regiment received orders to embark for the Netherlands, to take
part in the war with France; and it served the campaign of 1692
with the army commanded by King William in person, by whom it was
reviewed at the camp at Genappe on the 29th of June, in presence
of the Elector of Bavaria and other distinguished persons. It
was engaged in the manœuvres of the main army, and formed part
of the division which attacked the French forces under Marshal
Luxemburg, in their position near _Steenkirk_, on the 24th of
July. It was one of the corps which supported the leading column
under the Duke of Wirtemberg, and, having traversed some difficult
grounds, formed with the cavalry of the left wing on the verge of
a large wood. A narrow valley appeared in front, beyond which were
several thick hedges, and the glittering arms and waving colours
of the French infantry were seen through the thick foliage. After
a sharp cannonade, the second battalion of the first foot guards,
the first battalion of the Royals, the regiments of Fitzpatrick
and O'Ffarrel, and two battalions of Danes, commenced the attack:
they were supported by the regiments of HESSE D'ARMSTADT (SIXTH),
Cutts, Mackay, Leven's (twenty-fifth foot), Angus (twenty-sixth
foot), Graham, and Lawder. These corps behaved with an intrepidity
and valour which redounded to their honour: they drove the enemy
from hedge to hedge, and gained considerable advantage. They were,
however, not promptly sustained by the main body of the army under
Count Solms, who neglected the King's orders, and occasioned the
loss of the battle. Harris, in his History of the Life of King
William, states, "The King, enraged at the disappointment of the
vanguard, expressed his concern by often repeating, 'Oh! my poor
English, how they are abandoned!' nor would he admit Count Solms to
his presence for many months after."
The SIXTH nobly sustained their reputation, and fought manfully,
resisting the superior numbers of the enemy with signal firmness:
their commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Foxon, fell mortally
wounded: the French legions--dragoons, musketeers, pikemen, and
grenadiers--crowded round this devoted corps in great numbers, and
it sustained considerable loss. The King ordered a retreat, and
the regiment withdrew from the field a mere skeleton. Its loss in
killed and wounded was so great, that on the 8th of August it was
ordered into quarters at Malines, and in September it embarked
for England. After landing at Gravesend, a number of officers and
serjeants were sent to various parts of England to procure recruits.
[Sidenote: 1693]
[Sidenote: 1694]
During the winter of 1693 the regiment again embarked for the
Netherlands. It was employed in garrison duty in Flanders; and its
colonel, the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, being a Roman catholic,
transferred his services to the crown of Spain. He was succeeded,
in February, 1694, by Henry Marquis de Rada, son of the Marquis de
Montpouillan. During the winter of this year the regiment was in
garrison at Bruges.
[Sidenote: 1695]
On taking the field in May, 1695, the regiment left its colonel,
the Marquis de Rada, dangerously ill of a fever in Bruges. It was
encamped a short time on the canal between Ghent and Bruges, under
the orders of Lieut.-General Sir Henry Bellasis; and subsequently
with the main army, commanded by King William in person, near
Arseele, where it was formed in brigade with a battalion of the
Royals, and the regiments of Seymour, Granville, Saunderson, and
Colyear, commanded by Brigadier-General Sir David Colyear. The
King was at the head of one hundred and twenty thousand men, and
the French generals headed upwards of a hundred thousand men.
These two powerful armies confronted each other; and his Majesty,
having by skilful movements drawn the enemy to the Flanders
side of their line of entrenchments, invested _Namur_. This
fortress was accounted one of the strongest and most important
in the Netherlands, both by its situation and fortifications: it
commanded two great rivers, the Sambre and the Maese; and its
castle, which stood on a hill in an angle formed by the confluence
of these rivers, was deemed almost impregnable. Such stupendous
fortifications, defended by a numerous garrison, supplied with
every thing requisite for a protracted defence, and commanded by a
governor who was esteemed by his king, and beloved by the soldiers,
seemed to defy the most powerful and best-appointed army that could
be brought against it; and, when the veteran Marshal Boufflers
had thrown himself with a large reinforcement into the town, this
mass of fortifications was looked upon as a rock on which the
grand confederacy of the allies would split. These difficulties
stimulated the British monarch to greater exertions; and the SIXTH,
after remaining a short time with the covering army commanded by
Charles Henry of Lorraine, Prince of Vaudemont, was ordered to join
the forces employed in the siege, and to take part in the attack
of this vast fortress. While on the march the Marquis de Rada died
at Bruges, and King William conferred the colonelcy on an officer
who had formerly served with distinction in the regiment, VENTRIS
COLUMBINE, from captain and lieutenant-colonel in the foot guards.
