IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ■^|2i8 IM itt U,2 |22 1.1 I.-"'" g|||U.|16 I y> HiolQgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIBSTIR.N.Y. 14SM (716) •72-4303 \ ^ •N§ <^ ^.V >^^^1. ^ ^^^ ^J> ;\ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. I'. CIHIVI/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniquas at bibiiographiquas Tha Instituta has attamptad to obtain tha baat original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of thia copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha raproduction. or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. D □ D D D Colourad covars/ Couvartura da coulaur I I Covars damagad/ Couvartura andommag^ Covars rastorad and/or laminatad/ Couvartura rastaurte at/ou palliculAa I — I Cover titia missing/ La titre da couvartura manqua □ Colourad maps/ Cartes giographiquas an coulaur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) r~7l Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relii avac d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along Interior margin/ La re llure serrde peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion la long de la marge intirieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissant dans la texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6ti filmtes. L'Institut a microf limA la meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a M possible de se procurer. Les details da cat exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthode normale de f ilmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. pn Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagtes Pages restored and/oi Pages restaurtes et/ou pelliculAes Pages discoloured, stained or foxe< Pages dicolor^es, tachaties ou piquAes Pages detached/ Pages d6tach6es r~n Pages damaged/ {~n Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~y| Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I I Pages detached/ Thi toi Th< pot of filn Ori be( the sio oth firs sio or >/ Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Quality inigala de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Co"nprend du material suppl^mentalre Only edition available/ Seule Mition disponible D Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une peiure, etc.. ont 6ti fiimtes d nouveau de faqon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. Th< shi Ti^ wh Ma difl •ni bee rigl req me Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmantaires; Irregular pagination : [i]-viii, [i]-viii, (9j- [120]p. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmi au taux de rMuction indiqut ci-dessous 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 1 s/ 12X 16X aox 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada L'exentplaire filmA fut reproduit grAce h la gAnirositt de: BIbliothAque nationaie du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantes ont At* reprodultes avec 'e plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la netteti de i'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplaires origlnaux dont la couverture en papier est imprlm6e sont fllmte en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte une emprelnte d'Impresslon ou d'lllustration, soit par ie second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires origlnaux sont fllmte en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une emprelnte d'Impresslon ou d'lllustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle emprelnte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^- (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols Y signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., m&y be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre fiimte A des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seui ciichA, II est f llmA A partir de i'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant ie nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 !■■■ ' ~ ** i«t li^aA;, w» ^•fr, f. ^* -^ ^% ». -.A >i, \ -v'\. -\ \, \ .c ^ ] r ^ /^' 'U\K%^. k V r .;l k&\^i in ^1 \ MI3 XUBXCMi SE € GBB (^( (^7lp/'fs6n^^^ey^ 1^. fl HISTORICAL RECORDS OF THE BRITISH ARMY. GENERAL ORDERS HORSE-GUARDS, \8t January f 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 Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall con- tain 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 JMilitary Operations, in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achieven- 'i^h 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. IV UENEKAL ORDERS. The Names of those Officers, who, in con- sideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Eiigagements with the Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His Mtyesty's gracious favour. The Names of all such Officers, Non-Coni- 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, Commanding4n-Chief. John Macdonald, A djutant- General. PREFACE. Tub 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, an- nounced in the " London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints : the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under vi PREFACE. tlieir orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes. It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Con- tinental 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 Regi- ment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad. From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of war, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose. In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the PREFACE. Vii country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inliabitants may Imj supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor, — on their sufferings, — and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved. The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties ; and their character has been established in Con- tinental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers. In the official Reports made by the respective Com- manders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments. These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office j 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 / Vlll PREFACE. served, or are serving, in the Army, ^n Esprit de Corps — an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment i to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, — the valiant, — the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in mo- ments 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 distin- guished 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 Regi- ment, 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. HISTORICAL RECORD I services. OF THE SIXTEENTH, OK THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS, LANCERS : CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1759, AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO 1841, ILLUSTRATED WITH A PLATE OF THE UNIFORM. LONDON: JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND. M.DCCC.XLII. \\ London: Habkison and Co., Pbintkks, St. Martin's I>ank. THE SIXTEENTH, OR THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF LANCERS, BEARS ON ITS STANDARDS AND APPOINTMENTS THE WORDS "TALAVERA." "FUENTES D'ONOR." "SALAMANCA." "VITTORIA." «NIVE.' « PENINSULA/' "WATERLOO." "BHURTPORE." " AFFGHANISTAN." « GHUZNEE." CONTENTS. /■ Year Page 1759 Formation of the Regiment .... 9 ] 760 Names of the Officers . . . . 11 1761 Two troops at the Capture of Belle Isle . . 12 1762 The Regiment embarks for Portugal . . 14 Capture of Valencia de Alcantara ... — Skirmish at Sobrina Formosa ... 18 ' Surprise at Villa Velha — 1763 Returns to England 20 1 766 Styled the Sixteenth, or The Queen's Regiment of Light Dragoons . . . . . . 21 1768 Description of the Clothing and Standards . — 1776 Embarks for North America .... 23 Lands at New York 24 Battle of White Plains . Proceeds to New Jersey Capture of the American General Lee 1777 Expedition to Philadelphia .... 26 Battle of Brandywine Germantown 27 1778 Actions at Crooked Billet and Barren Hill . 29 Retreat to New York 30 Action at Freehold — Returns to England 31 1784 Uniform changed Jrom Scarlet to Blue . . 32 1793 Embarks for Flanders 34 — — Action at Famars . . t . . . — -x / vi Tear 1793 CONTENTS. Siege of Valenciennes . — — — — Dunkirk Rencounters at Pont a Tressin 1 794 Actions at Vaux and Fremont . Covering the Siege of Landrecies . Battle of Cateau — — — Toumay Action at Lannoy, Roubaix, &c. - Toumay Rencounter at Duffel Boxtel . 1795 Retreat through Holland to Germany 1796 Arrives in England 1802 Embarks for Ireland 1805 Returns to England 1809 Proceeds to Portugal Actions at Albergaria Nova and Grijon French driven from Oporto - Skirmish at Salamonde Battle of Talavera de la Reyna 1810 Skirmishes at Alameda and Villa de Puerco . on the Coa, near Almeida, at Mortagao, and near Busaco Battle of Busaco — -^ Skirmishes at Coimbra, Fombal, Leyria, Alcoentre, and Quinta de Torre Lines of Torres Vedras .... ■ Distinguished conduct of Serjeant Baxter . 1811 Skirmishes near Caldos .... Rencounters at Ferragoas and Leyria Pombal, Redinha, Foz d'Aronce and Alverca tion Guardo, Sabugal, and Fort Coneep- Page 35 36 37 38 40 43 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 53 54 55 56 67 58 59 60 61 CONTENTS. VH Year 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1819 1822 1825 1832 Battle of Fuentes d'Oiior Action at Espejo Covering the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo — — — — — ■^— ^— Badajoz . Action at Llerena — — — Castrejon . Battle of Salamanca Rencounter at La Sema . Skirmish at Tudela - Torquemado . Covering the Siege of Burgos Castle Action at Monasterio ' Cellada del Camino Battle of Vittoria Rencounter at Villa Franca . Covering the Siege of St. Sebastian Passage of the Bidassoa Battle of Nivelle — — ^-- Nive .... Passage of the Adour . . Blockade of Bayonne . Returns to England . Embarks for Flanders Battle of Quatre Bras . — — — Waterloo . Advances to Paris Returns to England . Constituted a regiment of Lancert Embarks for Ireland Returns to England Embarks for the East Indies . Employed against the Insurgents at Calpee Siege of Bhurtpore . Supplied with Scarlet Clothing . Pa|« 69 68 64 67 eo 70 71 79 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 85 86 87 89 00 06 > y -'■''^/ ' Viii CONTENTS. 1837 Detachment to the Punjub . Page . 97 1838 Forms part of the " Army of the Indus" 99 -—— Marches to the banks of the Gharra . . 101 .. — — Advances to Bhawulpore .... 102 1 1839 Arrives on the bank of the Indus - 1840 1841 Crosses this celebrated stream Marches from the Indus to Western AfFghanistan Arrives at Candahar Advances for Eastern AfFghanistan Capture of Ghuznee Arrives at Cabool Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk restored to his dominions I Returns to British India . . . . The Conclusion SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 1763 John Burgoyne . . . . 1779 Honorable William Harcourt . 1830 Sir J. Ormsby Vandeleur, G.C.B. 104 108 110 112 115 116 117 119 120 itan )n8 Page 97 99 101 102 104 108 no 112 115 116 117 119 120 TI I t HISTORICAL RECORD ov THE SIXTEENTH, om, THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS;— LANCERS. The year 1759 is conspicuous in the military 1769 annals of this kingdom, as the era of Light Cavalry regiments being placed on the establish- ment of the army for permanent service. In the early part of the eighteenth century, the prowess of the British heavy horse had been proved on the banks of the Danube, on the plains of the Mehaine, in the sanguinary field of Malplaquet, in the valley of Almanara, and on the banks of the Ebro; the enemies of Great Britain were humbled, and the din of war was succeeded by tranquillity. New commotions in Europe called B 10 HISTORICAL RECORD OF i 1769 forth fresh exertions; King George II. witnessed the triumph of bis heavy troopers over the steel- clad horsemen of France in the field of Det- tingen; — and in the seven years' war, when tho restless ambition of his enemies rendered addi- tional efforts necessary, the Briti';]! TVJ >narch added to the forces of his emp'ie, "-avnlv} regiments uniting greater lightness, s|»Mt<1, nnd activity, with strength and power, v' iddenly the light horse- men of Great T^ritain appeared in the field; they rivalled the heavy troopers in feats of valour, and qualities were combined in those troops, which have enabled them to acquire a celebrity seldom equalled by the cavalry of any nation. The Sixteenth, or the Queen's Regiment OF Lancers, is the second regiment of light cavalry raised in Great Britain for permanent service; the formation of this regiment was con- fided to Lieut.-Colonel John Burgoyne, from the Second Foot Guards, an officer of distinguished abilities, who had served some time in the Eleventh Dragoons, and was appointed Lieut.- Co^J;lc•! ' >t mandai * f the Sixteenth by com- misBion, dated the 4th of August, 1759. It consisted, in the first instance, of four troops, raised by Captains the Honorable William Gor- '•• THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 11 don, E<1warcl Walpole, Henry Laws Lutterell, 1759 aufl Sir William Peere Williams, Uamiiet. The general rendezvous of the regiment was at Northampton; hut recruits were obtained from various parts of the country, particuln -''*• from London and its vicinitv, where the reginn ts of light horse were a subject of particular intor ^st, Great success attended the exertions to ])roou e men and horses, and in October an augmf ation of two troops was ordered, which wn follov. . .