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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
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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._]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT,
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1758,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1849.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING-CROSS.
MDCCCXLIX.
London: Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT,
BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR THE FIGURE OF THE
"ROYAL TIGER,"
WITH THE WORD "INDIA" SUPERSCRIBED, IN COMMEMORATION OF
ITS SERVICES IN INDIA FROM 1805 TO 1826;
ALSO THE WORD
"BARROSA,"
AS A TESTIMONY OF THE GALLANTRY DISPLAYED BY THE SECOND
BATTALION, AT THE BATTLE OF BARROSA, ON THE 5TH OF MARCH, 1811;
AND THE WORD
"PENINSULA,"
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SERVICES OF THE SECOND BATTALION,
IN THE EAST OF SPAIN, FROM 1810 TO 1814.
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
CONTENTS
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD.
YEAR PAGE
INTRODUCTION.
1758 Formation of the Regiment from second battalion
of the Twentieth Regiment 1
---- Appointment of Colonel James Wolfe to the
Colonelcy 2
---- Uniform and Facing of the Regiment --
---- Officers appointed --
1759 Station of the Regiment 3
---- Appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Lord Frederick
Cavendish to the Colonelcy, in succession to
Major-General Wolfe, killed at the Battle of
Quebec --
1760 Decease of King George II., and Accession of
George III. to the Throne --
---- Appointment of Major-General Sir Henry Erskine,
Bart., to the Colonelcy, in succession
to Lord Frederick Cavendish, removed to the
34th Regiment --
1761 Embarked with the expedition under the command
of Major-General Hodgson 4
---- Capture of Belle-Isle 6
1761 Congratulatory address to King George III.
from the Citizens of London 7
---- Appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Lambert
to the Colonelcy, in succession to Major-General
Sir Henry Erskine, removed to the
25th Regiment --
1762 Embarked for Portugal 8
1763 Treaty of Peace concluded at Fontainebleau --
---- Embarked to take possession of _Minorca_, on its
being restored to Great Britain 9
1768 Regulations, prescribed by Royal Warrant,
for maintaining uniformity in the clothing,
standards, and colours of regiments, &c. &c. --
1771 Embarked from Minorca for England 10
1773 Proceeded to Scotland --
1774 Appointment of Lieut.-Colonel Edward Maxwell
Brown to the Colonelcy, in succession to
Lieut.-General Hamilton Lambert, deceased --
1775 Embarked for Ireland --
1782 Directed to assume the county title of _South
Hampshire_ Regiment, in addition to its
numerical title --
1785 Embarked for the West Indies --
1794 Returned to England --
---- Proceeded to Ireland --
1796 Embarked for St. Domingo to aid the planters
against the negro inhabitants --
1798 Proceeded to Jamaica 11
1801 Re-embarked for England --
1803 Appointment of Lieut.-General Francis D'Oyly
to the Colonelcy, in succession to General
Edward Maxwell Brown, deceased --
---- Appointment of General Peter Craig to the
Colonelcy, in succession to Lieut.-General
D'Oyly, deceased --
1803 Embarked for Ireland 12
---- A second battalion added to the regiment, and
formed from men raised in Ireland under the
_Army of Reserve_ and _Additional Force_ Acts --
---- First battalion embarked for Guernsey --
1804 ---- ---- embarked for Portsmouth --
---- The regiment augmented to 1200 rank and file --
1805 The first battalion embarked for the East Indies --
---- Arrived at Bengal, and proceeded to Dinapore;
thence to Benares, and to Ghazeepore --
1811 Appointment of Lieut.-General Sir William
Keppel, G.C.B., to the Colonelcy, in succession
to General Peter Craig, deceased --
1813 Marched from Ghazeepore to Cawnpore --
1815 Marched to Meerut 13
1817 Proceeded on field service, and joined the army
of reserve under Major-General Sir David
Ochterlony --
1818 Embarked for Bombay --
---- Six companies embarked for the Concan --
---- Engaged in the siege and capture of _Ryghur_ --
---- Four companies embarked for Surat 14
---- Capture of _Nunderbar_, and other towns and forts --
---- Embarked for the Deccan --
---- Surrender of _Amulneir_ and _Behauderpore_ 15
1819 Proceeded to _Asseerghur_, and joined the force
