault.
After a harassing march of about twenty miles, the troops
bivouacked at Ze-ouke, and at daylight on the following morning
(2nd December) they were again in motion, to attack the formidable
position occupied by the enemy’s centre division on the _Napadee
Hills_. Arriving in the vicinity of the position, the British
artillery commenced a sharp cannonade; Brigadier-General
Elrington’s troops drove the enemy from the jungle, six companies
of the eighty-seventh regiment carried the posts at the bottom of
the ridge, and the Burmese were driven from the valley to their
principal works on the hills, which appeared very formidable; the
heights could only be ascended by a narrow road, commanded by
artillery, and defended by stockades crowded with men armed with
muskets. As soon as the artillery had made an impression on the
works, the THIRTEENTH and thirty-eighth regiments sprang forward
with astonishing resolution and steadiness, rushed into the enemy’s
works, overthrowing all opposition with the bayonet, and driving
the Burmese from hill to hill, over precipices that could only be
ascended by a narrow stair, until the whole of the position, nearly
three miles in length, was captured. Lieut.-Colonel Sale and Major
Thornhill, of the THIRTEENTH regiment, distinguished themselves.
On the 5th of December, the enemy’s right wing was driven from its
post; the immense army of Ava was thus forced from its positions by
the fierce attacks of the British soldiers; and the Burmese legions
sought safety in flight.
After this success, the army continued to advance; the Burmese
evacuated Meeday, and took post at _Melloon_, at the same time they
renewed their offers for terminating the war; but this appears to
have been done with the view of gaining time to re-organize their
army for a more determined resistance.
[Sidenote: 1826]
The conditions of peace not being ratified by the stipulated
time, hostilities were resumed on the 19th of January, 1826, on
which day the THIRTEENTH and thirty-eighth regiments embarked in
boats under Lieut.-Colonel Sale, to assault the main face of the
enemy’s fortifications at Melloon; at the same time other corps
embarked to storm the works at different points. The whole of
the boats quitted the shore together; but the current and breeze
carried the THIRTEENTH and thirty-eighth to their point of attack,
before the other divisions could reach the opposite bank of the
river, and Lieut.-Colonel Sale was wounded in his boat; but the
two regiments landed, formed under the command of Major Frith of
the thirty-eighth, and rushed forward with such intrepidity and
resolution, that they overpowered all resistance, and were speedily
masters of these formidable works.[18] Major Frith was wounded
in the assault, and the command of the brigade devolved on Major
THORNHILL, of the THIRTEENTH regiment, who distinguished himself.
The loss of the regiment was one man killed; Major Sale and three
men wounded.
The army advanced upon the capital of the Burmese empire, and the
legions of Ava resolved once more to try their fortune in battle;
they met the British in the open fields near _Pagahm Mew_, where an
action took place on the 9th of February. The THIRTEENTH led the
right attack in their usual gallant style, the Burmese troops soon
gave way before the superior prowess of the British soldiers, and
another victory was gained. The regiment had one soldier killed;
Captain Tronson and six soldiers wounded.
After this victory, the army continued its advance upon
Ummerapoora, the capital, situated upon the shores of a romantic
lake; and when within four days march of that city, the King of Ava
sent the ratified treaty, paying the expenses of the war and giving
up a considerable portion of territory.
On the conclusion of this splendid undertaking, the following
statement appeared in orders:--‘While the Governor General in
Council enumerates, with sentiments of unfeigned admiration, the
achievements of the first, or royals, the 13th, 38th, 41st, 45th,
47th, 87th, and 89th regiments, the Honorable Company’s Madras
European regiment, and the Bengal and Madras European artillery,
as the European troops which have had the honour of establishing
the renown of the British arms in a new and distant region, His
Lordship in Council feels that higher and more justly-merited
praise cannot be bestowed on those brave troops than that, amidst
the barbarous hosts with which they have fought and conquered, they
have eminently displayed the virtues, and sustained the character
of the British Soldier.’
Lieut.-Colonel SALE, and Majors DENNIE and THORNHILL, were rewarded
with the honour of being constituted Companions of the Bath: and
the word “AVA,” on the colours of the regiment, commemorates its
gallantry during these campaigns.
The regiment embarked in boats, from Yandaboo, on the 7th of March,
arrived at Rangoon on the 22nd, proceeded on board of transports on
the 23rd, and arrived at Calcutta in the middle of April.
