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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 a 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 Honourable
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 honourable 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 race 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 monarch, 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 an 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 1/10 of a pound; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25 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 be 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 SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL FUSILIERS:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1846.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE-GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30 CHARING CROSS.
MDCCCXLVII.
LONDON: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Duke Street, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
THE SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL FUSILIERS,
BEARS IN THE CENTRE OF ITS REGIMENTAL COLOUR,
THE _ROSE_ WITHIN THE _GARTER_ AND THE _CROWN_ OVER IT;
AND IN THE CORNER _THE WHITE HORSE_;
ALSO THE WORD
"MARTINIQUE,"
FOR ITS GALLANT CONDUCT AT THE CAPTURE OF THAT ISLAND IN 1809;
AND THE WORDS
"TALAVERA," "ALBUHERA," "BADAJOZ,"
"SALAMANCA," "VITTORIA," "PYRENEES," "ORTHES,"
"TOULOUSE," "PENINSULA,"
TO COMMEMORATE ITS DISTINGUISHED SERVICES IN THE
PENINSULA AND SOUTH OF FRANCE
FROM 1809 TO 1814.
CONTENTS.
YEAR PAGE
1685 Formation of the Regiment 1
---- Names of Officers 3
---- Uniform of the Regiment 4
1688 Augmentation of the Establishment 6
1689 Proceeds to Holland 8
---- Battle of Walcourt -
1690 Returns to England 9
---- Proceeds to Ireland, and is engaged in the Sieges
of Cork and Kinsale 10
1691 Embarks for Flanders --
---- Serves the Campaign under King William III. 11
1692 Battle of Steenkirk --
1693 Battle of Landen 13
1694 Reviewed by King William III. 15
1695 Siege of Namur 16
1696 Arrives at Gravesend, but returns to Flanders
without landing in England 18
---- Joins the Army of Flanders under the Prince of
Vaudemont --
1697 Returns to England --
---- Placed on a Peace Establishment --
1698 Proceeds to Jersey and Guernsey --
1702 Forms part of the force employed in the Expedition
under the Duke of Ormond against Cadiz 19
1702 Capture of the Towns of Rota, Port St. Mary's, and
Fort St. Catherine 19
---- Sails for England, after having destroyed the Enemy's
Shipping at Vigo 20
1703 Employed as Marines on board the Fleet --
1705 Stationed at Plymouth --
1706 Proceeds to Barcelona 21
1707 Stationed in Spain --
---- Capture of Lerida 22
1708 Returns to England --
1709 Proceeds to Spain 23
1710 }
TO } Stationed at Minorca --
1719 }
---- Returns to England --
1719 }
TO } Stationed in Ireland --
1727 }
1734 Proceeds to Gibraltar --
1749 Returns to Ireland --
1751 Authorized by Royal Warrant to continue to bear
certain Distinctions 24
1755 Arrives in England from Ireland --
1756 Serves as Marines on board the Fleet under
Admiral Byng --
---- Engaged with the French Fleet off Minorca --
---- Forms part of the Garrison of Gibraltar --
1763 Embarks for England --
1765 Proceeds to Scotland --
1770 Returns to England --
1773 Embarks for Canada --
1775 Forms part of the Garrison of St. John's and Fort
Chambly 25
---- Siege of Quebec 26
1776 Operations in Canada 27
---- Proceeds to New York --
1777 Action at Staten Island --
---- Capture of Forts Montgomery, Clinton, and
Constitution 29
---- Engaged with the Americans at Philadelphia 30
1779 Capture of Newhaven --
---- Expedition against Fairfield and Norwalk 31
1780 Capture of Charleston 32
1781 Engagement at Cow-Pens 33
1782 Stationed in South Carolina and New York --
1783 Returns to England 34
---- Reduction of Establishment --
1786 Proceeds to Scotland --
1790 Embarks for Gibraltar --
1791 Proceeds to Canada --
1794 Stationed in Nova Scotia --
1795 Formed into two Battalions 35
1796 Incorporated into one Battalion --
1802 Proceeds to Bermuda and the Bahamas 36
1804 A second Battalion added --
1806 Returns to England 37
1807 The First Battalion proceeds to Ireland --
---- ------------------- embarks for Denmark --
