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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. irrata to pelure, n A □ 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 / '^*^'il! -,m r*. fit \i\ / ,* r # f, 'i)""*^, fW*^ A \ 1- .'" ,f . ** I,"'* . ^ ■'M ,iv ' "><■- • H, • '.> .;-.^.if'> r \ -.% V '.\'^v . ^; rsv:^ f ..-- -.•,-x ;i»»»^fv*-i / ■i% / '> % o /. X \. HISTORICAL RECORDS OP THR BRITISH ARMY. ■ X PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THR ADJUTANT-GENERAL. THE FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS. LONDON: Priuted by William Cloweb and Sons, 14, Charing Cnwi. GENERAL ORDERS. HORSE GUARDS, 1st January, 1836. His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regi- ments, as well as to Individuals who have distin- guished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regi- ment 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 Ori- ginal 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. a 2 GENERAL ORDERS. The Names of those Officers, who, in con- sideration 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-Com- missioned 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, PRE FACE. 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 V U h I' A C K . OfTicers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their Rkill 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 hence- forth 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 PHKFACE. 4 country derives from the indiiHtry ami the enterpriBe of the ngri- culturiHt and the trader, its hnppy inhabitants may be 8u|>|)0sed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor, — on their suflferings, — and on the sacrifice of valu- able life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved. The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endur- ance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difR- rulties ; 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 main- tained their advantages against superior numbers. In the ofRcial 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 Mojesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's OfKce ; 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 attach- PREFACE. ment to every thing 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 civilised 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. The ancient Armies of England were composed of Horse and Foot ; but the feudal troops esta- blished by William the Conqueror in 1086, con- sisted almost entirely of Horse. Under the feudal system, every holder of land amounting to what was termed a *' knight's fee," was required to provide a charger, a coat of mail, a helmei, a shield, and a lance, and to serve the Crown a period of forty days in each year at his own expense ; and the great landholders had to pro- vide armed men in proportion to the extent of their estates ; consequently the ranks of the feudal Cavalry were completed with men of property, and the vassals and tenants of the great barons, who led their dependents to the field in person. In the succeeding reigns the Cavalry of the Army was composed of Knights (or men at arms) and Hobiliers (or horsemen of inferior degree) ; and the Infantry of spear and battle-axe men, cross-bowmen, and archers. The Knights wore armour on every part of the body, and their weapons were a lance, a sword, and a small dagger. The Hobiliers were accoutred and armed b 11 INTRODUCTION. I i for the light and less important services of war, and were not considered qualified for a charge in line. Mounted Archers* were also introduced, and the English nation eventually became pre- eminent in the use of the bow. About the time of Queen Mary the appellation of " Men at Arms' was changed to that of " Spears and Launces." The introduction of fire-arms ulti- mately occasioned the lance to fall into disuse, and the title of the Horsemen of the first degree was changed to ** Cuirassiers.** The Cuirassiers were armed cap-d-pie, and their weapons were a sword with a straight narrow blade and sharp point, and a pair of large pistols, called petrenels ; and the Hobiliers carried carbines. The Infantry carried pikes, matchlocks, and swords. The introduction of fire-arms occasioned the forma- tion of regiments armed and equipped as infantry, but mounted on small horses for the sake of expedition of movement, and these were styled "Dragoons;" a small portion of the military force of the kingdom, however, consisted of this description of troops. The formation of the present Army commenced * In the 14th year of the reign of Edward IV. a small force was established in Ireland by Parliament, consisting of 120 Archers on horseback, 40 Horsemen, and 40 Pages. X INTRODUCTION, m after the Restoration in 1660, with the establish- ment of regular corps of Horse and Foot ; the Horsemen were cuirassiers, but only wore armour on the head and body ; and the Foot were pike- men and musketeers. The arms which each description of force carried, are described in the following extract from the ** Regulations of King Charles XL," dated 5th May, 1663 :— " Each Horseman to have for his defensive ' armes, back, breast, and pot ; and for his ofifen- ' sive armes, a sword, and a case of pistolls, the * barrels whereof are not to be und'. foorteen * inches in length ; and each Trooper of Our * Guirds to have a carbine, besides the aforesaid * armes. And the Foote to have each souldier a ' sword, and each pikeman a pike of 16 foote * long and not und'. ; and each musqueteer a ' musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, the barrels * of which musquet to be about foor foote long, * and to conteine a bullet, foorteen of which shall * weigh a pound weight *." The ranks of the Troops of Horse were at this period composed of men of some property — gene- rally the sons of substantial yeomen : the young men received as recruits provided their own horses, * Military Papers, State Paper Office. b2 IV INTRODUCTION. Ml ■ i I and they were placed on a rate of pay sufficient to give them a respectable station in society. On the breaking out of the war with Holland, in the spring of 1672, a Regiment of Dragoons was raised*; the Dragoons were placed on a lower rate of pay than the Horse; and the Regiment was armed similar to the Infantry, excepting that a limited number of the men carried halberds instead of pikes, and the others muskets and bay- onets ; and a few men in each Troop had pistols ; as appeals by a warrant dated the 2nd of April, 1672, of which the following is an extract : — " Charles R. " Our will and pleasure is, that a Regi- " ment of Dragoones which we have established *' and ordered to be raised, in twelve Troopes of " fourscore in each beside officers, who are to be " under the command of Our most deare and most " intirely beloved Cousin Prince Rupert, shall " be armed out of Our stoares remaining within " Our office of the Ordinance, as followeth ; that •' is to say, three corporalls, two Serjeants, the " gentlemen at armes, and twelve souldiers of *' each of the said twelve Troopes, are to have and " carry each of them one halbard, and one case * This Regiment was disbanded after the Peace in 1674. INTRODUCTION. V " of pistolls with holsters; and the rest of the " souldiers of the several Troopes aforesaid, are " to have and to carry each of them one match- " locke musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, and " also to have and to carry one bayonet *, or great " knife. That each lieutenant have and carry " one partizan ; and that two drums be delivered " out for each Troope of the said Regiment f." Several regiments of Horse and Dragoons were raised in the first year of the reign of King James II. ; and the horsemen carried a short car- bine ;|: in addition to the sword and pair of pistols : and in a Regulation dated the 21st of February, 1687, the arms of the Dragoons at that period are commanded to be as follow : — "The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, ** strapt, with bright barrels of three foote eight " inches long, cartouch-boxes, bayonetts, granado " pouches, bucketts, and hammer-hatchetts." After several years' experience, little advantage was found to accrue from having Cavalry Regi- ments formed almost exclusively for engaging the * This appears to be the first introduction of bayonets into the English Army. f State Paper Office. X The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appears to have taken place in 1678; the Life Guards, however, carried carbines from their formation in 1660. — Vide the ' Historical Record of the Life Guards.' VI INTRODUCTION. i ■; ! ■ I enemy on foot ; and, the Horse having laid aside their armour, the arms and equipment of Horse and Dragoons were so nearly assimilated, that there remained little distinction besides the name and rate of pay. The introduction of improve- ments into the mounting, arming, and equipment of Dragoons rendered them competent to the performance of every description of service re- quired of Cavalry ; and, while the long musket and bayonet were retained, to enable them to act as Infantry, if necessary, they were found to be equally efficient, and of equal value to the nation, as Cavalry, with the Regiments of Horse. In the several augmentations made to the regular Army after the early part of the reign of Queen Anne, no new Regiments of Horse were raised for permanent service ; and in 1746 King George II. reduced three of the old Regiments of Horse to the quality and pay of Dragoons ; at the same time, His Majesty gave them the title of First, Second, and Third Regiments of Dragoon Guards: and in 1788 the same alteration was made in the remaining four Regiments of Horse, which then became the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Regiments of Dragoon Guards. At present there are only three Regiments Avhich are styled Horse in the British Army, ^ INTRODUCTION. Vll namely, the two Regiments of Life Guards, and the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, to whom cuirasses have recently been restored. The other Cavalry Regiments consist of Dragoon Guards, Heavy and Ldght Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers ; and although the long musket and bayonet have been laid aside by the whole of the Cavalry, and the Regiments are armed and equipped on the principle of the old Horse (excepting the cuirass), they continue to be styled Dragoons. The old Regiments of Horse formed a higlily respectable and efficient portion of the Army, and it is found, on perusing the histories of the various campaigns in which they have been en- gaged, that they have, on all occasions, maintained a high character for steadiness and discipline, as well as for bravery in action. They were formerly mounted on horses of superior weight and phy- sical power, and few troops could withstand a well-directed charge of the celebrated British Horse. The records of these corps embrace a period of 150 years — a period eventful in history, and abounding in instances of heroism displayed by the British troops when danger has threatened the nation, — a period in which these Regiments have numbered in their ranks men of loyalty, valour, and good conduct, worthy of imitation. VIU INTRODUCTION. It 11 ,1 I !! Since the Regiments of Horse were formed into Dragoon Guards, additional improvements have been introduced into the constitution of the several corps ; and the superior description of horses now bred in the United Kingdom enables the commanding officers to remount their regi- ments with such excellent horses, that, whilst sufficient weight has been retained for a powerful charge in line, a lightness has been acquired which renders them available for every description of service incident to modern warfare. The orderly conduct of these Regiments in quarters has gained the confidence and esteem of the respectable inhabitants of the various parts of the United Kingdom in which they have been stationed ; their promptitude and alacrity in at- tending to the requisitions of the magistrates in periods of excitement, and the temper, patience, and forbearance which they have evinced when subjected to great provocation, insult, and violence from the misguided populace, prove the value of these troops to the Crown, and to the Government of the country, and justify the reliance which is reposed on them. HISTORICAL RECORD or THE FIFTH, on PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT or DRAGOON GUARDS CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1685; WITH ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO 1838. ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES. LONDON : PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, ORME. AND CO., PATERNOSTER ROW; W. CLOWES AND SONS, 14, CHARING CROSS; AND TO BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1839. Printed by William Clowii and Sons, Stamford Street. \ I THE FIFTH, on PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS, BBAHB UPON ITS STAND AK08 TUB MOTTO " VESTIGIA NULLA RETRORSUM ;" AND TBS FOLLOWING INSCRIPTIONS : " SALAMANCA," " VITTORIA," « TOULOUSE," " PENINSULA* CONTKNTS. Anno 1685 Formatiunof the Regiment .... Equipped as Cuirasaien, and obtained rank aa Seventh Horse .... Reviewed by King James II. . 1686 First EHtablishment .... Names of Officers ..... Reviewed on Hounslow Heath 1688 The Revolution 1689 Proceeds to Ireland .... Siege of Carrickfergus .... 1690 Battle of the Boyne .... Siege of Limerick .... 169 1 Skirmish near Brewsterfield Second Siege of Limerick 1692 Returns to England .... 1693 Performs Court Duty .... 1694 Proceeds to the Netherlands 1695 Covering the Siege of Namur . 1697 Skirmish near Enghien I i^'^S Returr-' ♦.> England .... I lO'j Procee lb to Ireland .... 1702 Three Troops return to England, and proceed to Holland ...... Covering the Sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde, Stevens waert, and Liege .... Pag* 1 3 4 5 6 1 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 11 IV CONTENTS. I '['■ 11 'i ■ir.ii [ Anno n03 Skirmish near Haneff; and covering the Sieges of Huy and Limburg . 1 704 Three Troops from Ireland to Holland Battle of Schellenberg Blenheim — — Covering the Siege of Laudan . 1 705 Forcing the French Lines at Helixem and Neer Hespen ..... 1706 Battle of Ramilies . Sieges of Antwerp and Dendermond . 1708 Battle of Oudenarde Siege of Lisle, and Action at Wynendale 1709 Covering the Siege of Tournay . Battle of Malplaquet • Covering the Siege of Mons 1710 Douay, Bethune, Aire, and St. Venant .... 1711 Forcing the French Lines at Arleux . Covering the Siege of Bouchain Skirmish near Wavrechin 1712 Covering the Siege of Qnesnoy . 1714 Proceeds to Ireland 1717 Facings changed from BufFto Full Green 1746 Styled the Second Irish Horse . 1751 Description of the Clothing and Standards 1788 Title changed to Fifih Dragoon Guards 1793 Proceeds to Flanders 1794 Action at Prfimont — — Covering the Siege of Landrt^cies Battle of Cateau .... Action near Tournay Retreat through Holland to Germany . 1795 Embarks for England 1796 Proceeds to Ireland 1798 Rebellion in Ireland Actions at Arklow, Ballycarnen, and Gorey Vinegar Hill and White Hills Skirmish near Prosperous Action at Ballinamuck , Page 18 19 20 4m 1 21 '1 'ff 24 25 26 27 iH 28 ■ 29 30 31 33 34 35 37 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 CONTENTS. 30 31 33 34 35 37 40 42 43 44 45 Anno 1799 Returns to England . . . . . 1804 Styled the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards 1805 Proceeds to Ireland 1808 Returns to England 1811 Reviewed by the Prince Regent Embarks for Portugal 1812 Covering the Siege of Badajoz Action at Llerena . . Battle of Salamanca Skirmish at Alba de Tormes Advances to Madrid Covering the Siege of Burgos Retreats to Portugal 1813 Advances into Spain Battle of Vittoria . 1814 Advances through the Pyrenees into France Action near Tarbes Battle of Toulouse . Returns to England 1816 Proceeds to Ireland 1817 Proceeds to Scotland, and from thence to England 1821 Returns to Scotland, and embarks for Ireland 1825 Embarks for S^-otland 1826 Proceeds to England 1830 Reviewed by King William IV. at Windsor 1831 Embarks for Ireland 1834 Returns to England 1835 Proceeds to Scotland 1836 Returns to England 1838 The Conclusion .... Fttge 48 49 50 51 56 60 62 63 65 67 68 69 73 74 75 76 77 78 46 47 48 • '1 • vi CONTENTS. SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. Anno Page 1685 Charles Earl of Shrewsbury . . .19 1687 Marmaduke Lord Langdale . 81 Richard Hamilton . . 82 1688 John Coy . 83 1691 Charles Earl of Arran . 84 1703 William Cadogan . . 85 1712 George Kellum . 87 1717 Robert Napier . 88 1740 Charles Neville . 89 1 744 Richard Viscount Cobham 1745 Thomas Wentworth . 90 1747 Thomas Bligh . 91 1758 Hon. John Waldegrave . . 92 1760 Hon. John Fitz-William . , . — 1789 John Douglas . 93 1790 Thomas Bland • ■ 1816 Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg . 94 1831 Sir John Slade, Bart. . 98 PLATES. The Standard of the Regiment . . .to precede The Capture of the Bavarian Standards at the forcing of the French Lines in 1705 . . . to face The Fifth Dragoon Guards at the Battle of Salamanca to face 24 60 Page 19 81 82 83 84 85 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 98 recede 1 ing of face 24 nanca face 60 mi iii y^fff^Wf^asHmmm . ^' ^--^^" ^fiJE^iai.''^ ^T-^rif^ mw !!i!i:^:^r^i^v ^^-mwi^ii"' ^i^l^::: FU'TH (inE IKINCESS CHAELOTTE OF WALES S) REOIJUEWT Ol^ JJioiOOON (jDAKDU. HISTORICAL RECORD OV THU FIFTH, OK PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALESS REGIMENT DRAGOON GUARDS. ON 0UAUD:J, In the early periods of the history of this country 1685 a standing army was unknown ; but as the king- dom increased in arts, sciences, and manufactures, and as national institutions, established upon sound principles, assumed an important character, a regu- larly organized military force was found necessary to protect the interests of society, and to guard colonial possessions ; and when the other nations of Europe have from time to time augmented their standing armies, it has been found necessary to make similar additions to the regular force of Great Britain. After the Restoration in 1 660, the army of the Com- monwealth was disbanded, and a body of household troops, with a few garrison companies, were con- sidered sufficient ; but the acquisition of additional possessions, the ambitious designs of foreign poten- tates, and internal commotions in the kingdom, have occasioned numerous additions to be made to the regular army. It was one of the last mentioned causes, which, in the year 1685, gave rise to tlie formation of the corps which is the subject of this memoir, and which now bears the title of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards. / B / 2 HISTORICAL RECORD OF li: 1685 A dilSerence in religious views and opinions has often occasioned long and sanguinary wars ; and the accession of a Roman Catholic Prince (James II.) to the throne of Great Britain, was an event so little congenial to the feelings of a Protestant people, that James Duke of Monmouth (natural son of King Charles II.) was induced, by the per- suasions of men who were disaffected to the ex- isting government, to make a daring attempt to dethrone his uncle, and to gain the sovereignty of the kingdom. This event occurring at a time when the first feelings of alarm at the appearance of a Papist on the throne had subsided, and before the King had made any serious attack on the constitution or established religion, the people were not prepared to throw off their allegiance to their sovereign ; consequently, while a few thousands of disaffected persons joined the standard of rebellion, much greater numbers arrayed themselves under the banners of royalty. Many noblemen and gentle- men exerted themselves in raising forces for the King ; and it is stated in the public records, that a number of the respectable yeomen and others who volunteered their services in the royal cause, were incorporated into a troop of horse by Charles Earl of Shrewsbury, at Litchfield ; another troop of horse was raised by Francis Lord Brudenel, at Kingston upon Thames ; a third by Sir Thomas Grosvenor, at Chester ; a fourth by Roger Pope, Esq., in the vicinity of Bridgnorth ; a fifth by Mr. Francis Spalding, at Bristol ; and a sixth by the Honourable John D'Arcy, (guidon of the second I I ions has ; and the mes II.) event so rotestant (natural the per- the ex- empt to }ignty of the first 'apist on ing had ution or prepared vereign ; isaffected n, much ider the d gentle- s for the Is, that a hiers who ise, were rles Earl troop of ienel, at Thomas er Pope, i by Mr. h by the B second THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. d troop, now second regiment of Life Guards,) in 1^685 London. These formed part of an extensive body of troops raised in a few weeks ; but the rebelHon was suppressed by the old corps which the King had in his service, without the aid of the new levies. His Majesty, however, looking forward to the commotions which would probably follow the exe- cution of the attacks he was urged by his Jesuitical councillors to make on the established religion and laws, resolved to retain a considerable portion of the newly-raised forces in his service ; and these six troops of horse were, on the 29th of July, 1685, constituted a regiment of Cuirassiers, of which the Earl of Shrewsbury was appointed Colonel, the Honourable John D' Arcy Lieutenant- Colonel, and John Skelton, Esq., Major. This regiment ranked at that period as Seventh Horse ; and is now the Fifth Dragoon Guards. The uniform and equipment of this corps, like that of the other regiments of horse, were hats, long scarlet coats, jacked-leather boots, cuirasses, iron head pieces, swords, pair of pistols, and short carbines. Each corps had a distinguishing colour, then called its regimental livery^ and now styled its facing, and the distinguishing colour of Shrewsbury's Cuirassiers was huff'; the men had their coats lined with buff shalloon, and their waistcoats, breeches, ribands in their hats, and horse furniture, were of the same colour. Soon after its formation the regiment marched into quarters near Hounslow, and experienced officers were appointed to teach the men the esta- blished military exercises ; they formed two squa- b2 f ^: ' ' I :i!