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His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the view of doing the fullest justice to Regi- ments, as well as to Individuals who have dis- tinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be pub- lished under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General ; and that this Account shall contain the following particulars, viz.: — The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the Regiment ; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed ; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achieve- ment it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from the Enemy. The Names of the OflEicers, and the number of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the place and Date of the Action. >'^ h 11 GENERAL ORDERS. The Names of those Officers who, in con- sideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour. The Names of all such Officers, Non-Com- missioned Officers, and Privates, as may have specially signalized themselves in Action. And, — — The Badges and Devices which the Regi- ment may have been permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted. By Command of the Right Honorable GENERAL LORD HILL, Commandiv^'in- Chief. John Macdonald, Adjutant- General. ( iii ) in con- itorious r, have • other PREFACE. e Regi- and the Devices, ^e been Chief. iALD, Wal. The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted. Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honorable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication. The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the " London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute a 2 / \s PREPACK. 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 Com- manders, and the 0£Scers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery ; and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes. It has not, however, until late years, been the prac- tice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difiiculty has been experienced in obtain- ing, particularly from the old Regiments, an au- thentic account of their origin and subsequent services. This defect will now be remedied, in coivsequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command that every Regiment shall, in future, keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad. From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so PREFACE. J entitled, arliament the Com- ng under of thanks itimonials, overeign's ;he soldier n the prac- in some of nts to keep ievements. in obtain- ts, an au- it services. )i\sequence command a full and )road. le country difficulties P those who at Britain, devoted to mufactures, lave, for so long a period, being undisturbed by the presence of wary which few other countries have escaped, com- paratively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose. In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enter- prise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor, — on their sufferings, — and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national beneflts are obtained and preserved. The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties ; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have main- tained 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 VI |>REFACB. i bravery can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments. These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant General's Office ; and while the perusal of them can- not fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and hiformation to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service. There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps — an attachment to everything belonging to their Regiment ; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the valiant, the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood " firm as the rocks of their native shore :" and when half the world has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with un- shaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war, — victories so complete and sur- prising, gained by our countrymen, our brothers, PREFACE. VII our fellow citizens in arms, — a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, — will certainly prove acceptable to the public. Biographical Memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testify- ing 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 num- ber, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession. / INTRODUCTION TO THE INFANT 11 Y. The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the Britisli troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History con- tains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is Intrepidity. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country was invaded by Julius Cajsar with a Boman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Boman soldiers as they de- scended from their ships ; and, although their dis- cipline and arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, in- cluding Caesar's favourite tenth legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the l! > h X INTRODUCTION axles of which were fastened sharp piecei of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against CsBsar's legions: in the course of time a military system, with dis- cipline and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full development of the national character followed, and it shone forth in all its native brilliancy. The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and spears ; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins. The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Intro- duction to the Cavflry) almost entirely of horse ; but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains of tenants and vassals, took the Aeld, a pro- portion of men (appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved stout- hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipen- diary troops were employed, infantry always con- stitute < I a considerable portion of the military force ; TO THE INFANTRY. XI of iron iM in long J| ited and S , pursuit 11 drove off ;J ons were, M ;ion8 : in i with dis- m 3ed, and M 8 exerted ^ >pnient of j one forth .1 consisted j jr men of i jk. The 1 nd light. 