---- Siege of Copenhagen --
---- The First Battalion returns to England --
1808 ------------------- embarks for Nova Scotia 38
---- The Second Battalion proceeds to Ireland --
1809 Capture of Martinique --
---- Authorized to bear the word "MARTINIQUE" on its Colours 41
---- Returns to Nova Scotia --
---- The Second Battalion proceeds to Portugal 45
---- Expulsion of the French from Oporto --
1809 Battle of Talavera 46
---- Authorized to bear the word "TALAVERA" on its Colours 48
1810 Removal of the First Battalion from North America
to the Peninsula 49
---- Battle of Busaco 50
1811 Siege of Olivenza 53
---- Blockade of Badajoz --
---- Battle of Albuhera 54
---- Authorized to bear the word "ALBUHERA" on its Colours 62
---- Blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo 65
---- Action at Aldea de Pont --
1812 Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo 66
---- Siege of Badajoz 67
---- Authorized to bear the word "BADAJOZ" on its Colours 69
---- Battle of Salamanca 71
---- Authorized to bear the word "SALAMANCA" on its Colours 72
1813 Attack on the village of Montevite 74
---- Battle of Vittoria 75
---- Authorized to bear the word "VITTORIA" on its Colours --
---- Blockade of Pampeluna 76
---- Battle of the Pyrenees --
---- Authorized to bear the word "PYRENEES" on its Colours 79
---- Passage of the Bidassoa --
1814 Battle of Orthes 80
---- Authorized to bear the word "ORTHES" on its Colours --
---- Battle of Toulouse 81
---- Returns to England 82
1814 First Battalion proceeds to North America 83
1815 Operations against New Orleans 84
---- Attack on Mobile and Capture of Fort Bowyer 87
---- Embarks for England --
---- Proceeds to Flanders --
---- Advances to Paris --
---- Second Battalion disbanded 88
---- A Recruiting Company added to the First Battalion --
1816 Forms part of the Army of Occupation in France --
1817 }
} Reduction of Establishment 89
1818 }
1818 Returns to England 90
---- Proceeds to Ireland --
1820 Embarks for Scotland --
1821 Marches to England --
1825 Divided into Service and Depôt Companies 91
---- Service Companies embark for the Ionian Islands --
1828 Stationed at Malta --
1833 Depôt Companies proceed to Ireland --
1836 Service Companies return to England --
---- Presentation of a piece of plate by command of
His Majesty King William IV. --
1837 Service Companies proceed to Ireland 92
1839 Service Companies embark for Gibraltar --
1841 Depôt Companies proceed to England --
1844 Service Companies embark for the West Indies --
1845 Depôt Companies return to Ireland --
1846 The Conclusion 93
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
YEAR PAGE
1685 George Lord Dartmouth 95
1689 John Earl of Marlborough 98
1692 Lord George Hamilton 103
1692 Edward Fitzpatrick 104
---- Sir Charles O'Hara 105
1713 The Honourable James O'Hara 106
1739 William Hargrave 107
1751 John Mostyn --
1754 Lord Robert Bertie 108
1776 Richard Prescott --
1788 The Honourable William Gordon --
1789 His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent 109
1801 Sir Alured Clarke 113
1832 Sir Edward Blakeney --
PLATES.
Colours of the Regiment To face page 1
Costume of the Regiment in 1742 24
----------------------- in 1846 92
[Illustration: Colours of the Seventh Royal Fusiliers.]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL FUSILIERS.
[Sidenote: 1685]
The invention of gunpowder was speedily followed by the
introduction of cannon; but many years elapsed before a corps of
artillery was added to the army. The guns were fired by men hired
for the purpose, under the direction of a master-gunner, and an
officer styled the Master of the Ordnance, and the whole were under
the orders of the Master-general of the Ordnance. Non-commissioned
officers and private soldiers of infantry regiments were frequently
employed as gunners; and the care and protection of the guns were
confided to particular corps. On the augmentation of the army
during the rebellion of JAMES DUKE OF MONMOUTH, in the summer of
1685, King James II. resolved, that the first infantry corps raised
on that occasion should be an ORDNANCE REGIMENT, for the care and
protection of the cannon; of which corps His Majesty appointed
GEORGE LORD DARTMOUTH, then Master-general of the Ordnance,
colonel, by commission dated the 11th of June, 1685.