-; lit ! ill i I'. I 4 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1685 drons, three troops in a squadron ; but each troop had a standard of buff-silk damask ; and these loyal cavaliers, being mounted on strong horses, had not only a warlike appearance, but they were well calculated for a charge in line where weight and physical power were necessary. The Cuirassiers had succeeded the ancient Lancers (or Launces), formerly the highest class of military force in Europe, and celebrated for valour, prowess, and feats of chivalry. The Lancers were armed cap a pie, but the lance having, to a great extent, been laid aside before the middle of the seventeenth century, helmets, and armour on the limbs, were also discontinued soon afterwards. The regiments of Horse, having succeeded the ancient Lancers, were held in' high estimation; and in the suc- ceeding reigns they acquired great celebrity. After having been twice reviewed by King James IL on Hounslow Heath, the regiment marched into quarters in Warwickshire, where it passed several months. The King, having acquired some practical knowledge of military service in the civil war in France, and in the Netherlands, under Marshals Turenne and the Prince of Conde, established several useful regulations for the preservation of order and discipline in his army ; two experienced officers, Sir John Lanier and Sir John Fenwick, were appointed Inspecting Generals of Cavalry ; and the first half-yearly inspection of this regiment was made by Brigadier-General Sir John Fen- Avick, of the Life Guards, in its quarters in War- wickshire. THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. While in these quarters, its establishment was 1686 fixed, by a royal warrant dated tiie 1st uf January, 1686, at the following numbers : — THE EARL OF SHKEWSBUKY'S KEQIMENI OF HORSE. FiBLit ANU Stavv-Officbiis. The Culonel, as Colonel Lieutenant-Colouel, as Lieut.-Cuhiiel The Major {who has no trotp), for himself, horseN,) and servant)) / Adjutant Chaplaiiie Chirurgeon iv' per diiy. and j horse to carry hisi) chest, ij' per day J A Kettle- Drummer to the Colonel's troop . The Colonel's Tuoop. The Colonel, as Captaine, x' per day, and ij horses) each at ij' per day j Lievtenant vi', and ij horses, each at ij" . Cornett v% and ij hoisesi, each at ij' Quarter-Master iv", and i horse, at ij' Three Corporals, each at iij' per day Two Trumpeters, each at ij' viiiii Forty Private Soldiers, each at ij' vi"* per day . Five Troops more, of the same numbers, and at thel same rates of pay as the Colonel's troop . . j Total for this Reqiment per Diem Per Annum. . £17,897. 3s. 'It/, Per Diem. £. *. a. 12 8 14 10 9 6 1) 9 5 4 5 7 13 4 38 6 8 49 8 .. 1 If;:! u ^ i ' ,1 liif k 1 If ^! 6 HISTORICAL RECORD OP 168G The following officers were at this period hohl- ing commissions in the regiment : — Troop. Ist. 2d. M. 4th. 5th. 6th. Captaina. Karl of Shrewsbury (Col.) Joha Coy, (Lieut.-Col.) Sir Thomas Grosvenor Roger Pope . . Francis Spalding . Charles Onne . . Lieutenants. John Grosvenor James Bringfield Henry Grosvenor Thomas Griffiths Thomas Doughty Thomas Manning Curntts. George Kelium. Ron.W,Rrii Orange, to the throne ; and the tirst duty in whieli tile regiment was called upon to <>ngage under the new dynasty, was the patrolhn^- of the pulilic roads to prevent highway rohberies, m I ich, owing to tlie connnotions recently experienced in society, had become very frcipient. It also furnished a detach- ment to protect the King's herd of deer in the Forest of Dean against the depredations of or- ganized bands of deer-stealers. From these duties Coy's Horse were soon re- lieved to engage in military operations in Ireland, which country had become the theatre of intestine war. The Papists were in arms in favour of King James, who had arrived in Ireland with a body of troops from France ; and, following that system of cruelty which has invariably been practised when religion has been the subject of contention, the hapless Protestants, being the weaker party, had been made to feel the full weight of Catholic vengeance. JMany of the Protestants, particularly in Inniskilling and Londonderry, had taken arms. King William sent a body of troops under Duke Schomberg to their aid, and Coy's Horse em- barked at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the middle of August, 1689, for the same service. After landing at Belfast, the regiment was em- ployed in covering the siege of Carrickfergiw, and had its post in the lines l)efore the town. This place having surrendered on the 28th of August, a detachment of the regiment, connnanded by Captain Sir \^'illiam Hussel, escorted the gar- rison, consisting of two regiments of foot, " all 10 HISTORICAL RECORD OF J ! !■ i M M 1689 stout fellows, but ill clothed," the first stage from the town ; and such cruelties had been practised by the Papists, that, according to Story, who was an eye-witness, the troopers experienced some diffi- culty in preserving the Catholic soldiers from being torn to pieces by the country people, who were stimulated to revenge by the remembrance of past injuries. The regiment afterwards advanced with the army towards Newry, where a party of the enemy was assembled, who, on the approach of the English, set fire to the town, and retreated over the mountains to Dundalk. The English passed the mountains on the following day, when the enemy quitted Dundalk and retired to Atherdee, where the main body of King James's army was assembled. Marshal Duke Schomberg, finding Dundalk to be a strong situation, with a convenient harbour for obtaining supplies from England, and knowing that the enemy's army was more than double his own in numbers, formed an intrenched camp, where he resolved to continue during the remainder of the campaign ; but the ground where the troops were encamped being low, and the weather prov- ing wet, this injudicious choice of situation proved so fatal to his army, that the infantry corps lost half their men from disease. Coy's Horse re- mained at Dundalk upwards of a month, and afterwards proceeded to Carlingford for the con- venience of forage. During the winter, detached parties had frequent encounters with the bands of armed Papists who prowled the country, com- THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 11 ge from tised by I was an le diffi- I's from de, who ranee of ith the e enemy of the ted over I passed [len the therdee, •my was adalk to harbour tnowing iible his camp, mainder e troops er prov- 1 proved rps lost RSE re- ith, and ;he con- ietached li bands ry, com- mitting every description of outrage ; and an out- 1689 guard of the regiment, posted in the pass of Newry, was sharply engaged with a party of the enemy, who attempted to force the pass, but were repulsed with loss, the gallant English Cuirassiers proving more than a match for their antagonists. In June, 1690, King William arrived in Ire- 1690 land to command the army in person, and the regiment was now called upon to serve under the eye of its sovereign. This circumstance is said to have given rise to a laudable feeling of emulation in all ranks of the army, and the troopers longed for an opportunity to distinguish themselves in presence of their King. The desired opportunity soon occurred ; the King, advancing up to the banks of the Boi/ne, found the enemy in position on the opposite side of the river, and the troops prepared for battle. This regiment was with His Majesty on the evening preceding the battle, while reconnoitring the enemy's position, and was exposed to a cannonade, on \vhich occasion the King was wounded in the shoulder, and the regi- ment had three men and nine horses killed. Early on the 1st of July, as the rays of morning- light shed their lustre on the camp, the English and Dutch troops appeared in motion, every man displaying a green branch in his hat ; and soon the columns were seen advancing towards the Boyne, their glittering arms, waving plumes, and floating banners, exhibiting all the pomp of war : the French and Irish stood to their arms and pre- pared to defend their post. Coy's Horse, forming part of the cavalry of the right wing, were in the ..-•fS ! I 12 HISTORICAL RECORD OF t ii I B 1690 column which forded the river near Slane Bridge ; some opposition was made by a regiment of Irish dragoons, which was attacked, and its command- ing officer and about 70 men killed. After pass- ing the river, the troops advanced through large corn-fields, crossed several deep ditches, and over- coming every obstacle with an ardour which be- spoke the valour and confidence which glowed in every breast, the enemy's left wing was dismayed and retreated towards Duleck. Coy's Horse were amongst the squadrons which galloped forward in pursuit, and charging the Irish foot, cut them down with a great slaughter. While these events were transpiring on the right. King William passed the river with the main body of his forces : the enemy was overpowered at every point, and His Majesty stood triumphant on the field of battle. King James fled to Dublin, and after- wards to France, and was followed by the French troops ; but the Irish Papists resolved to maintain his cause to the last extremity. Coy's Horse advanced with King William to Dublin, and were afterwards with the army before Limerick, during the unsuccessful siege of that place, when His Majesty returned to England, the regiment went into quarters near Cork. In the depth of the winter an incursion into the enemy's cantonments was resolved upon ; and the regiment having joined the forces selected for that service, advanced, on the 31st of December, into 169-1. the county of Kerry. On arriving near Brewster- field, the van-guard, consisting of a troop of this regiment and one of Eppinger's Dragoons, en- THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 13 countered a party of 160 of the enemy's cavalry. 1691 Coy's Horse and the dragoons instantly drew their swords, and advanced to charge their oppo- nents, who fled in a panic. Continuing its route, the detachment took a number of prisoners, also drove seven troops of Irish horse and twenty-one of dragoons from Tralee, and afterwards returned to its quarters. When the army took the field in the summer of 1691, Coy's Horse were left in dispersed quar- ters in the county of Cork to overawe the dis- aflfected, and to check the depredations of the bands of Papists, whose proceedings were very injurious to the Protestants ; the regiment was, consequently, not at the battle of Aghrimj but it afterwards joined the army near Limerick, and was employed in the siege of tliat place. On the 16th of September, a squadron of tlie regiment, with a strong party of dragoons and infantry, crossed the Shannon by a pontoon bridge before break of day, surprised and defeated a body of the enemy, and captured a standard ; also sur- prised the troops in the camp near the town, and forced them to make a precipitate flight to the mountains. On the 24th of the same month, a cessation of hostilities took place, which ended in a treaty, and the authority of King James was ex- tinguished in Ireland. The regiment, having thus performed its part 1692 in reducing Ireland to submission to the autho- rity of King William, embarked at Belfast in the beginning of 1692, and after its arrival in England it was quartered at Huntingdon, Chester, and St. Ives ; from whence it proceeded 14 HISTORICAL RECORD OF I I » w ■': 1693 to the vicinity of London, and, for a short time, assisted the Life Guards in performing the escort duty for the royal family. It was, however, allowed but a short period of home service before it was called upon to take the field against a foreign enemy. King William was engaged in a war to restrain the ambitious designs of Louis XIV. of France, who sought to become the dictator of Europe and the destroyer of the reformed religion. After the severe loss sustained by the confederates at the battle of Landen, in 1693, the British monarch gave orders for Colonel Coy to proceed with his regiment of horse to the Netherlands, and to join the army in that country. 1694 On its arrival in Flanders, the regiment was placed in quarters at Ghent ; from whence it marched to Tirlemont, and, joining the army com- manded by King William in person, took part in the operations of the long and toilsome campaign of 1694, but was not engaged in any action of im- portance. 1695 In the following year the regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege of the strong and important fortress of Namur, which was superintended by King William in person. Two magnificent armies confronted each other, and manoeuvred, the one to prevent, and the other to ensure, the capture of this strong fortress ; and it was eventually taken by the forces commanded by His Britannic Majesty. About a month after the surrender of the castle of Namur, the regiment marched into quarters at Ghent. 1696 King William reviewed the regiment near THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 15 Ghent, in May, 1696, and expressed his approba- 1696 tion of its appearance. During this summer it formed part of the array of Flanders, under the orders of the veteran Prince of Vaudemont, and was encamped for several months on the canal be- tween Ghent and Bruges, and its services were limited to defensive measures for the preservation of these two places, and the maritime towns of Flanders from the attacks of the enemy. On the 4th of October, the regiment returned to its former station at Ghent. From Ghent the regiment marched in May, 1697 1697, to join the army of Brabant, and was en- camped a short time at St. Quintin Linneck. The French besieged the town of Aeth ; and a body of troops was sent out, under Brigadier-General Lumley, to make a reconnoissance towards Eng- hien, with the view of attacking the French army and raising the siege. A detachment of Coy's Horse, commanded by Sir William Russel, formed the advance-guard on this occasion ; and when on the march, he encountered a party of French hussars, carabiniers, and dragoons. Upon notice of the approach of the enemy, the main body of the British force concealed itself in the wood, and formed an ambush; and the ad- vance-guard retiring, the French advanced boldly forward, and were nearly every man killed or taken prisoner. The design of relieving Aeth was afterwards laid aside ; King William retired, and subse- quently took up a position before Brussels. Colonel John Coy having obtained His Majesty's permission to dispose of the Colonelcy of the regi- 16 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1697 ment to Charles Earl of Arran,* brother of the Duke of Ormond, his lordship was appointed to the regiment on the 1st of July, 1697 ; and during the succeeding five years it was styled Arran's Horse. King William, after waging war for the good of Europe a period of nine years, had the satisfaction of seeing his endeavours succeeded by a treaty of peace, which was signed at Ryswick in September of this year. 1698 Shortly after this event, Arran's Horse were ordered to return to England, where they arrived in January, 1698, and were quartered at Coventry, Daventry, and Towcester. 1699 The army in England having been reduced by the House of Commons to the low establishment of seven thousand men. King William was under the necessity of disbanding several corps, and of sending others to Ireland. This regiment was one of the corps selected to proceed to Ireland, 1700 where it arrived in the summer of 1700, and its numbers were reduced to thirty-six private men per troop. The repose granted to Europe by the treaty of Ryswick was, however, of short duration. Louis XIV. of France, procured the accession of his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain ; this virtual union of two powerful states. * Charles Butler, second son of Thomas Earl of Ossory, and grandson of James first Duke of Ormond, was created Earl of the islands of Arran, in the county of Galway, in January, 1694. The Earl of Arran, mentioned at page 7, was the eldest son of Wilhara Duke of Hamilton, and obtained his father's title in 1698. THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 17 rekindled the flame of war; and the Eaul of 1701 Arran's regiment was one of the cavalry corps ordered to be augmented to tifty-seven private men per troop, and held in readiness to proceed on foreign service ; but so great was the difficulty experienced in raising an army of sufficient num- bers to meet the exigence of the nation on this sudden emergency, that only three troops of the regiment could, in the first instance, be spared from Ireland. These three troops landed at Highlake, in 1702 Cheshire, in the beginning of March,J 70*2, and marching to London, embarked in transports on the river Thames in the beginning of April, and sailed for Holland. The decease of King William, who might justly be styled the protector of the reformed religion, and the accession of Queen Anne, produced no alteration in the foreign policy of the British court. The war was prosecuted with vigour, and the three troops of Arran's Horse, forming one squa- dron, were attached to Brigadier-General Wood's regiment (now Third Dragoon Guards), and served the campaign of this year under the Earl of Marlborough. The British horse, had, how- ever no opportunity of signalizing themselves in action this year; their services being limited to out-post duty, and covering the sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde, Stevenswaert, and the famous city of Liege, which fortresses were captured by the Bri- tish commander. The Earl of Arran having been promoted to the 1703 Colonelcy of the third troop of Life Guards, Queen c 18 HISTORICAL RECORD OF i\ ■'ii I :1 1703 Anne conferred the command of the regiment on Brigadier-General Cadogan (afterwards Earl Cadogan), from the Sixth, or Inniskilling Dra- goons, by commission, dated the 2d of March, 1703. The three troops of the regiment on foreign ser- vice, now bearing the title of Cadogan's Horse, continued to serve throughout tlie campaign of this year with Brigadier-General Wood's regiment. In a slight skirmish near Haneff, in the beginning of June, a small detachment evinced the martial spirit and valour of British troopers ; and in the various movements of the army before the enemy, the national character was fully sustained. The French commanders avoided an engagement, and after covering the sieges of Huy and Limburg, Cadogan's Horse went into quarters for the winter in Holland. 