regiment were employed in active service in the field, under the
command of General Sir George Holmes, and Colonels Barclay and
East. In December, 1815, the regiment formed part of the force
which penetrated the barren and mountainous province of _Cutch_, a
country abounding in lofty hills, extensive woods, and uncultivated
plains, where the natives breed very fine horses. Into this country
British troops had never before penetrated; and the army had to
traverse a sandy tract of land, separating Cutch from Guzerat,
called the Runn. This tract presented a wild and singular aspect;
it appeared as an arm of the sea from which the ocean had receded,
or the dry bed of an immense river, ten miles broad, and devoid
of verdure or vegetation. The SEVENTEENTH, being at the head of
the army, entered this sandy waste between six and seven o'clock
in the morning; in some places the ground was hard and safe; in
others, insulated quicksands offered some obstruction, which would
have proved serious impediments in the night; and broad streaks
of saline incrustations giving to the ground the appearance of
being covered with snow, were met with; also prawns and mullet
dried in the sun; the tracts of large birds were also seen, and
on approaching the opposite bank the traces of wild apes were
perceptible. In three hours the SEVENTEENTH reached the boundary of
this sandy waste, without having met with hostile opposition, which
had been expected. The European infantry crossed the Runn in three
hours and a half, and the main body, with the cannon, which had to
be dragged by ropes in some places, in four hours.
Having entered the territory of Cutch, the army marched towards
Booge-booge, the capital, and besieged the town and fort of
_Anjar_, which surrendered at discretion. In this service
Lieutenant Oliver de Lancey, of the SEVENTEENTH, was severely
wounded in the arm. The capture of Anjar was followed by the
surrender of the hill-fort and fortified city of _Booge-booge_, and
a treaty of alliance was afterwards concluded with the State of
Cutch.
[Sidenote: 1816]
The troops re-crossed the Runn at the Mattra-pass,--a headland
between the gulfs of Cutch and Cambay, where the tide of the Indian
ocean rushes in with a deafening noise, and a detachment from the
army was employed in destroying the fastnesses of the banditti,
whose depredations had been destructive to the neighbouring
territories; also in reducing the power of a piratical tribe which
infested the neighbouring seas. After the capture of the strong
fort of _Dwarka_, and the capture and dispersion of a fleet of
pirates, the field force broke up, and the SEVENTEENTH Light
Dragoons returned to their beautiful cantonments at Ruttapore in
May, 1816.
[Sidenote: 1817]
The predatory incursions of the _Pindarees_ occasioned the regiment
again to take the field in the year 1817[8], and these bands of
robbers being formidable in numbers, and all horsemen, the troops
employed against them had to perform many forced marches, to pass
rivers and thickets, and to be constantly endeavouring to surprise
these hordes of marauders. While several corps were pursuing the
Pindarees, a number of the native princes were preparing to engage
in hostilities against the British. The SEVENTEENTH formed part of
the force under Major-General Sir William Grant Keir, assembled
at Baroda, which force subsequently marched into the Malwar, and
joined the army commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Hislop.
On the second day's march from Baroda, the rear-guard and
baggage of the army were attacked by a formidable body of
_Bheels_,--robbers of a daring and desperate character. A squadron
of the SEVENTEENTH, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable
Lincoln Stanhope, proceeded to the support of the infantry engaged,
and, on coming up, soon decided the affair, by cutting down a
number of the robbers, and driving the remainder into the jungle.
Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable Lincoln Stanhope, Captain Adams,
Cornets Smith and Marriott, evinced signal spirit and bravery on
this occasion: Cornet Marriott and his horse were severely wounded.
Serjeant-Major Hampson, a brave soldier, received an arrow in his
mouth, which pierced the spine; he pulled the arrow from the wound,
threw it down, then drew his pistol and shot the Bheel archer from
whom the arrow came; but he immediately fell from his horse to
rise no more, the flow of blood from his wound having suffocated
him. The regiment had several men and horses wounded in this
affair, which occurred on the 8th of December. On the following day
Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable Lincoln Stanhope, the officers, and
soldiers of the squadron, were thanked in field orders; the spirit
and steadiness they evinced were particularly commended, and the
prompt and active exertions of the officers were especially noticed.