^' 20 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1762 " Lee, and the British troops. I shall only con- " elude with doing my duty upon this occasion, ** in acquainting your Lordship with the gallant " behaviour of the troops, and recommending those " under whose command they again acquired so " much glory, to your Lordship's protection, and " to His Majesty." This advantage, obtained at a critical moment, disheartened the Spaniards, who fell back to their own frontiers, and Portugal was thus saved by British skill and valour. The regiment went into quarters in Portugal, and a treaty of peace was soon afterwards concluded at Fontainbleau. 1763 Tlie regiment received the thanks of Parlia- ment for its conduct during the war, and returned to England in the spring of 1763. It was re- viewed by King George IIL, on Wimbledon 1764 Common, on the 18th of June, 1764, when His Majesty was pleased to express his high approba- tion of its appearance and discipline. 1765 The condition, spirit, and activity of the light cavalry, was a subject of great interest at court; the conduct of the Fifteenth in Germany, and of the Sixteenth in Portugal, had given His Ma- jesty a high opinion of the merits of these two ' favourite corps; and when the King reviewed THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 21 them in brigade, on th 'iOth of May, 1766, on 1766 Wimbledon Common, he was so much pleased with their condition, that he commanded the Fifteenth to be, in future, styled " the Kino's," and the Sixteenth, "the Queen's," Light Dragoons. On the 25th of May, 1767, the King's and 17()7 Queen's regiments of Light Dragoons were again reviewed on Wimbledon Common by His Majesty, who repeated his former expressions of approbation. The following particulars respecting the cloth- 1768 ing and guidons of the Sixteenth, or the Queen's Light Dragoons, are extracted from the King's warrant, issued in 1768. Helmets, — ^with horse-hair crests Coats, — scarlet ; blue half-lappels, and the sleeves turned up with blue; the buttons of white metal, set on two and two; a blue cloth epaulette on each shoulder, with a narrow worsted fringe. Waistcoats and Breeches, — white. Boors, — reaching to the knee. Cloaks, — scarlet, with white linings and blue capes. Horse Furniture, — white cloth housing and holster caps, with a border of royal lace; the Queen's cipher within the garter, embroidered on 22 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1768 each corner of the housing; and on the holster caps, the King's cipher with the crown over it, and XVI. L.D. underneath. Trumpeters, — to wear hats with scarlet fea- thers; scarlet coats faced with blue, and orna- mented with yeljow lace, having a blue stripe down the centre. Guidons, — the first, or King's guidon, to be of crimson silk; in the centre, the rose and thistle conjoined, and crown over them, with the motto, Dieu et mon Droit, underneath; the white horse in a compartment in the first and fourth comers, and XVI. L.D. in gold characters, on a blue ground, in the second and third comers: the second and tl ird guidons to be of blue silk; in the centre, the Queen's cipher within the garter, with the motto, Aut cursu, aut cominus armis*^ underneath; the white horse on a scarlet ground, in the first and fourth comers; and XVT. L.D. on a scarlet ground, within a small wreath of roses and thistles, in the second and third corners: the third guidon to be distinguished by a figure 3, on a circular red ground, under the motto. King George III. continued to take so much * Either in speed, or in close combat. ! I. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. interest in the condition of the regimei < of ligh 1769 cavalry, that he reviewed the Fifteenth an«i Six- teenth in brigade, on Wimbledon Common, on the 8th of May, 1769; again on the 16th of April, 1770; and at Blackheath, on the 23rd of 1770 May, 1771, and, also, on the 9th of May, 1774, 1771 on which occasions His Majesty was pleased to 1774 express his royal approbation of the appearance* efficiency, and discipline of the two corps. In the following year the British North Ame- 1775 rican colonies took up arms against the mother country; this was followed by a contest, which, not being entered into by the British government with sufficient vigour at the commencement, was protracted during a period of eight years, when it was terminated by acknowledging the independ- ence of the United States. The Sixteenth Light Dragoons were selected to proceed to North America at an early period in the war; their establishment was augmented, and they were, in the first instance, ordered to embark for Boston; but that place having been evacuated in March, 1776, some delay occurred. The regiment, how- 1776' ever, embarked at Portsmouth in the summer of the same year, and sailed for New York, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable HISTORICAL RECORD OF 'It! l776WilHam (afterwards Earl) Ilarcourt. It expe- rienced much severe weather at sea, and did not arrive at New York until the beginning of Octo- ber, (and one transport was missing for some time afterwards.) On the 20th of October the regi- ment joined the army, and was engaged at the battle of White Plains, on the 28th of October, but its loss was only two men and one horse wounded, and one man missing. The Americans withdrew from their fortified camp, and avoided an action, and the British general gave up the pursuit, and undertook the reduction of King's-bridge and Fort Washington. After the capture of the forts, Lord Com- wallis was detached with a body of troops across the Hudson's river, when the enemy abandoned Fort Lee on the 18th of November. The Six- teenth embarked from York Island on the following day, for New Jersey, and they traversed the island in various directions, the American troops falling back in disorder, while the British detachments penetrated to the Delaware river. The American General Lee, obtaining intelli- gence of the movements of the British, and of the defenceless condition of the banks of the Delaware towards Philadelphia, crossed the North River 'I THE 8IXTKENTH LANCERS. 23 at King's-ferry with between two and three tliou- 1776 sand men and some artillery, and continuing his route through Morris County to cross the Dela- ware to the northward of Trenton, arrived at Baskinridge, where his troops encamped. On the morning of the 13th of December, he rode out, with a slender guard, to gain intelligence, and halted at a house three miles from his camp, to take breakfast. In the mean time, thirty men of the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable William Har- court, were advancing from Pennington to gain information; they met a countryman whom General Lee had despatched with a letter, and by interrogatories and menaces, they gained intelli- gence from this man, where the General had halted and how his guard was posted. By infinite address they contrived to get to the house undis- covered by the guard, and, surprising the sentinel, made prisoners, General Lee and a French officer, whom they conveyed to head-quarters. The loss of General Lee was a severe blow to the Ame- rican cause: he had been a soldier from his youth, had risen to the rank of lieut.-colonel in the British service, and had served with reputation in America and in Portugal during the seven c 26 HISTORICAL RECORD OF i! 1 1 m \i\ 1776 years' war, and his military knowledge was great; he commanded the troops at the surprise of the Spanish camp at Villa Velha, where a detachment of the Sixteenth distinguished itself under his orders in October, 1762*. He remained in capti- vity until the American Colonel Barton surprised and made prisoner the commandant of the British troops on Rhode Island, Major-General Prescott, who was exchanged for General Lee. 1777 The Sixteenth Light Dragoons were stationed during the winter in New Jersey. Several skirmishes occurred between foraging parties, and the British soldiers maintained their high cha- racter for courage and discipline. On the 3rd of June, 1777, a large remount of horses arrived from England, and soon afterwards the regiment took the field; but the American General, Wash- ington, kept his army in the strongholds in the hills, and General Sir William Howe, being un- able to bring his opponent to battle, undertook an enterprise against Philadelphia. To engage in this service, the regiment embarked in July at Sandy Hook, sailed to Chesapeak Bay, and, pro- ceeding up the Elk River, landed at Elk Ferry towards the end of August. To oppose the * See page 18. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 27 advance of the British upon Philadelphia, the 1777 American army took up a position at Brandywine Creeky and on the 11th of September an engage- ment took place. One squadron of the Sixteenth was attached to Major-General Grant's column, which advanced upon Chads-ford, from whence the enemy was driven with the loss of five pieces of cannon and a howitzer: the other two squadrons were attached to Lord Cornwallis' column, which moved against the enemy's right; and the Ame- rican army was driven from its position. General Washington retreated to Philadelphia, from whence he fell back along the Lancaster road. One squadron of the Sixteenth formed part of the force under Lord Cornwallis, which took possession of the city of Philadelphia; and the other two squadrons formed the right of the British army encamped at Gertnantown. At day-break on the morning of the 4th of October, the Americans attacked the British position ; the two squadrons of the Sixteenth, on the right, were at their post, and the other squadron advanced from Philadelphia with all possible expedition. The ground was not favorable for cavalry; but one troop of the Sixteenth had an opportunity of charging and "behaved most c 2 il m iii 'i ' ;: ' ''I i 28 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1777 "gallantly*." The adverse army was repulsed, and the squadron of the Sixteenth arriving from Philadelphia at the moment the battle ceased, it pursued the Americans for eight miles along the Skippach road. The regiment had one man and three horses killed; four men wounded. From Germantown, the regiment moved to the immediate vicinity of Philadelphia; it formed part of the force which advanced in the beginning of December, to reconnoitre the American camp at White Marsh; and it passed the winter in com- fortable quarters in the capital of Pennsylvania. On the return of spring, a succession of de- 1778 tachmentp scoured the country for many miles round Philadelphia and the province of Jersey, in quest of forage; and, on one occasion, a small detachment of the Sixteenth took a party of American soldiers prisoners. A loyal gentleman of Philadelphia meeting a drove of oxen on its way to the enemy's camp at Valley Forge, pretended to be one of General Washington's commissaries, and, directing the drovers to halt with their cattle for the night at a neighbouring farm, galloped to Philadelphia and gave notice what he had done, when a detachment Sir William Howe's despatch. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 29 of the Sixteenth was sent out, and brought in 1778 the cattle for the use of the British troops. Nine hundred Americans under Brigadier- General Lacy, took post at a place called Crooked Billet, on one of the great roads of communication, from whence parties overawed and impeded the country people who brought provision to the market at Philadelphia. On the evening of the 3rd of May, 1778, two squadrons of the regimeat, and four hundred light infantry, were detached to co-operate with a party of rangers in an attack on the enemy. The advance-guard approached the American camp soon after day-break, when Bri- gadier-General Lacy collected his troops and commenced retreating; he was attacked; and one hundred and fifty Americans were killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. Thirty dragoons intercepted the enemy's baggage, which Sir William Howe ordered to be sold and divided among the soldiers employed in this enterprize, and it produced a dollar for each man. The Marquis de la Fayette advanced, with three thousand Americans, to Barrett Hill, seven miles in front of General Washington's camp at Valley Forge; and the Sixteenth Dragoons formed part of the force which left Philadelphia 30 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 21 3*!' pi hiaj.lii 1 '-ill'' 1778 on the night of the 20th of May, to Burprise Uio Americans on the following morning. The enemy, having intelligence of the march, made a preci- pitate retreat; but his rear-guard was overtaken at Matsons-ford, by a troop of the Sixteenth Dragoons, and about forty Americans were killed and taken prisoners. In the mean time, the King of France had concluded a treaty with, and agreed to aid, the revolted British subjects, which so completely changed the nature of the contest, that it was necessary to evacuate Philadelphia and concen- trate the army at New York. Tlie array crosied the Delaware in June, and the Sixteenth Light Dragoons took part in covering the retreat through a wild and woody country intersected by rivers, and abounding in narrow and rugged panics. After marching several days along the eastern bank of the Delaware, the army proceeded through the Jerseys, followed by the enemy, and encamped on the 27th of June, near Freetiold Court-house, in the county of Monmouth. On the following morning the army resumed its march, the Sixteenth forming the rear-guard; the enemy appeared in force on both flanks, and the American cavalry approaching, " wore charged •■;■ ■■ ■' 'i:;M'C fl„'M t THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 31 « with great spirit by the Queen's Light Dra- 1778 " goons*," and driven back in confusion upon their infantry. Some sharp fighting afterwards took place, and the Seventeenth Light Dragoons were ordered from the front, but the enemy was repulsed before they arrived. . v The army continued its march^ crossed the channel to Sandy Hook in the beginning of July, and embarked from thence for New York. The regiment had sustained a severe loss while employed in detached services and in the fatiguing duties incident to so long a march from Philadel- phia to New York, and it transferred its horses to other corps, sent a detachment dismounted to the West Indies, and embarked for England, where it was stationed in the summer of 1779. 