1704 In the beginning of the following year the other three troops of the regiment were withdrawn from Ireland, and after occupying quarters a short time at Northampton, embarked (4th April, 1704) for Holland. The six troops were thus united in time for the whole regiment to take part in the glorious exploits of the campaign of 1704, in which that noble ardour and chivalric spirit which has raised Britain to its present exalted station among the nations of Europe, were displayed by the army under the Duke of Marlborough in a signal manner. Con- fidence in the commander has always given addi- tional life and vigour to innate valour, and the troops having already proved the military virtues THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 19 of their leader^ the great Marlborough was enabled 1704 to march his forces from the ocean to the Da- nube, and to gain new honours in the heart of Germany. This enterprise was undertaken in consequence of the armies of France and Bavaria having united against the Emperor of Germany, and the British general advanced to the aid of the house of Austria, which was thus menaced by a force which it was unable to withstand. Quitting the territory of the Dutch republic the army crossed the Rhine, and traversed the various states of Germany with a degree of order and regularity which bespoke a high state of discipline, united with excellent arrangements, while the nations of Europe gazed with astonishment at the undertaking. Having arrived at the theatre of war and joined the Imperial army, the first action of importance was the attack of a body of French and Bavarians commanded by the Counl d'Arco, at their en- trenched camp on the lofty heights of Schellenberg, on the 2d of July. On this occasion the cavalry supported the attacks of the infantry, and when the enemy was forced from the entrenchments, the brilliant charge of the English horse, and Royal Scots Dragoons (the Greys) completed the over- throw ; the hostile army lost its colours, cannon, and baggage, and numbers of French and Bava- rians fell beneath the conquering sabres of the British horsemen, who chased their adversaries to the banks of the Danube, and captured many pri- soners. Cadogan's Horse were commanded on this occasion by Lieutenant-Colonel George Kel- c2 H ::;' 20 HISTORICAL RECORD OP I ill I; 'I .11. \ Illllii i ill 'Mi 1704 lum, and had Major Napier,* Lieutenant Tettcfall, and several private men wounded ; and suMtained a serious loss in troop horses, from havin|( bei^n exposed to a heavy cannonade: their Colonel, Brigadier-General Cadogan, was also wounded. This action was the precursor of a greater over- throw to the forces of the enemy, who made effortn to retrieve his affairs ; new armies and new gene- rals appeared ; but these only served to augment the splendour of victory, and to enhance the value of the conquerors in the estimation of the world. The action was fought in the valley of the Danube, near the village of Blenheim, on the Idth of August, and the English horsemen, who during the two preceding campaigns had panted for an oppoilunity to signalize themselves, had a fair Held in which to display their valour and prowess, and they gave undeniable proofs of their good qualities. The Gallo- Bavarian army was destroyed; its commander, Marshal Tallard, and many entire battalions and squadrons were made prisoners of war ; and the field of battle was literally covered with trophies. The victory was most complete and decisive, and it was not gained over new levies ; but over an army of veterans fully instructed in the art of war, — select troops flushed with former successes, and commanded by generals of great bravery and * This ofScer's name is spelt Napper, instead of Napier, in the lists of killed and wounded published at the time ; but be !• the same officer who was appointed Colonel of the regiment by Kiny George I., on the 27th of May, 1717. THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 21 experience.* This regiment had only one officer i 704 (Lieutenant Groubere) killed ; its loss in non- commissioned officers and private men has not been recorded. The regiment took part in the subsequent ope- rations of the main army ; and after covering the siege of LaudaUy it marched back to Holland for winter quarters. In the following summer the regiment marched 1705 with the army through the Duchy of Juliers, and crossed the Moselle and the Saar, in order to carry on the war in Alsace; but the Duke of Marl- borough, being disappointed of the promised co- operation of the Imperialists, marched back to the Netherlands. The French had, with much labour and art, constructed a line of fortifications of many miles extent to cover their recently \cquired territory in the Spanish Netherlands, and Cadogan's Horse having been selected to form part of the division to be employed in forcing these lines, had an oppor- tunity of distinguishing themselves, and their valour shone forth with as bright a lustre as in any of the heroes in the ancient days of chivalry. The « t« I The Sunday following was appointed for a day of thanks- '* giving, and after divine service the army drew out to fire difeu-de- "joie for the victory. Marshal Tallard and the ofiicers with him " were invited to ride out to see the army fire, which they did with " much persuasion. Our generals paid Tallard the compliment of " riding next the army, and ordered all the ofiicers to salute him. " When the firing was over, the Duke of Marlborough asked Tallard " how he liked the army ; he answered with a shrug, Very well; " but they have had the honour of beating the best troops in the •• world. The Duke replied, What will the world think of the " troops that beat them f — Parker's Memoirs. 22 HISTORICAL KECOUD OF i W^ 1705 British Gommander, having l)y Rkilful movements succeeded in druwing the main body of the Freacii army from the point selected for the attack, forced the lines at Helijcem and Neer-Hespen at day- break on the morning of the 18th of July, and the pioneers levelled a space for the cavalry to pass over ; but scarcely hod the British horse passed the barriers, when the Marquis d' AUegre appeared with fifty squadrons of cavalry and twenty bat- talions of infantry to drive back the British forces. The sun had risen, and the French army was in full march to oppose this sudden attack on their lines ; hence every moment was of importance, and a sharp fire of musketry having forced the enemy from a hollow way, the Duke of Marlborough ordered forward his heavy cavalry to charge the hostile horsemen. The two squadrons of this regiment led the attack with their characteristic gallantry, and were opposed to adversaries of valour and renown, — the famous Bavarian Horse Grenadier Guards. Against these celebrated an- tagonists Cadogan's Horse advanced ; the weight and power of their compact line were irresistible, and the Bavarians were broken at the first shock ; but they soon rallied, and renewing the conflict with increasing ardour, gained a temporary ad- vantage. At this critical juncture the Duke of Marlborough was separated from his trooj)s and in imminent danger, when Cadogan's Horse, exasperated at the momentary repulse, and still more so at the peril of their renowned chief, returned to the charge ; the grand spectacle of two spirited corps of heavy cavalry rushing upon each other with reckless fury, was soon followed M:' THE FIFTH DRAUOON GIJAHUS. 23 by tlie clash of swords and shouts of tlie com- 1705 hutants as they fought hand to liand with mn- guiiiary fury ; hut British prowess and British valour soon proved triumphant, and the Bavarians were overpowered and rte lowed by the sub- mission of a great part oi Spanish Brabant and Flanders to the house of Austria ; and in a few days after the battle, this regiment was selected to form part of a detachment commanded by its Colonel, Brigadier-General Cadogan, sent from the main army, to summon Antwerp^ which place wati surrendered on the 7th of June. The regiment was subsequently employed in the blockade of Dendermond, and continued before that town until its surrender on the 5th of Sep- tember. During the campaigns from 1702 to 1706 the 1707 British regiments of horse had not worn cuirasses. In the preceding century armour had, as already stated, fallen, to a great extent, into disuse ; several English regiments of heavy cavalry delivered their cuirasses into the Tower of London in November, 26 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1707 1688; but subsequently had them returned : they were, however, again placed in store after the peace of Ryswick. The French and other conti- nental nations had continued the use of defensive armour, and it having been obsei^ved that the English heavy cavalry, tho h they proved victo- rious, frequently sustained a very serious loss in killed, they were, in order to place them on an equality with their antagonists, again supplied with cuirasses in the spring of 1707. In the summer of this year, when the regiment took the field, it again appeared as a corps of Cuirassiers ; the campaign was passed in ma- noeuvring ; and the French acting on the defen- sive, a few skirmishes between detached parties was all the fighting which took place. 1708 The following campaign was, however, distin> guished by more important events. The enemy assembled an immense army, and advancing from behind their lines, gained possession of Ghent and Bruges (which places had been wrested from them in 1706), and advanced to Oudenarde, with the design of besieging that town. The Duke of Marlboro:' g!i sent Major-General Cadogan for- ward with three brigades of infantry and eight squadrons of Hanoverian cavalry, and following with the main army, this movement brought on a general engagement, which was fought in the ground near the banks of the Scheldt on the 11th of July. The reputation already acquired by the British regiments of horse, occasioned them to be accounted a choice body of troops ; and they were kept in reserve ready to advance at the moment when a powerful charge of heavy cavalry was THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 27 likely to prove decisive. For a short time they 1708 were formed in column bfthind the right wing ; and advancing from thence, supported the attacks of the infantry ; but the enemy was overpowered, and darkness put an end to the conflict before this compact body of Cuirassiers was called upon to charge. After this victory, the Duke of Marlborough was joined by a body of Germans, under the orders of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and, to the astonish- ment of all Europe, these two commanders re- solved to besiege the impoi'tant fortress of Lisle. Cadogan's Cuirassiers formed part of the cover- ing army, and the attempts of the enemy to raise the siege were all frustrated. Six hundred waggons, laden with necessaries for the army, were advancing from Ostend towards Lisle, under an escort commanded by Major- General Webb ; and the enemy having detached twenty-two thousand men to intercept this convoy, the Duke of Marlborough sent Major-General Cadogan with a body of horse to reinforce the guard, and this regiment formed part of the force sent forward. The enemy attacked the convoy in the wood of Wynpmdale, and Major-General Webb made a most skilful and gallant defence. As this regiment approached the wood, the noise of combat was heard ; the squadrons galloped for- ward, and the moment they arrived at the scene of conflict, the French desisted, and made a precipi- tate retreat; and the waggons were brought in safety to the camp. The fate of Lisle depended, in a great measure, on the safe arrival of this con- voy ; and Major-General Webb was rewarded 28 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1708 with the thanks of Parliament and the approba- tion of Queen Anne for his conduct. The siege of Lisle was continued, and the enemy being unable to relieve the place, resolved to make an attack upon Brussels. The covering army, of which Cadogan's Cuirassiers formed part, was put in motion ; and having forced the passage of the Scheldt, the Elector of Bavaria raised the siege of Brussels and retreated. The citadel of Lisle surrendered on the 9th of Decem- ber, and Ghent and Bruges were also recaptured before the army entered into winter quarters. 1709 In thfi summer of 1709, when the siege of the strong fortress of Tournay was resolved upon, this was one of the regiments which first invested the town on the 27th of June, 1709. After the cap- ture of this place, the army advanced towards Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault^ with the design of capturing that important city. The French army, commanded by Marshals Villiers and Boufflers, manoeuvred to prevent the loss of Mons, and this brought on the sanguinary battle of Malplaquet, where the British regiments of horse encountered enemies who fought with greater spirit and obstinacy than on any former occasion during this war. This battle was fought on the 11th of September, 1709. The enemy had an advantageous position, covered by thick woods, protected by barriers of trees cut down and laid across each other, with a treble entrench- ment, batteries, and pallisades ; and within these formidable works were collected the choicest troops of France under commanders of renown. This post was attacked with a bravery which overcame S li THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 39 all opposition ; the woods were pierced, the ob- 1709 stacles were overcome, and the fortifications were trampled down. The position having been forced, the Duke of Marlborough led the British Cuiras- siers and Prussian cavalry against the French gens d'aiTnes, who were routed and chased from the ground ; but scarcely were these squadrons overcome, when the British and Prussian horse encountered a compact line of French cavalry of the royal household, and were driven back in some disorder. The British horse soon rallied, and returning to the charge, overcame their cele- brated adversaries, and the French squadrons were driven from the field. The allies were victorious, but they sustained a severe loss in killed and wounded. Cadogan's Horse were afterwards employed in covering the siege of Mons, which was terminated by the surrender of the place on the 20th of October. During the campaign of 1710, the regiment 1710 was employed in covering the sieges of Douay^ Bethune, Aire, and St. Venant^ and in protecting convoys of military stores to the besieging troops. In the summer of 1711, the imperialists, under 1711 Prince Eugene, having returned to Germany, the Duke of Marlborough confronted the French army with the forces under his orders. The French had constructed very extensive and strong lines of fortifications to cover their frontiers, and within these lines they had collected a numerous army. The Duke, by a skilful device, induced them to destroy their fort at Arleux ; and then. 30 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1711 by menacing their lines between the head of the Sauzet and Hesdin, caused them to withdraw part of their garrisons from Arras and Cambray, with the troops which guarded the lines in the direction of Arleux. In the mean time his grace was continually sending detachments towards Douay, where a considerable body of troops was assembled without attracting notice, and amongst these forces were the two squadrons of Cadogan's Cuirassiers. Having reconnoitred the lines on the 4th of August, the Duke gave orders for the troops to prepare for the attack on the following morning, and the French army prepared to receive him with eclat ; but at the dead of the night, Lieutenant-General Cadogan, having advanced with great secrecy \vith the troops from Douay, passed the lines at the causeway of Arleux^ which the French commander, in his anxiety to collect all the troops he could to resist the menaced attack, had left unguarded ; and the main army struck its tents in the night, and marched in the same direction. When Marshal Villiers heard that his lines were passed, he was astounded. He took with him the household cavalry, and, order- ing his army to follow as quickly as possible, rode with all speed, until he came within the English out- guards, and his feelings were so excited, that he was nearly surrounded by a troop of Cado- gan's Horse before he was conscious of danger ; he had proceeded with such rapidity that the whole of his escort, except a hundred of the best mounted dragoons, was left behind; he ordered these dragoons to throw themselves into the old THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 31 castle of Oisy, which was at hand, and himself 1711 and two officers of his staff escaped ; but the dragoons were surrounded and made prisoners. Having thus passed these extensive lines, which the French commander had vauntingly called Marlborough's ne plus ultra, his grace besieged the strong and important fortress of B&uchain, situate on the Scheldt, in the taking of which place, difficulties of great magnitude had to be overcome. Marshal Villiers, by a secret march, during the night of the 9th of August, gained possession of the heights of ff^avrechin, in order to preserve the line of communication which runs from thence, through a morass between the Scheldt and the Senset, to the town of Bouchain, that he might be enabled to relieve the garrison from time to time. The Duke of Marlborough, observing the enemy at work, throwing up en- trenchments on the hill, ordered Lieutenant- Generals Cadogan and Fagel to march with a body of troops, of which Cadogan's Horse formed part, to dislodge the French. As the British grenadiers advanced to the attack, his grace rode forwards to reconnoitre the works on the hill; and observing that the entrenchment was a perfect bulwark, strong and lofty, and crouded with men and cannon, he gave orders for the troops to retire. On the following day Marshal Villiers issued from the works with a hundred hussars, to observe the progress of his opponent, and encountered Lieutenant -General Cadogan, who was recon- noitering with a squadron of horse. A skirmish ensued, and four squadrons of French carabineers advanced to aid the marshal. Cadogan, being 32 HISTORICAL RECORD OF Kr M m I rill 1711 thus out-numbered, made a precipitate retreat, which occasioned the enemy to pursue witli great eagerness. Meanwhile, Cadogan's Horsk and two other squadrons, advanced from the camp, and formed up beyond the summit of a rising ground, where they were out of the enemy's bight , and the moment the French carabineers appeared on the top of the hill, they were charged by Cado- gan's squadrons with such resolution, that they were immediately broken. Marshal Villiers wan in danger of being surrounded and taken pri- soner, but a French brigadier-general interposed, with singular bravery, and rescued the marshal. The gallant brigadier was severely wounded and taken prisoner, and most of his men cut down by the British Cuirassiers; and Marshal Villierd galloped back with his shattered squadrons with greater haste than he had advanced. Fortifications were afterwards constructed, with a causeway through the inundations, and the communication between the town of Bouchain and the troops on the heights of Wavrechin wag cut off. The siege was prosecuted with zeal and energy, and Marshal Villiers and a nuineruug French army were spectators of the capture of thin important fortress. After the works were repaired and the place put in a state of defence, the troops were placed in winter quarters. The splendid successes of the army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough, who never fought a battle which he did not win, nor besieged a town which he did not capture, had effected a conifdete revolution in the affairs of Europe, and the King of France saw his generals over-matched, — his THE FIFTH DRACiOON GUARDS. 33 armies beaten and dispirited, — his possessions 1711 wrested from him, — the barriers of liis kingdom trampled down, — his fortresses captured, and a powerful army, with an invincible leader, ready to carry all tlie horrors of war into the heart of France : with his designs thus frustrated, and his kingdom thus menaced, the ambitious Louis XIV., who had thought to have dictated laws to Christendom, became a negociator for peace. In the summer of 1712, while the conditions 1712 of the treaty were under consideration, the regi- ment again took the field, and, advancing to the frontiers of France, formed part of the army under the orders of the Duke of Ormond, and encamped at Cateau-Cambresis during the siege of Quesnoy. A suspension of hostilities was soon afterwards published between the British and French, and the army retired from Cateau-Cambresis to Ghent, where the English Cuirassiers and several other corps were encamped for a short time, and after- wards were placed in quarters. Political events connected with the amity which had been induced between the British and French courts, in consequence of a change of measures ; the conditions of the treaty of peace then under consideration ; and the disagreement between the Duke of Marlborough and Queen Anne ; occasioned Lieutenant- General Cadogan, who was a stanch Protestant and a warm advocate for the succession of the house of Hanover, to be called upon to dispose of his commission ; and he was succeeded in the Colonelcy of this regiment by Lieutenant-Genpral George Kellum, who had been many years the D 34 s . 