[Sidenote: 1818]
Continuing to take an active part in the operations of the field,
the SEVENTEENTH were again engaged on the 19th of January, 1818,
and on the 21st of that month the following division order was
issued:--"The Major-General is happy to express his approbation
of the conduct of Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable Lincoln Stanhope,
and His Majesty's SEVENTEENTH Light Dragoons, in the affair of
the 19th instant, and can only attribute the trifling loss they
sustained to the gallantry and rapidity of the attack, which added
to the complete surprise in incapacitating the enemy for preparing
for resistance. The Major-General has not failed to bring to the
notice of his Excellency, Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Hislop, and the
Commander-in-Chief in Bombay, his sense of the spirit evinced by
the regiment on that occasion."
[Illustration: 17th Lancers, 1824. [To face page 64. ]
The following account of an affair between a detachment of the
SEVENTEENTH and a party of _Pindarees_, was published in division
orders, dated the 13th of March, 1818:--"The Major-General is
happy to publish to the division the following particulars of an
action between a detachment of His Majesty's SEVENTEENTH Light
Dragoons, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable
Lincoln Stanhope, and a body of _Pindarees_, commanded by Settoo
in person, which has added much to the deserved reputation of that
gallant corps, and reflects the highest credit on the officers and
men employed on this occasion.
"Information having been communicated to Lieut.-Colonel Stanhope
that a considerable party of Pindarees had appeared within a forced
march of his camp, a detachment was immediately put in motion,
and arrived in sight of the enemy after a march of thirty miles.
The dragoons immediately formed and attacked the Pindarees, who,
after a show of resistance, betook themselves to flight, closely
pursued by the detachment, which cut down upwards of two hundred
horsemen. Settoo, conspicuous by his dress and black charger,
narrowly escaped falling into our hands; he was saved by the
extraordinary speed of his horse. The Major-General begs to express
his thanks to Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable Lincoln Stanhope,
for the promptitude and vigour with which the arrangements were
made for the attack, and the spirit with which it was conducted;
and he returns his acknowledgments to the whole of the detachment
for the intrepidity and activity which it displayed during the
attack and pursuit of the enemy. The conduct of Captain Adams and
Cornet Marriott having been represented to the Major-General in
the most favourable terms, he is happy to express his unqualified
approbation of the gallantry of both these officers."
On the 14th of March the following statement appeared in division
orders:--"Having made arrangements for the return of the force into
cantonments, the Major-General cannot deny himself the satisfaction
of expressing his sentiments on the exemplary conduct of the troops
he has had the honour to command during the late service. Their
cheerfulness in the performance of their duty, though unavoidably
harassing and severe; the spirit and activity with which they
have always encountered fatigues; and, above all, their strict
adherence to discipline and subordination, reflects the highest
credit on both officers and men, and merits the Major-General's
warmest approbation. He only regrets that circumstances have not
afforded the whole of the troops such an opportunity of displaying
their most brilliant talents, as their companions in arms have so
gallantly availed themselves of. To conclude, he can only say, that
he has never been, in any part of the world, with troops whom he
should be so happy to have the honour to command again, or with
whom he would so willingly undertake the most arduous services.
Where almost every officer has so much distinguished himself by
zeal, alacrity, and good conduct, it is difficult to particularize
any individual; but Sir William Grant Keir feels himself bound,
both in gratitude and duty, to say, that he is, in an uncommon
degree, indebted to Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable Lincoln Stanhope,
of the SEVENTEENTH Light Dragoons, and to Captain Thompson, of
the same corps, who has also done more than his duty in taking
charge of the advanced-posts during the whole of the service:
the Major-General requests the above officers will accept of his
warmest thanks."
[Sidenote: 1819]
After reposing a short period in cantonments, the regiment again
took the field towards the end of the year 1818; and, in the
early part of 1819, it marched into the province of Candeish.
In the same year a detachment of eighty-six officers and
soldiers,--convalescents left at Kaira on the march of the regiment
into Candeish,--joined the force assembled in the province of
Cutch, under Major-General Sir William Grant Keir. The extirpation
of the _Pindarees_, a community of robbers associated for the
undisguised object of subsisting by plunder, and amounting to from
twenty-five to thirty thousand horsemen, was become an imperative
duty to the British subjects in India. At the same time several
native princes considered that the preservation of the Pindarees
might be of advantage to themselves in the event of a war with
the British. The operations of the armies which took the field,
therefore, embraced several objects, which were acomplished to the
honour of the British arms. After the surrender of Nagpore, the
capital of the Mahratta territories, the SEVENTEENTH returned to
their cantonments in the fruitful province of Guzerat.