under General Doveton 16
---- Surrender of the fortress of Asseerghur 18
---- Marched to Mallygaum 21
1820 Proceeded to Sholapore in the Deccan --
1823 Proceeded to Poonah --
1826 Embarked for Calcutta --
---- Embarked for England 22
1826 Arrived at Chatham and proceeded to Windsor --
---- Received the Royal Authority to bear on its
colours and appointments the figure of the
"Royal Tiger," with the word "_India_" superscribed --
1827 Marched from Windsor to Weedon; thence to
Bolton, &c. &c. --
1828 Appointment of Major-General John Macdonald
to the Colonelcy, in succession to General Sir
William Keppel, removed to the 2nd Queen's
Royal Regiment --
1830 Embarked for Ireland 23
1832 Formed into six service and four depôt companies --
---- Service companies embarked for Gibraltar --
1833 Embarked for the West Indies --
1840 Embarked for Canada --
1842 Returned to England, and rejoined by the four
depôt companies 24
1843 Proceeded from Plymouth to Weedon, and thence
to Manchester --
1844 Appointment of Major-General John Clitherow
to the Colonelcy, in succession to Lieut.-General
Sir John Macdonald, G.C.B., removed to the
42nd Regiment --
---- Embarked for Ireland --
1846 Augmented to twelve companies, and formed into
two battalions --
1848 The first and the reserve battalions embarked at
Cork for Gibraltar 25
---- Report of the Governor of Gibraltar on the state
of discipline and efficiency of the regiment --
---- Depôt Company removed from Cork to the Isle
of Wight 26
CONTENTS
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE SERVICES OF THE
SECOND BATTALION
OF
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.
YEAR PAGE
1803 Formed from men raised in Ireland under the
Army of Reserve Act 27
1804 Augmented by men raised under the Additional
Force Act 28
---- Embarked for Scotland --
1807 Embarked for Guernsey and Alderney --
1810 Six companies embarked for Gibraltar, and proceeded
from thence to Cadiz --
---- Four companies embarked from Guernsey for
England --
1811 The six companies formed part of the army employed
on an expedition under the command
of Lieut.-General Thomas Graham --
---- Engaged in the Battle of _Barrosa_ 29
---- Medals conferred on the general officers, and
the commanding officers of corps and detachments,
and on the chiefs of military departments,
who were present at the Victory of Barrosa 35
1811 Received the Royal Authority to bear the word
_Barrosa_ on the colours and appointments 36
---- Returned to Cadiz 37
---- Two companies embarked from Portsmouth, and
joined the six companies at Cadiz --
1812 Embarked for Carthagena, and proceeded to Alicant --
1813 Proceeded with the army under Lieut.-General
Sir John Murray against Tarragona 37
---- Capture of Fort San Philippe, in the Col de Balaguer 38
---- Siege of Tarragona raised 39
---- Lieut.-General Lord William Bentinck assumed
the command of the army in the East of Spain, in
succession to Lieut.-General Sir John Murray --
---- Re-embarked for Alicant --
---- Investment and capture of Tarragona --
---- Lieut.-General Lord William Bentinck's services
required in Sicily; and Lieut.-General Wm.
Clinton succeeded to the command of the army 40
---- Marched into quarters at Valls, and thence to
Vendrills --
1814 The French troops under Marshal Suchet withdrew
from Catalonia --
---- The battalion marched to Barcelona, and formed
part of the force for the investment of that place --
---- Hostilities ceased --
---- Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated the throne of France --
---- Louis XVIII. entered Paris, and ascended the throne 41
---- Order expressing the approbation of Field-Marshal
the Marquis of Wellington, of the conduct of the
division of the army employed in the East of Spain --
1814 The battalion proceeded from Barcelona to Tarragona,
and embarked for Gibraltar 41
1815 Return of Napoleon Bonaparte from the Island
of Elba to France --
---- War recommenced --
---- Victory at Waterloo --
---- Surrender of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his conveyance
to St. Helena --
---- The regiment received the Royal Authority to bear the
word _Peninsula_ on the colours and appointments 42
1817 The battalion embarked from Gibraltar for England --
---- Arrived at Chatham, and marched to Canterbury,
where it was disbanded on the 25th of May, 1817 --
Conclusion 43
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.
