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[Illustration:
BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IV^{TH}. _and under the
Patronage of_ Her Majesty the Queen.
HISTORICAL RECORDS, _OF THE_ British Army
_Comprising the_ _History of every Regiment_ _IN HER MAJESTY’S
SERVICE_.
_By Richard Cannon Esq^{re}._
_Adjutant General’s Office, Horse Guards._ London. _Printed by
Authority._]
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, been 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 rate 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 army 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 ensure 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 he 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 EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
In 1793,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
To 1853.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT GENERAL’S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
Illustrated with Plates.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY GEORGE E. EYRE AND WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE,
PRINTERS TO THE QUEEN’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY,
FOR HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE.
PUBLISHED BY PARKER, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,
MILITARY LIBRARY,
30, CHARING CROSS.
1853.
THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS,
BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR AND APPOINTMENTS
THE PLUME OF THE PRINCE OF WALES, WITH THE MOTTO,
“ICH DIEN” AND THE “HARP,”
IN CONSEQUENCE OF ITS HAVING BEEN ORIGINALLY DESIGNATED
THE “PRINCE OF WALES’S IRISH REGIMENT;”
ALSO THE WORDS, “MONTE VIDEO,”
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GALLANTRY DISPLAYED
BY THE FIRST BATTALION AT THE CAPTURE OF THAT PLACE,
ON THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY, 1807;
THE WORD, “TALAVERA,”
IN TESTIMONY OF THE CONDUCT OF THE SECOND BATTALION IN THAT
BATTLE, ON THE 27TH AND 28TH OF JULY, 1809;
AN EAGLE WITH A WREATH OF LAUREL ABOVE THE HARP,
AND THE WORD, “BARROSA,”
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GALLANTRY OF THE SECOND BATTALION,
AND OF THE TROPHY ACQUIRED IN THAT BATTLE,
ON THE 5TH OF MARCH, 1811;
ALSO THE WORD, “TARIFA,”
FOR THE DISTINGUISHED GALLANTRY OF THE SECOND BATTALION
IN THE DEFENCE OF THAT PLACE,
ON THE 31ST OF DECEMBER, 1811;
AND
THE WORDS, “VITTORIA,” “NIVELLE,” “ORTHES,”
“TOULOUSE,” AND “PENINSULA,”
IN TESTIMONY OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICES OF THE SECOND BATTALION
IN THE SEVERAL ACTIONS FOUGHT DURING THE WAR
IN PORTUGAL, SPAIN, AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE,
FROM 1809 TO 1814;
AND
THE WORD “AVA,”
TO DENOTE THE MERITORIOUS CONDUCT OF THE REGIMENT DURING
THE BURMESE WAR, IN 1825-26.
THE
EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.
CONTENTS
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD.
Year. Page
INTRODUCTION 1
1793. Formation of the regiment 2
1794. Names of officers 4
” Embarked for Flanders 5
” Action at Alost _ib._
1795. Proceeded to Bergen-op-Zoom _ib._
” Marched prisoners into France 6
1796. The regiment again recruited _ib._
” Embarked as part of a secret expedition to the
North Sea _ib._
” Return of the troops to England _ib._
” The regiment embarked for the West Indies _ib._
1797. Capture of _Trinidad_ _ib._
” Expedition against _Porto Rico_ 7
” The regiment proceeded to St. Lucia _ib._
1798. Stationed at St. Lucia 8
1799. Proceeded to Martinique _ib._
1800. Removed to Dominica _ib._
1801. Embarked for Barbadoes _ib._
” Proceeded to Curaçoa _ib._
1802. Peace of Amiens _ib._
1803. Renewal of hostilities _ib._
1804. The regiment returned to England 9
” Proceeded to Guernsey _ib._
” War with Spain _ib._
” Formation of the second battalion _ib._
1805. The first battalion removed to Portsmouth 10
1806. Proceeded to Plymouth _ib._
” Embarked for Monte Video _ib._
1807. Capture of that place 11
” Authorised to bear the word “_Monte Video_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
” The light company engaged at _Colonia_, near
Buenos Ayres _ib._
” Assault of _Buenos Ayres_ 12
” Withdrawal of the British troops 15
” The first battalion embarked for the Cape of
Good Hope _ib._
1808 }
and } Stationed in that colony _ib._
1809 }
1810. Embarked for the Mauritius 16
” Capture of that island _ib._
1811 }
to } Stationed at the Mauritius _ib._
1814 }
1815. Embarked for Bengal _ib._
1816. War with the Rajah of Nepaul 17
” Affair on the heights of _Sierapore_ 18
” Termination of the campaign 19
” Return of the battalion to Bengal _ib._
” Stationed at Cawnpore _ib._
1817. Engaged in the siege of the Fort of _Hattrass_ _ib._
” Returned to Cawnpore 20
” The Pindaree campaign _ib._
” Casualties from cholera _ib._
1818. Conclusion of peace 21