1 th spikes, ^ tter were had also | •axes and 1 v3 lliam the | the Intro- i of horse ; vith their j !ld, a pro- ^ although i 'ed stout- an stipen- J ways con- m ary force ; 1 and this arme has since acqui d, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period. The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it was almost impossible to slay them. The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries; and, owing to the inconvenient construction and im- perfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable acqui- sition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century. During a great part of the reign of Queen Eliza- beth each company of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways ; in every hundred njen forty were " men-at-arms" and sixty " shot ,•" the " men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle- axe men, and thirty pikemen ; and the " shot" were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty harquebusitTS, and each man carried, besides his principal weapon, a sword and dagger. t'r,4IH tniu-i)M. '1 Xll INTRODUCTION. Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150 to 300 men ; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation re- commended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe) in 1590 was : — the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the halberdiers ; the pike- men in equal proportions, on each flank of the halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes ; half the archers on each flank of the mus- keteers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the company for skirmish- ing.* It was customary to unite a number of com- panies into one body, called a Regiment, which frequently amounted to three thousand men: but each company continued to carry a colour. Nume- rous improvements were eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seven- teenth century : bows and arrows also fell into dis- use, and the infantry were reduced to two cla.sses, viz.: musketeers, armed with matchlock muskets, A company of 200 men would appear thus : — 20 20 20 30 Harquebuses. Arclien. Muskets. Pikes, 2|o . Halbirds. Pi 30 20 20 20 ikes. Muskets. Aichers. Harquebuses. The musket carried a ball which weighed ,^th of a pound ; and the harquebus a ball which weighed j^th of a pound. TO THE INFANTRY. XIU swords, and daggers ; and pikemeUy armed with pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords. In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each contain- ing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of form- ing four regiments into a brigade ; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers ; and his armies became the admiration of other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English, French, and other European states ; but so great was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not adopted until near a century afterwards. In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea- service, styled the Admiral's regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks. In this year the King added a com- pany of men armed with hand grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was designated the "grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets. xlv INTRODUCTION similar to those at present in use, were adopted about twenty years afterwards. An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes King William III. incorporated the Admiral's regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (ex- cepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried pikes ; lieutenants, partisans ; ensigns, half-pikes ; and Serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.* During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword ; the grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand gre- nades ; and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour : the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this reign. About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry ceased to carry swords ; during * The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral Sir peorge Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its subsequent defence in 1704 ; they were afterwards employed at the siege of Barcelona in 1705. TO THE INFANTRY. XV 1 gre- aside the reign of George II. light companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had never heen used during the Seven Years' War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been limited to the musket and bayonet. The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states ; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to contend ; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior numbers. Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any arms. At Crecy^ King Edward III., at the head of about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men ; here British valour encountered veterans of renown : — the King of Bo- hemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black Prince, defeated, at Poiciiers, with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of France, and his son XVI INTRODUCTION M it II II Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although greatly exhausted by marches, pri- vations, and sickness, defeated, at Agincourt^ the Constable of France, at the head of the flower of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men, and gained a complete victory. During the seventy years' war between the United Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish mo- narchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the States-General were celebrated for their uncon- querable spirit and firmness;* and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the ser- vice of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of heroism.f In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army under the great Marlborouqh was spread throughout the world; and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities * Tho bravo Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed in 1590, observes:—"! persuade myself ten thousand of our nation would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field, let them bo chosen where they list.' Yet at this time the Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For instances of vulour displayed by the British Infantry during the Seventy Years' War, sco the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or nutfs. f FiV/e I liP llisiorlcal Record of (he First, or Royal Regiment ol Foot. TO THE INFANTRY. XVll which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had been vainly styled Invincibkf to eva- cuate that country ; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Penin- sula, under the immortal Wellington; and the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British Govern- ment. These achievements, with others of recent dates, in the distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and Bamilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century. The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular frame, — intrepidity which no danger can appal, — imconquerable spirit and resolution, — patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obe- dience to his superiors. These qualities, united with an excellent system of order and discipline to regu- late and give a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command, whose presence inspires confidence, — have been the leading causes of the splendid victories gained by the British b XVIU INTRODUCTION arms.