YEAR PAGE
1758 James Wolfe 45
1759 Lord Frederick Cavendish 48
1760 Sir Henry Erskine, Bart. --
1761 Hamilton Lambert 49
1774 Edward Maxwell Brown --
1803 Francis D'Oyly 50
1803 Peter Craig 51
1811 Sir William Keppel, G.C.B. --
1828 Sir John Macdonald, G.C.B. 52
1844 John Clitherow --
PLATES.
Costume of the regiment _to face page_ 1
Colours of the regiment 26
Death of Major-General James Wolfe, from wounds
received at the Battle of Quebec, on the 13th of
September, 1759 44
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE-GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.
His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have
distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy,
an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army
shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the
Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following
particulars, viz.:--
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations in
which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement
it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have
captured from the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers, and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying
the place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks
of His Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and
Privates, as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honorable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are
animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any
measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone
great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military
History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples
to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to
emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in
their honorable career, are among the motives that have given rise to
the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
"London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and
admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions,
the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the
Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders,
expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery;
and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their
Sovereign's approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most
highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)
for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services
and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in
obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account
of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty
having been pleased to command that every Regiment shall, in future,
keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth
derive information as to the difficulties and privations which
chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In
Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to
the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and
where these pursuits have, for so long a period, being 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 monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and
terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the
States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and
firmness;[3] and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant
Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the
service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of
heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army
under the great MARLBOROUGH was spread throughout the world; and
if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of
persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the
present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities
which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men,
of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801,
under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had
been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate that country; also the
services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the
Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON; and the determined stand
made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte,
who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had
sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise,
was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and
to place himself at the disposal of the British Government. These
achievements, with others of recent dates, in the distant climes of
India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the
breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and
Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular
frame,--intrepidity which no danger can appal,--unconquerable
spirit and resolution,--patience in fatigue and privation, and
cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities, united with
an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give
a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the
hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command,
whose presence inspires confidence,--have been the leading causes
of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame
of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various
battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and
conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these
achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time.
The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a
detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the
hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in
the various parts of the world where the calls of their Country and
the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the
execution of their duty, whether in active continental operations,
or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable
climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set
forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest
commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of
this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every
species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances
of service, are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military
tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles.
Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the
continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time
been introduced, to insure that simplicity and celerity by which the
superiority of the national military character is maintained. The
rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations
of the world, have in a great measure been purchased by the valour
of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country
at heart, the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove
interesting.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:--
__|
| |
|__|
|
20 20 20 30 2|0 30 20 20 20
|
Harquebuses. Muskets. Halberds. Muskets. Harquebuses.
Archers. Pikes. Pikes. Archers.
The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.
[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of
Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral
Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its
subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the
siege of Barcelona in 1705.
[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed
in 1590, observes:--"I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation
would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the
field, let them 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."
[Illustration: SIXTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.
_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand_
_For Cannon's Military Records_]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.
[Sidenote: 1756]
The French Government having failed to fulfil the conditions
stipulated in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and having committed
certain encroachments on the British Territories in North America,
and other acts of aggression, King George II. again prepared for
war, which was proclaimed against France on the 18th of May, 1758.
The Army and Navy were consequently increased, and, among other
augmentations, fifteen of the regiments of infantry were authorised
to raise second battalions from the 25th of August, 1756.[6]
[Sidenote: 1758]
In 1758, these additional battalions were formed into distinct corps,
and numbered from the sixty-first to the seventh-fifth regiments. By
this arrangement the second battalion of the Twentieth regiment was
constituted the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, and His Majesty was pleased
to confer the colonelcy on Colonel James Wolfe, on the 21st of April
of that year, from the Twentieth (Kingsley's) regiment in which he
had served from 1749, and which had acquired, under his command,
a high character for its exactness of discipline and other useful
qualities.