After remaining a few days at Calcutta, the regiment embarked by
divisions for Berhampore, where it was stationed several months.
[Sidenote: 1827]
On the 15th of November, the regiment commenced its march from
Berhampore, for Dinapore, where it arrived on the 3rd of January,
1827.
[Sidenote: 1831]
[Sidenote: 1832]
The regiment remained at Dinapore nearly five years, and towards
the end of 1831, commenced its march for Agra, a city situate on
the river Jumnah, the capital of a province of the same name,
where it arrived in January, 1832.
[Sidenote: 1835]
[Sidenote: 1836]
At the city of Agra, which exhibits numerous marks of its ancient
greatness, the regiment was stationed four years. From Agra the
regiment marched, in December, 1835, for Kurnaul, where it arrived
in January, 1836.
[Sidenote: 1837]
Early in the year 1837, the regiment furnished a detachment,
under the command of Captain N. Chadwick, to accompany the
commander-in-chief, General Sir Henry Fane, G.C.B, on a visit
to the ruler of the Sikhs, Maharajah Runjeet Singh, at Lahore,
the capital of his dominions. After a journey of several weeks,
General Sir Henry Fane arrived at Lahore on the 10th of March, and
was greeted at the court of the ruler of the Sikhs by a gorgeous
display of oriental magnificence, for which Asiatic potentates
have been celebrated. The British troops which accompanied the
commander-in-chief, were reviewed, on the 17th of March, by the
Maharajah, who expressed great admiration of their appearance and
discipline, and in a general order published immediately after the
review, it was stated,
‘The Commander-in-Chief has much pleasure in communicating to the
officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the escort,
that their appearance and steadiness under arms, this morning,
met with much approbation, and their performance of the various
movements will leave in the Punjaub a very favourable impression of
their discipline.’
Very valuable presents were made to the officers of the escort, and
the Maharajah also gave eleven thousand rupees (1100_l._) to be
distributed among the non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
The Commander-in-Chief remained seven weeks at the capital of
the ruler of the Sikhs, and afterwards commenced his journey back
to the British dominions, and the officers and soldiers of the
THIRTEENTH Light Infantry rejoined the regiment at Kurnaul.
[Sidenote: 1838]
Events occurred in the years 1837 and 1838, which appeared to
render a temporary departure from those pacific councils, which
have marked the British policy in India, necessary, and which
occasioned the THIRTEENTH Light Infantry to take the field, under
the following circumstances. Shah Shoojah-ool-Moolk had been driven
from the throne of Affghanistan, and his kingdom divided among
several chiefs. A Persian army besieged Herat, on the frontiers
of Affghanistan, and the court of Persia claimed an extensive
portion of that kingdom, which lying between India and Persia
appeared to menace the safety of the British dominions in the
East Indies. These circumstances, and the unprovoked attack made
on an ancient British ally, Runjeet Singh, by Dost Mahomed Khan,
who relied on Persian encouragement and assistance, were followed
by the conclusion of a tripartite treaty, between the British,
Runjeet Singh, and Shah Shoojah, for the purpose of effecting
the restoration of the dethroned monarch of Affghanistan, and a
British force was assembled to achieve this important change in the
aspect of affairs beyond the river Indus; this force was called the
“ARMY OF THE INDUS,” and the THIRTEENTH Light Infantry having been
selected to take part in this enterprise, left Kurnaul in November,
and proceeded to the rendezvous of the army at Ferozepore, where
they arrived before the end of the month. They encamped within
four miles of the Gharra, beyond which river the crimson tents
and pavilions of the army of the Punjaub, designed to co-operate
in the enterprise, presented a splendid and imposing appearance.
The ruler of the Sikhs was with his forces; the governor general
arrived at the camp, and grand interviews, entertainments, and
reviews, took place, which were conducted with great magnificence.
In the meantime the Persians had raised the siege of Herat, and the
strength of the army was, in consequence thereof, reduced.
From the gala scenes on the banks of the Gharra the troops were
called to the more arduous duties of the field, and they advanced
upon the capital of the Daoodpootra state; the country was open,
the roads good, the air clear and healthful, the river contiguous,
and this pleasant march was completed before the end of December,
1838, when the army pitched its tents at the city of Bhawalpore.[19]
[Sidenote: 1839]