” Return of the regiment to Cawnpore _ib._
1820. Marched to Fort William _ib._
1821. Meritorious conduct of the regiment at the fire in
the East India Company’s Dispensary at Calcutta _ib._
” Presentation of testimonials, in consequence, to
the regiment 22
1822. Similar conduct of the regiment at another alarming
fire in Calcutta 23
” Embarked for the Upper Provinces _ib._
1823. Decease of Lieut.-Colonel Miller _ib._
” The regiment stationed at Ghazeepore _ib._
1824. Removed to Berhampore _ib._
1825. Proceeded to Calcutta 24
” Decease of Lieut.-Colonel Browne _ib._
” Commencement of the Burmese War _ib._
” The regiment embarked for Ava _ib._
” Engaged with the Burmese near _Prome_ _ib._
1826. Capture of _Melloone_ 25
” Operations against _Moulmein_ _ib._
” Termination of the Burmese War _ib._
” Authorised to bear the word “_Ava_” on the regimental
colour and appointments 26
” Decease of Lieut.-Colonel Shawe 27
” The regiment embarked for Calcutta _ib._
” Reviewed at Calcutta by General Lord Combermere,
Commander-in-Chief in India 28
1827. Complimentary order on the embarkation of the
regiment for England _ib._
1827. Stationed in the Isle of Wight 29
” Application from General Sir John Doyle for the
regiment to be constituted a _light infantry_ corps 30
” Styled the “_Prince of Wales’s Own Irish Regiment
of Fusiliers_” 32
” Facings changed from Green to _Blue_ 33
” Styled the “EIGHTY-SEVENTH, _or Royal Irish
Fusiliers_” _ib._
1828. Reviewed by General Lord Hill, Commanding-in-chief 34
” Marched to London _ib._
” Proceeded to Chester 35
” Services of the regiment at a fire _ib._
1829. Three companies employed in aid of the Civil Power
in Wales _ib._
” Marched to Stockport 36
” Stationed at Manchester 37
1830. Embarked for Ireland 38
” Returned to England _ib._
1831. Formed into service and depôt companies _ib._
” Service companies embarked for the Mauritius _ib._
1832 }
and } Remained at the Mauritius _ib._
1833 }
1834. Major-General Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B.,
appointed Colonel of the regiment _ib._
1835. The depôt companies embarked for Ireland _ib._
1836 }
to } Stationed in Ireland 39
1839.}
1840. Returned to England _ib._
1841. Major-General Sir Hugh (now Viscount) Gough, K.C.B.,
appointed Colonel of the regiment _ib._
1843. The service companies returned to England from
the Mauritius _ib._
” The regiment proceeded to Glasgow _ib._
1844. Marched to Edinburgh _ib._
1846. Proceeded to Monmouthshire 40
1847. Removed to Weedon _ib._
1848. Augmented to the India establishment _ib._
1849. Embarked for Calcutta _ib._
1853. CONCLUSION _ib._
CONTENTS
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE SECOND BATTALION
OF
THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.
Year. Page
INTRODUCTION 41
1804. Formation of the second battalion _ib._
1805. Embarked for Ireland 42
1806. Returned to England _ib._
1807. Proceeded to Guernsey _ib._
1808. Embarked for Portugal 44
1809. Battle of _Talavera_ 45
” Authorised to bear the word “_Talavera_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 47
1810. Embarked for Cadiz _ib._
1811. Battle of _Barrosa_ 48
” Capture of a French _Eagle_ by the battalion _ib._
” Styled “THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH, _or Prince of Wales’s
Own Irish Regiment_,” and authorised to bear on
the regimental colour and appointments the word
“_Barrosa_,” and an _Eagle_ with a _Wreath of
Laurel_, above the _Harp_ 53
” The second battalion embarked for _Tarifa_ 54
” Siege of _Tarifa_ by the French 55
1812. Gallant defence of the place 58
” Authorised to bear the word “_Tarifa_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
” The battalion returned to Cadiz _ib._
” Action at the bridge and fort of _Puerto Largo_ 59
1813. Battle of _Vittoria_ 60
” Bâton of Marshal Jourdan taken by the battalion 62
” Authorised to bear the word “_Vittoria_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 63
1813. Actions in the _Pyrenees_ 63
” Battle of the _Nivelle_ 64
” Authorised to bear the word “_Nivelle_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
1814. Action near _Salvatira_ 65
” Battle of _Orthes_ _ib._
” Authorised to bear the word “_Orthes_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
” Affair at _Vic Bigorre_ 65
” Battle of _Toulouse_ 66
” Authorised to bear the word “_Toulouse_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 67
” Termination of the Peninsular War _ib._
” Authorised to bear the word “_Peninsula_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 68
” Embarkation of the battalion for Cork _ib._
” Removed to Portsmouth 69
” Proceeded to Guernsey _ib._
1815. Stationed in that island _ib._
1816. Removed to Portsmouth, and subsequently to
Colchester _ib._
1817. The second battalion disbanded 74
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.