The SIXTY-SEVENTH, being thus formed from the Twentieth regiment,
assumed the _pale yellow_ facing as worn by the Twentieth, which it
has since retained.
The following officers were appointed to commissions in the
SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on its formation from the 21st of April, 1758.
_Colonel_, James Wolfe from 20th Regt.
_Lieut.-Colonel_, Robert Robinson from 20th Regt.
_Major_, Thomas Bowyer from 14th Foot.
_Captains._
Chas. Veaitch, from 20th Regt.
Edw. Goodenough, ditto
William Delaune, ditto
James Dunne, ditto
Thos. Osborne, from 20th Regt.
John Baldwin, from 51st Regt.
Geo. Sherwin, from 20th Regt.
_Lieutenants._
James Nesbitt, from 20th Regt.
William Dughe, ditto
William Edwards, ditto
Francis Raper, ditto
Freeheville Dykes, ditto
Marmaduke Green, ditto
John Gardner, ditto
John Cane, ditto
Richard Faulkner, ditto
George Smith, from 20th Regt.
William Yorke, ditto
Philip Hales, ditto
Henry Nesbit, ditto
Thos. Wilkinson, ditto
Alexander Rose, ditto
John Matson, ditto
Despard Croasdale, ditto
_Ensigns._
Wm. Massey, from 20th Regt.
Thomas Barker, ditto
Joseph Collings, ditto
Royston Barton, ditto
George Sladdan.
Robert Griffiths.
Thomas Lowe.
_Quarter-Master_, James Kirkman.
_Chaplain_, George Carleton.
_Surgeon_, Joseph Harris, from 20th Regiment.
_Adjutant_, James England, ditto
[Sidenote: 1759]
After its formation as a distinct regiment, the SIXTY-SEVENTH
remained at various stations in England during the years 1759 and
1760. Its Colonel, James Wolfe, had been appointed, in January, 1758,
Brigadier-General in North America, and afterwards distinguished
himself in the operations preceding the capture of _Cape Breton_,
which surrendered on the 26th of July, 1758, and again in the
expedition against _Quebec_, when he died of the wounds received at
the battle on the heights of Abraham, above Quebec, on the 13th of
September, 1759.
On the 24th of October, 1759, His Majesty was pleased to confer
the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment on Lieut.-Colonel Lord
Frederick Cavendish, from the First Foot Guards, in succession to
Major-General James Wolfe, deceased.
The decease of King George II. occurred on the 25th of October, 1760,
and on the day following His Majesty George III., grandson of the
late Sovereign, was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1760]
On the 30th of October, 1760, His Majesty King George III.
was pleased to remove Colonel Lord Frederick Cavendish to the
Thirty-fourth regiment, and to appoint Major-General Sir Henry
Erskine, Bart., to succeed him as Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH
regiment.
[Sidenote: 1761]
In the spring of 1761 the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment formed part of
the force selected to proceed, under the command of Major-General
Studholme Hodgson, against _Belle-Isle_, a French island in the Bay
of Biscay, off the coast of Brittany. Major-General Hodgson had the
undermentioned officers and regiments placed under his orders, which
amounted to nearly nine thousand men:--
Major-General John Craufurd; Brigadier-Generals William Rufane,
Hamilton Lambert (afterwards Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH), Guy
Carleton, Honorable William Howe, Robert Douglas, and Philip
Jennings; _Deputy-Adjutant-General_ Lieutenant-Colonel Sir
Thomas Spencer Wilson, Bart.; _Deputy-Quartermaster-General_
Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Thomas.
REGIMENTS. COMMANDING OFFICERS. MEN.
