army advanced boldly into the heart of Spain, and the French were
driven from Madrid, at which city Lord Wellington arrived on the
12th of August amidst the joyful acclamations of the people. The
ROYAL FUSILIERS were stationed at Madrid, and afterwards occupied
quarters for about eight weeks at the fine palace of the Escurial,
about twenty-two miles from Madrid, from whence they were removed
in the early part of October to Val de Moro and Campo; meanwhile
the siege of Burgos had been undertaken by the main body of the
allied army. The concentration of the enemy's forces having given
him so great a superiority of numbers that a retrograde movement
was necessary on the part of the British commander, the ROYAL
FUSILIERS quitted Val de Moro and Campo, and the troops retired on
Salamanca. The army went into position; but on the enemy menacing
the communication with Ciudad Rodrigo, the allies withdrew to the
Agueda, the soldiers suffering extreme hardship from the want of
food and inclement weather. The fourth division moved to St. Joā de
Pisquiera, where the ROYAL FUSILIERS remained until the beginning
of the following year.[22]
[Sidenote: 1813]
On the 1st of January, 1813, the battalion mustered upwards of
twelve hundred men, including about three hundred in hospital from
wounds, &c. On the 3rd of that month sixteen serjeants and three
hundred and eleven rank and file joined from England; on the 7th
the battalion moved to Arvidiza, and in February to Castello Melhor
on the right bank of the Coa, where it remained until the army took
the field in May.
Advancing from the banks of the Coa towards the interior of Spain,
the ROYAL FUSILIERS once more confronted the legions of Napoleon;
the battalion was strong in numbers, bringing into the field a
fine body of men on whose natural strength and valour the qualities
of order, subordination, and discipline had been engrafted, which
rendered them fit for any service.
By a daring advance the French were once more driven from
Salamanca; by combinations evincing consummate skill, and by
efforts of an extraordinary character, the enemy's positions on
the Douro were turned; the field was then clear for the shock of
battle, and the British commander, seeing the way of victory open,
ordered forward his divisions; but the French evaded the torrent of
war, and withdrew behind the Pisuerga, and afterwards behind the
Ebro. Pressing onward with a conquering violence, the allied army
traversed rocks and mountains, and marched through regions deemed
impracticable for an army, and the French were forced back upon
Vittoria, where they prepared for a determined effort to stem the
tide of war.
Arriving at the Bayas on the 19th of June, the British found a
division of the French army posted behind the river, and an action
was commenced. The ROYAL FUSILIERS were directed to attack the
village of _Montevite_. Approaching this rural seclusion through
a rocky mountainous country, abounding with trees, the foliage of
which concealed their advance, they arrived close to the village
unperceived; a few musket-shots alarmed the French, who instantly
fled, leaving their cooking utensils and dinner on the fire, and
some arms and accoutrements. The ROYAL FUSILIERS pursued, some
skirmishing took place, and several men fell in the conflict. The
loss of the SEVENTH was limited to three wounded. The enemy was
driven from the position on the Bayas, and forced back upon the
Zadora.
From the banks of the Bayas the allied army advanced on the morning
of the 21st of June, to fight the French under Joseph Buonaparte
in position in front of _Vittoria_. The ROYAL FUSILIERS formed
part of the force destined for the attack of the enemy's centre
under the immediate direction of Lord Wellington. They moved from
Montevite down by Olabarre, along the valley in the centre. The
ROYAL FUSILIERS advanced in line under fire, through fields of
corn more than breast high, the French retreating before them;
and they overcame numerous obstructions and difficulties with a
regularity which excited great admiration. Arriving at the Zadora,
they were posted opposite the bridge of Nanclares; and when ordered
to cross the bridge they sprang forward with cheerful alacrity and
perfect order. The French were eventually driven from the field
with the loss of their artillery, baggage, and an immense quantity
of treasure. Many soldiers of different corps quitted their ranks
to plunder; but it was observed that, when the ROYAL FUSILIERS,
pursuing the enemy, passed the French baggage and treasure-waggons,
they were so impressed with a sense of the necessity of preserving
order, so accustomed to perfect obedience, and jealous of the
honour of their corps, that they refrained from irregularities,
and followed the enemy with unbroken ranks. A decisive victory was
gained: and the excellent conduct of the regiment was rewarded
with the honour of bearing the word "VITTORIA" on its colours.