The regular regiments of foot were composed, at this period, of
MUSKETEERS,--men armed with muskets and swords; PIKEMEN,--armed
with long pikes and swords; and GRENADIERS,--armed with
hand-grenades, muskets, bayonets, swords, and small hatchets; but
in the ORDNANCE REGIMENT every man carried a long musket called a
_fusil_, with a sword and bayonet, from which peculiarity in the
arming, the regiment obtained the designation of "FUSILIERS;" and
the King being desirous of appearing publicly to patronize this new
corps, conferred upon it the title of "ROYAL FUSILIERS."[6]
Regiments of infantry had, originally, a colour to each _company_,
which was called an _ensign_, and was carried by the junior
subaltern officer of each company, who was styled "ancient," and
afterwards "ensign," which term signified "colour-bearer." The
regiments of fusiliers did not have colours or ensigns to each
company, consequently the title of ensign or colour-bearer was
not given to the junior subaltern officer of each company; but
having, in consequence of the peculiar services they were called
upon to perform, a care and responsibility equal to that of a
lieutenant, both the subaltern officers of each company were styled
lieutenants. They were both placed on the same rate of pay; but the
terms _first lieutenant_ and _second lieutenant_ were used in their
commissions for several years, and afterwards discontinued.
The regiment consisted of thirteen companies,--twelve of fusiliers
and one of miners; each company consisting of three officers,
three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and one hundred
private men. The two first companies were of very old date; having
been independent companies in the Tower of London many years; the
other ten companies were raised in London and its vicinity by
GEORGE LORD DARTMOUTH,[7] Lieutenant-Colonel THOMAS TALMASH or
Tollemache, afterwards colonel of the fifth foot and second foot
guards; Richard Fowler, Major Beckman, Henry Cornwall, Sir John
Morgan, John Boyce, Thomas Whalley, Charles Fitzwilliams, and Henry
Vaughan; and the company of miners by Captain James Adams. THOMAS
TALMASH was appointed to the lieutenant-colonelcy; and Robert St.
Clair, who commanded one of the old independent companies, obtained
the commission of major. The uniform was scarlet coats, lined with
yellow; grey breeches and grey stockings; and the men wore yellow
cloth caps, ornamented with military devices similar to those
afterwards adopted for grenadiers; the other regiments of foot wore
round hats with broad brims turned up on one side.
The regiment was speedily raised, and on the 4th of July the
several companies were directed to proceed to the Tower of London,
and perform the duties of that fortress. The rebellion being soon
afterwards suppressed, and the Duke of Monmouth beheaded, the
regiment was reduced to eleven companies of fusiliers, of three
officers, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and fifty
private soldiers each; and one company of miners, of two officers,
one serjeant, two corporals, one drummer, and forty miners.
After the suppression of the rebellion, King James formed a camp
on Hounslow-heath; where the Scots brigade in the service of
Holland, and a numerous body of English cavalry and infantry,
were assembled, and the ROYAL FUSILIERS proceeded to the camp in
charge of the train of artillery. When the camp was broken up,
the regiment returned with the guns to the Tower of London, from
whence three companies were detached to Sheerness, where they were
directed to remain in garrison.[8]
[Sidenote: 1686]
During the summer of 1686 the ROYAL FUSILIERS were again encamped
in charge of the train of artillery on Hounslow-heath. The corps
assembled on the heath consisted of three troops of life guards,
nine regiments of cuirassiers, three of dragoons, and thirteen
battalions of foot. In a description of the camp, written at
the time, and published in the Antiquarian Repertory, it is
stated:--"The horse, foot, and dragoons are encamped in a straight
line; the intervals between the foot is seventy paces, the
intervals between each regiment of horse about fifty paces, and the
interval between the horse on the left and the dragoons (because
of the ground) is near half mile. The lieutenants' and ensigns'
tents are in the rear of the respective companies in a direct line,
seventeen paces from the soldiers' huts or tents; the captains'
tents twelve paces behind the lieutenants'; the colonels' tents
behind the captains', ten paces; the lieutenant-colonel on the
right of the colonel, and the major on the left in a direct line.
The brigadier-generals have their tents twenty paces behind the
colonels'. The King's tent and chappel is in the rear of the left
of the horse on the left, and the general officers' tents behind
the King's. The FUSILIERS are encamped in the rear of the line,
a good distance behind the interval between the Earl of Craven's
regiment and the Scots guards; and in several parties about the
horse carriages. The guns are planted about a hundred paces before
the line, before the interval between the Scots guards and Prince
George's regiment, guarded by a party of FUSILIERS; each gun having
two gunners and a matrosse to attend it. The suttling booths are
about two hundred paces in the rear of the line."