This officer was highly esteemed in the corps, and, assuming the
command of it before Namur, he had additional opportunities of
signalizing himself.
The regiment was on duty in the trenches on the 6th, 10th, and 13th
of July; and on the 17th it lost a number of men while engaged in
storming the counterscarp: it had also Captain Young killed, and
Lieut. Dorrington and Ensign Drobas wounded. On the 19th it was
again on duty in the trenches, and lost several men; and during
the night of the 23rd it was engaged in extending the lodgment
to the right. A practicable breach having been made, the enemy
surrendered the town on the following day, and retired to the
castle, resolving to make a desperate defence. This was one of the
regiments engaged in the siege of the castle, and was encamped at
a place called Maison Blanche; but, having sustained considerable
loss, it was relieved on the 11th of August, and joined the
covering army under the Prince of Vaudemont, who had recently
quitted his position at Waterloo, and was encamped within seven
miles of Namur. A detachment from the grenadier company was engaged
in storming the breaches of the Terra Nova and Cohorne on the 20th
of August, under Lord Cutts. This proved a most severe service; a
lodgment was made along the covered way and entrenchments, but with
the loss of above a thousand English, besides Bavarians, Prussians,
and Dutch. The grenadier company of this regiment lost several men,
and had Captain Cummins killed, and Lieutenant Twinhoe wounded.
The fire against the castle was continued, and preparations made
for another assault, when the garrison beat a parley, and agreed to
surrender. Thus the capture of this important fortress, which was
accounted the bulwark of Brabant, was achieved, and the reputation
of the British monarch and his troops exalted. After the works were
repaired, Colonel COLUMBINE marched with his regiment into quarters
at Bruges, where he expected to pass the winter; but circumstances
occurred which occasioned his return to England.
[Sidenote: 1696]
The French monarch, finding his ambitious projects frustrated,
attempted to excite a rebellion in England in favour of King James,
who was residing at the French court, and prepared an armament to
second the malcontents. At the same time a plot was formed to
assassinate King William when on his return from hunting. On the
discovery of these designs, this, with a number of other regiments,
was ordered home. The SIXTH embarked at Ostend in the early part
of March, 1696, landed at Gravesend in the middle of that month,
and went into quarters. The plot was discovered, the designs of the
enemy were frustrated, and the King proceeded to the Netherlands to
take the command of the army.
In June, 1696, the regiment was on duty at Windsor; and in July it
was encamped in Windsor forest.
[Sidenote: 1697]
[Sidenote: 1698]
[Sidenote: 1699]
[Sidenote: 1700]
[Sidenote: 1701]
After passing twelve months in England, the regiment received
orders to return to the Netherlands: it landed at Williamstadt
in the beginning of July, 1697, and joined the confederate army
before Brussels, where it was reviewed by his Majesty: it remained
before Brussels until hostilities were terminated by the treaty
of Ryswick, when it was ordered to return to England. It landed
at Gravesend in November, 1697, and marched to Huntingdon. It
subsequently proceeded to Ireland, where it arrived in August,
1698, and remained until, another war breaking out in Europe, its
services were again required abroad in the defence of the crown and
kingdom against the projects of the court of France.
[Sidenote: 1702]
The hope of continued tranquillity, with the prospect that this
country would be enabled to develop its resources and make rapid
advances in arts, manufactures, and commerce, under the auspices
and benign influence of peace at home and abroad, soon passed away:
a Bourbon prince ascended the Spanish throne, when preparations
for war were made, and Colonel COLUMBINE received orders to
recruit his regiment to seven hundred rank and file. The decease
of King William, and the accession of Queen Anne, on the 8th
March, 1702, produced no alteration in the foreign policy of the
British court; and in a few weeks after Her Majesty's accession
the regiment proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where it pitched its
tents preparatory to some expedition, the destination of which
was kept secret. In the early part of June it was reviewed, with
nine other battalions of infantry, and two hundred dragoons, by
Prince George of Denmark, generalissimo of her Majesty's land and
sea forces, and was complimented on its appearance and discipline.