Lieutenant-Colonel Blakeney was also rewarded with an honorary
distinction. The loss of the battalion was only two men killed and
two wounded.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS pursued the French army in the direction of
_Pampeluna_, and when the enemy had effected his escape through
the Pyrenean mountains, they were employed in the blockade of
Pampeluna, a fortress of great strength, and provided with an
efficient garrison. They were, however, soon relieved from this
duty, and detached against a French division under General Clausel,
which was at Logroño when the battle of Vittoria was fought; after
a forced march of six days the FUSILIERS halted;--the enemy having
effected his escape by the pass of Jaca. The regiment afterwards
returned to the vicinity of Pampeluna, where it remained a few
days, and subsequently penetrated the Pyrenean mountains; the
fourth division taking post at Viscayret, in the valley of Urroz,
and the ROYAL FUSILIERS being at Espinal, two miles in advance.
Thus the British army, after years of toil and conflict, endured
to procure liberty for the oppressed inhabitants of the Peninsula,
had forced the intrusive monarch of Spain from his throne, and
stood triumphant on the lofty pinnacles of the _Pyrenees_; but
another mighty struggle was at hand, in which the innate valour
and hardihood of the British soldiers were about to be tested. The
French army had been re-organized by Marshal Soult, who pushed his
divisions boldly forward to drive the British from the mountains.
The enemy having made a demonstration of an attack on the front
posts, two companies of the ROYAL FUSILIERS advanced on the 24th
of July to a height westward of Roncesvalles, where they were
joined by the remainder of the battalion during the night; on the
following morning the enemy attacked Major-General Byng's post in
Roncesvalles, and the fourth division was ordered to advance. A
detachment of the twentieth regiment evinced signal gallantry in
its attacks on the head of a French column; but was forced back by
superior numbers. Some sharp fighting occurred during the day,
and the ROYAL FUSILIERS had Lieutenant Knowles and six men killed;
one serjeant and twenty-three rank and file wounded. The British
maintained their positions during the day; but being opposed to
very superior numbers, they withdrew after sunset: the FUSILIER
BRIGADE being in the rear of the column, under Major-General
Ross, the SEVENTH underwent a night of incessant toil and intense
anxiety among the mountains. At day-light they fell in with posts
of Major-General Byng's brigade, and the retrograde movement was
continued, with short intermissions, until the allies gained a
position in front of Pampeluna, where a determined stand was made.
Posted on the heights in front of the village of Villalba, the
ROYAL FUSILIERS awaited the approach of their opponents, resolving
to perform their duty to their King and country in whatever
circumstances they might be placed. Privations, and violent
rains soaking the bleak hills, on which the soldiers were posted
without any shelter, did not damp their courage, and on the 28th
of June they witnessed the approach of the massy columns of the
enemy without dismay. The heights occupied by the fourth division
were attacked with great fury: the ROYAL FUSILIERS were hotly
engaged, and sternly, and with sanguinary tenacity, was the ground
contested. Appalling shouts smote the ears of the French soldiers
as they stormed the position, and the next moment ranks of British
bayonets met them in mid-onset, and in the shock of steel the
French soldiers were forced back with a horrid carnage. Four
times the ROYAL FUSILIERS precipitated themselves on the hosts
of opponents which assailed their post, and on every occasion
they proved victorious. The Marquis of Wellington observed in
his despatch:--"In the course of this contest the gallant fourth
division, which has so frequently been distinguished in this
army, surpassed their former good conduct. Every regiment charged
with the bayonet,--the fortieth, the SEVENTH, twentieth, and
twenty-third, four different times. Their officers set them an
example; and Major-General Ross had two horses killed under him."
The battle was renewed on the 29th and 30th of July, and the French
commander, being foiled in every attempt by superior skill and
unconquerable valour, retired towards France, closely pursued by
the victorious allied army.
Officers present at the battle of the 28th of July.
Lieutenant-Colonel E. Blakeney.
Major William Despard, killed.
Captain J. Crowder, wounded.
" A. Fernie, killed.
" Jno. Orr, wounded.
" Hy. Tarleton.
" C. J. Wemyss, killed.
" W. M. Hamerton, wounded.
Lieutenant J. Anderson.
" W. Wilkinson
" R. Johnson.
" G. Loggan, wounded.