In August the ROYAL FUSILIERS struck their tents, and, returning to
the Tower with the guns, were stationed at that fortress during the
remainder of the year.
[Sidenote: 1687]
The establishment was again augmented to thirteen companies in the
spring of 1687, as appears by the following warrant:--
"JAMES R.
"Whereas we have thought fit to add one company more to Our
ROYAL REGIMENT OF FUSILIERS, and to apply the pay of one of the
non-regimented companies mentioned in Our establishment to the
entertainment of the said company of Fusiliers, with the addition
of one shilling per diem to the youngest lieutenant, and one
shilling and sixpence for the pay of one serjeant, and one shilling
for one drummer more, Our will and pleasure is, that you include
the pay of the said company, and additional allowances, within the
certificates or debentures you shall from time to time make out
for the pay of Our said ROYAL REGIMENT OF FUSILIERS, to commence
from the 1st of January last; and for so doing this shall be your
sufficient warrant.
"Given at Our Court at Whitehall this 12th day of March, 1686-7, in
the third year of Our reign.
"By His Majesty's Command.
(Signed) "SUNDERLAND P. SHEP. FOX.
"BELLASIS. J. ERNLE.
"_To the Paymaster-General_,
_&c. &c. &c._"
[Sidenote: 1688]
In the summer of 1687 and 1688, the ROYAL FUSILIERS were again
encamped on Hounslow-heath. On the 1st of September, 1688, an
augmentation of ten men per company was made to the establishment,
which consisted, at this period, of eleven companies of fusiliers,
one of grenadiers, and one of miners.
The King having manifested a determination to establish papacy and
arbitrary government, many noblemen and gentlemen solicited the
aid of William Henry Prince of Orange to enable them to oppose the
proceedings of the court. On the receipt of information of warlike
preparations in Holland, a strong detachment of the ROYAL FUSILIERS
embarked on board of men-of-war, to serve as marines, and sailed
to the Nore. The fleet was commanded by their colonel, Admiral
Lord Dartmouth, whose loyalty to King James II. was not doubted;
but the rear-admiral, Sir John Barry, and many of the captains,
inferior officers, and seamen, entertained sentiments favourable to
the Prince of Orange; no collision, however, took place. While the
English fleet was wind-bound at the mouth of the Thames, the Dutch
armament passed along the British Channel with little molestation;
the wind becoming more favourable, the English navy put to sea; but
the Prince of Orange was so far in advance, that he landed on the
Devonshire coast, on the 5th of November, without interruption;
and the wind changed immediately afterwards, and blew with such
violence, that the English fleet was driven into Portsmouth harbour
in a damaged condition. The sentiments entertained in the navy were
also prevalent in the army; the troops refused to fight in the
cause of Papacy and arbitrary government, and King James fled to
France. The ROYAL FUSILIERS landed and were ordered by the Prince
of Orange to occupy quarters at Barnet.
From this period the ROYAL FUSILIERS ceased to be considered
exclusively as an ORDNANCE REGIMENT, and took their turn of duty
with the regular regiments of the line: the regiment was not,
however, furnished with a division of pikemen; but every man
continued to be armed with a fusil.
[Sidenote: 1689]
Six companies were removed from Barnet to Yarmouth, where they took
part, in February, 1689, in the proclamation of the accession of
King William III. and Queen Mary to the throne. Shortly afterwards
the regiment embarked for Holland, forming part of the force under
Lieutenant-General the Earl of Marlborough, sent to assist the
Dutch in their war with France in the place of the troops which the
Prince of Orange had brought with him to England.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS joined the Dutch army at Tongres, and served
the campaign of this year under Prince Waldeck. On the 25th of
August a piquet under Colonel Hodges was attacked by the French
forces under Marshal de Humières near _Walcourt_, and a sharp
action ensued, in which the English infantry evinced firmness
and intrepidity. The French were defeated with the loss of two
thousand men killed and wounded; and King William, writing to the
Earl of Marlborough on this subject, observed,--"I am very happy
that my troops behaved so well at Walcourt. It is to you that this
advantage is principally owing."[9] In a few days after this event
King William conferred the colonelcy of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, which
had been vacant some time, in consequence of the removal of Lord
Dartmouth for adhering to the interests of King James, on the EARL
OF MARLBOROUGH, who held also the colonelcy of the third troop of
life guards.