* The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time. The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the world where the calls of their Country and tho com- mands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in I : I i * Under tho bloiiing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the BucoeMOS which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that doterminod bravery which is inherent in Britons ; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the considera- tion of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the nativo valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncom- monly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty." — General Orders in 1801. In the General Orders iuued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (after- wards Lord Hopotoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of tho Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated :— <'On no occasion hoi the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At tho terminotion of a severe and harassing march, ren- dered necessary by tho superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disad- vantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of tho troops themselves : and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British ofliccrs and sokMers a bravery that knows not how to yield, — that no circumstances can appal, — and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by tho cxertipn of any human means." TO THE INFANTRY. XIX active continental operations, or in maintaining colo- nial territories in distant and unfavourable climes. The superiority of the British Infantry has been pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and move- ments of this armSf as at present practised, while they are adapted to every species of warfare, and, to all probable situations and circumstances of service, are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time been introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by which the superiority of the national military cha- racter is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations of the world, have in a great measure been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country at heart, the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting. h'2 L ^ HISTORICAL liECORD or TUE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, THE ROYVL W^LSH FUSILIERS; OONTAININO AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE BEGIMENT IN 1689, AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICE* • TO 1860. OOHPILBD BT RICHARD CANNON, Esq. A0JIITANT OKNIKAl's OmCK, HOMB GUARDS. ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES. LONDON: PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER, 30, CHARING CROSS. 1850. „ m I; > '■ * mm^ LONDON ; PBINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFOUD STUEET, FOB HER majesty's STATIONERY OFFICE. THE TWENTY-THIED REGIMENT, OB, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS, BEABS ON THE REGIMENTAI^ COLOUR The Device of the Prince of Wales, namely, Three Feathers issuing out of the Prince's Coronet, with the motto, " Ich Dien," in the centre : —the Rising Sun in the upper sinister corner ; — the lied Dragon in the lower dexter corner ; being the badges of Edward the Black Prince. ALSO, The White Horse upon a mount, with the motto" Nee aspera terrent," underneath, in the lower sinister corner. The word " Minden," in commemoration of the gallantry displayed in the battle fought at Minden on the Ist of August, 1759. The word " Egypt," with the " Sphinx," in commemoration of its services in the expulsion of the French Army from Egypt in the year 1801. The word "Martinique," as a testimony of the distinguished conduct of the First Battalion in the capture of the Island of Martinique on the 24th of February, 1809. The word " Corunna," as a testimony of the gallant services of the Second Battalion on the 16th of January, 1809. The words " Albcheba," " Badajoz," " Salamanca," " Vittoria," "Pyrenees," " Nivelle," "Orthes," "Toulouse," and "Peninsula," in commemoration of the services of the First Battalion during the Peninsular War from 1810 to 1814. and The word " Waterloo," as a lasting testimony of the distinguished services of the Regiment at the memorable Battle of Waterloo on the 18th of June, 1815. ""IRIflS ( XXV ) THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, w, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. Yefir Page IG88 Tub Revolution I FlightofKing James 11. to France . . 2 1089 Acc«Mion of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the Throne, as King William III. and Queon Mary —— Expedition of King James to Ireland — — Formation of the twenty-third, and other regiments ..•.,. — — — Henry, Lord Herbert, appointed Colonel of the Regiment 3 — — The colonelcy conferred on Colonel Charles Herbert Settlement ofaffhirs in Scotland . . . - — — 8iege of Londonderry by King James , . - — — The Duke de Schomberg sent to Ireland with reinforcements 4 — - Embarkation of the Regiment for Ireland 6 Encamped at Dundalk . . . . - 1690 Arrival of King William III. in Ireland . - IUtTLS Of THE liOYNE . . . . - — — Flight of King James to France ... 7 .r^, -m ■.^M M i •:ri-* XXVI Ye«r CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. 169'J SuTTender of Drogheda . . . . The Army reviewed by King William at Finglass — ^ Surrender of Waterford ■ of Fort Duncannon Siege of Limerick -— Skirmishes with the " Rapparees " 1691 King William proceeded to Holland • Progress of the war in Flanders - ' ' Mons surrendered to the French Retard of King William to the Hague General the Baron de Ghinkel appointed Com mander-in-chief in Ireland . Siege and capture of Ballymore ■ Passage of the Shannon at Athlone Capture of Athlone Battle op Aghkim . — — Death of Colonel Charles Herbert . Lieut.