" Wm. Payne.
" Thos. Hartley.
" J. Huchinson.
" J. B. Fraser, killed.
" W. Dalgairnes.
" C. Lorentz.
" Martin Orr.
" J. L. Nunn, wounded.
" A. L. Estrange.
" D. Cameron.
" R. Haggup.
" J. D. King, wounded.
" Hon. F. Russel.
" R. Garrett, wounded.
Adjutant Jas. Hay.
Quarter-Master Jno. Hogan.
Surgeon Mahony.
Assistant-Surgeon W. Williams.
" H. Fisher.
Officers. Serjeants. Drummers. Rank and File. Total.
Killed 4 3 .. 40 47
Wounded 7 11 .. 148 166
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Total 11 14 .. 188 213
This display of valour on the part of the ROYAL FUSILIERS was
rewarded with the honour of bearing the word "PYRENEES" on their
colours as a mark of royal favour and approbation; and their
commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Blakeney, was also
rewarded with an honorary distinction.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS took part in the movements by which the enemy
was driven through the Pyrenean mountains back to France; they were
also engaged, on the 7th of October, in the operations connected
with the passage of the _Bidassoa_, when the French were forced
from several strong mountain positions defended with field-works.
The light and fourth divisions advanced against the posts of Vera
and Liran, and the attack was successful.
After the passage of the Bidassoa the SEVENTH were encamped about
a month near the bridge of Lezaca and heights of Liran; and drafts
amounting to about two hundred serjeants and rank and file were
received from the second battalion, then quartered in the isle of
Jersey.
On the 10th of November the allied army drove the enemy from his
positions on the river _Nivelle_; the British now stood triumphant
and firmly established in France, and the admirers of unprincipled
aggression beheld the day of retribution overtake a country which
had been vainly styled "sacred;" the deep wrongs of insulted
nations were, however, not avenged on the French peasantry, who
received less harsh treatment from the allies than from their own
countrymen in arms; but the tyrant who had hurled the thunders
of war against the unoffending nations of the Peninsula saw them
recoil with accumulated fury upon his own head.
Major-General the HONOURABLE EDWARD MICHAEL PAKENHAM,
Lieutenant-Colonel of the ROYAL FUSILIERS (an officer of such
distinguished valour and ability that the regiment was truly proud
of its lieutenant-colonel), was promoted on the 21st May, 1813, to
the colonelcy of the sixth West India regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel
EDWARD BLAKENEY, who had so often and so nobly headed the regiment
in the field of battle, obtained permission to return to England,
and the command devolved on Major JOHN BEATTY.[23]
[Sidenote: 1814]
A train of military and political events, not immediately affecting
the fame or testing the valour of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, took place
in December, 1813, and January 1814. The passage of the Adour
and Gave d'Oleron, with the blockade of Bayonne, took place in
February, and the French withdrew to a position at _Orthes_, where
they were attacked on the 27th of February. The ROYAL FUSILIERS
advanced against the enemy's right at St. Boës, and were thrown
forward to commence the action as light troops, and to cover the
advance of the columns of attack, a service which the nature of the
ground particularly favoured. The brigade, composed of the SEVENTH,
twentieth, and twenty-third regiments, was warmly engaged until
two in the afternoon, when the fifth division arrived and took the
brunt of the action at that point. Finally the French Marshal was
forced to retire with severe loss.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS had one serjeant and five rank and file killed;
Lieutenants Burke, Nantes, Lorentz, and Cameron, four serjeants,
and fifty-two rank and file wounded; and their gallantry procured
them the honour of bearing the word "ORTHES" on their colours.
Major JOHN WALWIN BEATTY, commanding the battalion, was rewarded
with a gold clasp.
In March the ROYAL FUSILIERS were detached, with other corps,
towards Bourdeaux: the French garrison fled at the approach of the
British, and the inhabitants declared in favour of the Bourbon
dynasty.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS returned to the army, and had the honour to
take part in the battle of _Toulouse_ on the 10th of April, when
the French were once more defeated. The battalion was not seriously
engaged on this occasion, and its loss was limited to one man
killed and three wounded. Its gallant bearing was conspicuous,
and was rewarded with the word "TOULOUSE" on its colours, and an
honorary distinction for its commander, Major JOHN W. BEATTY, who
was also promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Major S.