[Sidenote: 1820]
In the month of May, 1820, the regiment marched once more to the
hilly country of Cutch, and formed part of the force assembled in
that province, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable
Lincoln Stanhope, and encamped at Keyrah, about half-way between
the city of Booge-booge and Mandivie, the principal seaport in
Cutch. This force consisted of between five and six thousand men;
but the difference between the British authorities and the native
chiefs, against whom it was designed to act, having been settled
without an appeal to arms, the camp broke up in November, when
the troops returned to their cantonments, excepting a detachment,
which crossed the gulf of Cutch and captured, after an obstinate
and desperate resistance, the strong pirate fort of _Dwarka_,
where Lieutenant William Henry Marriott was mortally wounded.
This distinguished officer was aide-de-camp to the Honourable
the Governor in Council, and brigade-major to Lieut.-Colonel the
Honourable Lincoln Stanhope; he was possessed of every quality that
could make a young soldier the object of interest and of hope; he
was admired, respected, and beloved in life, and he met with a
death of glory without fear and without reproach.
[Sidenote: 1822]
The regiment marched back to its cantonments near Kaira, where
it was stationed until 1822, when arrangements were made for its
return to England. During the fourteen years it had been in India,
it had received, at various times, nine hundred and twenty-nine
officers and recruits from Great Britain; and its loss by deaths,
from disease and climate, exclusive of men killed by the enemy and
invalids, amounted to eight hundred and twenty-two officers and
soldiers.
On the 20th of August, 1822, His Majesty King George IV. was
pleased to approve of the regiment being equipped as a corps of
"LANCERS."
On the decease of General Oliver de Lancey, the colonelcy of the
regiment was conferred on Major-General Lord Robert Edward Henry
Somerset, K.C.B., from the late Twenty-first Light Dragoons, by
commission dated the 9th of September, 1822.
Leaving the men who had volunteered into other corps at Kaira, the
regiment commenced its march for Cambay, in November, and embarked
at that place in boats for Bombay, where it arrived in December.
[Illustration: 17th Lancers, 1829. [To face page 70. ]
[Sidenote: 1823]
On the 9th of January, 1823, the regiment sailed for England;
arriving at Gravesend, on the 18th of May, it landed and marched to
Chatham, where it was joined by Lieut.-Colonel Stanhope and Captain
Adams, who had returned to England over-land, via Egypt. At Chatham
the SEVENTEENTH returned their carbines into store, and were armed
with LANCES, and the officers and soldiers commenced wearing
moustaches.
[Sidenote: 1824]
The regiment was recruited to 311 men by the 1st of January, 1824;
in June it marched to London, and was stationed a short time in the
Regent's Park barracks, during the absence of the Life Guards for
the purpose of being reviewed. In July the head-quarters removed to
Canterbury.
[Sidenote: 1825]
In the summer of 1825 the regiment again took the London duty,
during the absence of the household cavalry, and was subsequently
removed to Brighton and Chichester.
[Sidenote: 1826]
[Sidenote: 1827]
The regiment marched, in the spring of 1826, to Exeter and Topsham;
in January, 1827, it was stationed at Hounslow and Hampton-Court,
and on the 20th of that month it was on duty on the occasion of the
funeral of His late Royal Highness the Duke of York.
[Sidenote: 1828]
From Hounslow the regiment marched to Liverpool, and embarking
for Ireland, landed at Dublin in April, 1828, after an absence of
upwards of twenty-three years from that part of the United Kingdom.
On landing it marched to Dundalk and Belturbet; it returned to
Dublin in May, 1829.
[Sidenote: 1829]
Lieut.-General Lord R. E. H. Somerset was appointed to the Royal
Dragoons in November, 1829, and the command of the SEVENTEENTH
Lancers was conferred by His Majesty on Major-General Sir John
Elley, K.C.B., K.C.H.
[Sidenote: 1830]
In May, 1830, the head-quarters proceeded to Newbridge; and soon
after the accession of King William IV., on the 26th of June, the
regiment was directed to wear scarlet clothing, with yellow lace,
and blue trowsers; and to discontinue the moustaches.
[Sidenote: 1831]
On the 1st of April, 1831, the SEVENTEENTH marched from Limerick;
and it performed much harassing and severe duty in consequence of
the disturbed state of the county of Clare.
[Sidenote: 1832]
The regiment proceeded to Dublin in April, 1832; it there lost
three men from the cholera morbus; in June it embarked for Bristol,
and it was designed to occupy quarters at Gloucester, but did not
enter that city for several days for fear of communicating the
cholera. The head-quarters proceeded thither on the 29th of June;
but the cholera having broken out in Gloucester they were withdrawn
to Wotton-under-Edge and Dursley. In November, the cholera having
ceased, they returned to Gloucester.