1 I. n i I If! i HISTOttlCAL RECORD OF J 712 Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, and wliose com- mission as Colonel Wiis dated 22nd of December, 1712. J 71 3 The regiment, now styled Kellum's Horse, was placed upon tlie Irish establishment in June, 1713; but it remained in comfortable quarters in Flanders until the early part of the year 1714, 1714 when it embiuked for Ireland. The treaty of peace having been concluded, the troopers of tliis regiment could look back with triumph and exul- tation at their brilliant career during the late event- ful and important war ; and although there were circumstances connected with the conduct of their government calculated to produce painful feelings, yet, conscious of their own merit and justly ac- quired fame, the officers and soldiers could rejoice that, by their well-directed exertions, they had humbled the enemies of their country, the British troops had become celebrated for valour and intre- pidity throughout Europe, and that the turmoil and horrors of war were succeeded by the blessings and enjoyments of peace. After its arrival in Ireland, the regiment was stationed for a short time at Dublin ; and having been thus removed from the scenes of conflict and bloodshed in which it had for several years been engaged, to the more pacific and easy duties of home service, the Cuirasses were again returned into store. Ireland was not, how- ever, in a state of internal tranquillity ; the decease of Queen Anne and the accession of King George I. were followed by great exertions on the part of the friends of the house of Stuart, who were THE FIFTH DRAGOON QUARDS. aa numerous in Ireland; and when the rebellion 1715 broke out in Scotland in 1715, and extended itself to England, this event gave buoyancy to the ex- pectations of the malcontents in Ireland. The troops in Ireland were kept in a state of constant readiness for active service ; several corps em- barked for England, and the fidelity of tiie army preserved the kingdom from anarchy and papal domination ; by the exertions of the troops the re- 1716 bellion was suppressed, and the country restored to tranquillity. In the spring of 1717, Lieutenant-General 1717 George Kellum retired from the service, and King George I. was graciously pleased to confer tlie Colonelcy on the Lieutenant- Colonel, Robert Napier, who was celebrated for his conduct at the head of the regiment in several actions in the Netherlands, and was wounded in the action at Schellenberg. About this period, the distinguishing colour, or facing of the regiment, was changed from huff to green, and it has continued of this colour to the present time (1838) ; its lace was also changed from silver to gold. The men having green waistcoats, breeches, and horse furniture, the regiment was emphatically styled tlip Green Horse, and this appellation has been continued to the present time. The regiment remained in Ireland performing 17 18 a successive routine of court and country duties, at the establishment of twenty-five private men per troop, until 1740, when an augmentation often 1740 men per troop was made to its numbers. D 2 36 HISTORICAL RECORD OF xi"}' m .'5 i. 1740 After the decease of Lieutenant-General Robert Napier, King George II. conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on Major-Geneial Clement Ne- ville, from the Eighth Dragoons, his commission bearing date the 6th of May, 1740. 1741 Another war having broken out on the conti- nent, the establishment of the regiment received a further addition often men per troop in 1741. In ^ 742 the following year a British army was sent to Flanders under Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair ; but the necessity for retaining a considerable body of troops in Ireland, occasioned this regiment to remain in that country. It, however, sent a de- tachment of sixty men and horses to Flanders in 1 743 the beginning of 1743, to complete the three re- giments of horse on foreign service, and another 1 744 detachment was sent in 1744. Lieutenant-General Neville died on the 5th of August, 1744, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Richard Viscount Cobham, who, when Sir Richard Temple, highly distin- guished himself in the wars of Queen Anne. He 1745 was removed in 1745 to the Tenth Dragoons, when His Majesty conferred the command of this regiment on Major-General Thomas Wentworth, from the Twenty-fourth Foot. 1746 When this regiment was first raised, it ranked as Seventh Horse ; in 1690, the Fifth regiment of Horse was disbanded in Ireland, and the Sixth Horse became Fifth, and this regiment obtained rank as Sixth Horse, which rank it held until December, 1746, when the First Horse, — the royal regiment of Horse Guards, — ceased to THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 37 bear a number: the Second, Third, and Fourth 1746 Horse were then constituted the First, Second, and Third Dragoon Guards ; and this regiment was styled the Second Irish Horse, and sometimes called the Green Horse from the colour of its facings. In 1747, Major-General Thomas Wentworth 1747 died at Turin, where he was employed in a diplo- matic capacity, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the Second Irish Horse, by Major-General Thomas Bligh, from the Twelfth Dragoons. On the conclusion of a treaty of peace at Aix- ^^48 la-Chapelle, a considerable diminution was made in the strength of the regular army, and in 1749 1749 the establishment of the Second Irish Horse was reduced to twenty-one private men per troop. From the period of the formation of the regi- 1751 ment, several alterations had, from time to time, been made in the uniform and standards. The practice of having a standard to each troop had been discontinued, and one to each squadron was substituted. In 1742, King George II. caused a series of coloured engravings, representing the uniform of the several regiments of the army to be executed; and, as a few alterations had subse- quently been made, a warrant was issued on the 1st of July, 1751, regulating the standards, colours, and clothing of the several regiments, from which the following particulars have been extracted relative to the Second Irish Horse : — Coats. — Scarlet, the facings and lapels of full green ; the button-holes worked with yellow, the 38 HISTORICAL RECORD OF •s S * iiEi i p ill I If I' 1751 buttons set on two and two ; and a long slash pocket in each skirt. Waistcoats i r- n „ ^„ Breeches } f"" S"™- Hats. — ^Three-cornered cocked-hats, bound with yellow lace, and ornamented with a brass loop and a black cockade. Boots. — Made of jacked leather. Trumpeters. — Clothed in full green coats, faced and lapelled with red, and ornamented with white lace, having a red stripe down the middle : their waistcoats and breeches of red cloth. Horse Furniture of full green ; the holster caps and housings having a border of broad white lace with a red worm down the centre, and h embroidered on a red ground, within a wreatli of roses and thistles on each corner of the housings ; and on the holster caps, the King's cypher and crown, with J, underneath. Standards. — The first, or King's standard, to be of crimson damask, embroidered and fringed with gold; the rose and thistle conjoined, and crown over them in the centre ; and underneath, His Majesty's motto, Dieu et mon droit: the white horse in a compartment in the first and fourth corners, and jj in gold characters, on a full green ground, in a compartment in the second and third corners. The second and third standards to be of full green damask, embroidered and fringed with gold ; the rank ol the regiment in gold Roman characters on a crimson ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk, and the motto, Vestigia nulla retrorsum, X "m THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 39 underneath : the white horse on a red ground in 1751 the first and fourth compartments, and the rose and thistle conjoined upon a red ground in the second and third compartments. Officers to be distinguished by narrow gold lace or embroidery to the binding and button-holes of their coats ; sword knots of crimson and gold in stripes ; and crimson silk sashes worn over the left shoulder. On the 23d of October, 1758, Lieutenant- 1758 General Bligh was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Major-General the Honourable John Waldegrave (afterwards Earl Waldegrave), who was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards in the following year. The Colonelcy appears to 1759 have remained vacant from September, 1759, to November, 1760, when it was conferred by King 1760 George III. on Major-General the Honourable John Fitz- William from the Second, or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot. Another war having commenced in 1756, be- tween Great Britain and France, a British army was sent to Germany in 1758; the establish- ment of this regiment was augmented to forty- nine private men per troop ; and in 1762 the 1762 order prohibiting the regiment recruiting in Ire- land was rescinded. The success of the British arms in Canada, the 1763 West Indies, and Germany, was followed by a treaty of peace, and after the return of the cavalry regiments from Germany, in the beginning of 1763, the establishment of the Second Irish 1 I ^ 40 HISTORICAL RECORD OF III.: '*! i';l II': 1763 Horse was .again reduced to twenty-one private men per troop. 1776 At this low establishment the regiment con- tinued until the breaking out of the unfortu- nate contest between Great Britain and her North American colonies, when an augmentation of ten private men per troop was made to its numbers. No further alteration appears to have been made until the conclusion of the war, when, the inde- 1783 pendence of the United States having been ac- knowledged, its establishment was reduced to its former numbers. 1788 At this establishment it continued until the spring of 1788 ; when King George III., having resolved to form the two troops of Life Guards and two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards into two regiments of Life Guards on a similar establishment to that of the old regiments of horse, and to reduce the four regiments of horse on the Irish establishment to the pay of dragoons, with the title of Dragoon Guards, His Majesty's pleasure was communicated to the regiments in Ireland, in a General Order dated the 14th of February, 1788 ; and the Second Irish Horse was thus constituted the Fifth Dragoon Guards. In consequence of the regi- ment being placed upon a decreased rate of pay, compensation was given to the officers ; to the colonel 150/. per year ; to the lieutenant-colonel a gratui+y of 575/. ; to the major 525/. ; captains, each, 1/5/.; captain-lieutenant and lieutenants, each, 350/. ; and the cornetSj each, 250/. Every THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 41 private man had the option of his discharge, or a 1788 bounty of two [guineas if he continued to serve. Several alterations were made in the uniform of the regiment. The officers were directed to wear an epaulette on each shoulder. The flask-string was removed from the pouch belt, and the width of the belts reduced from four inches and a half to three inches ; and the equipment was assimilated, in every particular, to that of the regiments of dragoons. The establishment was fixed at one colonel and captain, one lieutenant-colonel and captain, one major and captain, three captains, six lieutenants, six cornets, one chaplain, one adjutant, one sur- geon, six troop quarter-masters, six Serjeants, twelve corporals, six trumpeters, one hundred and fourteen private men, and six dismounted men, The several alterations having been completed, the change of establishment took place on the 1st of April, 1 788, and from this date the regiment has borne the title of Fifth Dragoon Guards ; but the appellation of Green Horse has never been entirely discontinued. In the following year, the regiment los* its 1789 colonel, General the Honourable John Fitz- William, who was succeeded on the 27th of August, 1789, by Lieutenant-General John Douglas, from the Fourteenth Foot. Lieutenant- General Douglas died on the 10th of November, 1790 1790, and was succeeded by Major-General Thomas Bland, from the Lieutenant-Colonelc^ oi the Seventh Dragoons. After passing a period of ne&Ay eighty years in 1793 I 42 HISTORICAL RECORD OF I'l- I!" i ■ 'ii m_ 1793 Ireland, the regiment, having previously had a considerable augmentation made to its numbers, was ordered to hold itself in readiness for foreign service. This event was occasioned by the revo- lution which had taken place in France, where a party of republicans had seized the reins of go- vernment, had imprisoned the royal family, and had brought their sovereign to the scaffold ; a prt»- ceeding which disorganized the state of society in one of the most civilized parts of the world, — gave rise to the formation of a new dynasty, — removed the hiv-U on which the sovereign power was establislied,— and involvod the ' it hundred officers and men. 1798 The disaffection which hud so long prevailed among the Roman Catholics in Ireknd, had con- tinued to acquire additional rancour and vehe- mence, and the passions of the misguided lieafluntry having been wrought, by wicked demagogueH, into fury and madness, they neglected the affiiirs of civil life, provided themsek^s with arms, and broke out into open rebellion in the sunimer of 1798, The Fifth Dragoon Guards were on Dublin duty at the time, and were so distinguished for loyalty and steady conduct that the Lord-Lieutenant coniniitted to the regiment the military charge of the capital. One squadron under the command of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Sherlock was detached from Dul Mn into the counties of Wicklow and Wexford, and was engaged in the action at Arklow on the Utli of June, when thirty thousand insurgents, headed by their priests in clerical vestments, attacked the town with great fury, but were repulsed with the loss of an immense number of men. From the circumstance of there being no force of any conse- quence to prevent the rebels marching upon the capital, this was an action of the greatest import- ance, and was most obstinately contested. The same squadron was afterwards instrun'ental in relieving the loyalists in the town of " 'lly- camen, where they Avere besieged by the i«;Del." THE FIFTH DRAGOON OUARUS. 47 and had only a small party of militia to assist in tlu i798 defence of the place. The cavalry advanced with great bravery, and was assailed by a sharp fire from behind the fences, and a barrier of carts and other vehicles formed across the road, which it was found impossible to force by cavalry alone, and the troops retiiod until a body of infantry arrived ; wlien the whole advanced, — routed the rebels, and pursued them with great slaughter. Lieutenant-Colonel Sherlock was afterwards engaged with the squadron of the Fifth Dragoon Guards unde; his orders, at Gorey, and charged the rebels several times with success. The same squadron was also engaged in the action at Vinegar Hill, — the stronghold of the rebels, where the most inhuman tragedies had been committed on hundreds of Protestants. This post was attacked on the 21st of June, and the insur- gents were routed with great slaughter and many prisoners were raptured. The squadron of the Fifth Dragoon Guards charged and pursued the rebels, and took many prisoners. It afterwards overtook an insurgent corps near a place called Tf^hiie Hills, where, after a sharp contest, the rebels were routed, and they fled in all directions. While these events were transpiring, another detachment of the regiment was employed in the county of Kildare, and had several skirmishes with bands of insurgents. A patrole of the regiment, commanded by Cap- tain Pack, proceeding towards Prosperous, encoun- tered one hundred rebels well mounted and equipped ; the Dragoon Guards instantly charged with signal 48 HISTORICAL RECOKD OF Or •', 't ■lis 1798 valour and intrepidity, routed their adversaries at the first shock, killed twenty on the spot, and cap- tured eight horses. When the rehellion was nearly suppressed, the French endeavoured to revive the contest by send- ing General Humbert with about a thousand men, who landed at Killala on the 22d uf August. The Fifth Dragoon Guards marched from Dublin to oppose the combined rebel and French forces, and were attached to the column under the Mar- quis of CornwuUis's command. The action at Ballinamui'k on the 8tli of September followed ; the French surrendered themselves prisoners of war, and the insurgents were dispersed. After the action, the Marquis of Cornwallis selected a squa- dron of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, commanded by Captain (afterwards Sir William) Ponsonby, to escort him on his return to Dublin. 1799 The rebellion in Ireland having been suppressed, the Fifth Dragoon Guards were embarked in 1799, in order to join the expedition to Holland, commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of York ; but the order for their proceeding on this service was countermanded, and after disembarking at Liverpool, they marched into quarters in Here- fordshire and Gloucestershire. 1802 After the conclusion of the Treaty of Amiens, a reduction of two troops was made in the establish- 1803 ment ; but on the breaking out of the war in 1803, the army Avas again augmented, and an addition of two troops was again made to the strength of the regiment. 1804 In the following year King George III. was «■ - THK FIFTH DKAGOON GUARDS. 49 was pleased to confer upon the rej^inicnt the distin- 1^01 {;iiishcd title of Tin-: Phinckss Ciiahlotte of Walls's Reoiment of Duagoon duARUS, in honour of Her Royal Higimess the Princess Charlotte Carolina Augusta, daughter of (jieorge William Frederick Prince of Wah'H (afterwards (ieor«;e IV.), by Carolina Amelia Elizabeth, second daughter of the Duke of Brunswick Wolfen- Imttel. Tile Princess Charlotte of Wales exhibited in her early life a most amiable disposition with exceUent traits of character, and, being consi- dered as the future sovereign of Great Britain, tlie nation saw in her qualities calculated to adorn the throne, and to make a great and civilized people happy ; hence, the conferring of Her Royal High- ness's title on the regiment, was considered a special nnirk of His Majesty's favour and appro- bation. The regiment proceeded to Ireland in 1805, and 1805 remained in that country until the summer of 1 808, when it returned to England. 1808 On the 8th of July, 1811, His Royal Highness 1811 the Prince of Wales, who was Regent of the United Kingdom during the indisposition of King George III., reviewed the regiment on Wimbledon common, on which occasion it was commanded by its Colonel, the veteran General Thomas Bland, and the Prince Regent was graciously pleased to express his approbation of its appearance, and of the rapidity and brilliant execution of its move- ments ; and as the regiment was about to proceed on foreign service, the most lively anticipations of its achievements at the theatre of war were pro- £ 50 HISTORICAL RECORD OF I811(luced. It was not, at this period, mounted on horses of so heavy a description as formerly ; but, while it bore the title of a heavy cavalry regiment, and retained sufficient weight for a powerful charge in line, it had acquired a lightness which rendered it available for every description of service. The heavy cavalry corps which formerly constituted so important a portion of the armies of England, had been improved in efficiency and usefulness by mounting them on horses of a lighter description. The occasion of the Fifth Dragoon Guards proceeding abroad at this period, was the attempt made by that tyrannical power which had risen out of the French revolution, of which Napoleon Bo- naparte had become the head, to subjugate the kingdoms of Spafn and Portugal : the inhabitants of those countries were in arms against the usurper ; a British force commanded by Lord Wellington had been sent to their aid ; and this regiment was one of the corps selected to reinforce the army under his lordship's command. Six troops of this regiment, amounting to five hundred and fcrty-four officers and men, com- manded by Lieutenant- Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby, embarked at Portsmouth on the 12th of August, and having landed at Lisbon on the 4th of September, occupied quarters at Belem about six weeks, and afterwards advanced up the country. When the army went into quar- ters for the winter, the Fifth Dragoon Guards were stationed at Thomar. 