16th Light Dragoons Lieut.-Col. Burgoyne 200
9th Foot " R. Phillips 800
19th ditto " R. Douglas 800
21st ditto " Edw. Maxwell 800
30th ditto " John Jennings 800
67th ditto " Thomas Shirley 800
69th ditto " Christopher Teesdale 800
76th ditto[7] " D. Erskine 1300
85th ditto, 1st Batt.[7] " Viscount Pulteney 700
90th ditto[7] " Hugh Morgan 500
97th ditto[7] Lieut.-Col. Commandant J. Stuart 600
98th ditto[7] " Major Purcell 600
----
8,700
-----
The expedition appeared before _Belle-Isle_ on the 7th of April, and
a landing was attempted on the following day; but the whole island
appeared like one vast fortress;--the little which nature had left
undone by rocks and crags, having been supplied by art; so that
when the grenadiers gained the shore, the enemy was discovered so
strongly fortified, that no efforts of the few men which could be
landed at once, were of any avail. A boat of Erskine's grenadiers
(SIXTY-SEVENTH), commanded by Captain Thomas Osborne, landed at a
point, and drew up undiscovered. His situation flanked the enemy,
but no other boat followed. The French immediately came out, and
Captain Osborne advanced to meet them. Twice brought to the ground
by a shot, he pressed on, and approached so close to the enemy, that
he exchanged thrusts with the French officer in command. The English
fired, and then charged with the bayonet. The commanders on both
sides were killed, when the English, being without leaders, were
unable to maintain their position.--Attempts to secure a landing
on other points of the island being also unsuccessful, orders were
given to desist from the attempt, and the men returned to the boats,
and proceeded back to their several ships. Many of the boats were
destroyed or damaged in this attempt, and about five hundred men were
lost in killed, wounded, and missing.
Commodore Keppel stated in his letter, of the 13th of April, 1761, to
the Right Honorable Mr. Secretary Pitt, afterwards created the Earl
of Chatham, that
"One of the flat boats landed sixty of Erskine's grenadiers
(SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment), who got up a very difficult place to the
top of the hills, where they formed with great skill, but were so
immediately routed by a much more numerous body of the enemy, that
all attempts to succour them were ineffectual, any further than the
boats bringing from the rocks about twenty of them." On the 8th
of April, 1761, the SIXTY-SEVENTH had Captain Thomas Osborne and
Lieutenant John Gardner killed. Lieutenants Marmaduke Green and
William Herdsman were taken prisoners. The other casualties were, two
serjeants, one drummer, and six rank and file killed; and sixteen
rank and file wounded.
Major-General Hodgson subsequently received the following
reinforcements:--
REGIMENTS. COMMANDING OFFICERS. MEN.
3rd Foot. Major J. Biddulph 800
36th ditto. Lieut.-Col. W. Preston 800
75th ditto[8] " C. Parry 800
85th ditto, 2nd Batt.[8] Major Sir Hugh Williams 600
----
3000
----
and another attempt to effect a landing was resolved upon.
Brigadier-General Hamilton Lambert, on the 22nd of April, 1761,
effected a landing on the rocks near Point Lomaria, where the
difficulty of ascending the precipice had made the enemy least
attentive to that part. Beauclerk's grenadiers (Nineteenth foot),
with Captain Patterson of that regiment, gained the summit before the
enemy saw what was intended, who immediately marched a body of three
hundred men to attack them; the grenadiers, however, maintained their
ground till the remainder of Brigadier Lambert's troops arrived.
The success, thus gained, was promptly followed up; the French
were eventually repulsed, and three brass field-pieces, with a few
prisoners, were captured.
The cannon was afterwards landed from the ships and dragged up the
rocks; the lines which covered the town of Palais were carried by
assault, and the siege of the citadel was prosecuted with vigour.
The garrison under their Governor, the Chevalier de St. Croix, made
a gallant defence, but on the 7th of June were forced to surrender,
and were permitted to march through the breach with the honours of
war in consideration of their bravery. The capture of the island was
thus achieved, with the loss of about eighteen hundred men killed and
wounded.[9]
On the 29th of May, 1761, Major-General Sir Henry Erskine was
removed to the Twenty-fifth regiment, and King George III. was
pleased to promote Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Lambert, from the
Thirty-first regiment, to the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, as a reward for
his gallantry at the capture of Belle-Isle.