1779 In the autumn of this year, Lieut.-Greneral Burgoyne resigned the command of the regiment. He had been placed in 1777, at the head of a body of troops designed to force their way from Canada to Albany; but after evincing skill and determination, and overcoming numerous difiicul- ties, he found himself on the banks of the Hud- son's river, with three thousand five hundred \ \ * London Gazette. 32 HISTORICAL RECORD OF i ■ii' . If 1779 men, reduced in strength by incessant effort and want of provision, and invested by an army of sixteen thousand Americans; under these circumstances, he concluded the convention of Saratoga. His conduct vt^as censured; he de- fended himself with great warmth in Parliament; and the altercation, which ensued, ended in his resigning the colonelcy of the Queen's regiment of Light Dragoons. He was succeeded by Colonel the Honourable William Harcourt, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the regiment, by commis- sion dated the 20th of October, 1779. 1781 In 1781, the regiment, having recruited its numbers and procured horses, was encamped at Lenhum, in Kent, with the Twentieth Foot and three battalions of militia, under the command 1782 of Lieut.-General Frazer; and in 1782, three troops were encamped at Grange, near Ports- mouth. 1783 At the termination of the American war, in 1783, the establishment was reduced to six troops of three officers, two Serjeants, two ccj- porals, one trumpeter, one farrier, and twenty- six private soldiers each. 1784 In April, 1784, the colour of the officers' and men's coats was changed from scarlet to blue. I !! Ill THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 33 The clothing of a private soldier of the regi- 178i ment at this period, was a blue jacket lined with white, scarlet collar and cuifs, and looped across the breast and edged with white cord; white waistcoat; white leather breeches; boots, and hel- met. The Serjeants were distinguished by silver loopings; the corporals by a silver cord round the collar and cuffs; and the trumpeters wore scarlet coats with lace instead of looping. From the date of its return from America, i^j^^ the regiment remained in England for fourteen years; it took its turn in the escort duty for the royal family; also furnished, from time to time, parties to assist the officers of the revenue in the prevention of smuggling, in the maritime towns and villages ; and it was repeatedly reviewed by King George III., and by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duke of York, who were pleased to express their approbation of its appearance and discipline. In 1792, when the French republicans had 1792 seized on the person of their sovereign, and their violent proceedings were likely to lead to a war, the establishment of the regiment was augmented to forty-three men and forty-three horses per troop. 34 HISTORICAL RECORD OF I W 1793 The French revolutionists having beheaded their sovereign, this atrocious act was followed by hostilities between Great Britain and the regi- cides, and in the spring of 1793, a body of British troops embarked for the Netherlands. The esta- blishment of the Queen's regiment of Light Dragoons was augmented to nine troops; 8.nd on the 24th of April, four troops, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir Robert Laurie, Bart., embarked on the river Thames, at Blackwall, and sailed to Ostend, from whence they marched to Tournay, where his Royal Highness the Duke of York had established his head-quarters; two squadrons of the Seventh, Eleventh, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Light Dragoons, formed a brigade under Major- General Ralph Dundas. Advancing from Tournay, on the 19th of May, the Sixteenth arrived at the Austrian camp at Quiverain on the 22nd; and on the following day they reached the bank of the Ronelle at an early hour. The river was passed; and the French batteries being taken in flank, their numerous legions were forced to evacuate the camp at Famars. Here the regiment first encountered the republican troops; it passed the river at a ford in the village of Mershe, and turned the enemy's THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 35 flank; the morning was serene and clear, the line i7<)3 of hattle extended for several miles, and a very animating scene presented itself as the Sixteenth moved against the opposing legions and took part in driving them from their fortified post. Valenciennes was besieged by the troops under the Duke of York, and the Sixteenth took part in the duties connected with this enterprize. The first piquet furnished by the regiment, was posted for fourteen hours under an epaulement, and exposed, during the whole of the time, to a shower of shells; the men were dismounted, with their horses in hand, and the embankment was so well constructed, that the only loss was a few horses wounded. At the storming of the breach, on the 25th of July, the piquet, under Captain Hawker, supported the attack. After the surrender of Valenciennes, the Six- teenth marched towards Camhray^ in the vicinity of which fortress they arrived on the 8th of August, making a circuit on the south side to the village of Bourler; on the 10th, the regiment made a detour on the north side of Cambray, and after passing the village of Bourmont, suddenly found itself close to five thousand French infantry formed in a ravine, with cavalry on the flanks. 36 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1793 Major-General Ralpli Dundas immediately ordered the regiment to retire, which it did with the loss of a few men; before facing about, Lieutenant William Archer had the temerity to fire a double- barrel pistol at the French line. From Cambray the regiment marched towards Dunkirk^ and it formed the advance-guard of the force which attacked the French posts between the canal of Furnes and the sea, on the 24th of August, on which occasion the enemy was driven into the town. At the conclusion of the attack, Lieut.-General D'Alton, a distinguished officer in the Austrian service, was killed at the head of the regiment, by a shot from a redoubt th;.t com- manded the chaussee leading to the town. The arrival of the naval force and of the battering train was so long delayed, that the enemy had time to assemble an overpowering force, and compelled the Duke of York to raise the siege of Dunkirk; on withdrawing from before this ])lace, the Sixteenth and Thirty-seventh Foot formed the rearguard of the besieging force. In the subsequent operations of this year, the Sixteenth were not seriously engaged. At the close of the campaign the head-quarters were at Tournay, and the regiment furnished piquets THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 37 on the road to Lisle. For three successive 179 'J mornings, the piquet under Captain Charles Smith, with the piquet of the Inniskilling Dra- goons under Captain Hammond, and the piquet of the Esterhazy Hussars, at the posts of Willem and Sailly, not far from Pont a Tressin, wore attacked under the cover of a thick fog by a most overpowering force. The Sixteenth covered the retreat of the out-posts each morning, and sustained some loss; but the ground was after- wards recovered with much slaughter of the French. Previous to this date. Sir Robert Laurie had been promoted to the rank of major-general, and placed at the head of a brigade, and the command of the regiment devolved on Captain Samuel Hawker. The winter was passed by the regiment in 1794 occupying quarters near the enemy's posts, and in furnishing videts and out-guards, and early in the spring of 1794, it took the field. At the attack of the enemy's positions on the 17th of April, one squadron was attached to the column under the Duke of York's immediate command, intended to carry the village of Vatuvy and was ordered by His Royal Highness to accompany some foreign hussars round a wood to the right, 38 HISTORICAL RECORD OP 1701 by wliich movement a body of French troops Mas cut off, and many men killed and wounded. The Duke of York in person directed the Sixteenth to charge a nine-gun battery covered with cavalry, which was executed with great gallantry, and four pieces of cannon and a howitzer were captured. The other squadron of the Sixteenth advanced under Lieut.-General Sir William Erskine, against Fremont, and formed part of the force detached under Lieut.-General Harcourt, against the ene- my's flank. The French were driven from their ground, and night and a contiguous wood favoured their escape. The siege of Landrecies being undertaken, the regiment encamped at an out-post in front of Caicau, where the British army was in position covering the siege. The morning of the 26th of April was foggy; before break of day a few pistol shots, and now and then a shout, came faintly from the mist which covered the villages in front of the camp ; and so impetuous was the attack of the enemy, that the videts were instantly driven in, and the Sixteenth were aroused by a few shots fired among their touts ; at the same time the offic» s' baggage was captured by the French. The ten rity of the enemy on this occasion was, THK SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 30 however, punished by the Sixteenth and Barco's I huBsars (Germans), who charged, killed, and made prisoners, a number of opponents; and Prince Schwartzenburg requested the trumpeters of the Sixteenth to sound the assembly, and, if possible, to collect a sufficient force to cut off this column of the' enemy; but the French dis- covered the critical situation into which this rash advance had brought them, and fell back with the utmost rapidity. The Duke of York, surveying the field of battle from the top of a redoubt, observed that the enemy's left flank was uncovered, and His Royal Highness detached the cavalry of the right wing, including the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, to take advantage of this omission; this movement completely succeeded; the enemy was broken, thrown into confusion, and chased from the field with great slaughter and the loss of a quantity of cannon, and a number of officers and soldiers made prisoners. In his public de- spatch, the Duke of York declared the conduct of the British cavalry was " beyond aU praised and it was stated in general orders, "The Aus- " trian regiment of Cuirassiers of Zetchwitz, the " Blues, First, Third, and Fifth Dragoon Guards, " the Royals, Archduke Ferdinand's Hussars, and rj)|. 40 HISTORICAL RECORD OF ,1 : 1794 « the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, who attacked " and defeated the principal column of the " enemy on the right, have all acquired immortal " honour to themselves." The Sixteenth had one man and six horses killed; fourteen rank and file and twelve horses wounded. On the surrender of Landrecies, the regiment proceeded by forced marches to Tournay, where the British troops were attacked on the 10th of May, by thirty thousand of the enemy ; and the Sixteenth formed part of the force detached, under Lieut.-General Harcourt, against the right flank of the French army. The British dragoons were again victorious; the enemy's legions were overpowered and driven from the field; and the Sixteenth highly distinguished themselves in a charge upon a field battery of eight guns, sup- ported by cavalry and infantry, which were routed, and the guns captured. The commanding officer. Captain Samuel Hawker, had his horse killed under him, and was wounded; Lieut. William Archer, two Serjeants, five rank and file, and seven horses, wounded; three men and two horses killed. At the general attack on the enemy's positions, ft : THE SIXTEteNTH LANCERS. 41 on the 17th of May, the regiment was attached 1794 to the column under the Duke of York's imme- diate command, which captured Lannoy^ Rouhaia?, and Mouveaua?; the Sixteenth halted at Roubaix, from whence they sent out strong patroles during the night. In the mean time, the failure of other divisions of the allied army in the performance of their share of the combined movement, had left the British troops exposed to the whole weight and power of the enemy's overwhelming numbers. Fifteen thousand French troops advanced from Lisle; at the same time another column of the enemy forced its way through General Otto's position at Waterloo, and attacked the Duke of York in the rear; the few troops with His Royal Highness were soon compelled to give way before such superior numbers, when a detachment of the Sixteenth, under Lieutenant William Henry Pringle, escorted His Royal Highness to the column under the veteran General Otto. Captain Charles Smith was directed to hold possession of Rouhaia? with the left squadron of the Sixteenth, and he dismounted a few men, who kept up a brisk fire with their carbines at the gates, until the Duke of York had retired. When Lieut. -General Abercromby approached D ifi'l * 42 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1794Roubaix with his column from Mouveaux, he expected the town was in possession of the enemy, and Colonel Congreve was directed to fire some artillery into the streets to clear them; the Sixteenth were, however, in possession of the town; they formed in the market-place, and Colonel Hutchinson, afterwards Lord Hutchinson, arrived with a message from Lieut.-General Abercromby, requesting them to cover the retro- grade movement of his column. The Sixteenth, and Lord Charles Fitzroy's company of grenadiers of the Foot Guards, formed the rear of the column of march in the retreat from Rc> hix towards Lannoy. Crowds of enemies aji.t> pouring down upon the British, who were attacked in front, on both flanks, and in the rear, at the same moment. On approaching Lannoy, it was found occupied by the enemy, and the British quitted the high-way and fought their passage through the fields to Templeuve. The Sixteenth were conspicuous for the excellent order they pre- served, and for their spirited conduct in repulsing the attacks of the enemy, for which they were highly commended by Lieut.