Year. Page
1796. Sir John Doyle, Bart., G.C.B. 75
1834. Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B. 83
1841. Hugh Viscount Gough, G.C.B. 89
APPENDIX.
Page
List of troops in South America in 1806-7 91
Memoir of Lieut.-General Sir Charles William Doyle, C.B.,
and G.C.H. 92
Memoir of Lieut.-Colonel Matthew Shawe, C.B. 95
List of battalions formed from men raised in 1803 and
1804, under the “_Army of Reserve_” and “_Additional
Force Acts_” 97-100
PLATES.
Page
Costume of the regiment in 1793 _to face_ 1
Colours of the regiment 40
The French Eagle captured at the battle of Barrosa on the
5th of March 1811 50
Costume of the regiment in 1853 74
[Illustration: ORIGINAL UNIFORM OF THE 87^{TH} REGIMENT 1793
FOR CANNONS MILITARY RECORDS
_Madeley lith 3, Wellington S^t. Strand._]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.
[Sidenote: 1793.]
The disturbed state of affairs on the continent of Europe in
1793, particularly in France, arising from the principles of the
Revolution in that country, which threatened surrounding nations
with universal anarchy, occasioned preparations to be made
throughout the several countries, in order to oppose the dangerous
doctrines which were then diffused under the specious terms of
“Liberty and Equality.”
On the 1st of February 1793, the National Convention of France,
after the decapitation of King Louis XVI. on the 21st of the
previous month, declared war against Great Britain and Holland.
Augmentations were immediately made to the regular army, the
militia was embodied, and the British people evinced their loyalty
and patriotism by forming volunteer associations, and by making
every exertion for the maintenance of monarchical principles,
and for the defence of those institutions which had raised their
country to a high position among the nations of Europe.
Upwards of fifty regiments of infantry were authorised to be
raised, on this emergency, in the several parts of Great Britain
and Ireland, by officers and gentlemen possessing local influence,
sixteen of which regiments, viz. from the Seventy-eighth to the
Ninety-third, continue at this period on the establishment of the
army.
Of the officers thus honored with the confidence of their Sovereign
and his Government, Lieut.-Colonel John Doyle (afterwards General
Sir John Doyle, Bart., and G.C.B.) was selected, to whom a letter
of service was addressed on the 18th of September 1793, authorising
him to raise a regiment, to consist of ten companies of sixty rank
and file in each company. The corps was speedily completed, and
was designated the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, or THE PRINCE OF WALES’S IRISH
REGIMENT.
The following is a copy of the _Letter of Service_, addressed by
the Secretary-at-War to Major John Doyle, on the half-pay of the
late One hundred and fifth regiment, dated
“_War Office,_
“_18th September 1793._
“SIR,
“I am commanded to acquaint you, that His Majesty approves of your
raising a regiment of foot, without any allowance of levy money, to
be completed within three months, upon the following terms, viz.:
“The corps is to consist of one company of Grenadiers, one of Light
Infantry, and eight battalion companies. The Grenadier company is
to consist of one captain, two lieutenants, three serjeants, three
corporals, two drummers, two fifers, and fifty-seven private men.
The Light Infantry company of one captain, two lieutenants, three
serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and fifty-seven men;
and each battalion company of one captain, one lieutenant, and
one ensign, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and
fifty-seven private men, together with the usual staff officers,
and with a serjeant-major and quartermaster-serjeant, exclusive of
the serjeants above specified. The captain-lieutenant is (as usual)
included in the number of lieutenants above mentioned.
“The corps is to have one major with a company, and is to be under
your command as major, with a company.
“The pay of the officers is to commence from the dates of their
commissions, and that of the non-commissioned officers and privates
from the dates of their attestations.