The Duke of Ormond assumed the command of the expedition, and the
regiment embarked on board the St. George, Jacob, and Gosport
transports[22], and put to sea. Arriving off the coast of
Andalusia, in Spain, the troops ascertained they were destined to
make an attempt on the strong fortress of _Cadiz_: a landing was
effected in the middle of August, during a high wind, and about
thirty boats, crowded with soldiers, were overturned by the surge.
The town of _Rota_, on the north side of Cadiz bay, the town
of _Port St. Mary's_, at the mouth of the river Guadalete, and
_Fort St. Catherine_, were captured. The wealthy and flourishing
town of Port St. Mary's was found deserted by the inhabitants;
positive orders had been given against plundering; but the officers
neglecting to enforce strict obedience occasioned the most
unfortunate results. The hungry and thirsty soldiers forced open
the houses in search of refreshment; finding abundance of excellent
wine, they drank freely, and, under its influence, commenced
plundering the town. An immense quantity of valuable merchandize
and other property was removed on board the fleet, and some of
the officers were guilty of securing for themselves many costly
articles: thus, such of the inhabitants as were previously disposed
to favour the allies became hostile, and the public cause suffered
by the want of strict discipline. Cadiz was found better prepared
for resistance than had been expected, and the expedition proved
of insufficient strength for the capture of this fortress. The
troops were re-embarked, and they subsequently proceeded to _Vigo_,
where a valuable Spanish fleet had arrived from the West Indies, in
charge of a French convoy. The grenadiers and eight battalions of
infantry landed on the south side of the river, seven miles from
the town: this regiment formed part of the first brigade, which
landed under the Duke of Ormond and Brigadier-General Hamilton; a
strong fort and a battery were carried by storm, the fleet forced
an entrance, and the French and Spanish shipping were all taken
and destroyed. Many Spanish seamen escaped on shore and took with
them much valuable property: a soldier of Captain Brown's company
of this regiment captured a Spanish mariner who was carrying off an
immense silver dish of curious workmanship, which was delivered up
to the proper authorities[23].
The expedition returned to England, where the regiment arrived in
the early part of November, and was stationed at Canterbury; it
received £561. 10_s._ prize-money. Queen Anne went in triumphal
cavalcade to St. Paul's cathedral to return thanks for this
success; and the troops received the thanks of parliament for their
conduct.
[Sidenote: 1703]
In a few weeks after its return from Vigo the regiment was ordered
to hold itself in readiness to proceed to the West Indies; and in
January, 1703, it marched to Portsmouth, where it embarked on board
the fleet under Vice-Admiral Graydon. The object of the expedition
was the capture of Placentia and Newfoundland; but the enemy's
force was found too strong, and, after remaining a short time in
the West Indies, the regiment returned to England. It landed in
October following at Portsmouth, from whence it was removed into
quarters at Southampton and other towns in that neighbourhood.
On the decease of Colonel Ventris Columbine, Her Majesty conferred
the colonelcy on the lieutenant-colonel, JAMES RIVERS, by
commission dated the 2nd of November, 1703: at the same time Major
WILLIAM SOUTHWELL was appointed lieutenant-colonel.
[Sidenote: 1704]
The quarters were extended to Worcester in April, 1704, and a
detachment was sent to the Isle of Wight: in August following the
regiment proceeded to Plymouth, where it passed the succeeding
winter.
[Sidenote: 1705]
Meanwhile the war was raging in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy,
and other parts of the continent, and an attempt was being made to
place Archduke Charles of Austria on the throne of Spain by force
of arms. Gibraltar had been captured by the combined English and
Dutch fleets, and in connexion with these events the regiment was
embarked at Plymouth in May, 1705, under the Earl of Peterborough,
to take part in the war. The design of this expedition was either
to aid the Duke of Savoy in driving the French out of Italy, to
make an attempt on Naples and Sicily, or to further the progress of
the Archduke in Spain. The fleet arrived at the capital of Portugal
in June, and additional forces were embarked: at the same time
Archduke Charles went on board the fleet to share in the toils and
dangers of the enterprise. From Lisbon the expedition proceeded
to Gibraltar, where it was joined by the former colonel of the
SIXTH--the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, and a reinforcement from the
garrison.