[Sidenote: 1762]
While success attended the arms of Great Britain, in various parts
of the world, the Sovereigns of France and Spain were negotiating
a compact, which gave a new turn to the nature of the war; and the
two crowns attempted to coerce Portugal to unite in their designs
against Great Britain. Portugal at this period was particularly weak;
the capital, Lisbon, had been destroyed by an earthquake five years
previously, when nearly thirty thousand inhabitants had been buried
in its ruins. This disaster had been followed by a conspiracy against
the life of the King, while the country was shaken by internal
commotions; at the same time the military force of the kingdom
was weak in numbers, scantily furnished with arms, and without
experienced officers. Notwithstanding these adverse circumstances,
the King of Portugal resolved to adhere to his ancient alliance
with Great Britain; and in consequence of this decision, France and
Spain declared war against him. A powerful Spanish army assembled
on the frontiers, and threatened to crush the Portuguese, when a
military force, with artillery, arms, stores, provisions, and money,
was furnished by Great Britain to assist its faithful ally; and the
SIXTY-SEVENTH, which had returned with the expedition from the coast
of France, was one of the regiments selected for service in Portugal.
The regiment proceeded to Portugal, and continued in that country
until the termination of hostilities by the treaty of Fontainebleau,
the preliminary articles of which were signed by the Duke of Bedford
at Fontainebleau, on the 3rd of November, 1762.
[Sidenote: 1763]
Peace was proclaimed in London on the 22nd of March, 1763, and by
its provisions it was settled that the Island of _Minorca_, which had
been captured by the French in April, 1756, should be restored to
Great Britain. The SIXTY-SEVENTH and the Third foot from Portugal,
the Eleventh, Thirty-third, and Thirty-seventh regiments from
Germany, and the Fifty-seventh from Gibraltar, were embarked in order
to form the garrison of Minorca.[10]
[Sidenote: 1768]
[Sidenote: 1771]
In the Royal Warrant of King George III. dated 19th of December,
1768, containing regulations for the colours, clothing, &c. of the
regiments of foot, it was directed that the regimental colour of the
SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment should be _pale yellow_, being similar to the
colours of the Twentieth regiment, from which it was formed. The
SIXTY-SEVENTH remained on duty at Minorca until July, 1771, when the
Third, Eleventh, and SIXTY-SEVENTH regiments embarked for England,
on being relieved by the Royals (second battalion), the Fifty-first
and Sixty-first regiments.
[Sidenote: 1773]
In the year 1773 the regiment proceeded to Scotland, where it
remained until the year 1775.
[Sidenote: 1774]
On the decease of Lieut.-General Hamilton Lambert in 1774, His
Majesty was pleased to promote Lieut.-Colonel Edward Maxwell Brown,
from the Twenty-first, Royal North British Fusiliers, to the
colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 11th of March, 1774.
[Sidenote: 1775]
The regiment embarked for Ireland in 1775, to replace the
Forty-second, Royal Highland regiment, and continued on duty in that
country until the year 1785.
[Sidenote: 1782]
On the 31st of August, 1782, His Majesty directed that the regiment
should be designated the SIXTY-SEVENTH, or the SOUTH HAMPSHIRE
regiment, with a view that a connexion might be cultivated between
the corps and that county, in order to promote the success of the
recruiting service.
[Sidenote: 1785]
Early in the year 1785 the regiment embarked from Ireland for the
West Indies, to relieve the Fifty-fifth regiment.
The regiment proceeded from Barbadoes to Antigua in the autumn of
1785.
[Sidenote: 1788]
During the years 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, and 1792, the regiment was
stationed at Grenada.
[Sidenote: 1793]
In the year 1793 the regiment was stationed at Barbadoes, and in
July, 1794, returned to Great Britain: the regiment subsequently
proceeded to Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1796]