“His Majesty is pleased to leave to you the nomination of the
officers of the regiment; but the lieut.-colonel and major are to
be taken from the list of lieut.-colonels or majors on half-pay,
or the major from a captain on full pay. Six of the captains are
to be taken from the half-pay, and the other captain and the
captain-lieutenant from the list of captains or captain-lieutenants
on full pay. All the lieutenants are to be taken from the half-pay;
and the gentlemen recommended for ensigns are not to be under
sixteen years of age.
“No officer, however, is to be taken from the half-pay who received
the difference on going upon the half-pay, nor is any officer
coming from the half-pay to contribute any money towards the levy,
but he may be required to raise such a quota of men as you may
agree upon with him.
“The person to be recommended for quartermaster must not be
proposed for any other commission.
“In case the corps should be reduced after it has been once
established, the officers will be entitled to half-pay.
“No man is to be enlisted above thirty-five years of age, nor
under five feet five inches high. Well-made, growing lads, between
sixteen and eighteen years of age, may be taken at five feet four
inches.
“The recruits are to be engaged without limitation as to the period
or place of their service.
“The non-commissioned officers and privates are to be inspected
by a general officer, who will reject all such as are unfit for
service, or not enlisted in conformity to the terms of this letter.
“In the execution of this service, I take leave to assure you of
every assistance which my office can afford.
“I have, &c., &c.,
(Signed) “GEORGE YONGE.
“_To Major John Doyle, on the half-pay of the late
One hundred and fifth regiment._”
The following officers were appointed to commissions in the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, viz.:—
[Sidenote: 1794.]
_Lieut.-Colonel Commandant_—John Doyle.
_Lieut.-Colonel_—Edward Viscount Dungarvan
(afterwards Earl of Cork).
_Major_—Walter Hovenden.
_Captains._
Honorable George Napier.
Nathaniel Cookman.
Honorable Robert Mead.
Percy Freke.
Richard Thompson.
Howe Hadfield.
_Captain-Lieutenant_—James Magrath.
_Lieutenants._
John Thompson.
William Aug. Blakeney.
John Wilson.
Thomas Clarke.
James Henry Fitz Simon.
William Warren.
William Magrath.
Barton Lodge.
_Ensigns._
Fleming Kells.
William Murray.
John Carrol.
—— Walker.
Benjamin Johnson.
—— Salmon.
_Adjutant_—John L. Brock.
_Surgeon_— —— Hill.
_Quartermaster_—Wm. Thomson.
_Chaplain_—Edw. Berwick.
The effective numbers were quickly recruited, and the regiment
was so far formed as to be considered fit to be employed on
active continental service. It was consequently embarked in the
summer of 1794, as part of a force under Major-General the Earl
Moira, and was sent to join the British army in Flanders, under
the command of His Royal Highness the Duke of York. While on the
march the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment was attacked on the 15th of
July 1794, at the outpost of _Alost_, by a strong corps of the
enemy’s cavalry, which it repulsed, and for which act of bravery
it received the thanks of the general officer in public orders.
It is a circumstance worthy of being recorded in the regimental
history, that the first individual of the regiment who was wounded,
was the Lieut.-Colonel by whom it was raised. In the general
orders of the Earl of Moira upon this occasion, “he expressed his
admiration of the cool intrepidity with which the EIGHTY-SEVENTH
regiment repulsed an attack from the enemy’s cavalry, at the bridge
of Alost, where its commander, Lieut.-Colonel Doyle, received two
severe wounds, but would not quit his regiment, until the enemy had
given up the attack.” The Duke of York, in his public letter, thus
mentioned the affair:—
“_Head-quarters, Cortyke,_
“_15th July 1794._
“Lord Moira speaks highly of the conduct of the officers and men
of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment on this occasion, particularly
of Lieut.-Colonel Doyle, commanding the corps, who was severely
wounded.
(Signed) “FREDERICK.”
[Sidenote: 1795.]
In 1795 the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment was sent into Bergen-op-Zoom
to be drilled; but soon after its arrival, the Dutch garrison
revolted against the government, opened the gates, and joined
the French, who entered with twenty thousand men, and made a
capitulation with the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, the only British corps in the
town, then commanded by Lord Dungarvan (afterwards Earl of Cork),
Lieut.-Colonel Doyle having been sent to England for the recovery
of his wounds. The capitulation was however broken by the French,
and the EIGHTY-SEVENTH were marched prisoners of war into France.
[Sidenote: 1796.]