1812 The army resumed operations in the beginning of January, 1812, with the siege and capture of THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 51 Ciudad Rodrigo: and in March the Fifth Dra- 1812 GOON Guards proceeded into the south of Spain to watch the movements of Marshal Soult, and to cover the siege of Badajoz. The regiment arrived, with the remainder of its brigade (the Third and Fourth Dragoons), at Borba, in the Alentejo, on the 5th of March, crossed the Guadiana on the 15th, and foi-med the van of the covering army until it arrived at the foot of an extensive chain of mountains called the Sierra Morena. On the ad- vance of Marshal Soult, the covering army retired upon Albuiiera. The fortress of Badajoz was captured by storm on the 6th of April ; and in a few days afterwards the regiment had an oppor- tunity of distinguishing itself in action with the enemy. A large body of cavalry advanced upon Llerena ; the Fifth Dragoon Guards marclied on the 10th of April to Los Santos, and continued their route during the night to Bienvenida, — pro- ceeding a distance of sixty miles without halting, and the last four miles at a brisk pace, through a country abounding with obstructions ; then forming with celerity, advanced through a grove of olive- trees, beyond which a body of French cavalry, of more than thrice the numbers of the regiment, was formed up. The sight of so numerous an enemy did not intimidate the Fifth Dragoon Guards ; but acted as a spur to their energies, and excited them to exertions which evinced their native valour and intrepidity, and occasioned them to rival the deeds of their predecessors in the field of glory. The fatigues of the previous march were forgotten, and the gallant troopers charged E 2 52 HISTORICAL RECORD OF iU I !'1 1812 with such spirit and resolution, that the French squadrons were broken, and being also attacked by the light brigade, they retired in disorder under cover of their infantry and artillery, leaving behind about one hundred killed and wounded, and one lieutenant-colonel, two captains, one lieutenant, and one hundred and forty men pri- soners, also nearly one hundred horses. Actions in which the numbers engaged are not very great, do not produce, in their bearing on the affairs of nations, very important results, hence they are often overlooked, or but slightly noticed, by general historians ; yet on these occasions individual corps often distinguish themselves in an eminent degree ; and the excellent conduct of the British cavalry at Lierena, elicited the following orders : — " r.qfra, \ 2th April, 1812. '• Cavalry Orders. " Lieuteniiiit- General Sir Stapleton Cotton begH Major-Generul Le Marchant and the Ho- nourable Lieutenant - Colonel Ponsonby will accept his best thmiks, for the gallant and judi- cious manner in which they commanded their brigades yesterday, and he requests they will make known to the officers commanding regi- ments, the lieutenant-general's high approbation of their conduct, as well as of the zeal and atten- tion displayed by all ranks. The order which was preserved by the troops in pursuing the enemy, and the quickness with which they formed after every attack, does infinite credit to the commanding officers, and is a convincing (( (( (( <( '( t( (( (I (C (< (* t( (( THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 53 It (t (( (( (( « (( (( <( (C (< (c proof of the good discipline of the several regi- 1^12 ments. " The Lieutenant-General was very much satis- fied with the conduct of the Third and Fourth Dragoons, in supporting the Fifth Dragoon Guards and Major-General Anson's brigade. " To Lieutenant-Colonel Elley, Sir Stapleton's warmest thanks are due, for the great assistance he derived from the zeal and activity displayed by that officer ; and the Lieutenant-General begs that Captain White and Captain Baron Deckan will accept his acknowledgments for the assist- ance they afforded him yesterday. Sir Stapleton Cotton has only to assure the cavalry that their gallant and regular conduct yesterday has made him, if possible, more proud than ever of the high command entrusted to him. Stapleton Cotton, " Lieutenant-General." <( " Olivenza, 1 5th April, 1812. " Brigade Orders. " Major-General Le Marchant has great satis- faction in conveying to his brigade the approba- tion and thanks of Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton commanding the cavalry, for their gallant conduct near Llerena on the 11th instant, " Whilst the Major-General is perfectly satisfied with the zeal shown by every individual of the brigade in the execution of his duty on that occasion, he considers that the charge made hy 54 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1812 " the Fifth Dragoon Guards deserves his par- " ticular admiration and approval^ and he requests ' that Major Prescott and the officers of that " corps mliaccept his best thanks, as well for their " services as for the credit which their gallant '• conduct reflects on the command which he has " thii honour to hold. " T. HUTCHINS, " nRIGADg-MAJOB," These orders were forwarded to the depot of the regiment in England, to be inserted in the records, accompanied by a letter, of which the following is an extract : — n i 1 I ' " Cmto, Portugal, 1th May, 1812, " Sir, — I have great pleasure in communicating to you, by direction of Colonel Ponsonby, the cavalry and brigade orders issued on a late occsi- sion, when the Fifth Dragoon Guards attacked a very superior enemy, and forced him to retire with the loss of about one hundred killed and wounded, besides one lieutenant-colonel, two captains, one lieutenant, and one hundred and forty men taken prisoners, with near one hun- dred horses. This affair presents a pledge of the future good conduct of the regiment when- ever an opportunity again appears of meeting the enemy, and must be peculiarly gratifying to you and to the remainder of the corps at the depot in England, to hear from such undoubted authority, that the regiment still continues to support that high character which it gained on THE FIFTH DRAQOON GUARDS. 55 • '. (( (( « C( (f tt (( (( t( tt tt tt tt (< many former glorious occasions, and in our estimation this last is not the least : — the regi- ment having, previous to the attack on three times its numbers of the enemy's best cavalry, made a forced march of upwards of sixty miles without halting, — four of the last of which was at a very brisk pace, through a difficult country, over rocks, ravinen, and stone walls ; then form- ing with unexampled celerity, and charging with equal and regular rapidity through a grove of olive-trees until it came in contact with the enemy, who retiared in great disorder under the cover of his int'a«try and j^uns. Our loss in this brilliant a^ " wm comparatively trifling, as will be see • the subjoined statement of the names of l' . orave men who fell. " W. Jackson, " Adjutant." 1812 Thus the Dragoon GuA»«i «f the nineteenth century are found rivalling the celebrated heavy Horse of the preceding ages. The regiment lost, on this occasion, one r;orp*>ral and fourteen private men killed ; Major Prescot, Lieutenant Walker, three Serjeants, on« corporal, and twenty-one pri- vate men wounded. A detachment of the Fifth Dragoon Guards escorted the prisoners captured '/fi this o^r-esasion ^a the fortress of Elvas in Portugal. The r*r;^iment afterwards marched to C'"ito. Advancing from Crato into Sj^n, the F fth Dragoon Guards took part in the movf.iiierit* by which the French were driven from Sal'Mt^ne^, 56 HISTORICAL RECORD OF SI: '•"! At 'to 'I: lo^ A ; id the forts at that city were besieged and cap- tured. After the capture of the forts, the regiment advanced upon Toro, but was subsequently ordered to retire to Alaejos to support a body of troops, under Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton, posted on the Trabancos ; and several retrograde movements followed, which were succeeded by the battle of Salamanca. During the night before this eventful dfiy, Avhile the regiment was dis- mounted, a violent storm occurred. The thunder rolled with tremendous violence over the heads of the men and horses ; the lightning played in sheets of fire 1 shed its blazing gleams upon the po- lished ui lis ; and the rain fell in torrents. One flash fell airi -it^ the Fifth Dragoon Guards ; the terrified horses breaking loose galloped wildly about in the dark, and every additional clap of thunder and blaze of lightning augmented the con- fusion. Twenty men of the regiment were tram- pled down and disabled, and several horses escaped into the French lines. On the morning of the memorable 22d of July, the Fifth Dragoon Guards, commanded by Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby, moved from their bivouac and formed in the rear of the centre of the position occupied by the allied army. While the French commander was manoeuvring, Lord Wellington took advantage of an injudicious movement, and ordered his divisions forward to attack their adversaries, when the Fifth Dragoon Guards took ground to their right, passed the village of Arapiles, and advancuig in support of I '■ 'li *'--^. r*- THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 67 the third and fifth divisions, were exposed to a 1812 heavy cannonade. The French army, being at- tacked at the moment it was making a complicated evolution, was unable to withstand the British forces ; in a short time, a favourable opportunity for a charge of the heavy cavalry occurred, and the Fiii'TH Dragoon Guards, and Third and Four<-h Dragoons, were ordered to attack.* The * The following very spirited description of the charge of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, is copied from Colonel Napier's admirable History of the Peninsular War: — " While Pakenham, bearing onward with a conquering violence, " was closing on their flank, and the fifth division advancing with " a storm of fire on their front, the interval between the two attacks " was suddenly filled with a whirling cloud of dust, which moving " swiftly forward carried within its womb the trampling sound of " a charging multitude. As it passed the left of the third division " Le Marchant's heavy horsemen, flanked by Anson's light " cavalry, broke forth from it at full speed, and the next instant " twelve hundred French infantry though formed in several lines " were trampled down with a terrible clamour and disturbance. " Bewildered and blinded, they cast away their arms and ran " through the openings of the British squadrons stooping and de- " manding 'quarter, while the dragoons, big men and on big " horses, rode onward smiting with their long glittering swords in *' uncontrollable power, and the third division followed at speed, " shouting as the French masses fell in succession before this " dreadful charge." " Nor were these valiant swordsmen yet exhausted. Their *' own general, Le Marchant, and many officers had fallen, but " Cotton and all his stafi" were at their head, and with ranks con- " fused, and blended together in one mass, still galloping forward " they sustained from a fresh column an irregular stream of fire " which emptied a hundred saddles ; yet with fine courage, and " downright force, the survivors broke through this the third and " strongest body of men that had encountered them, and Lord " Edward Somerset, continuing his course at the head of one squa- " dron, with a happy perseverance, captured five guns. The French " left was entirely broken, more than two thout« of the corps which was nearly annihilated, and the staff of the drum-mojor of that regiment is preserved as a trophy by the Fifth Dragooiv Guards, and carried on parades, &c., by the trumpet-major. % 60 HISTORICAL KECORi) OF r^ i ' 1H12 the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and sent in i]u' rear iininediately after they br< ^a tlirou^h the enemy's ranks. Such were the splendid re«ullM of this gallant and dreadful charge, in which the weight, prowess, and daring inipetuoHity of tlu? Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, seconded by the light brigade, proved irresistible, and contributed materially in deciding the fortune of a battle in which the French army sustained a decisive overthrow, and eleven gtniH and two eagles remained in possesKion of tlm con- querors. The British commander stated in liiN public despatch, — '• The cavalry, under Sir Sta- " pleton Cotton, made a most gallant and ^uccchh- " ful charge upon a body of French infantry, " which they overthrew and cut to pieces :** Colo- nel the Honourable William Ponsonby wan pre- sented with a gold medal for his conduct as com- manding officer ; and the re;j:iin«nt wan afterwards rewarded with the honour of (learing the word Sal^^manca on its standitnifs and appointments. Its lose was Captain Osborne, two Serjeants, one corporal, and twelve private men killed ; Lieute- nant Christie, one serjeant, one corporal, and fourteen private men wounded. The left squadron of the Fifth Dragoon Guards was attached to Major-(ieneral Hock's brigade of heavy German cavalry, and w;nt in pursuit of the wreck of the French army, which retreated by Alba upon Valladolid ; the French rear-guard was overtaken about three leagues be- yond Alba de Tormes, a sharp engagement Ml .f I" ?i 3 t^ -J I til a r ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A 1.0 ^^ 1^ £t yg 12.0 I.I 2.2 I4£ i Ml _ WUu 1-25 lESU iii.6 Hiotographic Sdences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSM (716)S73-4S03 '^ > S THE FIFTH DRAGOON Cf HARDS. 61 ensued, and about nine hundred prisoners were 1812 captured. Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby, of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, having been appointed to the staff of the army, and to the command of the heavy cavalry brigade, issued the following order on the subject : — " Camp near Flores de Avila^ 2bth July, 1812. " Regimental Orders, " His Excellency, the commander of the forces, having been pleased to appoint Colonel Pon- sonby to the staflF of this army, and to the dis- tinguished honour of commanding this brigade. Major Prescott will be pleased to take upon himself the command of the regiment. " The Fifth Dragoon Guards well know how highly Colonel Ponsonby has always prized the honour of commanding them ; and if the pride he has long felt in the command of a regiment desei*vedly of such high character admitted of augmentation, its most gallant and glorious achievements in the field, as well as its soldier-like conduct in quarters, since its arrival in this country, could not fail to enhance it. He assures the officers and men of the regiment, that it is now with considerable regret he takes his leave of them as their regimental command- ing officer, although in the course of professional promotion ; and he requests Major Prescott, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and the whole of the regiment, will accept his warm and (( <( <( (( (( <( (( (( (( (< (( (( <( << 62 HISTORICAL RECORD OF m 1812 '« sincere thanks for the past, as well as his heart- " felt and anxious good wishes for the future. '* May the Fifth Dragoon Guards long continue ** to be ranked as second to none in His Majesty's '• service." The regiment accompanied the army in the subsequent movements, and in the advance upon the capital of Spain ; and it formed part of the personal escort of the Marquis of Wellington when he entered Madrid on the I2th of August ; it was formed up at the Segovia-gate, when his lordship received the keys from the municipality. The Fifth Dragoon Guards entered the city amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants, and occupied quarters there until the 18th of August. Leaving the metropolis of Spain to engage in operations against the French army, the regiment proceeded to St. Ildefonso, remained there a few days, and afterwards proceeded to the vicinity of Burgos, where the enemy was found in position on the 17th of September. The Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, were ordered to the front, and dispositions were 'e for the attack ; but the French commander i- drew his forces, leaving a strong garrison in the castle of Burgos. This fortress was besieged, and the regiment, fonning part o^ the covering army, was stationed at Villamar, the head quar- ters of the cavalry. On the 19th of October, the enemy attempted to relieve the besieged, and attacked and carried the village of Quintanapalla ; the left wing of infantry and Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, ad- THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 63 vanced to retake the village, but on the approach 1812 of this force the French retreated. At length, the movements of the superior num- bers of the enemy, rendered it necessary for the main army to unite with the forces under Lieute- nant-General Sir Rowland Hill, and a retreat was resolved upon. Withdrawing from Burgos with great secrecy on the night of the 21st of October, the army commenced its celebrated retreat to the frontiers of Portugal, which was performed under peculiar difficulties, and in presence of an immense superiority of numbers, with the same signal ability which distinguished all the operations of the British commander, who evinced, on many occasions during this war, the sublimity of military talent. On the 23rd of October, the army continued its retreat in two columns; the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, cover- ing the retreat of the column from Hormillos ; the enemy menaced the rear with an immense force of cavalry, but was unable to make a serious impres- sion, and the British troops bivouacked that night on the hills above Cordovilla. Resuming the march an hour before daylight on the following morning, the column passed the bridge of Cordo- villa and crossed the Carrion, covered by Colonel Ponsonby's brigade, and the head quarters were established at Duenas, from whence two squadrons of the Fifth Dragoon Guards and Third Dra- goons were detached, to cover the working parties employed in mining the bridges of Palencia for destruction; but the French advancing in great 64 HISTOHICAL RECORD OF 1812 force gained possession of the bridges in an un- broken state. On the 26th the army resumed its retrograde movement, crossed the Pisuerga at Cabe^on, and occupied that town and its vicinity until the 29th, when it again retired, and, having crossed the Douro, occupied a position beyond that river several days. On the 6th of November the army retreated on Salamanca ; on the 15th it re- sumed its march, and having crossed the Agueda, proceeded into quarters in Portugal. The Fifth Dragoon Guards halted eight days at Gallegos, in the province of Biera, and afterwards proceeded to Ervidal, where they remained until the 28th of December, and subsequently marched to Goes. Thus ended this eventful campaign, in which the allied army, after capturing the two important fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, gaining the glorious victory of Salamanca, and penetrating to the metropolis of Spain, was forced, by the superior number of the enemy's concentrated forces, to return to its former posts. The gigantic power to which the French revolution had given birth was, however, on the eve of being broken ; Bonaparte, the tyrant of Europe, had resolved on the fatal expedition to Russia, where he lost a powerful army in the snow, and the victory at Salamanca was the precursor of greater triumphs over the disturbers of Christendom. The immense distance marched by the Fifth Dragoon Guards during the year 1812, with the scarcity of forage and constant exposure to every description of weather, occasioned the loss of many horses ; it has been computed that the regiment marched M 1 THE FIFTH DRAUOON UUAUD8. 