[Sidenote: 1833]
In March, 1833, the regiment proceeded to Hounslow, Hampton-Court,
and Kensington; and on the 10th of September it was reviewed at
Windsor by His Majesty, who was graciously pleased to express to
Major-General Sir John Elley, and to Lieut.-Colonel Lord Bingham,
his royal approbation of its appearance, using the expression,
"It is perfect." After the review the officers had the honour to
dine with the King, in St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle, and His
Majesty repeated the expressions of his high approbation of the
appearance and movements of the SEVENTEENTH Lancers, and added,
that he had the gratification of reviewing this regiment half a
century before, when it was stationed at New York.
[Sidenote: 1834]
[Sidenote: 1835]
[Sidenote: 1836]
[Sidenote: 1837]
From Hounslow, the head-quarters marched in May, 1834, to Leeds;
in May, 1835, the regiment proceeded to Manchester; and in April,
1836, the head-quarters were removed to Ipswich, from whence they
proceeded, in May, 1837, to Coventry.
[Sidenote: 1838]
The regiment embarked at Liverpool, in June, 1838, for Ireland, and
was employed on duty at Dublin.
[Sidenote: 1839]
Lieut.-General Sir John Elley died in January, 1839, and was
succeeded by Lieut.-General Sir Joseph Stratton, K.C.H., who was
removed to the Eighth Dragoons in August, and the colonelcy was
conferred on Major-General Sir Arthur Benjamin Clifton, K.C.B.,
K.C.H.
[Sidenote: 1840]
The regiment remained at Dublin until May, 1840, when it proceeded
to Cahir.
[Sidenote: 1841]
In May, 1841, the regiment returned to Dublin, from whence it
embarked for Scotland, and arrived at Glasgow at the end of that
month. It was removed to Edinburgh in the month of August following.
The usefulness and efficiency of the SEVENTEENTH Regiment of
Lancers;--the steadiness, good conduct, and attention to the rules
of discipline, evinced by the soldiers;--and the admirable quality
and training of the horses, afford abundant proof of the zealous
and constant superintendence of the officers, and their regard to
the credit and honour of the corps. The expressions of approbation
of the gallantry of the regiment when employed on active service,
as announced, on several occasions, in public orders;--and the
testimony borne by the general officers under whom it has, from
time to time, been employed, to the excellence of its appearance,
system, and conduct,--fully support the claim of the regiment to
the favour of the crown, the confidence of the government, and the
admiration of the country.
[Illustration: 17th Lancers, 1832. Review Order. [To face page 74. ]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Captain BASIL exchanged to the Fifteenth Light Dragoons, and
was killed at _Emsdorf_ on the 16th of July, 1760.
[2] This anecdote of the corps was related by His Majesty King
William IV., who, when Prince William Henry, reviewed the regiment
while it was stationed at New York, and, in 1833, related at his
own table some particulars respecting its services in America.
[3] Earl Cornwallis's despatch.
[4] During the action the American Colonel Washington called
out, "Where is now the boasting Tarleton?" CORNET PATTERSON of
the SEVENTEENTH was riding up to attack him, and was shot by
Washington's orderly Trumpeter. _Anecdote by Lieut.-General Sir
Evan Lloyd, who served with the regiment in America._
[5] Statement of Lieut.-General Sir Evan Lloyd.
[6] Serjeant Stephenson was offered a commission in an infantry
corps, as a reward for his conduct on this occasion, which he
declined at the recommendation of several officers, who hoped to be
able to procure him promotion in his own regiment; but they either
fell victims to the climate or were removed to other corps, and he
died, on service with his regiment at Bombay, in 1813.
[7] Statement of Lieut.-General Sir Evan Lloyd.
[8] In November, 1817, Lieut.-Colonel William Carden died at the
cantonments of the regiment at Ruttapore, near Kaira, where a
handsome monument was erected with the following inscription:--
HERE ARE DEPOSITED THE REMAINS OF
LIEUT.-COLONEL W. CARDEN,
LATE OF H. M. 17TH DRAGOONS, AND COMMANDING OFFICER
ON THE N. D. GUZERAT; WHO DIED AT THIS PLACE
ON THE 13TH OF NOVEMBER, 1817,
AGED 48 YEARS.