-General Abercromby. Their loss was one man and two horses killed; seven men and eight horses wounded. , a THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 43 On the 22nd of May the British were at- 1794 tacked in their lines before Towmay; the Six- teenth were on piquet, with part of O'Donnell's free corps, and maintained their post in the neighbourhood of Coisoign, during the general attack of the enemy under General Pichegru, on the Duke of York's army. Towards the close of the engagement the Sixteenth made a demon- stration along the east bank of the Scheldt, and were, spectators of the repulse of the enemy's last effort, by the Fourteenth, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Foot. At length the defeat and retrograde mjve- ments of the Austrians rendered it necessary for the Duke of York to withdraw from before Toumay, and the Sixteenth Light Dragoons took part in covering the retreat, and in several of the skirmishes which followed, and they preserved their reputation for valour and discipline. On the 16th of July the regiment was en- gaged in driving back a body of French troops, from Duffel^ near Malines; and on the- 5th of August, a piquet of the Seventh and Sixteenth Light Dragoons surprised a French piquet, and took several men and horses prisoners. The army afterwards quitted Flanders and D 2 44 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1794 encamped on the plains of Breda; on the I2th of September the piquet of the Sixteenth was driven back, by superior numbers, from the Domme], and on the I4th the enemy forced the troops of Hesse D'Armstadt from Bortel; Lieut.- General Abercromby was detached with the Six- teenth and several other corps, to regain thifi post ; but he found the enemy in such force that he retired to the main body behind the Aa: the Sixteenth taking part in covering the retro- grade movement, which was executed with groat ability. 1795 From Breda the army retired behind the Maese, and afterwards took post beyond the Waal; but in January, 1795, the rivers were so frozen as to permit the enemy to cross upon the ice; and it was found necessary to retire through Holland to Germany. During this retrograde movement, which occupied several weeks, the troops had to march over ice, through deep snow, and were exposed to tempests; they also suflfered much from the want of provisions, but they bore licse hardships with a patience which redounded to their honour. The Sixteenth remained in Germany until the winter, when they embarked from Bremen, and, after some delay from tem- THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. a pestuous weather, landed in England, in February, 1796 1796. In the summer of this jeat the regiment was encamped, under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel James Affleck, near Weymouth, where a large body of troops, chiefly cavalry, was assembled to practise the system of evolutions suggested by Lieut.-General David Dundas. In 1797 the regiment was reviewed by King 1797 George III., on Ashford Common, and afterwards took the royal escort duty. It was again reviewed by His Majesty, on Hounslow Heath, in August, 1798, and afterwards joined the camp at Swinley, 1798 near Windsor; at which place it was again en- camped in the summer of 1799, and took part in 1799 His Majesty's grand reviews. The head-quarters were established, in 1800, 1800 at Canterbury, and afterwards at Croydon; and in the autumn of 1801, the regiment was encamped 1801 near Brighton, where it was leviewed by their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duke of York. In the autumn of 1802, the regiment em- 1802 barked at Liverpool, under the orders of Lieut.- Colonel Stapleton Cotton (now Viscount Comber- mere), for Ireland, and the head-quarters were 46 HISTORICAL RECORD OF I *• tS ■■!s«' ■A '■ 4 ■ 1803 eHtablished at LongT.rd; in the following year they were removed to Dublin, and the regiment was employed in suppressing the commotions which broke out in that city, and had several men and horses killed and wounded. - 1 804 From Dublin, the head-qua '•ters were removed, 1805 in 1804, to Gort; in 1805, the regiment em- barked from Dublin, for Liverpool, from whence it marched to Guildford; Lieut.-Colonel George Anson commanding. 1806 His Royal Highness the Duke of York re- viewed the regiment on Ashford Common in the spring of 1806; in September of the same year it was stationed at Hounslow and Hampton Court, and performed the escort duty to His Majesty, who reviewed the regiment on Hounslow Heath, and expressed his high approbation of its appearance. 1807 ^^ 1807 the regiment marched into canton- ments in Kent; the head-quarters being at Hythe; 1808^^^ *^ 1808 it was reviewed on Wimbledon Common by His Royal Highness the Commander- in-Chief. Meanwhile a number of extraordinary events arising out of the confusion occasioned by the French revolution, had elevated a daring and liii THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 47 talented general, Napoleon Buonaparte, to the 1808 throne of France, and had added Italy and Genoa to his dominions; the unsatiated ambition of this cMeftain thirsted for universal empire, and he was endeavouring to reduce the Peninsula to submis- sion to his yoke. British troops were sent to aid the Spaniards and Portuguese, and on the Slst of March, 1809, the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, 1809 commanded by Colonel George Anson, embarked from Falmouth* for Portugal, landed at Lisbon on the 13th of April, and were formed in brigade with the Fourteenth Light Dragoons, under Major-General Stapleton Cotton. After ton days' march the regiment joined the army assem- bling at Coimbra under Lieut.-General Sir Arthur * The following officers proceeded abroad with the regiment in 1809. Colonel, George Anson ; Major, the Honourable Lincoln Stan- hope; Captains, Raymond Pelly, James Hay, George Homt Murray, Robert Ashworth, Jo^in Henry Belli, Honorable Henry B. Lygon, Honorable Edward C. Cocks, Clement Sweetonham; Lieutenants, Robert Lloyd, William Glasscott, Ralph B, Johnson, George Thompson, William Persse, Richard Weyland, Hugh Owen, William Hay, John P. Buchanan, William J. Alexander, Henry Van Hagen, William Tomkinson, Thomas Pem*lce, Henry B. Bence, William Osten, Charles Sawyer; Comets, William Lockhart, Charles T. Bishop, George Keating; Paymaster, John Burnet; Surgeon, Isaac Robinson; Assistant Surgeons, Jamoi O'Meally, R. T. Healde; Adjutant, John Barra; and Veterinary Surgeon, John Peers. 48 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1809 Wellesley, to drive the French under Marshal Soult from Oporto. Advancing upon this enterprise, the regiment crossed the Vouga before daylight on the 10th of May, and approaching Albergaria N&va, arrived in the presence of four regiments of French cavalry, a battalion of infantry, and some artillery, under General Franceschi. The enemy was driven from his post; " the superiority of the British cavalry " was evident throughout the day*;" and the Six- teenth Light Dragoons were commended for their spirited conduct on this occasion. Several men and horses were wounded; and Major the Honorable Lincoln Stanhope received a sabre wound while leading a charge of the regiment on thin occasion. After the enemy was driven from his post, the regiment moved forward in pursuit, and halted that night at Oliveira; on the following morning it was again in motion, and about eight o'clock came up with the French, who were strongly posted on the heights above Grijon; they were again forced to make a precipitate retreat, and two squadrons of the Sixteenth and Twen- * London Gazette. m THE SEVENTEENTH LANCERS. 49 tietli Dragoons, darting forward in pursuit, killed 1S09 many and took some prisoners. The spirited con- duct of the regiment, on this occasion, was com- mended by Sir Arthur Wellesley, in his public despatch. It lost several men and horses, and, among the wounded, were Captain Sweetenham and Lieutenant Tomkinson. The French continued their retreat and arrived at Oporto during the night, but were driven from that place, with severe loss, on the following day. The Sixteenth pursued the enemy, one squadron proceeding by way of Guimaraens, and the other three by Braga; on the 16th of May, the advance- guard of the regiment, with the leading companies of the brigade of Foot Guards, came up with the rear of the enemy, which was formed on a strong position near Salamonde. This post was attacked, and the French fled in dismay, and with loss, particularly at the bridge of Ponte Nova, over which they endeavoured to escape. From Salamonde the pursuit was continued, and the advance-guard of the army, of which the Sixteenth formed part, arrived at Montalegre on the 19th of May, much fatigued from long marches through an exhausted country, and from incessant rain. The enemy having been chased beyond the 60 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1809 confines of Portugal, and forced to abandon his artillery and baggage, the pursuit terminated; the Sixteenth retraced their steps to Oporto, halted at that city one day, and afterwards pro- ceeded to Coimbra. On the plains of Coimbra the British cavalry were reviewed by Sir Arthur Wellesley on the 16th of June; they afterwards proceeded towards Abrantes; and Colonel Anson having been placed at the head of a brigade, with the rank of briga- dier-general, the command of the regiment devolved on Major the Honorable Lincoln Stanhope. Advancing from the vicinity of Abrantes, the Sixteenth passed the frontiers of Portugal, to co-operate with the Spaniards under General Cuesta; but the British commander being, from the neglect and apathy of the Spanish authorities, unable to procure provisions for his troops, halted at Talavera de la Rei/na. The French advanced in force under Joseph Buonaparte, and on the 27th and 28th of July, the valley of the Tagus at Talavera, resounded with the roar of cannon and musketry, and the Sixteenth Light Dra- goons were at their post in the line of battle, supporting the infantry, and manoeuvring to hold ■i-. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 51 the French cavalry in check. On this occasion 1809 the sterling qualities of the British troops were proved; the furious onsets of their opponents were repulsed with dreadful slaughter, and the allied army stood victorious on the field of battle. The loss of the Sixteenth was limited to six rank and file killed ; Lieutenant Bence and five rank and file wounded; two men missing. Its commanding officer, M^jor the Honorable Lin- coln Stanhope, obtained a gold medal, and the gallant bearing of the regiment was afterwards rewarded with the royal authority to bear the word *'Talaveba" on its guidons and appoint- ments. This display of British skill and prowess was followed by the advance of French armies having so great a superiority of numbers, that the Eng- lish general was obliged to withdraw behind the Tagus; and Assistant Surgeon O'Meally, being employed with the medical staff in charge of the wounded, was made prisoner and sent to France. The Sixteenth were afterwards employed on the Cruadiana; they subsequently occupied quarters in Estremadura and the Alentejo. Extraordinary fatigue, want of food, and the climate of the banks of the Guadiana, proved fatal to the 52 HISTORICAL RECORD OF I If. i I r h ^ I'*- 1809 British troops, and many officers and soldiers died of a malignant fever. Assistant Surgeon Healde, of the Sixteenth, died at Estremos; and of the thirty-six officers of the regiment present, nine- teen were attacked lyith the prevailing disease. During the winter the Spanish armies were defeated, captured, or dispersed; the British remained in Portugal; their commander was created Viscount Wellington; and in December, the Sixteenth Light Dragoons marched from the Alentejo to Portuguese Estremadura, occupying quarters at Abrantes on the banks of the Tagus. 1810 Additional French troops, flushed with their recent victories in Germany, crowded into Spain, and in the campaign of 1810, the British had to contend with such an immense superiority of numbers, that their operations were limited to the defence of Portugal. The Sixteenth advanced, in February, to the frontiers; but afterwards withdrew to Carbadao; in April they again moved forward to the Sierra d'Estrella, a lofty range of mountains in the province of Beira, and were reviewed, on the 19th of June, by Lord Wel- lington. Advancing with overwhelming numbers, the enemy besieged Ciudad Rodrigo, and the English THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 58 general, hoping the enemy would, by detaching 1810 troops, give him an opportunity of relieving the place, reinforced Brigadier-General Craufurd, who commanded the out-posts behind the Agueda, with the Fourteenth and Sixteenth Dragoons; the enemy pushed some troops forward, and tl i British cavalry in advance were posted at Gallegos, with the infantry in the wood of Alameda. On the 4th of July the enemy passed the river, and drove back the out-posts; the British retired skirmishing upon Ale leda, o troop of the Six- teenth, a troop of the Fii .: German Hussars, and two guns coveri^^' the movement, and, after some sharp fighting in which the French were repulsed, the British light infantry and the guns took post in a wood near Fort Conception, and the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, and other cavalry, were stationed higher up, on the Duas Casas. The French withdrew behind the Azava, leaving only a piquet at Gallegos; their marauding parties, however, entered the villages of Barquillo and Villa de I uerco on three successive nights, and Brigadier-General Craufurd, thinking to cut them off, formed two ambuscades, in one of which were the Sixteenth Light Dragoons. At day-break on the morning of the 11th of 54 HISTORICAL RECORD OF M. i' 1810 July, a body of French infantry was discovered near Villa de Puerco, and a party of cavalry at Barquillo. The British advanced along a difficult defile between stone in closures, and the French infantry, having time to form square on a steep rise of land, were enabled to repulse their oppo- nents and to effect their retreat. The French dragoons were charged, broken, and two officers and twenty-nine men made prisoners. During the night of the 23rd of July, the videts and piquets of the Sixteenth were exposed to a heavy storm of wind and rain; as day-rlight ap- proached, they discovered the advance of the enemy in force, and the regiment took part in covering the retrograde movements of the light division across the river Coa. The French besieged Almeida, which sur- rendered towards the end of August; on the 28th of that month the enemy attacked the out-posts, the Sixteenth were sharply engaged, and Captain the Honorable Henry B. Lygon was severely wounded while in command of the skirmishers. Having gained possession of one of the prin- cipal fortresses of Portugal, the French Marshal, Massena, urged forward his numerous legions; the British fell back fighting; t^t; Sixteenth, THE SIXTEENTH LANCERP. 