65 about two thousand miles within twelve 1812 months. The regiment was again in motion in February, 1813 1813, and having taken post at Viride, in the valley of the Mondego, occupied that station until the middle of April, when it proceeded to Guima- rers, and halted there seventeen days. In May the army commenced operations with a prospect of more splendid results than on any former occasion ; and Colonel Ponsonby's brigade, which still consisted of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, tra- versed the wild and mountainous country of Tras- os-Montes, and crossed the Esla on the 26th of May. The enemy, no longer possessing that superiority of numbers by which he had formerly gained so many advantages, abandoned the line of the Douro ; Ponsonby's brigade directed its march on Valencia, passed that town, and advanced on Burgos. On the 12th of June, tlie brigade over- took the enemy's rear-guard on the heights of Estepar, when the Third Dragoons were detached to cut off part of the enemy's force, in which they succeeded, and Captain Miles, of the Fourteenth Dragoons, charging, took some prisoners and one gun. During the succeeding night, the French blew up the castle of Burgos, and retired behind the Ebro. Colonel Ponsonby's brigade moved to the left, and after traversing a romantic tract of country, over mountains and rugged precipices, crossed the Ebro on the 15th of June, and ad- vanced on Vittoria, where the enemy concentrated his forces and took up a defensive position. F 66 HISTORICAL RECORD OF it)>'/: ir- " 1813 At day-break, on the morning of the 2l8t of June, the allied army advanced against the enemy, and the Fifth Dragoon Guards supported the columns of attack. The British infantry dislodged their adversaries from the ieveral eminences and strong ' posts at the point of the bayonet, and being sup- ported and sustained by the cavalry, forced the enemy, after a dreadful slaughter had taken place, to retreat with the loss of his guns, ammunition, and baggage. The cavalry, having been prevented by the nature of the ground from charging during the early part of the day, was enabled to dash for- ward towards the close of the action, and to com- plete the rout and discomfiture of the French army. The Fifth Dragoon Guards had only one man wounded on this occasion. Their gallant bearing throughout the day, procured them the honour of displaying the word Vittoria on their standards and appointments, and their command- ing officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Prescott, was re- warded with a gold medal. The brigade continued the pursuit of the enemy on the following day, and on the 27th of June was detached, to endeavour to intercept the retreat of a division of the French army, under General Clausel; but this body of troops escaped to France by the pass of Jaca. The Fifth Dragoon Guards had advanced to Tafalla, where they remained fourteen days, when, forage becoming scarce, they proceeded to Mi- randa. In the mean time, the infantry having blockaded Pampeluna, penetrated the Pyrenean mountains. Marshal Soult advanced to relieve Pampeluna, when these celebrated mountains be- THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 67 came the scene of several fierce and deadly contests 1813 between the English and French infantry, and the cavalry were ordered forward in support. The Fifth Dragoon Guards left Mirando on the 26th of July, and were formed up at the foot of the Pyrenees during the actions in the mountains towards the end of the month, when the French were defeated and forced to retire with great loss. The heavy cavalry not being required in the mountain operations of the army, the Fifth Dragoon Guards marched to Estella, a city of Navarre, where they arrived on the 11th of August, and remained until the 27th of Decem- ber, when, forage becoming scarce, they proceeded to the plains of Vittoria, and occupied Gu^rena and adjacent villages. Towards the end of February, 1814, the Fifth 1814 Dragoon Guards again advanced. After pass- ing through the Pyrenean mountains, they entered France, and followed the route of the French troops retreating on Bayonne. On the 19th of March, the army, under Marshal Soult, was disco- covered in position near Tarbes, when a division of infantry and Major-General Ponsonby's brigade of cavalry were ordered to turn the enemy's right flank at Rabastens, but the French, being thus threatened, retired. Following the rear of the French army, the brigade crossed the Garonne, on a pontoon bridge, at St. Roques, on the 31st of March, and seized the bridge on the Arriege, at Cintagabelle ; but the roads were found so bad in this direction, that the troops were recalled, and the pontoon bridge being removed to Grenade, the F 2 68 HISTORICAL RECORD OP 1814 brigade passed the river on the 4th of April, took post at GrissoUes, and placed a strong picquet on the road to Montauban. In the mean time, the French army had taken up a strong position to cover Toulouse, where they were attacked by the allied army on the 10th of April. The infantry attacked the enemy's en- trenchments with their usual intrepidity. The cavalry brigade, consisting of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, was commanded on this occasion by Lieutenant- Colonel Lord Charles Manners ; it was employed in sup- porting the Spanish forces, and, by its firm coun- tenance, it enabled them, after having been thrown into some confusion, to rally and re-form their broken ranks. It also saved the Portuguese guns from being captured by the French, and subse- quently supported Lieutenant-General Clinton's division : at length, the enemy was driven from his works, and forced to take shelter in the town. The Fifth Dragoon Guards had one corporal killed and Cornet Lucas wounded ; and their ser- vices on this occasion were rewarded with the honour of bearing the word Toulouse on their tstandards and appointments. Shortly after this victory hostilities were termi- nated, by the removal of Buonaparte from the throne of France, and the restoration of the Bour- bon dynasty. Thus ended the toils and conflicts of this destructive war, and the Fifth Dragoon Guards, after traversing kingdoms, enduring pri- vations, and gaining victories, had the gratification of witnessing the restoration of peace. The THE FIFTH DllAQOON GUARDS. 09 French forces, after fighting to add province to 1814 province, and kingdom to kingdom, to found new empires upon the ruins of conquered states, to sub- ject mankind to the tyranny of a lawless despot, saw their hopes blasted, their conquests wrested from them, their country invaded and subject to the power of foreigners ; but the British army, which fought under the immortal Wellington for the good of Europe, — for the welfare of other nations, preserved its own country from the horrors of war, and had the glory of conquering to establish the peace of Christendom. The Fifth Dragoon Guards remained in cantonments until the 1st of June, when, having sent their dismounted men and heavy baggage to Bourdeaux, they commenced their march for Bou- logne.* This long march, from one extremity of France to another, was performed in tlie short period of six weeks ; and, previous to embarking, Major-General Ponsonby expressed to the three regiments in brigade orders, " the high sense he " entertained of their uniformly excellent conduct " both in quarters and in the field ;" adding, " It " is a gratifying circumstance that, during the " whole period of service, they have, in no instance, " individually or collectively, incurred animadver- " sion in general orders ; that no individual of the " brigade has been brought before u general court " martial ; and that not one instance has occurred " (to the major- general's knowledge) of interior * While at Boulogne the regiment was inspected by Major- General Sir Henry Fane, who expressed much gratification at its condition after so long a march, and selected a number of horses to be given up to the French government, for the purpose of mounting the royal guard of Louis XVIIl. 70 HISTORICAL RECORD OP 1814 '< diHagreement in the brigade. With equal truth "the major-general can assert, that upon every "occasion which has presented itself of acting " against the enemy, whether regimentally or in " brigade, they have nobly sustained the superiority "of the British cavalry, and fully justified the high '' opinion so repeatedly expressed with regard to "them by his Grace the Duke of Wellington. " The three regiments will ever have to congratu- " late themselves on its having fallen to their lot to "be the brigade employed in that glorious and "effectual charge, which contributed in so eminent " a degree to decide the fate of the day at Sala- " MANCA, and to secure the signal and complete " defeat of the French army. It only remains for " the major-general to declare his satisfaction at " the exemplary conduct of the brigade during " the march through France ; and he concludes " by requesting that Lieutenant-Colonel Lord " diaries Manners, Lieutenant-Colonel Prescott, " and Major Hugonin, will themselves accept, " and have the goodness to communicate to the " regiments under their respective commands, his ** best and warmest thanks for their zealous and " steady services during the time he has had the " honour of commanding the brigade, together " with his earnest and sincere good wishes for '* their future welfare. He also requests Brigade- " Major Hill will accept his best thanks for the " zeal and assiduous attention with which he has " discharged the duties of his situation." The Fifth Dragoon Guards embarked at Boulogne on the 17th and 18th of July, landed at Dover on the 19th and 20tb, and marched from THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 71 thence to Woodbridge burrucks, where the depot 1814 nnd heavy baggage joined from Cunterbury, and a reduction of two troopH was made in the etiiubliBh- ment. In October tlie regiment marched to IpHwich and adjacents. In April. 1815, " His Royal Highness the 1815 " Prince Regent was pleased, in the name and on " the behalf of His Majesty, to approve of the " Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's " Regiment of Dragoon Guards, being per- " mitted to bear on its standards and appointments " (in addition to any other badges or devices *' which may have been heretofore granted to the '• regiment), the word * Peninsula,' in commemo- " ration of its services during the late war in Por- " tugal, Spain, and France, under the command " of Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington." On the 8th of April, the regiment marched to Nottingham, Coventry, Northampton, and Leices- ter ; and the return of Napoleon Buonaparte to France, in breach of the treaty of 1814, having occasioned a declaration of war, six troops were ordered to be held in readiness for foreign service ; but, to the great regret of the officers and men, who panted for another opportunity of signalizing themselves under the Duke of Wellington, the order was subsequently countermanded in conse- quence of the number of young and untrained horses in the regiment. In June, the officers and men of the Fifth Dragoon Guards received the painful intelli- gence of the fall of Major- General Sir William Ponsonby, G.C.B., at the battle of Waterloo.* * The Honourable William Ponsonby, (son of Lord Ponsonby,) 72 HISTORICAL RECORD OF If' ■■ 1815 In July, the regiment marched to York, Shef- field, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Newcastle-upon- afler holding the commissions of ensign in Captain Bulwer's independent company, lieutenant in Captain Davis's independent company, and captain in the eighty-third regiment, was ap- pointed major in the Loyal Irish Fencibles, in December, 1794: in March, 1 798 he was removed to the majority of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and he served with his regiment in Ireland during the rebel- lion, which broke out in the following summer. On the 1st of Ja- nuary, 1800, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the army; in February, 1803, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel, in the Fifth Dragoon Guards: and on the 25th of July, 1810, he was advanced to the brevet rank of colonel. He commanded the six troops of the Fifth Dragoon Guards on foreign service in 1811, and 1812, and while at the theatre of war he was so conspicuous for a gallant and chivalrous spirit, with cheerful alacrity in mo- ments of peril and privation, united with a kind and benevolent disposition, that he won the affection and esteem of those indivi- duals who bad the happiness of becoming acquainted with him, and he was the favourite of the troopers of his regiment. At the battle of Salamanca he led the Fifth Dragoon Guards to the charge with his characteristic zeal and gallantry; after the fall of Major- General Le Marchant he was appointed to the command of the heavy brigade, which he held until the end of the war ; and no officer better qualified for that important trust, or one who possessed the confidence of the officers and men in a greater degree, could have been found in the army. He was promoted to the rank of major-general on the 4th of June, 1813; and was afterwards chosen a knight commander of the honourable mi- litary order of the Bath. On the recommencement of hostilities in 1815, this distinguished officer was placed on the staff of the army in Belgium, and appointed to the command of the second cavalry brigs»de, consisting of the Royal, Scots Greys, and Inniskilling dragoons, which corps he led to the charge of the French infantry at the battle of Waterloo with that intrepid;ty for which he had always been so eminently distinguished. Having cut through the first column, he continued his career against fresh ad- versaries : while passing through a newly-ploughed field, which was so soft and miry from recent heavy rain that his charger sunk deeply in the soil at every step and became exhausted, he was attacked by a regiment of Polish lancers ; being in front of his brigade, no one was near him except one aide-de-camp, and at the moment when his horse was unable to extricate itself, a body of lancers approached him at full speed. His own death he knew was in- THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 73 Tyne: in September, the several troops proceeded 1815 to Newcastle, in consequence of the riotous conduct of the seamen in the ports of that neighbourhood. In January, 1816, the regiment occupied New- 1816 castle, York, Carlisle, Penrith, and Whitehaven ; during the summer, it proceeded to Ireland, and, arriving at Dublin towards the end of August, remained on duty in that garvison six months. General Bland died at Isleworth on the 14th of October, 1816; and on the 18th of that month, His Royal Highness Prince Leopold of Saxe- Coburg of Saaltield, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.H., was appointed Colonel of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards. The regiment left Ireland in February, 1817, 1817 and proceeded to Scotland, where it renuiined until the autumn ; and, on its arrival in England, it occupied Ipswich, Norwich, &c. The Princess Charlotte of Wales died on the 6th of November of this year, but the title of evitable ; but supposing his aide-de-camp might eicape, ho drow from his bosom the picture of his lady, and was ia the act of deUvering it and his watch to his attendant, to be convoyed to hi» wife and family, when the lancers came up, and they wore both speared on the spot. Thus fell the brave, the ingenuous Pontonby, whose death occasioned deep sorrow in the Fifth Dragoon Guurdu, and the troopers expressed regret that they were not at Waterloo to revenge the death of their former commander, who hod led thetn to battle and to victory. His death is thus alluded to by the Duke of Wellington in his public despatch. " I have recoivo«l a report " that Major-General Sir William Ponsonby is killed ; and in " announcing this intelligence I have to add the expresMion of my " grief for the fate of an officer who had already rendered very '' brilliant and important services, and wati an ornament to hiv pro- " fession." 74 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1817 the regiment is continued, in honour of the me- mory of that amiable Princess. 1818 In July, 1818, the regiment proceeded to York, where the establishment was reduced to fifty men and thirty-four horses per troop ; in the summer 1819 ol 1819, it marched to, Birmingham, Coventry, 1820 and Wolverhampton ; in April, 1820, to Manches- ter,* Oldham, and Ashton ; and in August of the same year, to York, Leeds, and Huddersfield. On the 3rd of September a communication wan received from Major-General Sir John Byng com- manding the northern district, enclosing a letter from the Military Secretary, wherein it was stated that " His Royal Highness the commander-in-chief "approved highly of the general good conduct, " loyalty, and steadiness of the regiment, of which " favourable report was made to His Royal High- " ness from all quarters." 1821 In April, 1821, the Fifth Dragoon Guards marched to Scotland, and occupied Hamilton, Glasgow, and Paisley: in August the regiment proceeded to Ireland, and was quartered at Belfast, Belturbet, Sligo, Enniskillen, and Dundalk ; at *Sir, Manchester, August 23rf, 182ft. Although the Fifth Dragoon Guards were only placed at Manchester as a temporary quarter, I should be wanting in what is due from me to that distinguished corps, did I withhold from you the expression of my admiration of it as a regiment, or from the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, my unqualified approbation of their conduct, and my satisfaction at the readiness and good-will with which they performed all the duties required of them whilst under my orders. I request you will do me the honour to make known these my sentiments to them, with the assurance that it will be ever gratifying to me to hear of their con- tinued welfare and prosperity. I have &c. Jambs Lyon, Major-Greneral. Major Irwin, commanding Fifth Dragoon Guards. THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 75 the same time a re'i' Ion of two troops was made 1821 in the establishme ;;, leaving the numbers six troops, of three officers, fifty-five men, and forty- two troop-horses each. The regiment marched to Porto Bello barracks, 2g22 Dublin, in July, 1822 ; from thence to Ballinrobe, Gort, Loughrea, Athlone, Roscommon, and Dun- more, in May, 1823: and in July, 1824, to Dun- 1823 dalk and Belturbet. ^^^^ The regiment left Ireland in April, 1825, and 1825 proceeding to Scotland, was stationed at Glasgow and Hamilton. Leaving Scotland in the spring of 1826, the i826 regiment proceeded to York and Newcastle-upon- Tyne, with a detachment on revenue duty at Beverley. In April the regiment was ordered into the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire, in consequence of some disturbance amongst the operatives, but returned to York in June. In February, 1827, the regiment proceeded to 1327 Leeds, Rochdale, and Sheffield. In May, 1828, the regiment marched to Dor- chester, Weymouth, Troubridge, and Christ Church, with detached parties on coast duty, and in the following summer it proceeded to Canterbury. Leaving Canterbury in April, 1830, the regi- ment marched to Coventry and Birmingham. In July of the same year His Majesty, King William IV., was pleased to command that the Fifth Dragoon Guards should proceed to Windsor, to undertake the duties usually perfo^ , cd by the household cavalry ; and, shortly after their arrival there, they were inspected by Field Marshal Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, when his Royal 1828 1829 1830 76 HISTORICAL RECORD OF i' V, r Si 1 1830 Highness expressed himself much gratified with the excellent appearance and discipline of his corps. On the 1 4th of August the Fifth Dragoon Guards, commanded by Prince Leopold in person, were reviewed in the barrack square at Windsor, by his Majesty King William IV., accompanied by the Queen and other members of the royal family. His Majesty having made a minute in- spection of the regiment, was pleased to express his high approbation of its martial appearance and efficiency : and the officers were then severally pre- sented to the King, by Prince Leopold. After the review their Majesties, with the other members of the royal family and distinguished personages pre- iSent, partook of a dejeune prepared by order of Prince Leopold, under tents on the green, and in the officers' mess-room. His Majesty, accompanied by Lord Hill (the general commanding-in-chief) inspected the Fifth Dragoon Guards in the great quadrangle at Windsor Castle, on the 29th of August, and again expressed his royal approbation of their appearance and discipline. In October of the same year the regiment marched to Maidstone and adjacent places. In the following month the head quarters proceeded to Tunbridge Wells, and, in consequence of the riotous conduct of the agricultural labourers in Sussex, the remainder of the corps was dispersed in various parts of that county. In December the head quarters proceeded to Brighton, and occupied the cavalry barrack at that town during His Majesty's residence at the Royal Pavilion. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg having been m THE FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 77 elected king of the Belgians, resigned the comniis- 1831 sion of Colonel of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and King William IV. was graciously pleased to confer that appointment on Lieutenant-General Sir John Slade, Bart. G.C.H., by commission, dated 20th July, 1831. The regiment embarked at Bristol on the 17th April, 1831, and landed at Dublin on the follow- ing day. It continued on duty at various stations in Ireland until April, 1834, when it again returned 1^34 to England, disembarked at Liverpool on the 22d of that month, and was stationed for one year at Manchester. In May, 1835, the regiment proceeded to Scot- 1835 land, from whence it returned in the following 1836 year, and was stationed at Leeds ; in April, 1837, 1837 its head-quarters were established at Birmingham ; and in May, 1838, at York. 1838 The foregoing pages contain an account of the services of the Fifth Dragoon Guards to the termination of the year 1838, and its record bears ample testimony to the zeal and bravery which have been evinced by this distinguished corps on occasions when it has had an opportunity to attest its valour in presence of a foreign enemy. Its noble and gallant conduct, as a regiment of Horse, at the battle of the Boyne in 1690 ; — ^at the heights of Schellenberg ; — also at the me- morable battle of Blenheim, where the French and Bavarian armies were nearly destroyed, and their commander, standards, and colours were captured, in 1704 ; — its heroic achievements in 1705 at the forcing of the French lines at Helixem and Neer- Hespen, where it captured the standards of the 78 HISTORICAL RECORD. :: I W i Bavarian horse-guards ; — the glorious part it took in annihilating one of the finest and best ap- pointed armies France ever brought into the field, at Ramilies in 1706 ;— its intrepid bearing, as a corps of Cuirassiers, in 1708 in the field at Oudenarde, and in the action at JVynendah ; — the valour it displayed in close combat with the French household troops at the sanguinary battle of Malplaquet in 1709; — the ardour it evinced in the movements and skirmishes which led to the capture of the fortress of Bouchain in 1711 ; — its gallantry as a corps of Dragoon Guards in 1794 at the battle of Cateau, where the French commander, many officers and men, and thirty-five pieces of cannon were captured; — its brilliant charge at Lkrena; — its victorious career on the plains of Salamanca in 1812 ; — its spirited con- duct at Vittoria in 1813 ; — and at Toulouse in 1814 ; — the eminent qualities it displayed on these and other occasions, as set forth in the public de- spatches and national records, afford most honour- able proof that the Fifth Regiment of Dragoon Guards has never lost sight of the ancient motto on its standards Vestigia nulla retrorsum. The conduct of the regiment on home, as well as on foreign service, has, on all occasions, been such as to evince its usefulness, efficiency, and constant readiness to support the honour and dignity of the crown, and the prosperity of the country; thus holding forth a bright example to stimulate to good conduct the soldiers of the present and future ages, under all the circumstances of service in which the calls of their sovereign and country may occasion them to be placed. SUCCESSION OP COLONELS 09 THK FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OP WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS. Charles Earl of Shrkwhrury, Appointed 2Qth of July, 1685. Charles Talbot succeeded, when in the seventh year of his age, to the title of Earl of Shrewsbury, on the decease of his father who died on the 16th of March, 1667, of a wound received in a duel with the Duke of Buckingham. In 1681 he wag appointed lord-lieutenant of the county of Stafford ; and having previously devoted much time to the consideration of the doctrines of Chris- tianity, on the discovery of the Popish plot he abjured the tenets of the church of Rome. He, however, con- tinued steadfast in his loyalty even to a Popish sovereign, and on the breaking out of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth in June, 1685, he raised a troop of horse for the service of King James II., and in the following month he was appointed colonel of the regiment which now bears the title of Fifth Dragoon Guards. He soon after- wards discovered that the arbitrary measures of the court were directed to the subversion of the Protestant religion, of which he was become a determined supporter ; and having resigned his commission and mortgaged his estate for forty thousand pounds, he proceeded to Hol- land and made an offer of his sword and purse to the Prince of Orange, provided His Highness would attempt to deliver England from the power of the papists. From this period, until the revolution in 1688, his active mind was engaged in the glorious and patriotic labour of 80 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. B' W devising plans for the good of his native country, and he was one of the nobles in whom the Prince of Orange placed the greatest confidence, and by whose advice lie was principally guided. When William and Mary were elevated to the throne, the Earl of Shrewsbury was sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed principal Secretary of State ; and in April, 1694, he was elected a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and created Marquis of Alton and Duke OF Shrewsbury. After devoting himself to the service of his king and country in the important office of principal Secretary of State, for a period of ten years, he sustained a serious injury in the breast, from an unlucky fall of his horse while hunting, which rendered him incapable of attending so closely to business as his office required, and he resigned the seals as Secretary of State, but was shortly afterwards appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Household. This office he resigned in 1700, in order to proceed to a warmer climate, and he resided for a short period at Montpellier in France. After the decease of the King of Spain and the accession of the Duke of Anjou to the throne of that kingdom, he quitted France and proceeded to Geneva, and subsequently crossed the Alps into Italy. After his return to England he was reappointed by Queen Anne to the office of Lord Cham- berlain, and in 1712 he was appointed ambassador to the French court to finish the negociations for peace. In 1713 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ; and in the reign of George I. he was a member of the Privy Council and Lord Chamberlain of the Household. He was one of the most accomplished gentlemen of the age in which he lived ; was remarkably handsome in person, had an admirable address, was just in his dealings, and distinguished for gallantry among the ladies ; but was studious and reserved as a public character. He died at Isleworth on the 1st of February, 1718. SUCCESSION (:• COLONELS. Rl Marmaduk). Lord Lanodalr, Appointed 22d January^ 1687. This nobleman was the son of Sir Marmaduke Langdale of Holme, in Spaldingmore, Yorkshire, who, when the rebellion broke out in the reign of Charles I., raised at his own charge three companies of foot and a troop of horse for the king's service, with which force he defeated a party of Scots at Corbridge in Northumberland. Having been appointed to the command of a body of troops sent by the King from Oxford into Lincolnshire, he defeated Colonel Rosseter; then marching against Fairfax, put him to flight and relieved Pontefract Castle. He subsequently took Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the castle of Carlisle, but being involved in the defeat of the Duke of Hamilton, he was taken prisoner at Preston. Having escaped from confinement he fled to the conti- nent, and in February, 1658, he was elevated to the peerage by the title of Baron Lanodale of Holme, in Spaldingmore, Yorkshire. Marmaduke, second Lord Lanodale, imbibed from his father strict principles of loyalty and attachment to the crown, and being known to be a faithful adherent to the house of Stuart, he was considered a suitable person to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, at the critical period when the proceedings of the court had alarmed the nation, and commotions were expected to follow ; but he was soon afterwards relieved from that charge by an officer of more experience in military aflairs, and ap- pointed to the important trust of Governor of Hull. This place he held in the interest of James H. at the Revolu- tion in 1688 ; but he was surprised &nd made prisoner by Colonel Copeley, and a party of men who had taken arms and declared for the Prince of Orange. His lordship was not afterwards employed in any public capacity ; and he died in 1 703. l ■ fe. 82 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. m Richard Hamilton, Appointed ibth February, 1687. Richard Hamilton was many years in the service of Louis XIV. of France, during the period that monarch was permitted, by King Charles H., to employ an English regiment of horse and one English and one j.^ Scots brigade of foot in his service. While engaged in ■'^ the French wars he acquired the character of a gallant and enterprising officer ; and he quitted the service of Louis XIV. when Charles II. demanded the return of his subjects from France in 1678. On the breaking out of Monmouth's rebellion he raised a troop of dragoons for the service of King James II., and was afterwards ap- pointed colonel of one of the regiments of dragoons embodied at that period. After the suppression of the rebellion he was sent with his regiment to Ireland, and being a Papist and an officer of experience, he assisted Tyrconnel in remodelling the Irish army, by dismissing the Protestants and replacing them with Papists. His fame as an officer, and his zeal for his religion, occasioned him to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers; but the remodelling of the English army was not completed when the Revolution took place, and the Roman Catholic officers and soldiers were placed in confinement. At this period Earl Tyrconnel had given out new commissions for levying thirty thousand men in Ireland, and reports were spread that a general massacre of the Protestants would take place ; Richard Hamilton, though a Papist, was believed to be a man of honour, and he was known to have great influence with Tyr- connel, and also with the Irish Papists of all ranks, and having promised either to induce the Lord Lieutenant to resign the government, or to return and give an account of the negotiation, he was released from confinement and sent to Ireland ; but on his arrival at Dublin he violated his engagement, and persuaded Tyrconnel to hold Ire- SUCCESSION OF COt.ONKl.S, m land in the interest of King Jamos. This breach of trust was rewarded with the rank of lieutenant-general, and an important post in the Irish army ; but ho did not long enjoy his new honours, — having been wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of the Boyne. Immediately after he was made prisoner, he was brought into the presence of King William, who put some questions to him respecting the Irish army, which he answered in the affirmative, and added the words upon my honour: the King repeated the words your honour ! and turned from him, which was all the rebuke His Majesty gave him for his faithless conduct. He remained a prisoner until the termination of the war in Ireland, when he was exchanged for Lord Mountjoy, and proceeding to France, he ap- pears to have passed the remainder of his life in that coimtry. John Coy, Appointed Slst December, 1688. This officer served a shoft time with the French army in the reign of Louis XIV., and afterwards commanded a troop in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of horse, which regiment was disbanded in 1678. In 1680 he raised a troop of horse for service at Tangier in Africa ; this fortress being besieged by the forces of the Emperor of Morocco, he proceeded to that country immediately, and distinguished himself in action with the Moors. In 1683 his troop of horse was constituted Royal Dragoons; with which corps he continued to serve, and was engaged at the battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. In 1686 he was ap- pointed Lieutenant-Colonel of Shrewsbury's Cuirassiers : and at the Revolution in 1688 he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the regiment ; with which he served with distinction in Ireland and Flanders. Having become infirm from age and long service, he obtained the King's permission to dispose of his commission, in 1697, to the Earl of Arran ; and from this period he led a retired life until his decease. g2 84 SUCCESSION OP COLONELS. m p r Charles Earl op Arran, Appointed 1.?' July, 1697. This nobleman descciided from the illustrious family of Butler, 80 renowned in the past ages for the many valiant and loyal persons it has produced. He was the second son of Thomas Butler Earl of Ossory, (a nobleman dis- tinguished for deeds of valour, loyalty to his sovereign, and the mild and social virtues which rendered him an ornament to society,) and grandson of the celebrated James, Jirst Duke of Ormond. Having served under King William HI. in Ireland and Flanders, where he evinced the same martial spirit and private virtues which had adorned his ancestors, he was elevated to the peerage of Ireland in January, 1693, by the titles of Baron of Cloghgrenan in the Queen's county. Viscount of TuUo in the county of Cutherlough, and Earl of the islands of Arran in the county of Galway ; he was also, at the same time, created an English peer by the title of Lord Butler, of Weston, in the county of Huntingdon. On the 16th of February, 1694, he was promoted to the colonelcy of a newly raised regiment of horse (which was disbanded at the peace of Ryswick), and in the summer of 1697 he purchased the colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards. In March, 1703, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of gold stick in waiting to Queen Anne; in 1712 Her Majesty constituted him Master- General of the Ordnance in Ireland ; and in the following year appointed him Governor of Dover Castle, and Deputy Warden of the Cinque Ports. Soon after '}\^ accession of King George I. his Lordship was elert'^il Chancellor of the University of Oxford. After tht :.i peachment of his brother, James, second Duke of Ormond, for high treason, the Earl of Arran quitted the army. In February, 1716, he was constituted Lord High jr. nUCCKMION OP COLONELS. 85 Steward of Wostminster : and in '721 ho was permitted, by an Act of Parliatnunt, to purchase his brother'n for- feited estates. He died on the 17th of D<'cember, 1758, at the advanced age of oighty-eigia viars. William CaduoaNi Appointed 2d March, 1703 William Cadooan descended from a family of greiU honour and antiquity in Wales ; and having embraced thn I rTsi'on of arms, he distinguished himself under Ki J ' "\ lii III. in Ireland and Flanders, and was uppt.juted major of the InniskiUing Dragoons. On the brct'cing out of hostilities in 1701, his great merit and abilities, which had become conspicuous in the preceding war, occasioned him to be promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and appointed (1st June, 1701) quartermaster-general of the troops sent to Holland. He eminently distinguished himself under the great Duke of Marlborough, whose confidence and esteem he possessed in a high degree, and was promoted, in 1703, from the InniskiUing Dragoons to the colonelcy of the Sixth Hokse. Advancing with the army into Germany he signalized himself at the battle of Schellenberg, on the 2d of July, 1704, where he had several shots through his clothes, and was wounded in the thigh. At the battle of Blenheim he evinced that undaunted bravery and greatness of soul with which he was signally endowed, and was promoted immediately afterwards to the rank of brigadier-general. In the following year he again sig- nalized himself at the forcing of the French lines, where his regiment defeated the Bavarian Guards and took four standards; and in the memorable battle of Ramilies, fought on the 23d of May, 1706, he acquired new honour, and was despatched shortly after the action with a body of troops to summon Antwerp, which fortress surrendered to him in a few days. On the 16th of August he com- manded a body of troops employed in covering a foraging ,'1 86 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. party near Tourna^^ , and advancing with his character- istic boldness too near the town, he was surprised by a party of the enemy and made prisoner ; he was, however, released on his parole three days afterwards, and was subsequently exchanged for Baron Palavicini. In Ja- nuary, 1707, he was promoted to the rank of major- general, and he was afterwards appointed minister pleni- potentiary to the government of the Spanish Netherlands, in which employment he evinced the most admirable dexterity in business, and a peculiar aptitude in con- ducting negotiations. He commanded the van of the army in the movements which preceded and led to the battle of Oudenarde in 1708, and on this occasion his peculiar merits again shone forth ; also in the part which he took in covering the siege of Lisle, in the action at Wynendale, and in forcing the passage of the Scheldt ; and on the 1st of January, 1709, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. On the day preceding the battle of Malplaquet he was sent to confer with the French commander, and when near the enemy's position he indicated to a colonel of artillery, by dropping his glove, the spot where a battery was to be placed on the following morning, which proved of great importance. During the siege of Mons he went voluntarily into the trenches to encourage the soldiers in the attack of a ravelin, when his aide-de-camp was killed at his side^ and he was dangerously wounded in the neck. Every addi- tional campaign added new lustre to his rising reputation, and in that sublime display of military talent by which the French lines were forced in the summer of 1711, and Bouchain captured, he performed a distinguished part, as detailed in the Historical Record of the Fifth Dragoon Guards. When political events occasioned the removal of the Duke of Marlborough from all his appointments dependent on the crown, Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who had shared with this illustrious commander in his toils, dangers, and triumphs, and who, like hh«, was stcdfast in his devotion to the Protestant interest, and to SUCCESSION OF COLONBLU. 87 the succession of the house of Hanover, was removed from his appointments of quartermaster-general and governor of the Tower, and called upon to dispose of hig regiment for three thousand pounds to General Kellum. He wan soon afterwards gratified by witnessing the accession of King George I., by whom he was appointed Colonel of the Second Foot Guards, Master of the Robes, and envoy ex- traordinary and plenipotentiary to the Status General of Holland, in which capacity he conducted negotiations of great importance, and displayed those gifts of nature with which his mind was adorned ; and while thus employed he was appointed Governor of the Isleof Wight. On the break- ing out of the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, ho changed the labours of the cabinet for those of the field, and in the depth of winter, in the midst of the most piercing fronts and snow, he evinced unshaken perseverance in extinguishing the flame of rebellion in Scotland, and was made a Knight of the most ancient order of the Thistle. On the 30th of June, 1716, he was elevated to the peerage by the title of Lord Cadogan, Baron of Reading. In the autumn of the same year he was again sent as plenipotentiary to the States of Holland; on his return in 1717 he was sworn of the Privy Council, and afterwards promoted to the rank of general; and in May, 1718, he was created Baron of Oakley, Viscount of Caversham, and Earl Cadogan. He was subsequently employed in nego- tiations of an important character with the house of Austria, Court of Spain, and States of Holland ; and on the decease of the Duke of Marlborough in 1 722, he was appointed General Commanding-in-Chief of the army. This distinguished nobleman died on the 17th of July, 1 726, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. George Kellum, Appointed 22d December, 1712. George Kellum obtained the commission of cornet in the Earl of Shrewsbury's regiment of liorse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, wh?n that corps was embodied in 88 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 1685, and he served in Ireland and the Netherlands, under King William III. Having heen promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, he commanded the regiment in the wars of Queen Anne, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army in 1703. In the following year he distinguished himself at the battle of Schellenberg, and led the regiment to the charge with signal gallantry at the glorious battle of Blenheim. At the forcing of the French lines in 1705, he acquired additional laurels; and at the memorable battle of Ramilies, the squadrons under his orders were again victorious. In 1707 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier- general ; in 1708 he commanded a brigade at the battle of Oudenarde ; and in 1709 at that of Malplaquet ; in 1710 he was pro- moted to the rank of major-general ; and in 1712 to that of lieutenant-general ; and in the same year he purchased the colonelcy of the regiment in which he had served so many years: he was, however, removed in 1717, and died on the 27th of December, 1732. ^1 Robert Napier, Appointed 27th May, 1717. This officer was appointed cornet in the Sixth Horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, in Janu?.ry, 1692, and served with the regiment in the Netherlands until the peace of Ryswick. In 1702 he was promoted to the ma- jority, and while serving with his regiment in Germany he was severely wounded at the battle of Schellenberg. In 1705 he was with his regiment at the forcing of the French lines, and in 1706 he was at Ramilies, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army a few days after the battle. He continued to serve at the theatre of war; was appointed brigadier-general in 1711; and obtained the colonelcy of the regiment in 1717. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1727 ; and to that of lieutenant-general in 1735 : and died on the 10th of November, 1739. SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 89 Clement Neville, Appointed 6M May, 1740. Clement Neville entered the army at the Revolution ; his first commission being |dated the 6th of December, 1688, and after serving with distinction in the wars of King William and Queen Anne, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army at the close of the campaign of 1711. On the 9th of April, 1720, King George I. conferred on him the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Dra- goons, from which he was removed in 1737 to the Eighth Dragoons, and in 1739 he was promoted to the rank of major-general. The colonelcy of the Sixth Horse was conferred on this veteran in the following year ; he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1743; and he died in August, 1744. Richard Viscount Cobham, Appointed 5th August, 1744. Ciu Richard Temple served under King William in the Netherlands, and on the breaking out of the war of the Spanish succession, he was promoted te the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment of foot, which was disbanded at the peace of Utrecht. He served under the great Duke of Marlborough, and was conspicuous for a noble bearing, a greatness of soul, and a contempt of danger, which he exhibited in a signal manner at the sieges of Venloo and Ruremonde, at the battle of Oudenarde, and at the siege of the important fortress of Lisle. In January, 1709, he was promoted to the rank <»f major-general, and his conduct at the siege of Tournay, the sanguinary battle of Malplaquet, and siege of Mons, was rewarded, in the following year, with the rank of lieutenant-general and the colonelcy of the Fourth Dragoons. He served under the Duke of Marlborough in 1711> and had the honour of taking part in the forcing of the French lines at 90 SU00BB81ON OP COLONELS. Arleux, and the capture of the strong fortress of Bouchain. After the change in the ministry and the adoption of a new system of policy by the court, the well-known attach- ment of this officer to the Protestant succession, occa- sioned him to be removed from his regiment ; but on the accession of King George I. he was elevated to the peer- age by the title of Baron of Cobham, and in 1715 he was appointed Colonel of the j^loyal Dragoons. In 1717 he was appointed Governor of Windsor Castle; in 1718 he was advanced to the dignity of Viscount Cobham ; and in 1721 he was removed to the King's Horse, now First Dragoon Guards. He was also one of the Privy Council, and Governor of the island of Jersey; but resigned his appointments in 1733. On the change of the ministry in 1742 he was promoted to the rank of field-marshal, and in December of the same year King George II. conferred upon him the colonelcy of the First troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1744 he was removed to the Sixth Horse, and in 1 745 to the Tenth Dragoons, the colonelcy of 'vhich corps he retained until his decease in 1749. Thomas Wentworth, Appointed 20th June, 1745, Thomas Wentworth was appointed to a commission in the army on the 10th of March, 1704, and served several campaigns in the wars of Queen Anne. In De- cember, 1722, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and in 1732 he was appointed colonel of the Thirty-ninth Foot, from which he was removed in June, 1737, to the Twenty-fourth Foot. Two years afterwards he was appointed brigadier-general; in 1741 he was promoted to the rank of major-general ; and in 1745 he was appointed to the colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, which corps became the Second Irish Horse in the following year. He served the crown in a diplomatic as well as a SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 91 military capacity, and died at the court of Turin in November, 1747. Thomas Bligh, Appointed 22d December, 1747. This officer entered the army in the reign of King George I. ; rose to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel of the Sixth Horse, and in December, 1740 he was appointed Colonel of the Twentieth Regiment of Foot. On the £7th of May, 1745, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier- general ; was removed to the Twelfth Dra- goons in the following year, and promoted to the rank of major-general in 1747. He was removed to the colo- nelcy of the Second Irish Horse in December of the same year ; and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant- general in 1754. War having commenced between Great Britain and France in 1756, Lieutenant-General Bligh was appointed, in the summer of 1758, to the command of an expedition designed to make a descent on the coast of France, with the view of causing a diversion in favour of the army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Ger- many. The fleet sailed in the beginning of August, and in seven days arrived in Cherbourg roads. The troops were landed, the town of Cherbourg was captured, the harbour, pier, and forts were destroyed, and the brass ordnance brought away as trophies of this success. In September a landing was effected on the coast of Brittany with the view of besieging St. Maloes ; but this being found impracticable, the troops, after marching a short distance up the country, retired and re-embarked at the bay of St. Cas. The enemy advanced in great numbers under the command of the Duke of Aguillon, and attack- ing the rear of the British army, occasioned great loss. Lieutenant-General Bligh was much censured for his conduct on this occasion, and soon after the return of the expedition, he retired from the service. 92 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. Hon. John Waldegrave, Appointed 23d October, 1758. The Hon. John Waldegrave obtained a commission in the First Foot Guards in 1737 ; in July 1743, he was appointed captain-lieutenant in the Third Foot Guards ; iii September following he obtained the command of a company, and in 1748 he was promoted to the com- mission of major in the same corps. On the 26th of June 1751, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Ninth Foot ; he was removed to the Eighth Dragoons in 1755; and to the Second Irish Horse in 1758. Having been promoted to the rank of major-general, he proceeded to Germany, and commanded the brigade of infantry which so highly distinguished itself in 1759, at the battle of Minden, where his gallantry and extraor- dinary presence of mind at a critical moment decided the fate of the day. In September of the same year he was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards, and continuing to serve in Germany during the remainder of the seven years* war, gave signal proofs of ability and valour in numerous actions with the enemy, and was equally con- spicuous for kindness of heart and regard for the soldiers who served under his orders. In 1763, he succeeded to the title of Earl Waldegrave; he was afterwards advanced to the rank of general, and in 1773, he ob- tained the colonelcy of the Second Foot Guards, which he retained until his decease in October 1784. Hon. John Fitz -William, Appointed 27th November 1760. The Hon. John Fitz-William obtained a commission of captain and lieutenant-colonel in the First Foot Guards, in 1745; was promoted to the colonelcy of the Second or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot in 1755; and in June, 1759, he obtained the rank of major-general SUCCESSION OV COI.UNKLN. 93 in the army. In the following year he was removed to the colonelcy of the Second Irish Horne ; was pro- moted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1761 ; to that of general in 1783; and died in 1789. John Douglas, Appointed 27th Augmt, 1789. John Douolas was many years an officer in the Second Dragoons (Scots Greys), with which corps he served at the hattle of Fontenoy in 1745. Ho was promoted to the rank of captain in 1755; proceeded with the regi- ment to Germany in 1758, and was appointed major in the following spring. He served four campaigns under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany, and was at numerous battles and skirmishes. In 1770, he was pro- moted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Scots Greys ; he was advanced to the rank of colonel in the army in 1775, and to that of major-general in February 1779. In April of the same year he was appointed Colonel of the Twenty-first Light Dragoons,— then first embodied and formed of the light troops belonging to certain dragoon regiments. At the termination of the American war in 1783, his regiment was disbanded; and in April 1787, he was appointed Colonel of the Fourteenth Foot : he was also promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the same year. In 1789, he was appointed to the colonelcy of the Fifth Draooon Guards, which he re- tained until his decease, on the 10th of November 1790. Thomas Bland, Appointed 18M November, 1790. This officer obtained a cornetcy in the Seventh Dragoons on the 30th of March, 1754, and continued in that regiment upwards of thirty-six years. He served three campaigns in Germany under the Duke of Bruns- 94 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. wick; was appointed major of the regiment in I7G5, and lieutenant-colonel in 1771. In 1782, he was pro- moted to the rank of major-general, and in 1 790 he was appointed from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons to the colonelcy of the Fifth Dragoon Guards. In 1796, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and to that of general in 1781. He died on the 14th of October, 1816. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, Appointed ISth October, 1816. This illustrious Prince, whose military services have become connected with the Record of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, by his appointment to the colonelcy of the regiment, entered the army of the Emperor Alexander of Russia in 1803, and rose lo the rank of major-general: but in 1810, Bonaparte demanded that His Royal Highness should quit the Russian service, and the Prince was induced to acquiesce, in order to conciliate Napoleon, and to preserve the possessions of the house of Coburg from being seized on by the French. Prince Leopold was subsequently employed in negotiating an arrangement respecting the principality of Coburg, with the crown of Bavaria, in which he displayed superior diplomatic talents. At the commencement of 1813, he exerted himself, as far as his situation permitted, at that critical and momentous period, to prepare the emancipa- tion of Germany, and in February he proceeded to Poland, to the Emperor of Russia, by whom he was cordially received, and a command in the Russian army was given to His Royal Highness. He was at the battle of Lutzen on the 2d of May ; was subsequently sent by forced marches towards the Elbe, to support the Prussian General Kleist; but 'le Prince's destination was after- wards changed, and on the 19th of May he marched to support General Barclay de Tolly : His Royal Highness SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 95 was, however, recalled, ^o take part in the battle of Bautzen, on the 20th and 21st of the same month ; and after supporting the line at various points, he covered the retreat on the evening of the second day, with the cavalry under his orders, amidst the hottest fire. On the 26th of August His Royal Highness was de- tached to support the corps under Prince Eugene of Wirtemberg, posted near the fortress of Konigstein ; and Prince Leopold maintained, with his cavalry, a precarious position for five hours, against the repeated attacks of a force treble his own numbers, by which he defeated the designs of the enemy, and preserved Prince Eugene's troops from destruction. On the following day the corps took post beyond Pima, which place the enemy took by storm, and endeavoured to extend with his cavalry upon the level ground near the Elbe ; but was driven back by the troops under Prince Leopold. The main army, however, retired towards Bohemia, by which the retreat of the corps near Pima was rendered difficult, and the abilities of His Royal Highness were particularly con- spicuous in the masterly dispositions and skilful move- ments of the cavalry under his orders, in facilitating and covering the retrogade movement of the corps. A sharp action occurred in the village of Peterswalde on the 29th of August, when His Royal Highness signalized him- self; several other actions occurred on the same day in the mountains, and towards the evening, the Prince repulsed the attack of a superior force near the village of Prisen, with signal bravery and astonishing success ; and on the following morning he received from the Emperor Alexander the Cross of the military order of St. George. The action was renewed on the 30th of August, and the allied army having been concentrated, the French were defeated with considerable loss. Prince Leopold had a distinguished share in the engagement, and he pursued the retiring enemy to the village of Peterswalde : the brilliant conduct of His Royal Highness ee Sl/CCESSION OF COLONELS. between the 26th and 30th of August, was rewarded by the Emperor of Austria with the military order of Maria Theresa. Prince Leopold had a distinguished post at the battle of Leipzig, and, with the cavalry under his orders, con- tributed materially to the decisive termination of that gigantic contest. His Royal Highness was actively em- ' ployed in the beginning of 1814; was at the battle of Brienne, and in the pursuit of the defeated army on the 2d of February, and in several minor affairs. On the 25th of March the Prince was in the action with the French at La Fere Champenoise, when, attacking the enemy's right flank at Caunentrai, he carried the position, captured five pieces of cannon, and, when attacked in turn, he repulsed the enemy, and maintained his ground with signal intrepidity. The battle of Paris concluded the campaign, and on the 31st of March, the Prince entered that city with the cavalry of the reserve, and remained there in garrison. These important events were succeeded by the abdication of Napoleon, and, when the Congress assembled at Vienna, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg conducted the business relating to his own country. On the return of Bonaparte to France, in 1815, Prince Leopold proceeded to the grand army on the Rhine, and soon afterwards reached Paris. On the termination of the war he visited England; became a suitor to Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte of Wales, and, having obtained the consent of the Prince Regent, the nuptials between Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, and the presumptive heiress to the British throne, were eventually solemnized. On the 2d of May, 1816, Prince Leopold obtained the rank of general in the British service, and on the 24th of the same month he was promoted to the rank of field-marshal. The colonelcy of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales' Regiment of Dragoon SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 97 Guards was conferred upon Prince Leopold in October of the same year, and he presented to the officers' mess a handsome service of plate. His Hoyal Highness was also honoured with the Order of the Garter, and the Order of the Bath ; but in the midst of these accumulated distinctions ho sustained the loss of his amiable consort, whose decease on the 6th November, 1817, occasioned the most sincere grief throughout the kingdom, and Prince Leopold was for some time inconsolable. The events which transpired in the Netherlands in 1830, having led to the separation of several provinces from Holland, and to the formation of an independent state, called Belgium, Prince Leopold was invited to accept of the sovereignty of that kingdom in 1831, and His Royal Highness acquiesced. Thus the Fifth Dragoon Guards had the gratification of witnessing the elevation of their colonel to a throne. On resigning the colonelcy His Royal Highness was pleased to cause the following farewell address to be sent to the regiment : — " Claremont, 14th July, 1831. " The Prince Leopold is desirous on quitting England, to communicate to his regiment, that the circumstances which call him to another country have made it neces- sary for him to relinquish the command of the corps ; and he has reserved it, as one of his last and most painful duties, to bid them farewell. It would have been His Royal Highness's wish on this occasion, to have expressed personally to the regiment his regret in leaving them, and the sincere wishes he shall always entertain for their happiness and welfare; but their distant quarter, and the hurry which unavoidably attends his departure, render such a desire impracti- cable. " In taking leave of the regiment, which it has been H « « (( (( tt t< « tt tt tf 98 SUGCB88iON OF C0L0^EL8. « «r (< fl« (( << << (( X 1( «( k( (( ri « « t« (t << i< u (( « his happiness for so many years to command, many Hubjects pross on His Royal Higliness's attention that he would be anxioua publicly to advert to ; some of these bear paramount claim to his thankfulness and recollec- tion ; and it is such that he is chiefly solicitous to notice and record, on this last occasion of his addressing them : — he alludes particularly to the uniform mainte- nance of discipline, efficiency, and high character, which have marked the corps as one of the most distinguished in the service, throughout the long period he has known them ; — this has been conspicuous, whether considered with respect to their efficiency in equipment, — their discipline and conduct in quarters, — or their movements and perfection in the field, — in every point, these have been eminently and invariably supported, and have established a name to the regiment, that, as it should be the first ambition, so it is among the highest re- wards, a soldier can know. To Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, whose zeal and knowledge of the service have guided and perfected this state of discipline ; — to the officers, who have ably and successfully devoted their efforts to uphold it ; — to the non-commissioned officers and privates, who have maintained the discipline marked out to them, and, sharing the feelings of their officers in the character of the regiment, have by their conduct assisted to uphold it ; — to one and all, — individually and collectively, — His Royal Highness returns his most hearty thanks, with hisunquaUfied approbation of their conduct, under every view of discipline or exigency of service : — to such officers and to such men, it is un- necessary to say anything that can urge or stimulate their future zeal; His Royal Highness feels assured, that their Sovereigns approbation will ever remain their first aim, while the name of the regiment, deeply honoured by them and cherished In their hearts, will never cease to influence them in attaining that high SUCCI>:8!410N OK CULONELit. uy distinction. Hi* Royal HighnesH lias always felt pride in being one of thtMi- number, and he eun never cease to feel the truest interest in whatever can aflfect their name as a corps, or their welfare and happiness as individuals; and with his heartfelt wishes for the unin- terrupted prosperity and perfection of both, he reluc- tantly bids them, Farewell. (Signed) " Rohert Gardinkk. " To Lieutenant- Colonel IVatlace, Commanding Fifth Dragoon Guards." Sir John Slade, Bart., G. C. H. Appointed 20th July, 1831. THE END. Loudon: Printed by W. Clowes and Sons, Duke-street, Stamford-street.