B. Auchmuty, commanding the light companies of the brigade, was
rewarded with a medal and the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
The French army withdrew within the town, with the view of
defending the place to the last extremity, but subsequently
retired, and hostilities were soon afterwards terminated by the
abdication of Napoleon and the restoration of Louis XVIII. to the
throne of France.
Thus years of toil and bloodshed, which had developed--in vast
combinations--in astonishing exhibitions of skill, firmness,
iron hardihood, heroic valour--the true character of WELLINGTON
and the soldiers he led from kingdom to kingdom, from victory to
victory, and had forced all the nations of Europe to confess the
glory of the British arms, terminated in the restoration of peace
to the troubled states of Europe. The ROYAL FUSILIERS had fought
and toiled for the good of other countries; at this glorious
termination of their labours, they were placed in quarters of
refreshment among the French peasantry, and they received the
blessings of the people they had delivered from usurpation and
tyranny.
Among the numerous instances in which a very excellent spirit had
been displayed by individuals during this arduous struggle, the
Record Book of the ROYAL FUSILIERS bears extraordinary testimony
of the most laudable and indefatigable exertions of Adjutant JAMES
HAY, who, making the duties of his appointment the business of
his life, aided with praiseworthy zeal his commanding officer in
maintaining the efficiency, discipline, and reputation of his
corps, in which he took a lively interest; he was never absent
from his regiment during the whole of the Peninsular campaigns,
excepting from wounds, and he thus earned an imperishable fame in
the annals of the ROYAL FUSILIERS.
At the end of May the regiment was withdrawn from its cantonments,
and, proceeding towards Bourdeaux, was encamped a few days near
that city; on the 14th of June it was embarked at Pouillac in
transport brigs, and conveyed down the Garonne to the "Clarence"
(a British seventy-four), lying in Verdun roads. In this ship the
regiment sailed to England, where it arrived, after an absence of
nearly seven years, towards the end of June, and on landing at
Plymouth was greeted with the hearty cheers of crowds of countrymen
assembled on the occasion, who testified their admiration of the
brilliant career of the regiment in a most lively manner.
After landing, the regiment occupied quarters at Totness for
several weeks; it subsequently proceeded to Portsmouth, where both
battalions were stationed in garrison; the second battalion having
returned in August from Jersey, where it had been stationed since
November, 1811.
At the termination of the Peninsular War, Lieutenant-Colonel EDWARD
BLAKENEY was honoured with the dignity of Knight of the Tower and
Sword by the Prince Regent of Portugal; he was also rewarded with a
cross and clasp for his services at Martinique, Albuhera, Badajoz,
Vittoria, and in the Pyrenees.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS were not long permitted to enjoy repose,
before an order from the Horse Guards summoned them to engage in
scenes of conflict beyond the Atlantic ocean. The impressing of
British seamen on board of American vessels, with the enforcing of
certain Orders in Council, designed to counteract the decrees of
Buonaparte, who, in the height of his power, endeavoured to destroy
the commerce of Great Britain, had been followed by a war with the
United States, and the SEVENTH were selected to proceed with the
forty-third light infantry under Major-General Lambert, to join
the troops engaged in active service against the American coast.