65 taking a mo8t active part in covering the retreat, 1810 were frequently engaged with the enemy. On the 3rd of September their out-posts were at- tacked; on the 24th the French skirmished with the piquets in front of MortagaOy when a squadron of the Sixteenth distinguished itself, leaving a number of opponents dead on the field, and bringing olf several prisoners. On the 25th of September the cavalry skir- mishers exchanged a few shots, and the regiment was employed in covering the retreat of the light division to the position on the rugged rocks of Bmaco; it had several men and horses killed and wounded; Captain George Home Murray was also slightly wounded, and Cornet George Keating severely wounded. At the battle of BusacOt on the 27th of Sep- tember, the regiment was commanded by Major Clement Archer, but the ground was too moun- tainous and rugged for the use of cavalry, and the regiment had no opportunity of distinguishing itself. The enemy having turned the position by a flank movement, the army retired towards the fortified lines; when the Sixteenth were again at the post of honour confronting the enemy and covering the retrograde movement. 56 HISTORICAL RECORD OF M- :*: ! ( 1810 On the 1st of October the out-posts were driven from the hills bounding the plain of Coimbra to the north, and the British fell back, fighting, across the Mondego. Leaving Coimbra on the 4th of October, Marshal Massena ad- vanced and drove the English piquets from Pomhal. On the following morning he pushed so suddenly upon Leyria as to create some confusion; some brilliant fighting took place, and the Sixteenth particularly distinguished themselves in action with the Third French hussars and the Fifteenth French dragoons. The regiment lost several men and horses, and Captain Murray was slightly and Captain Sweetenham severely wounded. At this period skirmishing took place every day. Tind on the 8th of October, a squadron of the Sixteenth charged the head of a French column in the streets of Alcoentre^ slew seven or eight of the enemy, and took twelve men and horses, of the Second and Fourteenth French dragoons, prisoners. The French, confident in their superior num- bers, pressed boldly forward, and the temerity of their cavalry was again punished on the 9th of October, near Quinta de Torre, when a squadron of the Sixteenth distinguished itself. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 57 On the 10th of October the skirmish was 1810 resumed, and the British took post in the lines of Tm^res VedraSy where they opposed a resistance which arrested the progress o • the numerous legions of Buonaparte. The Sixteenth were posted at Mafra; and on the 22nd of October the brigade to which they belonged took the out- post duty at Ramalhal, which was occupied as a post of reserve and support to Obidos, where a garrison was placed to restrain the French on that side. Marshal Massena, who had vaunted he wonld drive the English into the sea, and plant the eagles of France upon the towers of Lisbon, became convinced of the hopelessness of the task he had undertaken, and," in the middle of November, he retired to a positio'.i at Santarem. The Six- teenth moving forward in pursuit, formed part of the advance-guard of the allied army, and many prisoners were captured. Seijeant Bcuvter and six men of the regiment, being in advance, came suddenly upon a piquet of fifty French infantry, who were cooking, but they instantly ran to their arms. The serjeant led his little band to the charge with heroic gallantry, and broke in among the enemy with such resolution, 3i' 58 HISTORICAL RECORD OP ■•■) ; mm 1810 that, with the a^istance of some comtryraen, ho made prisoners a French officer and forty-ono soldiers, with the loss of one man of the Six- teenth killed. Serjeant Baxter had distinguished himself on former occasions, and in this advance, Serjeants Blood, Biggs, and Liddle, were con- spicuous for bravery in presence of the enemy. A board of officers assembled to decide upon the disposal of two thousand one hundred and eleven dollars, the produce of horses captured from the enemy, and awarded nine hundred and eighty- five dollars to the Sixteenth Light Dragoons. 1811 During the early part of the year 1811, the two opposing armies confronted each other ; and Captain the Honorable Edward Charlei Cocks was detached with a squadron of the Sixteenth to Caldo.% to watch the enemy's movements, and to harass and attack his foraging parties. While thus employed, Captain Cocks and thfj men of the regiment under his orders, distingul«ihed them- selves on several occasions, and took many prisoners ; and, on the 25th of January, 8ei;jeant Blood and six men charged the rear of a French squadron, in thfj act of crossing a bridge, and cut off fifteen men and horses, thus affording another instance of the superiority of the British cavalry. o THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 59 On the 24th of January a reconnoissance was 1811 made by the enemy, when the Sixteenth were engaged. The enemy had a custom of sending a strong patrole almost every night to Arrada; on the 19th of February, thirty men of the Sixteenth Light Dragoons and First German Hussars, under Cor- net Strenuwitz, formed an ambuscade near Fer- ragoas^ but waited two days without seeing the French detachment. A small patrole was sent up to the enemy's piquet at Alcanhede, and on retiring it was pursued by an officer and twenty French foot, and an officer and twenty dragoons. The enemy, coming within reach o^the ambuscade, were charged with distinguished gallantry; the officer, and the whole of the infantry, were taken or cut down; the officer proved to be one of General Clausel's aides-de-camp; three of the dragoons were made prisoners, several sabred, and the remainder escaped by dispersing. On the 5th of March the French army re- treated from Santarem, and the Sixteenth moved forward in pursuit. Lieutenant Richard Weyland commanded a detachment of the regiment in observation near Leyria^ where, on the morning of the 9th of March, he ma'Ie a party of thirty E 2 ill 60 HISTORICAL RECORD OF i ■-:)'' lii ■.ners. liJi his public despatch. Lord Wellington design£ted this a "gallant action;" and the conduct of Lieute- nant Persse of the Sixteenth was applauded. The cavalry and light troops rontinued to hover round and assail the e/iemv'*^ rear; the THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 01 Sixteenth were become conspicuous for their 1811 da/ing and success; and on the 29th of March they formed part of the force which drove the enemy from Guardo^ back upon Sabugal, on which occasion Serjeants Baxter and Greaves, being at the head of a fc.iv men, greatly distin- guished themselves, charging the enemy on two separate occasions, and taking many prisoners. Some sharp fighting took place at Sabugal on the 3rd of April; the French divisions were driven from thence, and the brigade of which the Sixteenth formed part, took a quantity of bag- gage ; Lieutenant William Lockhart of the regi- ment distinguished himself on this occasion. Advancing towards Fwt Conceptioriy on the 7th of April, to the support of a corps of Portuguese militia under Colonel Trant, the Sixteenth, the Royal Dragoons, and a troop of artillery, came suddenly upon a large body of French infantry, which was attacked, when about three hundred of the enemy were killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. A squadron of the Six- teenth, led by Captain Murray, charged tlie Frenclf rear-guard, which had formed square, cut many men down, and took one officer and fifty- six soldiers prisoners. 62 HISTORICAL RECORD OP r. . V 1811 Having chased the French army over the frontiers of Portugal, the British blockaded Al- meida ; and the Sixteenth Light Dragoons went into quarters of refreshment, the horses being exhausted by continual marches and skirmishing. Marshal Massena reinforced and re-organized his discomfited army, and advanced to relieve Almeida, when the regiment left its cantonments and once more confronted the enemy in the vicinity of Fuentes d^Onor^ where some sharp fighting took plac*^ on the 3rd and 5th of May, in which the Sixteenth took part, and the enemy was repulsed and forced to retire back into Spain. The regiment had one horse killed on the 3rd, and on the 5th, Lieutenant Blake, seven rank and file, and four horses killed; Lieutenant Wey- land, sixteen rank and file, and five horses wounded ; Captain Belli and one Serjeant taken prisoners. The commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Clement Archer, received a gold medal, and the gallant conduct of the officers and soldiers was subsequently rewarded with the honour of bearing the word " Fuentes d'Onor" on the guidons and appointments. • After this repulse of the enemy, the Six- jEENTii were allowed a short period of repose in ( •.• THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. G3 cantonments among the Portuguese peasantry ; 181 1 they were formed in brigade with the Fourteenth Light Dragoons under Major-General Anson, and were reviewed by Lord Wellington on the 19th of July. Tn the autumn the allied army blockaded Ciudad Rodrigo, and the French troops advanced to relieve that fortress. The Sixteenth were j)osted at EspejOi on the Lower A^ava, with advanced posts at Carpio and Marialva. Soon after day-break, on the 25th of September, four- teen squadrons of the Imperial Guards drove the out-posts from Carpio, across the Azava, and the lancers of Berg, crossing that river in pursuit, were charged by two squadrons of the Sixteenth and a squadron of the T ourtecnth Light Dragoons, and driven back. The e.^en^y attempted to rally and to return, but they ^veie checkea by the lin^ht infantry posted in a wood, and were driven across the river by the cavalry. The regiment after warus fell back, and the army was eventual :y conce'.trated behind Soito. The conduct of the Sixteenth, on this occasion, excited admiration ; and the behaviour of ()i^.tain James Hay, and of Captain (Brevet-Major) the Honorable Edward Charles Cocks, was commended in the public despatches. i. V hi \t : k '4 64 HISTORICAL RECORD OF w I If: 1812 A favourable opportunity occurring, tlic British troops moved forward in the depth of winter and besieged Ciudad JiodrigOt the Six- teenth forming part of the covering army, and this important fortress was wrested from the enemy in January, 1812. From the Agueda the regiment proceeded by easy stages to the Alentejo, and crossing the Guadiana river, penetrated into Spanish Estrema- dura, to join the covering army during the siege of Badajoz. Marshal Soult assembled a nume- rous body of troops and advanced to raise the siege, when the covering army fell back, and while the French army was advancing in haste to fight for Badajoz, this fortress was, by a mighty effort, captured by storm during the night of the 6th of April. The French mai .'hal, confounded by this sudden stroke, faced about and retired towards the frontiers of Andalusia. The Sixteenth regiment of Light Dragoons was one of the corps which followed the retiring enemy, and during the night of the 10th of April, it marched from Villa Franca upon Usagrc, to take part in cutting off" a body of French cavalry encamped between Villa Garcia and Usagre. The enemy, however, fell back upon THE SIXTEENTH LANCFRS. 05 lAerenUy and formed for battle behind the junction 1812 of the Benvenida road. The opposing horsemen mustered about nineteen hundred sabres on each side ; but the British soon decided the action, by charging the enemy in front and flank with such resolution, that he was instantly broken and chased from the ground with the loss of many officers and soldiers. After charging the French squadrons in front, the Sixteenth pursued the enemy a considerable distance and took many prisoners^ Captain the Honorable Edward Charles Cocks* signalizing himself in a particular manner. The regiment was commanded, on this occasion, by • Captain tho Honorable Edward Charles Cocks, (eldest son of the Earl Somers,) whose deeds of gnllantry are recorded in this history, was promoted from the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, by purchase, to a majority in the Seventy-ninth Regiment, in Febniary, 1812, and was killed at Burgos on the 8th of October, 1812. " The enemy made two sorties on the head of the sap, between " the exterior and interior lines of the castle of Burgos, in both <* of which they materially injured our works, and we suffered *< some loss. In the last, at three on the morning of the 8th, we " had the misfortune to lose the Honorable Major Cocks, of the " Seventy-ninth, who was field-officer of the trenches, and was " killed in the act of rallying the troops who had been driven in. " I have frequently Jiud occasion to draw your Lordship's atten- " tion to the conduct of Major Cocks, and in oae instance, very " recently, in the attftck of the horn work of the castle of Burgos, " and I consider his loss as one of the greatest inportance to this " army and to his Majesty's service." — Lord Wellinglon's despatch, dated Uth October, 1812. 