THE OFFICERS OF HIS REGIMENT HAVE ERECTED THIS MONUMENT, NOT
MERELY TO RECORD HIS EMINENCE AS A SOLDIER, BUT AS A TRIBUTE OF
THEIR AFFECTIONATE REGARD TO HIS MEMORY, AND TO EXPRESS THE DEEP
REGRET WHICH THE LOSS OF THE NUMEROUS VIRTUES HE POSSESSED HAS
OCCASIONED.
A friend to truth; in soul sincere:
In action faithful, and in honour clear.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE SEVENTEENTH
REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS;--
LANCERS.
JOHN HALE,
_Appointed 27th April, 1763_.
JOHN HALE held a commission in the Forty-seventh Foot, and served
in Scotland during the rebellion of 1745-6. He was promoted to
Captain in 1752, and to the Majority of the regiment in 1755.
On the breaking out of the seven years' war he proceeded with
the Forty-seventh to North America, and was promoted to the
Lieut.-Colonelcy of the regiment on the 19th of March, 1758. He
commanded the Forty-seventh regiment in the expedition against
Cape Breton, under Lieut.-General, afterwards Lord, Amherst; was
distinguished for intrepidity at the landing on the 8th of June,
1758, and also served with credit at the siege of Louisburg, which
surrendered on the 26th of July. On the 30th of August he embarked
with his regiment from Louisburg, and proceeded to the support of
Major-General Abercromby, who had been repulsed in an attack on the
French fort of Ticonderago, on the west shore of Lake Champlain.
In 1759 he commanded the Forty-seventh in the expedition against
Quebec, under Major-General JAMES WOLFE, and when appointed to
this arduous enterprise, he was honoured with the local rank of
Colonel in America. Sailing up the river St. Lawrence a landing
was effected, and several actions took place, in which Colonel
Hale was distinguished for the cool and steady manner in which he
led the Forty-seventh into the fight. At the battle of Quebec, on
the 13th of September, 1759, Major-General WOLFE fell, mortally
wounded, while in the act of leading the Twenty-eighth Foot to
the charge with bayonets; Colonel HALE brought the Forty-seventh
into action in a very gallant manner, and the charge of the two
regiments (Twenty-eighth and Forty-seventh) was irresistible. After
the surrender of Quebec, Colonel HALE was selected to proceed to
England with despatches, and he arrived in London on the evening
of the 16th of October. He was well received at Court, and being a
talented officer, well acquainted with the nature of the service
of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, his merits procured him the
favour of his Sovereign.
A few months previous to Colonel Hale's arrival in England,
King George II. had resolved to add to his land forces entire
regiments of light cavalry; soon after the victory at Quebec was
made known, His Majesty reviewed the first of these regiments,
"Eliott's Light Horse," in Hyde Park, and was so much pleased with
its appearance and activity, that Colonel HALE was appointed to
superintend the formation of an additional light regiment, now
the SEVENTEENTH LANCERS, of which he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel
Commandant on the 7th of November, 1759, and Colonel on the 27th
of April, 1763. In 1770 he was appointed Governor of Limerick,
when he was succeeded in the colonelcy of his regiment by Colonel
Preston. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1772,
to that of Lieut.-General in 1777; and to that of General on the
12th of October, 1793. He died on the 20th of March, 1806, at
the Plantations, near Guisborough, Yorkshire, leaving behind him
seventeen children.
GEORGE PRESTON,
_Appointed 2nd November, 1770_.
GEORGE PRESTON was many years an officer in the Scots' Greys, and
served with his regiment in 1743 at the battle of Dettingen, where
the Greys captured the white standard of the French household
troops. The Greys also served at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745,
at Roucoux in 1746, and in 1747 highly distinguished themselves
at Val, where Captain GEORGE PRESTON was wounded. His meritorious
conduct was rewarded, in 1757, with the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the
Greys, at the head of which corps he served in Germany under
Prince Ferdinand, of Brunswick, from 1758 to 1762. At the battle
of Minden in 1759, Warbourg in 1760, Kirch Denkern in 1761, and
Grobenstein in 1762, the Greys had the honour of serving, and they
signalized themselves in numerous skirmishes, on which occasions
Lieut.-Colonel PRESTON was distinguished for discretion and
personal bravery; and he returned to England in 1763, with the
reputation of being an excellent cavalry officer. In 1770 he was
rewarded with the Colonelcy of the SEVENTEENTH Light Dragoons; in
1772 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and to that of
Lieut.-General in 1777: in 1782 he was appointed to the Colonelcy
of the Scots' Greys. He died at Bath in 1785.
THE HONOURABLE THOMAS GAGE,
_Appointed 18th April, 1782_.