-Colonel Toby Purcell, appointed Cglonel of the Regiment . . • Siege of Banagher Castle Occupation of the Pass of Portumna Siege and capture of Galway • Galway occupied by the twentv-third and other Regiments .... ■ Embarkation of the Regiment for England Surrender of Limerick, and termination of the war in Ireland .... Return of King William from Holland . 1692 Embarkation of King William for Holland > Sir John Morgan, Bart., appointed Colonel of the Regiment •— Capture of Namur by the French Battle of Steenkirk ' Capture of Fumes and Dixmude Decease of Colonel Sir John Morgan 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. XXVll Yoor 1693 Lieut.-Colonel Richard Ingoldsby at>pointed Colonel of the Regiment . Forcing the French lines at />' Otignies . Battle op Landen, or Neer-Winden 1694 The twentt-third, and other Regiments embarlced for Flanders ■ Capture of Huy from the French . 1695 The French lines reconnoitred by King William Attack on Fort Knocque Siege of Namur by King William . Progress of the siege .... Attack on the Porte-de-Fer . Surrender of Dixmude and Deinse. Capitulation of the town of Namur Siege of the Castle of Namur The Regiment marched to the relief of Brussels Return of the Regiment to Namur. The grenadier Company engaged in the attack on the counterscarp of the Terra Nova . — <— Capitulation of the Castle of Namur 1696 Plot in favour of King James II. . French expedition against England The TWENTY-THiRD and other Regiments reviewed at Bellera .... Proceeded to Appels .... ' Bruges .... 1697 Peace of Ryswick .... Conditions of the Treaty Embarkation of the Regiment for Ireland 1700 War of the Spanish Succession Occupation of the Spanish Netherlands by the French ...... 1701 The Regiment embarked for Flanders The Army reviewed on Breda Heath by King William III. . I'ugu 13 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 2G 27 28 29 30 31 I ir; I i: i !i; XXVlll CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. Year 1701 Death of King James II., at St. Germains Recognition by Louis XIV., of tlie Pretender as King of Great Britain and Ireland . 1702 Decease of King William III. —— < War declared by Queen Anne against France and Spain ..... • Siege of Kayserswerth —^ Skirmish at Nimeguen Surrender of Kayserswnrth . . . The Earl of Marlborough assumed the command of the confederate forces . Siege and capture of Venloo . Capture cf Stevenswaert and Ruremonde • Occupation of Liege .... Capture of the Citadel of Liege . — — Surrender of the Chartreuse, . . Effectives of the Regiment '. • Marched into Holland for winter quarters 1703 Siege of J3o»ra . . . . ■ Action near Tongres .... . Surrender of Bonn .... . March of the Army towards Tongres Capture of Huy .... Limburg .... Marched into winter quarters . Brabant. 1704 Proceeded to Germany , Battle of Schellenbero Occupation of Donawerth , . . ■ Siege and capture of Sain . • • Siege of Ingoldstadt .... %, Battle of Blenheim . Siege of Ingoldstadt abandoned Occupation of Ratisbon, Augsburg, Meningen and other towns .... i Surrender of Ulm .... Pag* 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 40 42 43 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. XXIX 131 }2 Year 1704 Page 43 1705 1706 1707 Siege and capture of Landau Return of the Regiment to Holland for winter quarters. ...... — Occupation of Treves ..... — Siege and capture of Traerbach ... — The Regiment stationed at Ruremonde . . — Lieutenant-General Ingoldsby removed to the Eighteenth Regiment .... — Lieut.-Colonel Joseph Sabine appointed Colonel of the Regiment ..... — '' The TWENxr-THiED and Twenty-fourth Regiments reviewed by the Duke of Marlborough — March of the confederate Army to the Moselle. 44 Recapture of Huy by the Allies . . . -~- The French lines at Helixem and Neer-Hespen forced by the Allies. . . . . 45 Skirmish near the Dyle .... — Siege and surrender of Sandvliet ... 46 Return of the Regiment to Holland for winter quarters. ...... — Arrival of the Regiment at the Camp near Tongres . . . . . . — BATTIiE OF RAMILIES .... — Results of the Victory 47 Siege and surrender of Ostend ... — • Menin ' , . • — • ■ Dendermond . ' — ■ ' Aeth .... — March of the Regiment to Ghent for winter quarters. . . . . . ^ — Extract from the Duke of Marlborough's letter to Lieut.-General Ingoldsby, relative to the use of partisans by the Twenty-first and TWENxr-THiBD FusUiers .... 48 111 n r m I XXX Your 1707 1708 )! Hi 1 i 1709 « t 1710 CONTENTS OF TU£ UISTORICAL RECORD. Opening of the Campaign Operations ounflned to marcltes and counter marches Return of the Ilegiment to Ghent . Designs of Louis XIV. in favour of the Pre tender . Measures talien to repel the French expedition Return of the Frencli fleet to Duulcirlc without effecting a landing on the English Coast . Return to Flanders of the troops, which had l>een embarked from Ostend for England, under Brigadier-General Sabine . March of the Regiment to Brussels. Ghent and lirugca taken by the French , Oudenarde invested by the French. . Battle of Oupenabdis Siege of Lisle ..... Progress of tlie siege .... Battlb of Wynkndalb . . , Surrender of tiie town of Lisle . . Siege of tho Citadel of Lisle Passage of the Scheldt Relief of Brussels .... Surrender of the Cttorfc/ o/'Ziw/e . Siege and capture of Ghent . Occupation of Ghent for winter quarters . March of the Regiment to Lisle Siege of Tournay • . . . Surrender of the town • , . . Siege and capture of the Citadel March of tlie Allies to besiege Mons Battle of Malpla^iuet . Siege and capture of Mons . Return of tlie Regiment to Ghent . Marciied to Tournay .... 48 Y 1' 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 57 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. XXXI Yew I'atft niO Passage of the French lines at Pont-a- Vendin . 67 - Siege and capture of Douay . , . , — Casualties of the Regiment during the siege . 58 — — Encamped at Villars Brulin .... — Siege and surrender of Bethune ... — ' Aire and St, Venant . — March of the Regiment to Courtray for winter quarters , , — 1711 Marched to Douay ..... — — — The successes of Alexander the Greai compared with those of the Duke of Marlborough . — Passage of the French " Ne plus ultra" lines at Arleux . ..... 