From Gibraltar the fleet proceeded to the bay of Altea, in
Valencia; and while at this small port the officers and soldiers
had opportunities of observing the attachment of the inhabitants
of that part of Spain to the house of Austria. A thousand
Catalonians and Valentians, who had thrown off their allegiance
to the house of Bourbon, and had acknowledged Archduke Charles as
the sovereign of Spain, seized on the town of Denia, while others
made demonstrations of giving effectual aid to the expedition;
and such a spirit of enterprise was evinced by King Charles, the
Earl of Peterborough, the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, and others,
that every officer and man caught the ardent zeal of the superior
officers, and resolved to do something great and noble. Under these
feelings the famous city of _Barcelona_, the capital of Catalonia,
and one of the most ancient towns in Spain, was selected to be the
scene of the first attempt. Its situation, on a plain near the
sea,--with a mole capable of containing only galleys and small
ships,--defended by ten bastions, several old towers and other
works,--with a strong castle and citadel, called _Montjuich_, on
a hill on the west side and commanding the town; the garrison
consisting of between five and six thousand men, under the viceroy
of Catalonia, Don Francis de Velasco;--and the besieging army
being unable to bring more than seven thousand men into the lines;
these circumstances, with the fact, that, in 1697, this fortress
resisted a French army of thirty thousand men eight weeks with open
trenches, and cost the French monarch twelve thousand men, gave an
interesting and romantic character to this enterprise, in which
the SIXTH gained much honour, and which produced a great sensation
throughout Europe.
The troops landed near the river Bassoz, about three miles east
of _Barcelona_, on the 23rd and 24th of August. On the 28th King
Charles came on shore, when the inhabitants of the neighbouring
towns and villages flocked to the camp with demonstrations of joy,
and many took arms to act as guerilla bands and miquelets; but the
progress of the siege was delayed by opposite opinions and views
among the superior officers. "Such were the unhappy circumstances
of the Earl of Peterborough in the camp before Barcelona:
impossibilities proposed; no expedients to be accepted; a court
reproaching; councils of war rejecting; and the Dutch general
refusing the assistance of the troops under his command."[24] Yet
all these difficulties were overcome; and an attack by storm on
the detached fortress of _Montjuich_ was resolved upon, in which
the grenadiers of the SIXTH, headed by their Lieutenant-Colonel,
WILLIAM SOUTHWELL, had the honour to take the lead. The storming
party of four hundred grenadiers, with a support of six hundred
musketeers, commanded by the Earl of Peterborough and the Prince
of Hesse d'Armstadt, commenced their march about ten o'clock on
the night of Sunday the 13th of September, round the mountains,
and were followed by another detachment and a party of dragoons.
After traversing many miles of rugged mountain scenery by difficult
tracts, the storming party appeared before the fortress, and
received a discharge of small arms and artillery from the garrison.
The Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt and Lord Charlemont directed
Lieut.-Colonel SOUTHWELL of the SIXTH to commence the attack;
and instantly springing forward at the head of the grenadiers,
this gallant officer led the storming party to the assault with
signal intrepidity and resolution. The native energy and contempt
of danger of the British soldier was eminently displayed:
SOUTHWELL and his grenadiers climbed the steep rock in the face
of a storm of fire from the garrison,--entered the covered way
and the ditch, sword in hand,--ascended to the top of a curtain
which was not quite finished, one soldier helping another up,
and, notwithstanding the vigorous resistance of the enemy, gained
the bulwark of a new fortification. Here some sharp fighting took
place: thrice Lieut.-Colonel SOUTHWELL was surrounded, but he
overthrew his adversaries with matchless valour, and the enemy
was driven from that post into the castle. The men, at the other
points of attack, had also proved successful,--a considerable
portion of the outworks were carried,--a temporary breastwork
and entrenchment were speedily constructed,--and three pieces of
cannon, which had been captured, were made use of to defend it.
The Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt afterwards advanced with a body
of men along the curtain which led to the ditch of the inward
fort, and fell mortally wounded; two hundred and fifty of the
men were made prisoners by the enemy; at the same time a large
reinforcement was seen advancing from the town to aid the garrison
in the castle, and the soldiers received orders to retire from
some of the inferior officers. The Earl of Peterborough rushed to
the spot, countermanded the order, seized the half-pike out of
Lord Charlemont's hands, and rallied and led back the soldiers to
the posts they had so nobly won: the Spaniards who were advancing
from the town turned back, and the out-works of the fortress of
Montjuich were thus gained. Batteries were constructed, and the
inner works were assailed with cannon-balls, bombs, and grenades.