00 •• i»Tr,ronif;AL ueoouu of i ^ IHI2 Cnptain George Homo Murray, whose conduct Wtts comnioiided in the public despatch of Lieut.- General Sir Stajdeton Cotton, who stated, — "I " cannot say too much in praise of the gallantry and " regularity of the four regiments (Fifth Dragoon " guards, Twelfth, Fourteenth and Sixteenth " Light Dragoons,) which attacked and pursued " the enemy; nor could anything have exceeded " the steadiness and good discipline displayed by ♦* the Third and Fourth Dragoons who supported " them." The loss of the regiment, in conse- quence of the sudden and spirited manner in which the attack was made, was only one horse killed ; one man and two horses wounded. Leaving Estremadura, the regiment marched to Beira, and the French troops which had pene- trated that province under Marshal Marmont, withdrew into Spain. The regiment was reviewed by Lord Wel- lington on the 12th of June, and on the following day it advanced upon Salamanca ; from whence the French withdrew, and the allied army took up a position in the mountains of St. Christoval during the siege of the forts. Marshal Marmont ])ut his army in motion, but being unable to save the forts, he fell back bevond the Douro, and TIIR 8IXTEKNT1I LANCERS. (17 thu HritiHli army advanced to the opposi" l>->( k 1812 of the river. Having obtained reinforcements, the French commander suddenly crossed the Douro in the middle of July, when the allied army retired; but Lord Wellington ordered the light division, and Major-General Anson's brigade of cavalry, to halt on the Trabancas at Castrejon. On the morning of the 18th of July the enemy appeared in force, and some sharp fighting took place, in which the Sixteenth were hotly engaged, and had three men and five horses killed ; Lieutenant Baker, eight rank and file, and two horses wounded ; three men and four horses missing. Lord Wellington, having arrived at Castrejon, ordered the troops to retire behind the Guarena river; a series of movements followed in which the commanders of both armies showed great abilities; the Sixteenth Liglit Dragoons took part in covering the operations, and, finally, the British were once more formed in position in the mountains near Salamanca. On the 22nd of July, the French marshal manoeuvred to gain the Ciudad Rodrigo road, and Lord Wellington, watching the opposing army from one of the rocks called Arapiles, saw his adversary's left 68 . HISTORICAL RECORD OF u w t 'i>- il 1812 wing separated from his centre, and instantly seizing the opportunity which this faulty move- ment offered, he ordered the British divisions for- ward, and the battle commenced. The Sixteenth Light Dragoons, with the other regiments of Major-General Anson's brigade, formed on the right of the sixth and seventh divisions, and afterwards advanced on the left of the third division when it made its brilliant and successful attack on the enemy's left wing. Galloping for- ward, th*^, regiment flanked Major-General Le Marchant's brigade of heavy cavalry in its spirited charge upon the French infantry. The rapid advance of the cavalry upon a light soil, with a strong breeze at their back, soon enveloped them in a cloud of dust ; their charge was, however, successful, and two thousand prisoners were taken. The Sixteenth continued to advance, and, after passing through a wood, arrived at some ploughed fields, where the dust was so great they could see nothing, and the brigade halted. When the dust cleared, the regiment retired a short distance to be out of the range of the fire of a large body of infantry and artillery in its front. The battle continued to rage ; for a short period the victo- rious career of the British was checked; but, THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 69 after a desperate effort, the changing current of j si 2 the fight once more flowed in favour of the allied army, and the French were driven from the field with severe loss. Captain George Home Murray commanded the regiment on this occasion, and was rewarded with a gold medal ; and the royal authority was afterwards given for the Sixteenth to bear the word " Salamanca" on their guidons and appointments, in commemoration of their conduct on this occasion. Moving forward in pursuit of the enemy, on the following day, the Sixteenth, and four other regiments, overtook the French rear-guard, at a small stream, at the foot of a height, near the village of La Serna; the five regiments charged; the French cavalry fled before the British horsemen, and the First and Second Ger- man Dragoons broke a square of infantry and made many prisoners; the Sixteenth charged, on this occasion, with great gallantry. Continuing to form part of the advance-guard in the pursuit of the broken remains of the French army, the regiment arrived, on the 31st of July, at the ancient city of Valladolid, where a quantity of cannon and nilitary stores was captured. '<■-. 70 HISTORICAL RECORD OF ^1 . •r- ■■i ■ !■ \ ■ ijilli' 1812 At Valladolid the pursuit was discontinued, and the Marquis of Wellington undertook a inarch of one hundred miles to Madrid, with the main body of the army, leaving the Sixteenth and several other corps, on the Douro. The brigade occupied extensive cantonments ; but in the middle of August, a French force under General Clausel advanced down the Pisuerga stream, and the brigade was concentrated at Tudela, a small town on the Douro five miles from Valladolid, where above twenty thousand French troops had arrived on the 18th of August. On that day the brigade was attacked by very superior numbers, and after some fighting, it fell back behind the Douro, and occupied quarters aloiiff the bank of that river from Tudela to a station opposite to Valladolid. About this period Serjeant-Major Blood, whose conduct on former occasions reflected credit on the regiment, returned from an incursion, in which he had penetrated to the neighbourhood of Astorga, in the rear of the French army, and the Marquis of Wellington rewarded the zeal and address which the seijeant-major had evinced oi» this service, with a donation of a liu'Klred dollars, and offered to recommend him for a commission. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS, 71 The army returning from Madrid, the Six- 1 ^1 2 TEENTH crossed the Douro and advanced upon Valladolid on the 6th of September; the French retreating "with the loss of a piquet, which was captured by the Eleventh Dragoons. As the enemy retreated up the beautiful Pisuerga and Arlanzan valleys, wliich were care- fully cultivated and filled to repletion with corn, wine, and oil, the Sixteenth were at the head of the allied army, which followed the French ; day after day the opposing legions manoeuvred, the French offering battle in strong positions, and the allies turning them by flank movements; repeated rencounters took place between the out- posts, and at Torquemado, the piquets were at- tacked on the tSth of September, when a squadron of the Sixteenth, under Captain Buchanan, distinguished itself, making many prisoners. At length the army arrived at Burgos; the Six- teenth passed tlie Arlanzan river below the town, on the 19 til of September, and the siege of the castle was commenced. The regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Hay, covered the siege of Burgos Castle, fur- nishing out-posts at Monasterio, sixteen miles in advance of Burgos. A numerous French army, 1' 1;-'' I m ■if f\\ 72 HISTORICAL RECORD OP I 181 2 under General Souham, advanced to fore© the allies to raise the siege, and on the 13th of October the out-posts were attacked. Captain Persse of the Sixteenth was twice forced from the bridge beyond Monasterio, and twice reco- vered it in the most gallant manner, and Coloncil F. Ponsonby brought forward the reserves. Captain Persse and several men of the regimoiit were wounded. This demonstration was foHowud by others; the out-posts fell back on the 19th of October, and during the night of the 21;«t, the British raised the siege and retired; the Six- teenth taking part in covering the movement. On the 23rd of October the infantry crossed the Pisuerga river. The French attacked tho rear-guard under LL ut.-General Sir Stapletoii Cotton, and drove the piquets from the bridge of Baniel; the British horsemen rallied upon thtilr reserves, and gained the Hormaza stream, where they disputed the ground for some time, and Captain Persse led a squadron of the Sixteenth to the charge, against very superior num))ef», with a degree of valour and resolution seldom witnessed, which excit'^d great admirati n). Even- tually, the British withdrew behind Cellada (Id Catrdno, and took post on a large plain. Major- I'ljittBe THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 73 Kv(,' the regiment commenced its march from Bayonne to Calais, which it accomplished in five weeks, and embarked for England in July; having sus- tained a loss of three hundred and nine men, and fourteen hundred and sixteen horses, during the six campaigns it had served in Portugal, Spain, and France. 1815 After its arrival in England, the regiment was stationed at Deal and Hounslow, and in February, 1815, it was ordered to London, to aid. in suppressing the riots, which took place on the introduction into parliament of a bill, to regulate the importation of grain. The public ex- citement having subsided, the regiment marched into Kent, the head-quarters being at Canterbury. In the mean time Napoleon Buonaparte had invaded, vnth a few followers, the kingdom from which he had been exiled i the armies of France instantly forsook their sovereign, and elevated the invader to the throne of that kingdom. Against Buonaparte and his adherents the nations of Europe declared war, and while the din of hostile preparation resounded in every quarter, three, squadrons of the Sixteenth Light Dragoons embarked for Flanders, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel James Hay : having landed at THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. SI Ostend, they marched to the banks of the 1815 Dender, where they were formed in brigade with the Eleventh and Twelfth Light Dragoons, under the command of Major-General Sir John Vandeleur, the head-quarters being at Dender- wyndick. They were reviewed, with the British cavalry, on the 29th of May, by Field-Marshal His Grace the Duke of Wellington, and Prince Blucher; and when Buonaparte suddenly passed the frontiers with his armee d'elitet and attacked the British and Prussian advance-posts, the regi- ment advanced upon Quatre Bras, and arriving at that post on the evening of the 16th of June, skirmished with the French cavalry, but was too late to take a decisive part in the action. Having overthrown the Prussian army at Lfgny, Buonaparte turned the main body of his numerous bands against the British, who fell back on the 17th of June, from Quatre Bras to Waterloo; the Sixteenth taking part in covering the retrograde movement by the open country, and fording the little river Dyle, took their station on the left of the position at Water- loo, where they passed the night exposed to violent storms of wind and rain. The morning of the memorable 18th of June $2 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1815 arrived, and the French legions were seen crowd- ing the high grounds in front of the allied army, and descending in dense columns to commence one of the most important battles recorded in history, a battle in which the destiny of millions was decided by the sword, and British valour shone forth with unparalleled lustre. The Six- teenth Light Dragoons were stationed on the left of the line, and witnessed the furious onsets of Napoleon*s veterans repelled by British prowess. The heavy cavalry regiments under JSIajor-General Sir William Ponsouby, having by a gallant charge broken several columns of French infantry, were afterwards seen retiring in some disorder before a large body of lancers, when Major-General Sir John Vandeleur moved his brigade to their relief, and charging the lancers, drove them back, mak- ing m of them prisoners. The Sixteenth charged the lancers with the same gallantry which they had evinced in the Peninsular cam- paigns; and their commanding officer, Lieut- Colonel Hay, being severely wounded, the com- mand of the regiment devolved on Major Murray. After driving back the French cavalry, the regiment resumed its post on the left, where it remained until the evening, when it was relieved THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 83 by the arrival of the Prussians to co-operate with 1815 the Anglo-Belgian army, and moving to the right of the British position, bad the honour to take a distinguished part in the general attack made on the French army, which was overthrown, cut to pieces, and driven from the field vnth the loss of its cannon and baggage. In this charge the brigade was exposed to a battery, which was, however, speedily turned and captured; the brigade then charged, and broke, a square of infantry of the Imperial Guard, cutting down or making prisoners the whole. Re-forming after this charge, the brigade was led at speed against another mass of French infantry, which was also broken and cut to pieces. The infantry was supported by a body of cuirassiers, and as the brigade advanced to charge these steel-clad warriors, they withdrew ;— -some of the French oflScers, taken prisoners, afterwards stated that these cuirassiers were covering the person of the Emperor. In these attacks the brigade took about three thousand prisoners. Darkness had enveloped the field of battle; the panic-struck fugitives were flying before the conquering sabres of the British dragoons in every direction, when a regiment of German dragoons, coming 84 HISTORICAL RECORD OF J 81 5 up in the rear of the Sixteenth, mietook them for French, and were preparing to attack them, but the error was discovered in time to prevent serious consequences. The regiment halted on the field of battle, surrounded by the ensanguined trophies of victory; its loss was Captain J. P. Buchanan, Cornet Alexander Hay, two Serjeants, six rank and file, and thirty-five horses killed; Lieut.