59 Siege and capture of Bouc/iain ... — Charles III., the claimant to the Spanish throne, elected Emperor of Germany, and its effect upon the War with France Negotiations for Peace . , 1712 The Army encamped near Tournay The Dulie of Marlborough succeeded in the com- mand of the Army by tlie Duke of Ormond March of the Allies towards France ■ Siege and surrender of Queanoy —— Suspension of arms proclaimed Withdrawal of the British troops to Ghent — — Occupation of Dunkirk Peace of Utrecht . , Stipulations of the Treaty 1713 The Regiment embarked for England 1714 Stationed in Ireland , ■ Styled the " Prince of Wales's own Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers " . 1715 Disaffection of the Earl of Mar Rebellion in Scotland in favour of the Pretender 62 —^ Removal of the Regiment to England . . — 60 61 r xxxn Ye»f CONTENTS OF THB HISTORICAL RECORD. 1715 Surrender of the Rebels at Preston — — Battlb of Siieriffmuir . Arrival in Scotland of the Pretender His flight to France .... — — Suppression of tlie Rebellion . * 1716 The Regiment stationed in the Eastern Counties of England ..... 1717 Designs of the King of Sweden in favour of tlie Pretender 1718 Formation of the " Quadruple Alliance" — — > War declared against Spain . 1719 Spanish expedition in favour of tlie Pretender — — Defeat of the insurgents at Glenshiel Expedition against Corunna Capture of Vigo, Hondondella, and Pontevedra 1720 Peace with Spain .... 1722 The Regiment stationed at 'Edinburgh 1723 Marched to London .... Encamped in Hyde Park . 1725 Returned to Edinburgh 1726 Stationed in England .... 1727 Commencement of hostilities by Spain Siege of Gibraltor by the Spaniards — — Cessation of hostilities .... 1728 The Regiment reviewed by King George II" at Hounslow ..... 1729 Treaty of Peace concluded at Seville 1735 George Augustus Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield, the celebrated Governor of Gib raltar, joined tlie Regiment at Edinburgh 1739 Decease of General Subine . . . Lieut.-Colonel Newsham Peers appointed Colonel of the Regiment .... Spanish depredations in America . War declared against Spain . Page 62 63 64 65 yI 11 ll 1 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. XXXUl Page 62 H Yew ■ 1740 ■ 1741 1 1742 63 64 1743 1744 1745 1746 1747 1748 1751 1755 1756 War of the Austrian Succession . , The Regiment encamped on Lexden Heath Reviewed by King George II., on Kew Green Embariced for Flanders as Auxiliaries Marched towards the Rhine . Battlb of Dbttinobn . • Decease of Colonel Peers Major-General John Huske appointed Colonel of the Regiment .... The Battle of Dettingen compared witit other British victories .... Declaration of War against France . French conquests in the Netherlands Investment of Tournay by Marshal Saxe . Battle of Fomtenot .... Rebellion in Scotland, headed by Prince Charles Edward. ..... Return of the Regiment to England Battle of Cullooen .... Escape of Prince Charles to France « The Regiment returned to the Netherlands Battle of Laffeld, or Yal Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle Stipulations of the Treaty . . . Return of the Regiment to England Regulations prescribed by Royal Warrant, for establishing uniformity in the clothing, standards, and colours of regiments, &c. Embarkation of the Regiment for Minorca The Seven Yea. s* War .... French expedition against Minorca War declared against France Failure of Admiral Byng to relieve the garrison of Minorca Surrender of Minorca to the French 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 75 76 m XXXIV CONTENTS OP THE inSTOniCAL RECORD. li I ^1^ 1756 1758 1759 1760 1761 Eulogiums on the noble defence made by the garrison of Minorca .... The Regiment proceeded to Gibraltar Returned to England ..... Augmentations in the Army .... The second battalions formed into distinct coriw, and numbered from sixty-first to the seventy- fifth Regiment ..... The second battalion of the TWENTV-rniRD constituted tlie sixty-eighth Regiment . Descent on the French coast . The expedition landed at St. Maloes Returned to Gancale Bay Proceeded to Cherbourg . . Returned tr England .... The Regiment embarlced for Germany . Joined the allied army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick . . Marched to Munster for winter quarters . Battle of Minoen .... Eulogiums on the British Troops . Received the Royal Authority to bear the word MiNDEN on the colours and appointments The Regiment cantoned in Osnaburg Marched to Faderborn. Battle op Warbouhg .... March of the Regiment to the Lower Rhine to form part of the Army under the hereditary Prince of Brunswick .... Investment of Wesel ..... Action at Campen ..... The siege of Wesel raised . . „ . The Regiment cantoned in the principality of XJ.6SSG #•••••• Decease of General Huske . 78 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 CONTENTS OF TUB HISTORICAL RECORD. XXX7 Ymt 1761 1762 1762 1763 1773 1774 1775 1776 ■F I Lieut.-General the llouurable George lioscawen appointed Colonel of the Regiment . SjBveral towns taken by the Alliot • . Battle of Kirch Dbnkrrn or Fbllinqhausin Skirmishes in the Electorate of i lanover . The Regiment quartered in the bishopric of Osnaburg ..... Tlie French army surprised at Graebenttein Action of Wilhelmstakl — — ^ Dtucker-Muhl^ near Amonebourg Cosset taken by the Allies . Suspension of hostilities proclaimed Peace of Fontainebleau . Stipulations of the Treaty The thanks of Parliament communicated to the Army in Germany .... Return of the Regiment to England Stationed in Great Britain for ten years . Embarked for North America Stationed at Boston .... War of American Independence . Action at Lexington .... Decease of Lieut.-General the Honorable George Boscawen ..... Major-General the Honorable Sir William Howe, KB., appointed Colonel of the Regiment . . . . , Battle of Bunker's Hill . Casualties of the Regiment . Siege of Boston by General Washington . Boston evacuated by the British Embarkation of the troops for Nova Scotia Sailed for Staten Island Declaration of Independence by the American Congress ...... c2 86 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 ■y \r > ! 1 XXXVl CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. Year 1776 Operations in Long Island . Occupation of New York by the British • Battle of White Plains . Reduction of Fort Washington The Regiment stationed in winter quarters on New York Island .... 