On the 17th of September, Lieut.-Colonel SOUTHWELL of the SIXTH,
being on duty in the trenches with his regiment, observed that the
bombs, thrown by a Dutch bombardier from a small mortar, fell to
the left of the fort, and concluding there was a magazine in the
place, he traversed the mortar a little to the right, himself,
and fired it; and the bomb falling into a little chapel where the
garrison had stored a great quantity of powder, it blew up, and the
governor, a Neapolitan named Don Charlete Caracholi, with a number
of other officers and men, were buried in the ruins. The intrepid
SOUTHWELL called a few soldiers forward, and, advancing sword in
hand to take advantage of the confusion, was met by the surviving
officers and men of the garrison, who laid down their arms and
surrendered the fortress; Lieut.-Colonel SOUTHWELL took possession
of the works; and King Charles hastened to the spot and embraced
the lieut.-colonel in a transport of joy. Thus the strong castle
and citadel of Montjuich was captured; and Lieut.-Colonel SOUTHWELL
of the SIXTH was rewarded with the appointment of governor.[25]
The capture of Montjuich facilitated the siege of the city of
Barcelona, which was persecuted with vigour: the miquelets and
armed Catalonians blocked up the avenues of the town, and the
soldiers were incessant in their exertions. "The admirals forgot
their element, and acted as general officers at land; they
came every day from their ships with a body of men formed into
companies, and commanded by captains and lieutenants of their
own."[26] Cannon and mortars were dragged up steep precipices by
men; and a practicable breach having been made, a body of soldiers
prepared to attack the city by storm; but the effusion of blood,
which would have attended this enterprize, was spared by the
surrender of the garrison. A number of miquelets entered the city
through the breach with the design of plundering the partisans
of the Bourbon dynasty. The governor being very unpopular, and
suspected of a design to remove many of the prisoners, was
surrounded by an enraged mob: but the Earl of Peterborough entered
the town on the 14th of October with a troop of dragoons and
the grenadiers of the army, put a stop to the plundering of the
miquelets, and prevented the slaughter of the governor and his
garrison; at the same time such excellent order and discipline were
preserved among the English soldiers, that their conduct has been
lauded by historians. The capture of Barcelona gave additional
reputation to the arms of the allies, and this splendid achievement
was the theme of conversation and a subject of astonishment
throughout Europe. It was accompanied by the submission of nearly
all Catalonia, the largest and richest province of Spain; and, as
Boyer, the historian of these wars, observes, "all the generals,
admirals, officers, private soldiers, and seamen, engaged in this
memorable expedition, deserved each their share of the honour."
King Charles commenced forming a Spanish army for his service:
he soon had five hundred dragoons for a guard, and six regiments
of foot. He was joined by Colonel Nebot, who forsook the service
of King Philip with a regiment of horse; and in a short time the
province of Valencia submitted to the Austrian prince.
[Sidenote: 1706]
The regiment continued under the immediate directions of the
Earl of Peterborough, with whose achievements its services are
connected; and his raising the siege of _St. Mattheo_, the capture
of _Morviedro_, his exploits in _Valencia_, and the relief of the
capital of that province--successes gained with a small body of
soldiers over a numerous army--carry with them the appearance of
fiction and romance more than of sober truth; but being supported
by abundance of collateral and direct evidence, the truth of these
achievements cannot be doubted. Unfortunately, no documents have
been met with to prove what particular corps his lordship left in
garrison, and what corps he took with him in his daring enterprise
in Valencia; the part taken by the first royal and eighth dragoons,
the thirteenth, thirtieth, and thirty-fourth foot, and a few other
corps, can be clearly made out from history; but whether the
SIXTH remained in garrison in Catalonia, or was employed in the
enterprise in Valencia, has not been ascertained.
While employed in this part of Spain, the colonel of the regiment,
JAMES RIVERS, died, and Lieut.-Colonel WILLIAM SOUTHWELL, having
been sent to England with despatches, was promoted by Queen Anne
to the colonelcy: he kissed her Majesty's hand on the appointment
on the 14th of March, 1706, and hastened back to Spain to join his
regiment.