The first battalion was completed to a thousand rank and file from
the second, and embarked on the 4th of October, under the command
of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Blakeney; it proceeded, in the first
instance, to Plymouth, from whence it sailed to the West Indies.[24]
[Sidenote: 1815]
From the West Indies the regiment sailed towards the southern
states of North America, and arrived, on the first of January,
1815, off the coast of Louisiana; it was there removed into small
boats, to proceed along Lake Barque to join the army commanded
by Major-General the Honourable Sir Edward Michael Pakenham,
K.C.B., near _New Orleans_, a place of some note, situate on the
eastern bank of the Mississippi. After a difficult navigation of
eighty miles in small boats, the regiment landed (having lost a
serjeant and sixteen men by the sinking of a boat on the lake);
and on the following day joined the army at its camp on the bank
of the Mississippi. Arrangements had previously been made for the
attack by storm of a line of entrenchments and redoubts which the
Americans had constructed behind a canal to cover the approach to
_New Orleans_, and behind which they had collected an army treble
the numbers of the British. A short time before day-light, on
the morning of the 8th of January, the ROYAL FUSILIERS were at
their post, and forming, with the forty-third, the reserve to the
storming party. Some delay occurred; the ladders were not ready at
the proper moment; and when the soldiers rushed forward to storm
the enemy's works, difficulties were encountered which it was found
impossible to overcome. A serious loss had been sustained in killed
and wounded; the commander-in-chief had fallen;[25] and no chance
of ultimate success remained: when the storming parties fell back,
the SEVENTH and forty-third, deploying into line, and making a
forward motion, presented the appearance of a renewed attack, by
which the Americans were so much awed that they did not venture to
pursue the retreating soldiers; at the same time the two regiments
presented so steady and confident a front under a heavy fire as
to excite great admiration, and the storming parties rallied and
formed in support. No prospect of ultimate success appearing,
the troops withdrew to their camp. The loss of the SEVENTH on
this occasion was Major King, Captain Henry, one serjeant, and
twenty-three rank and file killed; Captains Mullins and Page,
Lieutenant Lorentz and Higgins, six serjeants, and sixty-two rank
and file wounded.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS were subsequently employed in occupying
posts close to the enemy's position; meanwhile a temporary road
was constructed through a morass to the lake, and the British,
withdrawing by a night march, embarked in boats and returned to
the fleet: the FUSILIERS and piquets remained before the enemy
until the morning of the 19th of January, when they retired. During
the few days the ROYAL FUSILIERS had been before _New Orleans_,
privations and sufferings of every kind had been endured with a
cheerfulness which redounded to the honour of the officers and
soldiers.
The FUSILIERS were afterwards landed on Isle Dauphin, north of
Mobile Bay, West Florida. An attack on _Mobile_ was resolved on,
and _Fort Bowyer_, which commanded the entrance to the harbour,
was besieged and captured, and two companies of the SEVENTH
garrisoned the fort. Further hostilities were, however, prevented
by a treaty of peace; and in March the regiment embarked from the
Isle Dauphin, West Florida, for England; two vessels were delayed
on the voyage; the remainder, landing at Deal, occupied the barrack
at that place until the middle of June. Napoleon Buonaparte had,
in the meantime, regained the throne of France: a British army had
assembled in the Netherlands, under the Duke of Wellington, to wage
war against the usurper; and the ROYAL FUSILIERS were ordered to
embark for Flanders to share in the conflict. The first division of
the regiment, consisting of the head-quarters and four companies,
landed at Ostend on the 18th of June, the day the French army was
overthrown at _Waterloo_, and proceeded in boats up the canal to
Bruges. These companies were afterwards assembled at Ghent, from
whence they advanced up the country, in charge of treasure for the
allied army, and arrived in the vicinity of Paris on the 6th of
July. The war had terminated; the Bourbon dynasty was restored; and
the ROYAL FUSILIERS were encamped near Paris three months, during
which time the remainder of the battalion arrived at the camp. The
regiment was present at several reviews of the British forces, in
the presence of the Emperor of Russia, King of Prussia, and other
sovereigns. In September the regiment occupied a temporary barrack
beyond the town and forest of St. Germain. In December it returned
to Paris and occupied a large public building, which was fitted up
for a barrack, the officers being quartered on the inhabitants.
On the 24th of December the _second battalion_ transferred its men
fit for service to the first, and was _disbanded_ at Dover; at the
same time a recruiting company was added to the establishment of
the first battalion.
Honorary distinctions were this year conferred on many officers of
the army. Colonel Sir Edward Blakeney, of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, was
honoured with the dignity of Knight Commander of the Order of the
Bath, and the following officers were appointed Companions of the
Order of the Bath:--Lieutenant Colonels John Walwin Beatty, Samuel
Benjamin Auchmuty, and Alexander Campbell Wylly.
[Sidenote: 1816]
On the 1st of January, 1816, the effective strength was one
thousand and twenty-eight; the regiment left Paris on the 16th
of January, and marching to the Pas de Calais, was placed in
village-cantonments in the vicinity of Bapaume, forming part of the
Army of Occupation in France.
The ROYAL FUSILIERS were highly commended at the half-yearly
inspection on the 22nd of May: they were reviewed by
Lieutenant-General Lord Hill in August, and obtained his lordship's
approbation; and in September Lieutenant-General Sir Lowry Cole
made a minute inspection of the regiment, and expressed his entire
satisfaction of its appearance and discipline.