1777 Proceeded to Connecticut Expedition to Danb^ry The Army proceeded to Staten Island, and afterwards to New Jersey . Expedition to the Delaware and Chesapeake Action at Brandywine . . ■ Occupation of Philadelphia . •~— Action at Germantown 1778 Return of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir . William Howe to England Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton assumed the command of the army in America . Evacuation of Philadelphia . Encamped at Freehold. — — Action at Monmouth Court-House Arrival of the British at New York The Americans received aid from tlie French The French fleet pursued by Admiral Lord Howe ...... The Regiment served as Marines . Gallant conduct while thus employed 1779 The Regiment sailed along the Hudson . Capture of Fort Lafayette, and of Stony Point Expedition to Newhaven . Destruction of the enemy's stores . • Return of the expedition to New York , Projected expedition to the West Indies . Expedition tc Charlestown . 1780 -Siege and capture of Charlesioton . Fkge 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. xxxvn Year ige 1780 The Regiment attached to the force in South Carolina under Lieut.- General the Earl Corn wallis ....... 104 Action at Camden .... — ^ Gallant defence of Polk's Mill by Lieutenant Guyon of the 23rd Regiment . . . 106 - Toilsome march to Wynesborough . . 107 ' Operations for the defence of South Carolina 1781 Action at Cowpens .... Toilsome march to the Fords of Catawba Passage of the river .... The Americans expelled from North Carolina Action at Guildford Court- House, March of the British to Wilmington The General Assembly of the State of Virgin; surprised by a detachment of the Regiment Affair near the river James . . . Defence of York Town Earl Cornwallis capitulated to the Americans Preservation of the colours of the Regiment 1782 The Independence of the United States acknow ledged by King George III. 1783 Abstract of the Treaty of Peace 1784 Embarkation of the Regiment for England 1786 Lieut.-General, the Honorable Sir William Howe, appointed to the Nineteenth Light Dragoons . . . . . .117 Major-General Richard Grenville appointed Colonel of the Regiment .... 1789 The Regiment employed on the King's duty at Windsor ...... — — — The French Revolution .... — - 1793 War declared against England by France . — Spread of republican principles to the French West India Islands ..... — 109 111 112 113 114 115 116 ■1:1 m ' ' ill ; 'i - 11 ■A ' XXXVIU CONTENTS OF THE HlfiTORIOAL REOOItD. !)■' 1 . , i'lf^' Year 1794 1796 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 Embarkation of the Regiment for St. Domingo Capture of Port-au-Prinee , , , Return of the Regiment to England . Expedition to Ostend . . • , Embarkation of the Regiment for Holland Action upon landing . . • , Engaged on the Zi/pe Dyke , , , Action near Bergen • . . . BATTIiE OF AlkMAAR , , , Subsequent operations .... Convention for the withdrawal of the Uritiih troops from Holland. , , , Part of the Regiment wrecked . , The Regiment joined the fleet under Admiral Earl St. Vincent . . • . Unsuccessful attempts on Ferrol and VJgo Expedition to Egypt . , , , Action on landing in Egypt . . , Attacked by the French while on the march to Alexandria . • . • • Battle of Alexandria . , » Death of Lieut. -General Sir Ralph Aberoromby Advance of the main body of the Army on Cairo Capitulation of Alexandria , , , Embarkation of the Regiment for Gibraltar The thanks of Parliament voted to the troopi Received the Royal Authority to bear the Sphinx, with the word Eotpt, on the Regi mental Colour and Appointment* Gold Medal presented to the ofl^cert by the Grand Seignior . . , , Peace of Amiens, and stipulations of the Treaty Renewal of the war with France , , Return of the Regiment iVom Gibraltar to England 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 127 128 CONTENTS OP THE HISTORICAL RECORD. XXXIX 1604 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 The threatened French invasion Augmentation of the Army . A second battalion added to the Regiment The^rit battalion embarl^ed on the expedition under Lieut.-General Don . . Occupation of Bremen The troopi recalled to England The^rtt battalion employed on the expedition to Coijenhagen Skinniihes on the march to Copenhagen . The^rst battalion quartered in the vicinity of Copentiagen Returned to England .... The second battalion embarlied for Ireland The^rtt battalion embarked for Nova Scotia The second battalion proceeded to Spain . Battli! or CoauNNA Received the Royal Authority to bear the word Corunna on the Regimental colour and appointments Return of the second battalion to England Embarked for Walcheren .... Returned to England . . . . , T\\Qflrit battalion formed part of the expedition to Martinique Capture of Martinique, . . . . Received the Royal Authority to bear the word Mautimiquis on the Regimental Colour and Appointmentfl . .... T\\e first battalion returned to Nova Scotia ■ embarked for the Peninsula Action at Bedinha .... Surrender of Olivenfa Siege of Budujoz .... Dattlii: ov Albuubua Page 128 129 130 131 132 134 135 136 i I '.Hi j|i I r I.' ;i 1811 1812 1813 1814 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. The Allied Army retired across the Guadiana Blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo , , Skirmishes at Fuente Guinaldo The enemy repulsed at Aldea-de-Ponte , Occupation of cantonments on the Portuguese frontier . . . Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo The siege of Badajoz resumed Capture of Badajoz .... Skirmish at jiSanCAm^ova/ . Battle of Salamanca \ . . , Triumphant march to Madrid The Regiment marched to Soutilla Battle op Vittoria .... Retreat of the French across the Pyrenees Blockade of Pampeluna Action near Pampeluna Siege of San Sebastian Actions in the Pyrenees Battle of the Nivelle . . . Battle of the Nivb .... The Regiment cantoned at Ustaritz Battle of Orthes . . Battle of Toulouse .... Sortie from Bayonne .... Termination of the Peninsular War Napoleon Bonaparte retired to Elba The Regiment embarked for England Received the Royal Authority to bear the words Albuhera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, Toulouse, and Peninsula, on the Regimental Colour and Appointments. . . . . . Honors conferred on the Officers for their services during the Peninsular War Page 139 140 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 CONTENTS OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. Xli Tear 1814 Reduction of the second battalion . • 1815 Return of Napoleon Bonaparte to France — — Embarkation of the Regiment for Flanders Battle of Waterloo * . . Death of Colonel Sir Henry Ellis . . Monument erected to his memory in Worcester •Cathedral . . . • — — - The word Waterloo authorised to be borne on the Regimental Colour and Appointments — — March of the Allied Army for Paris Occupation of Cambray . . . Encamped on the plain of St. Denis The Regiment selected to form part of the " Army of Occupation " . . . 