-Colonel James Hay; Captain Richard Weyland, Lieutenants William Osten, N. D. Crichton, two Serjeants, sixteen rank and file, and twenty horses wounded. The regiment was afterwards rewarded with the honour of bearing the word " Waterloo" on its guidons and appointments; every officer and soldier received a silver medal, and the privilege of reckoning two years' service for this day ; and Lieut.-Colonel Hay and Major Murray were advanced to the dignity of Companions of the order of the Bath. The following officers of the Sixteenth Light Dragoons received silver medals for the battle of Waterloo. Lieut.-Colonel James Hay. Major G. H. Murray. Captains. John II. Belli (Bt. Major,) Clemt. Swoetenhani, Richard Weyland, William Tomkinson, Charles King, J. Barra. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 85 Lieutenants. 1815 William Oston, T. Wheeler, F. Swinfin, George Rakpr, Richard Bcauchamp, N. D. Crichton, E. B. Lloyd, William Napean, J. A. Richardson, John Luard, William Harris, C. T. Monkton, A. Macdowgall. Comets. William Bcckwith, William Polhill, George Nugent, Alexander Hay. Paymaster George Neyland. Surgeon Isaac Robinson. Assist. Surgeons J. McGr. Mullock, D. Murray. Veterinary Surgeon John Jones. Quarter- Master John Harrison. One of the non-commissioned officers killed at the battle of Waterloo was Serjeant-Major Baxter, who so repeatedly distinguished himself in the Peninsula, and whose fall was much re- gretted. From the field of battle, the regiment advanced upon Paris, which city surrendered to the allied armies: the French troops retiring behind the Loire. On the 3rd of July, the advance-guard of the Sixteenth was fired upon, a Serjeant wounded, and a horse killed ; but on the brigade trotting forward, a French officer advanced and apologized, attributing the occur- rence to the irritated state of the French soldiers, in consequence of the abdication of Buonaparte and the surrender of Paris. The regiment was afterwards stationed at the beautiful village of 86 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1815 Anieres; one regiment of the brigade bivouacking in the Champs Elysees in turns. After passing in review before the Emperors of Russia and Austria and the Kings of Prussia and France, on the 24th of July, the brigade marched into Normandy, the Sixteenth occupying canton- ments at Aumal, &c. Peace being restored, the regiment left France; it embarked at Calais in December, and landing at Dover, marched from thence to Romford, where it was reviewed by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, who made known the pleasure of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, that the Sixteenth should lay aside their carbines, and be equipped as a corps of ** Lancers;" the use of the lanoe, which had been discontinued by the English cavalry about two hundred years, being resumed at this period. 1816 In the beginning of March, 1816, the regiment embarked at Bristol for Ireland; in April it 1817 took the Dublin duty, and was stationed in that 1818 city until June, 1818, when the head-quarters were removed to Clonmel. 1819 On the 21st of June, 1819, the Sixteenth Lancers embarked at Waterford for Bristol, where the head-quarters were stationed, with THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 87 detached troops at Badipole barracks, and in 1819 South Wales. Six troops again proceeded to Ireland in 1821 1821, leaving one squadron and the head quarters at Manchester ; they returned to England in the spring of 1822, and the regiment 'was united at 1822 Romford, where its establishment was augmented preparatory to its embarkation for India, to which part of the globe it was ordered to transfer its services. Having given up its horses to other corps, the regiment embarked in June, on board the "General Hewett" and "Marchioness of Ely" Indiamen, and arriving in the Sanger Roads, in November and December, it was removed into small sloops, and sailed to Fort William, Calcutta, where a camp had been prepared for it on the southern glacis of the fort*. From Calcutta the regiment embarked, in 1823 * Names of the t^.'scers who embarked with the regiment for India in 1822. Lteut.- Joloneh, F. Newbery (col.), G. H. Murray ; Major W. Persse; Captaint Osten, Luard, Enderley, Byrom, Greville, Ellis ; Ideutenants Harris, Cureton, Wrottesley, Sperling, McConchy, Crossley, Menteith, Macdowell, Lovelace, McDowgall, Lowe, Armstrong, Douglas; Comets Smyth, Collins, Havelock, Stewart, Osborne ; Pay-Master G. Neyland ; Adjutant Hilton ; Surgeon Robinson; Assi^ant Surgeons ^vMoehf Murray; Qitarter- Master Pratt; Veterinary Surgeon Spencer: Riding Master Blood :-'>^fi2 nDn-comini8si m the 25th the issue ceased altogether ; the sok ers were placed upon half rations, the native follo'i n^ upon quarter, and forage could not be procir 'd for the horses; several men, searching for gm^ at a distance from the camp, were murdersi. Such were the hardships which wasted th*^ strength and diminished the numbers of the gallant troops which had overcome so many difficulties ! On the morning of th» 6th of April, a patrole of ten men of the regiment, under Lieutenant Yule, was fired upon from a small mud tower. H 1 :ii'M 106 HISTORICAL RECORD OP !1^ 'P I 1839 The patrole retired a short distance, dismounted, and the lieutenant and five men advanced to storm the tower. The ladder, by which the Belooches entered, had been withdrawn, and as the men of the Sixteenth moved forward, a sharp fire was opened from the fort. A soldier seized hold of a matchlock, which was thrust through a loop-hole to shoot at him, and by a determined effort he gained the top of the flat- roofed tower. Assisted by him, the other men ascended, and breaking through the roof, they killed five and wounded the only remaining adversary. In this gallant exploit. Private Samuel Hartwell lost an arm; the other soldiers were not injured, although several of them were grazed with the balls and singed with powder, so close was the contact whilst the enemy was in the tower. After destroying twenty-six horses which were unable to walk, the regiment commenced its march, on the 7th of April, through the vale of Shawl; it descended the picturesque height of Kotul, full one thousand feet, into the valley of Koochlak; forded rivers; traversed a difiScult country where provisions could not be procured, but the ground was spangled with hyacinths, THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 107 tulips, iris, and other gay flowers, the horses 1839 dying daily for want of food, and it passed the difficult height of Kozak, where its first Lieut- Colonel, Brigadier-General Arnold, and Lieutenant Pattinson, having proceeded a little in advance, were fired upon by a party of Asiatic cavaliers gaily equipped and well mounted, but were not injured. The soldiers dismounted on the summit of the Kozuk, and were employed all the day in dragging the artillery with ropes over this height. As the British surmounted every obstacle, with such patient fortitude, and penetrated Aff- ghanistan, the chiefs of Candaha/r were struck with dismay. On the 19th of April, preparations were made to resist a menaced night attack of Affghan cavalry, but the hostile horsemen did not venture to approach, and at an early hour in the morning, Hajee Khan Kakur» the prime minister of the eldest of the Barukzye chiefs, tendered his submission. A squadron of the Sixteenth received him at the advanced posts, and escorted him to the tent of the British commander, Lieut- General Sir John Keane. The army continued its march, various classes of individuals tendering, from time to time, their submission to the Sovereign, whom the British H 2 108 HISTORICAL RECORD OF m: 1839 were advancing to restore, and on the 27th of April, the Sixteenth arrived at Candahar, the capital of western Aifghanistan, from whence the Barukzye chiefs had fled two days previously, but the horses of the regiment were so exhausted from the want of food and water as to be incapable of pursuing. ' Pitching their tents in the grassy meadows of Gandahar, among inclosures covered with waving crops of wheat, barley, and luxuriant lucerne, and receiving supplies of provision and forage with more regularity, the men and horses began to recover their strength; but in the levels round the city water is found a few feet from the surface, and a damp prevails which is injurious to the health, producing low fever, dysentery, and jaundice, and the Sixteenth suffered so severely that they had above eighty men in hospital ; the great heat experienced in the tents, and a saline impregnation in the water, augmented the number of the sick. In the environs of Gandahar was a remark- able mount, forming one side of a mountain pass ; by skirting it, access was gained into a picturesque valley, planted with fine trees, and watered by the Urghundab river. The officers formed parties THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 109 of pleasure to visit this beautiful spot; their tents 1839 were pitched on the margin of the stream, and, after amusing themselves with angling, they par- took of an evening repast. On the 5i8th of May, one or two social fishing parties had been formed in the valley, and Lieutenants Inverarity and Wilmer of the Sixteenth, remained on the bank of the river, after the other parties had returned, until sunset. They then sent their servants, tents, and horses, towards the camp, and followed leisurely and unarmed. The moon shone brightly, and Lieutenant Inverarity was walking a little in front of his companion, unconscious of danger, when he was suddenly attacked by a band of armed men. On Lieutenant Wilmer coming up, he was surrounded by about a dozen assassins, but he defended himself with his walking-stick for some time, and then taking to flight, reached a camp of the Shah's infantry, with a single wound on the face. An armed party returned with him, and found Lieutenant Inverarity alive, but he died soon afterwards, and was interred M'ith military honours on the iiOth of May. During the halt at Candahar, exertions were made to procure Affghan horses for the remount- ing of the cavalry ; the brigade from Bengal had 110 HISTORICAL RECORD OF P 1839 lost seven hundred and one horses from fatigue and want of food, of which number the Sixteenth Lancers had lost one hundred and forty-five during the last five months. The harvest becoming ripe, stores of grain were provided, and other preparations made for reducing the remainder of the Shah's dominions to submission to his authority. Notwithstanding the exertions of the com- missariat, it was found necessary to continue the soldiers on half, and the followers on quarter rations. Breaking up from Candahar, on the 27th of June, the army moved along a valley of dismal sterility inclosed between mountains of bare rock, to the Turnuk river, then advancing up the right bank, passed the confines of the territory recently subject to the Barukzye chiefs of Can- dahar, traversed the country of the Ghilzees, and arrived in the vicinity of Ghuznee, a fortress of great strength, garrisoned by upwards of three thousand Affghans under Moohummed Hyder, who had determined on a desperate defence, and was well provided with stores. A squadron of the Sixteenth accompanied the Commander-in- Chief in a reconnoissance of the place on the THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. Ill gue 21st of July ; on the 22nd, the regiment supported 1839 the Shah's troops in repelling the attack of a body of mountaineers, who were fanatics of a desperate character; they were driven back with the loss of many killed and taken prisoners. Every gate of Ghuznee had been blocked up by masonry but one; to this gate a quantity of gunpowder was brought secretly in the night, and before daylight on the morning of the 23rd of July, the gate was destroyed, and the town captured by assault. The cavalry regiments were stationed round the town to prevent the escape of the garrison, and to hold in check the numerous bands of Affghan horsemen assembled in the neighbourhood. The Sixteenth swept the plain to the southward of the town and intercepted many fugitives. When the Affghan horsemen learnt the fate of the town, they fled towards Cabool, leaving behind them their camp equipage and baggage. In consequence of the severe illness of Brigadier-General Arnold, Lieut.