The regiment was again filled up, and, with the Tenth foot, and
some marines, was sent upon a secret expedition to the North Sea,
under the command of Brigadier-General John Doyle, who had been
promoted Colonel of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, on the 3rd of May 1796, to
co-operate with Admiral (the late Lord) Duncan; but, having been
delayed in England until the end of September, the tempestuous
weather, usual at that season of the year in those seas, dispersed
the ships and small craft by which the troops were to be landed,
and put an end to the object of the expedition. The troops returned
to England in the ships of war, in which they embarked under the
orders of Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton.
On the 14th of October 1796, the regiment embarked for the West
Indies.
Spain having united with France in hostility to Great Britain,
an expedition under Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B.,
proceeded against the Spanish island of _Trinidad_, which
capitulated on the 18th of February 1797. No men were killed or
wounded. Lieutenant R—— Villeneuve, of the Eighth foot, major
of brigade to Brigadier-General Hompesch, was the only officer
wounded, and he died of his wounds.
[Sidenote: 1797.]
After the reduction of Trinidad, the force (of which the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH formed part) destined for the expedition against
_Porto Rico_, being assembled, the fleet sailed from Martinique
on the 8th of April 1797, and on the 10th arrived at St. Kitt’s,
where it remained for a few days. On the 17th the fleet anchored
off Congrejos Point, and a landing was effected on the island of
Porto Rico on the following day. The troops advanced, when it was
perceived that the only point on which the town could be attacked
was on the eastern side, where it was defended by the Castle and
Lines of St. Christopher, to approach which it was necessary to
force a way over the lagoon which formed that side of the island.
This passage was strongly defended by two redoubts and gun-boats,
and the enemy had destroyed the bridge connecting, in the narrowest
channel, the island with the main land. After every effort the
British could never sufficiently silence the fire of the enemy, who
was likewise entrenched in the rear of these redoubts, to hazard
forcing the passage with so small a number of troops. It was next
endeavoured to bombard the town from a point to the southward of
it, near to a large magazine abandoned by the enemy. This was
tried for several days without any great effect, on account of
the distance. Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, seeing that
no act of vigour, or any combined operation between the sea and
land services, could in any manner avail, determined to re-embark
the troops, which was effected during the night of the 30th of
April. Four Spanish field-pieces were brought off, but not a sick
or wounded soldier was left behind, and nothing of any value fell
into the hands of the enemy. Sir Ralph Abercromby in his despatch
alluded to the troops in the following terms: “The behaviour of
the troops has been meritorious; they were patient under labour,
regular and orderly in their conduct, and spirited when an
opportunity to show it occurred.” The EIGHTY-SEVENTH had two rank
and file killed, three wounded, and thirteen missing.
The regiment subsequently proceeded to St. Lucia, which had been
captured from the French in May 1796.
[Sidenote: 1798.]
During the year 1798, the regiment remained at St. Lucia.
[Sidenote: 1799.]
In December 1799, the regiment proceeded from St. Lucia to
Martinique.
[Sidenote: 1800.]
The regiment was removed, in April 1800, from Martinique to
Dominica.
[Sidenote: 1801.]
In April 1801 the regiment embarked from Dominica for Barbadoes,
and in August following proceeded to Curaçoa.
[Sidenote: 1802.]
The preliminaries of peace, which had been agreed upon between
Great Britain and France in the previous year, were ratified on the
27th of March 1802; but the peace which had been thus concluded was
but of short duration. Napoleon Bonaparte, who had been elected
First Consul of the French Republic, showed, on several occasions,
that he continued to entertain strong feelings of hostility against
Great Britain.
During the year 1802, the regiment continued to be stationed at
Curaçoa.
[Sidenote: 1803.]
After a few months, during which further provocations took place
between the two countries, war was declared against France on
the 18th of May 1803. The preparations which had been making in
the French ports, the assembling of large bodies of troops on
the coast, and the forming of numerous flotillas of gun-boats,
justified the British government in adopting the strongest
measures of defence, and in calling upon the people for their aid
and services. Numerous volunteer associations were formed in all
parts of the kingdom in defence of the Sovereign, the laws, and
the institutions of the country. The militia was re-embodied, and
the regular army was considerably augmented, under the “_Army of
Reserve Act_,” as shown in the Appendix, page 97.
The EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked from the island of Curaçoa
for England on the 12th of January 1803, on board of the ship “De
Ruyter,” which, meeting with tempestuous weather, was obliged to
put into Jamaica, from whence it proceeded to Antigua, where it
arrived in April 1803. The regiment proceeded to St. Kitt’s in June
following.
[Sidenote: 1804.]