1818 Withdrawal of the British troops from France — ~ The Regiment stationed in Ireland. 1823 Decease of General Richard Grenville Major-General Sir James Willoughby Gordon Bart., appointed Colonel of the Regiment — — Embarkation of the Regiment for Gibraltar Complimentary general order issued previous to embarkation ..... 1825 Formed into service and depot companies . 1826 Thedepdt companies embarked for Guernsey ' returned to England 1827 Expedition to Portugal 1828 Return of the Regiment to Gibraltar . 1830 The depdt companies embarked for Ireland 1834 The service companies embarked at Gibraltar for England, and joined by the depdt from Ireland ....... 1836 Embarkation of the Regiment fc * Ireland 1838 The service companies embarked for Nova Scotia ....... 1840 The depdt companies removed from Ireland to Great Britain Fkge 152 153 154 155 156 157 ii; ;k m h '111 \ xlii CONTEMT8 OF THE HISTORICAL RECORD. ' Hi .'ill l;1 Year Page 1840 The service compauies proceeded to Canada • 157 1842 The Regiment again formed into two battalions. ^-— — Embarkation of the reserve battalion for Canada 158 1843 Embarkation of iY^Q first battalion for the West Indies. ....... — 1844 Presentation of two Cashmere Goats to the Regiment by Her Majesty . . • . 1847 Result of the sanitary measures pursued in the West Indies , . . . ... — — < T\\B first battalion embarked for Nova Scotia • 159 1848 — : : England, . «— 1849 Presentajtion of New Colours by Prince Albert. ■ Address of His Royal Highness on the occasion 160 Reply of the Commanding Officer . . . 161 The Old Colours deposited in St. Peter's Church ^t Carmarthen • . . . .163 1,850 TflE Co^rCLUSION 1 PLATES. Costume of the Regiment . . . .to face page 1 Costumei of the Regiment in 1742 . . ,, 68 Monument to Colonel Sir Henry Ellis, KCB., in Worcester Cathedral . . . . ,, 154 Colours of the Regiment . . . . ,. 162 ) > il I ( xliii ) SUCCESSION OF COLONELS OF THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. Yeu 1689 Henry Lord Herbert . Charles Herbert. 1691 TobyPurcell . 1692 Sir John Morgan, Bart. 1693 Richard Ingoldsby 1105 Joseph Sabine . 1739 Newsham Peers . . 1743 John Huske 1761 The Honorable George Boscawen 1775 William Viscount Howe, KB. 1786 Richard Grenville 1823 Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Bart. Page 164 165 166 167 168 110 i' -I • * ■:t- C il V ( xlv CONTENTS OF APPENDIX M THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, OB, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands, from 1689 to 1697 Definition of the Old and New Styles List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands and Germany, from 1702 to 1713, during the " War of the Spanish Succession " . . . . • List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in Germany and the . Netherlands, from 1743 to 1748, during the " War of the Austrian Succession" .... List of British Regiments which served in Flanders and Germany, between the years 1742 and 1748, during the " War of the Austrian Succession** » Names of the ofiicers belonging to the Regiment on the Ist of August, 1759, the date of the Battle of MlNDEN Ancient custom of the Regiment being preceded by a Goat with gilded horns, and adorned with ringlets of flowers ........ General Order relating to the campaign in Egypt in 1801 List of Regiments, and names of the Commanding Officers, employed in Egypt .... Page 171 172 174 175 176 177 178 180 ;. IS i i m m m xlvi CONTENTS OF APPENDIX. li m m ' \ General Orders, dated 18th of January and 1st of Feb- ruary 1809, relating to the Battle of Corunna, and death of Lieut. •General Sir John Moore List of Regiment!, and the names of their Commanding Officers, which composed the Army under Lieut.- General Sir John Moore Letter to Colonel Pearson, from Major-General Sir Willoughby Gordon, Bart., on his appointment to , the Colonelcy of the Regiment .... n«t 182 186 187 Pago 182 186 187 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, m •',t; >B, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS, ;i; 14 if I V.' ll ?i IIISTOIUCAL HHCORl) or TIIli: TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, o«, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. The attempts of King James II. to subvert the Pro- jggg testant Establishment, contrary to his declaration on ascending the throne, caused great disaffection amongst liis subjects, and at length terminated in the Revolution of 1688. This event was hastened by the birth of the Prince of Wales, afterwards designated " The Pre- tender,"* which occurrence destroyed the hopes of the Protestants, who had expected that relief would arise to the nation on the decease of James II. by the accession of the King's eldest daughter, the Princess Mary, rn to favour the operations of the main army, King William dotiched certain regiments to threaten Fort Knocque, £ ft .'ress at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, whtre ;ne French had a garrison. On the 9th of June, an attack was made on the French, who were driven from the entrenchments and houses near the Loo Canal. A redoubt w.'*^ afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected on the v/orks of the bridge, but when Namur was invested, itir riterprise became no longer necessary, and, on the 1st of July, Lord Cutts returned to the camp at Temploux with six battalions, including the Twenty-third regi- ment. The loss sustained before Fort Knocque by Briga- dier-General Tiffeny's brigade, of which tiie Twenty- third formed part, amounted to three officers killed and thirty-two wounded, and 337 soldiers killed and wounded. No longer concealing his intentions. King William de- termined to invest Namur, and, on the 2nd of July, arrived at the castle of Falise ; on the following day, the Elector of Bavaria having brought up the remainder of his army with surprising celerity, the town and castle of Namur were completely invested. Marshal Boufflers had, in the meantime, succeeded in rehifjrcin<>; the garrison, which consisted of about fifteen thousand men, comprising the best troops of France. The siege of Namur at first proceeded slowly, owing to the want of cannon, which having arrived, the works were carried on with vigour On the 8th of July, several of the regiments encamped at Templcnx, received order.