[Sidenote: 1690]
Before the following campaign the regiment returned to England,
where it was stationed while King William was in Ireland,
endeavouring to rescue that country from the power of King James,
who had proceeded thither with a body of troops from France.
King William having defeated the Irish forces and their French
allies at the Boyne, besieged Limerick. "During the time His
Majesty was before the town, it was proposed by the Earl of
Nottingham to My Lord Marlborough, and afterwards approved of in
council, as very advantageous to their Majesties' affairs, to send
a party from England, who, joining with a detachment from the
King's army, might reduce the two important garrisons of _Cork_
and _Kinsale_, and arrangements were made accordingly; but not
being ready so soon as was designed, His Majesty, upon his return
to England, sent the EARL OF MARLBOROUGH, with his own regiment
of FUSILIERS, Brigadier Trelawny's (now fourth), Princess Anne's
(eight), Colonel Hastings' (thirteenth), Colonel Hales', Sir David
Collier's, Colonel Fitzpatrick's, one hundred of the Duke of
Bolton's, two hundred of Monmouth's under Major Johnston, with Lord
Torrington's and Lord Pembroke's marine regiments, to undertake
this service."[10] Arriving at _Cork_ roads on the 21st of
September, the fleet entered the harbour on the following day, and
the co-operation of part of the army on shore having been secured,
the ROYAL FUSILIERS and other corps landed and commenced the siege.
A breach having been made, the ROYAL FUSILIERS and three other
English regiments, commanded by Brigadier-General Churchill, and a
body of Danes, passed the river wading up to the arm-pits to the
east marsh, in order to storm the wall on that side. The grenadiers
led the attack; but before they gained the breach, the Irish hung
out a white flag, and agreed to surrender; the garrison, consisting
of six regiments, became prisoners of war.
From Cork the ROYAL FUSILIERS advanced towards _Kinsale_; the
garrison vacated the town and retired to two strong forts. One of
these forts was speedily reduced; the other held out until the
middle of October, when the garrison surrendered on the condition
of being permitted to proceed to Limerick.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS were afterwards placed in garrison at Kinsale,
where they remained three months.
[Sidenote: 1691]
The loss of the battle of Fleurus on the 21st of June, 1690, by the
Dutch troops under Prince Waldeck, gave the French the ascendancy
over the confederates in Flanders; and the ROYAL FUSILIERS were
selected to augment the forces in that country, where His Majesty
resolved to command in person. The regiment embarked from Cork
in January 1691, and sailing for Flanders experienced very
severe weather at sea, and two vessels, having on board part of
the FUSILIERS, were wrecked on the English coast, and many men
perished. The remainder of the regiment landed at Ostend and went
into quarters in West Flanders, where it was joined by a fine
body of recruits and by a number of men who had been left sick at
Kinsale.
When the army took the field, the ROYAL FUSILIERS were formed in
brigade with the regiments of Bath (tenth), Hodges (sixteenth), and
Fitzpatrick (afterwards disbanded), commanded by Brigadier-General
Churchill, and served the campaign of this year with the main army
commanded by King William; but no general engagement occurred.
The regiment passed the winter in cantonments among the Belgic
peasantry.
[Sidenote: 1692]
The Earl of Marlborough, having fallen under the displeasure of
King William, was removed from his commands, and was succeeded in
the colonelcy of the ROYAL FUSILIERS by Lord GEORGE HAMILTON by
commission dated the 23rd of January, 1692.
On the army taking the field, the regiment was again placed in the
brigade commanded by Brigadier-General Churchill, and it served
at the battle of _Steenkirk_ on the 24th of July, 1692. On this
occasion the leading column attacked the French forces commanded by
Marshal Luxemburg with signal gallantry and success; but owing to
the thick woods, with narrow and difficult defiles, which the army
had to pass, together with the tardiness of Count Solms in obeying
His Majesty's commands, some delay occurred. The ROYAL FUSILIERS
and a few other corps hastened through the defiles, and formed
line at the skirts of the wood, where they were exposed to a heavy
cannonade, and lost several men. In consequence of the delay which
had occurred, the King ordered a retreat, and the French did not
venture to attack the army in its retrograde movement.
Sir Robert Douglas having been killed in the act of rescuing the
colours of the first battalion of the Royals from the enemy,
was succeeded in the colonelcy of that regiment by Lord George
Hamilton; and the command of the ROYAL FUSILIERS was conferred on
Colonel EDWARD FITZPATRICK, from a newly-raised regiment, which had
been disbanded.