-Colonel Persse commanded the brigade, and Major Macdowell the regiment; Major Cureton continuing his duties on the staff. From Ghuznee the army advanced upon 112 HISTORICAL RECURD OF Iv' a*'.'' m w;'.' ( ' h 18o9 Cabody the capital of eastern Aftghaiiistan. Dost Moohummed Khan assembled a formidable host to oppose the march of the British, and had taken up a position near Urghundee, where he ascertained that his soldiers had resolved to abandon him, and fearing they would deliver him captive to his rival, he fled with a body of select cavalry, leaving his artillery in position. Major Cureton moved forward with a hundred chosen men of the Sixteenth under Captain Bere, Lieutenants Pratt, Pattle, Cornet Smith, a hun- dred Bengal Light Cavalry, and a party of artillery ; after a march of three hours he met a body of the enemy's disbanded troops, which, after some demur about unconditional surrender, submitted ; he then continued his route, took possession of the twenty-six guns and a consider- able quantity of ammunition abandoned by the enemy ; and afterwards made a reconnoissance to the vicinity of Cabool, marching sixty miles in twenty-four hours, through the midst of the disorganized Affghan troops, without loss. The army advanced upon Cabool, and on the 7th of August, Shooja-ool-Moolk made his public entry into the capital of his dominions, accom- panied by the British Commander-in-Chief with THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 113 a numerous suite of officers, and escorted by a 1839 squadron of tlie Sixteenth Lancers and other troops, and took possession of the palace of his forefathers from which he had been an exile many years. After sharing in effecting the restoration of the Shah, the Sixteenth were encamped in the neighbourhood of the capital upwards of two months, their tents were pitched in a rich valley, surrounded by rocks, and abounding in grain, vegetables, and fruits, and the camp was supplied with every necessary in abundance. Their ser- vices in this important enterprise were afterwards rewarded with the authority of Her Majesty Queen Victoria to bear the words "Affghan- isTAN," and "Ghuznee" on their standards and appointments. Lieut .-Colonel Persse was honored with the dignity of Companion of the Bath. Major Cureton and Major Macdowell received the brevet rank of lieut.-colonel ; and a medal was given by the restored Shah, to the officers and soldiers present at the storming of Ghuznee, which the Queen has authorized them to receive and wear. An order of merit of three classes was instituted by the Shah, called the Order of the "Dooranee Empire;" the deco- 114 HISTORICAL RECORD OF 1 839 rations of the second class were conferred on Brigadier-General Arnold, and of the third on Lieut.-Colonel Persse, Major Cureton, and Major Macdowell. While the regiment was encamped, near Cabool, its senior Lieut.-Colonel, Brigadier-Gene- ral Arnold, died on the 20th of August, and was interred, with military honors, in the Armenian burying-ground, without the walls of the Billa Hissar*. He was succeeded in the command of the brigade by Lieut.-Colonel Persse; Lieut.- Colonel Cureton assumed the command of the regiment, and Captain Bere was appointed to the duties of assistant adjutant-general of the cavalry. * Colonel Robert Arnold served with the Sixteenth Light Dragoons in Portugal, Spain, and the south of France, from 1812, to the end of the war. He was afterwards removed to the Tenth Hussars, with which corps he served at the battle of Waterloo, where he was severely wounded. In 1826 he exchanged into the Sixteenth Lancers, as Lieut.-Colonel, and joined them, soon afterwards, in India. He evinced great zeal and ability at the head of the Bengal cavalry brigade in the expedition to Affghan- istan; his kind and affable deportment, per^nal bravery, and numerous virtues, procured him the affection and esteem of the officers and soldiers, and it may truly be said, never was ft com- mander more beloved or regretted. His remains were followed to the grave by the Commander-in-Chief, Lieut.-General Sir John Keane, by the British Envoy, and by a great portion of the officers of the army. A tomb was erected over his grave by the officers of his regiment, and a tablet was placed in the church at Meerut. A monument has also been erected to his memory by the officers and soldiers of his regiment at Dorking in Surrey. THE SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 116 The plans of agg. jsion by which the British 1839 empire in India was threatened, had been ar- rested; the chiefs of Cabool and Candahar, who had joined in hostile designs against the British interest, had been deprived of power, and the territories which they ruled had been restored to a friendly monarch ; the valour, patient en- durance, discipline, and conciliatory conduct of the " Army of the Indus," had procured respect for the British name, and had confirmed in Cen- tral Asia a just impression of British energy and resources. These splendid results accomplished, part of the army was withdrawn from Affghan- istan, leaving a portion of the troops in the country, where the inhabitants appeared to be discovering that the presence of the British power and influence was a guarantee for equitable rule and personal security. The Sixteenth Lancers were selected to form the escort of the Commander-in-Chief, Lieut.-General Sir John Keane, on his return to India, and commenced their march on the 15th of October. On the llth of December, when fording the wide and rapid river Jilum, Captain Hilton, ten men, and thirteen horses were drowned, in consequence of mistaking the direction of the ford, the marks 116 SIXTEENTH LANCERS. 1839 having been removed by the rapidity of the current. 1810 The regiment arrived at Lahore on the 25th of December, re-entered the British territories on the Ist of January, 1840, and arrived at the barracks at Meerut on the 8th of February, having lost three officers, eighty-three men, and two hundred and thirty-one horses in the expe- dition to the Dooranee empire. 1®*' Lieut.-Colonel Persse commanded the regi- ment until the beginning of the year 1841, when he returned to England in consequence of ill health, and the command devolved on Lieut.- Colonel Cureton. Al the conclusion of this memoir, on the 16th of September, 1841, the Sixteenth, or the Queen'h Regiment of Lancers, was occupying the barracks at Meerut, and, in the twentieth year of its service in India, during which time it has lost fourteen officers and seven hundred and fourteen non-commissioned officers and soldiers; it is still an efficient and splendid corps of light cavalry, deservedly held in high estimation for its services in India, as well as for its many gallant actions in Europe since the period of its form- ation. 1841. SUCCESSION OF COLONKLS or THE SIXTEENTH, OR THE QUEEN'S REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS ;- LANCERS. John Burooyne. Appointed ISth Marchy 17(>3. John Burooyne was a cavalry ofRcer of repu- tation in the reign of Qeorge II. ; and on the 10th of May, 17^8, he was promoted from Captain in the Eleventh Dragoons to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in the Second Foot Guards. His talents and experience occasioned him to be selected to form and discipline the second of the light cavalry regiments, which His Majesty had resolved to add to his army, now the Sixteenth, or the Queen's Lancers, of which corps he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant, by commission dated the 4th of August, 1759. Pre- vious to that period, light cavalry was little known in the British army; the value of that arme had, however, become appreciated, and the discipline, dexterity, and efficiency of Burgoyne's light horsemen soon attract- ing attention; he received from his sovereign repeated and conspicuous testimonies of his royal approbation. Colonel Burgoyne served as Brigadier-General in Por- tugal under the Count La Lippe and the Earl of Loudoun, whose despatches bore testimony of his fallantry and zeal for the service in the warmest terms, lis conduct at the capture of Valencia de Alcantara, on the 27th August, 17^2, was highly commended. In 1763 he was appointed Colonel of his regiment, which was soon afterwards honoured with the distinguished title of The Queen's regiment of Light Dragoons. In 1772, he was promoted to the rank of Major- General, ?ind appointed governor of Fort William. When the British North American provinces revolted 118 8UCCKSSION OF COLONRLS. •'itV I: /rS',' SS against the mother country, lie was placed on the stnfV of the army in America, and he joined the troops at Boston a short time hefore the hattle of Bunker^s- hill. In 1776 he served under Lieut.-General Carlton in Canada, and in the autumn of that year he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General in America. In 1777 he was placed at the head of a small army, destined to proceed by Lakes Champlain and George to Hudson's-river, with the view of forcing its way to Albany. An erroneous idea of the loyalty of the inhabitants of this part of North America, appears to have been prevalent; the difficulties to be encountered in this enterprise from the wooded and but partially inhabited country, through which the army had to march, with the state of the roads, and the number of the troops the enemy would be enabled to assemble to oppose the advance, appear to have been overlooked. After a series of hard toil, incessant effort, and severe privation, the Indian warriors who formed part of the army, and whose predatory habits and disposition to use the tomahawk and scalping knife had been re- strained, all deserted; many of the Canadians and other provincials followed this example, and after several stubborn engagements, in which the British regiments fought gallantly against an immense supe- riority of numbers, the Lieut.-General found himself on the banks of the Hudson's-river, with an army diminished in numbers to three thousand five hundred men, reduced in physical power by incessant toil and want of provisions, invested by an army of sixteen thousand Americans, disappointed of the hope of timely co-operation from other armies, and without provision; under these dismal circumstances he coii- cluded a convention with the American General Gates, at Saratoga, in which he agreed that the troops should lay down their arms, on condition of being sent to England, and of not serving in America during the remainder of the war. These articles were, however, violated by the American government, and the gallant men who had fought so bravely, and who did not submit until surrounded by five times their own number, were detained prisoners in America. Lieut.- RITCCBII8ION OP COLONELS. 119 General Bitrgoynb was exposed to the fate which usually attends unsuccessful commanders, and his conduct was censured; he defended himself in Parlia- ment with great warmth, and courted investigation; this was followed by an altercation with the members of the government, which ended in his resigning, in 177y> the Colonelcy of Thk Queen's Light Dragoons, — also his appointment on the staff of the army in America, — ana the government of Fort William ; but he retained his rank of Lieut.-Generul in order to be amenable to a court-martial. He was soon afterwards restored to royal favour; appointed Commander-in- Chief in Ireland; and in 1782 he was appointed Colonel of the Fourth regiment of Foot ; he was also sworn a member of the privy council, and represented the town of Preston in parliament. He was an accom- plished gentleman ; also an able scholar, and author of a much celebrated comedy called " The Heiress ;" and his character was further adorned with benevolence. He died on the 4th of August, 17^2, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. The Honorable William Habcourt. Appointed 20th October , 1779* Tub Honorable William Harcourt was appointed Ensign in the First Foot Guards in August, 1/59, and in October following he was commissioned to raise the first augmentation troop to Burgoyne's regiment of Light Dragoons, now the Sixteenth, or The Queen's Lancers. In 1760 he was appointed Captain in the Third Dragoons, and in 1761, he accom- panied his father, Earl Harcourt, to Germany, to conduct to England the Princess Charlotte of Meck- lenberg Strelitz, afterwards consort of King George III., and he received an appointment in the Queen's household. In 1762 he served as aide-de-camp to the Earl of Albemarle at the capture of the Havan- nah. He was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the lliirty-first Foot in November, 1764; was re- moved to the Eighteenth Light Dragoons in April, 1765, and to the Sixteenth in June, 1768. He 120 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. I ( commanded the regiment in North America, and gained great reputation, particularly for the courage and ability he evinced in the capture of the American General Lee*. He was rewarded with the appoint- ment of aide-de-camp to the King, and the rank of Colonel in the army, and, on the resignation of Lieut.- General Burgoyne, His Majesty gave him the Colonelcy of The Queen's Light Dragoons. In 1782 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and having purchased the mansion and estate of St. Leonard's-hill near Windsor, of the Duke of Gloucester, His Majesty appointed him deputy-ranger of Windsor great park. He commanded the cavalry in Flanders under His Royal Highness the Duke of York, with the rank of Lieut.- General, to which he was advanced in October, 1793, and signalized himself on several occasions, par- ticularly at Tournay, on the 10th of May, 1794. On the return of His Royal Highness to England, Lieut.- General Harcourt succeeded to the command of the British troops, which he continued to hold until the embarkation of the infantry in 1795. In 1798 he was promoted to the rank of General, and on the decease of his brother in 1809, he succeeded to the dignity of Earl Harcourt. He was invested with the insignia of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1820: in 1821 he carried the Union Standard at the coronation of King George IV., and was immediately afterwards promoted to the rank of Field-Marshal. He was a member of the Consolidated Board of General Officers, a Commissioner of the Royal Military Hospital, and of the Royal Military Asylum at Chelsea. After serving the crown a period of seventy-one years, and commanding The Queen's Light Dragoons, (Lancers,) upwards of fifty years, this distinguished veteran died at his seat at St. Leonard's-hiU on the 18th of June, 1830. Sir John Ormsby Vandelbur, G.C.B. Appointed I8th June, 1830. * See page 26, of the Record of the Sixteenth, or The Queen's Lancers.