< to march into the lines of circumvallation, and the 'I'wenty- ii, m ^ 24 TJiE TWHNTY-TlIlllU REGIMENT OF FOOT, I It! H 1695 TUIRD foriiiecl p/irt of this force. In the evening of the same day, a «iUT088ful attack was made on the covered way upon the iiill of Bougc. The attack was made about seven in the evening ; and such were the spirit and energy with wliieh the British soldiers rushed upon their opponents, that the puHsades were speedily broken dowri, the covered way carried, and the JVench overpowered and chased among the works, many of them throwing themselves into stone-pits to escapcj the fury of their assailants. Brigadier- General iMtzpatrick was ordered to mount the trenches with the regiuK'nts of Lauder, Ingoldsby (Twenty-third), Saunderson, and Maithiiid ; and Brigadier-General Fris- heim, with the Dutch, relieved the posts which had been gained. The Twenty-third regiment had Captain Hamilton and Lieutenant Jasaut killed. This success was followed by increased ex' i ilou ? o ", the part of the hemiegcsre, and on the 17th of Jur' al prejav^- tioMs werj! coinjjloted for an attack on the cou.itcr ;c'n;p. Major-Gcneral Jiindeboom was then in the trenches with Brigadier Selwyn, and the regimehts of Lauder, Ingoldsby (Twentv-th/hd), Hnunderson, and Maitland. The attack was ordered for the (jveuing at the relieving of the trenches, so as to httv*; plenty of regiments ready to sustain the assault. Fifteen grenadiers were detached from each of the regiments concerned in the siege of the town (except the Foot Guards), amounting to about fifty men, com- manded by T'olonel Collingwood. The attack was com- menced by the grenadiers about five o'clock in the after- noon, who gallantly advanced to the glacis, and fired their grenades over the palisades into the covered way. The enemy hud traverses palisaded the entire length of this covered way from the Porte-de-For to the Maese, which btrengthermd the counterscarp considerably. The grena- diers notwithstanding gained the glacis, but the besieged. OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 25 under cover of their traverses, very much annoyed the 1695 assailants, and disputed the lodgments upon the glacis with great obstinacy ; for which reason the regiments of Ingoldshy (Twenty-third) and Saundcrson marched out of the trenches to their assistance ; but when they came to lodge the woolsacks and gabions upon the palisades of the glacis, the French, who still defended themselves by means of their traverses, set them on fire, and sprang two or three mines, which did some execution. Several grenadiers leaped over the palisades into the covered way, and fought with much bravery in the thickest of the conflict. The lodgment was at length effected, and the French were forced to abandon the counterscarp. D'Auvergne, in his History, computes the casualties at about seven or eight hundred men killed and wounded, and states, that " Colonel Ingoldshy s {2Zrd) and Saunder- sons regiments suffered most among ours (Scots Fusilier Guards,) in gaining the counterscarp.'* The TwENTY-THiun li.ad Lieutenant Brooker and Ensign Paget killed, and Captains Purefoy, Jones, and Stedman, Lieutenants Ogilby, Moor, Disney, and Lloyd, and Ensigns Patteson and Johnson, wounded. The Twenty-third regiment was also in the trenches in the evening of the 20th of July, the day on wliich King William received the news of the surrender of Dixmude to the French, for which Major-General Ellemberg was afterwards tried by court-martial, and sentenced to be beheaded, which was carried into effect at Ghent on the 30th of November, 1695. Deinse was also taken by the French on the 21st of July. King William prosecuted the siege of ''^ainur with vigour, and with such . urcoss, that the garrison hoisted a white flag, and agreed to surrender the town, which was ':W\ !.■• >•'■ r J. 1. :i|| li 20 TUB TWENTy-TIllUU llEQIMENT OF FOOT, it 1: j: i i j t 1695 delivered up on tlio 25tli July, 1695, when the garrison retired into tlie Castle, where they determined to defend themselves to the lust extremity. After the surrender of the town of Naraur, the Twenty - THIRD regiment marched from the lines of circumvallation to Genappe, where a force wasascamlieu i.ider the Earl of Athlone to co-oporute with the covering army. The confederate army being thus ui . Ided, part carrying on the siege of the Catitle of Namur, and the remainder stationed in various places in the Z^Tetherlands, the French co»n- mander. Marshal Villeroy, having assembled an immense force, advanced to Jirussels, and bombarded the city. Upon this march of Marshal Villeroy to Brussels, ten battalions were (1» Ui-jhed from the Earl of Athlone's array at Waterloo .o reinforce the army under the Prince of Vaudemont ; four of these battalions vi^ere English, and the TwENTY-THiiiD regiment formed pi^rt of the number. Marshal Villeroy, after bombarding the city of Brussels, withdrew his army on the 7th of August, and marched towards Namur, w ith the design of raising the siege of the castle. The Prince of ' uont's force in the meanwhile approached closer lo the inuin army under King William, and encamped at Mazy, about five miles from Namur. On the 30th of August, the grenadier company of the TwENTY-Tiinu) regiment took part in . n assault upon the Castle of Namur, and was engaged with the force under Lord (Jutts in storming the counterscarp and breach of the Terra Nova. This proved a severe and sanguinary service ; the assailants and defenders fought bravely, and several lodgments were effected, but the castle vas not carried. Captain Parry, of the Twenty-third, was killed on this service. Preparations were afterwardb made for anc er assault, when the garrison, despairing of all hope of ^uc^our from OR, THE ROYAL WEL8U FU8IL1EH8. 27 Marshal Villeroy's army, was forced to surrender. t 1095 the capitulation of Namur, the 'J'wenty-tuiud regime ut took possession of the gates. On the 5tli of September, the garrison marched out, when Marshal Boufflers was arrested, in order to obtain satisfaction of the French monarch for the detention of the garrisons of Dixmude and Deinse, who were detained prisoners contrary to the cartel. Marshal Boufflers was soon afterwards released on parole gi ven that the garrisons should be liberated. In this manner was effected this important concjuest, which greatly increased the military reputation of King William, and added fresh lustre to the confederate troops ; twelve thousand men were lost by the Allies in recovering Namur from the French. No further actions occurred during the year 1695, and the Twenty-third regiment returned about the middle of October to its former winter quarters at Bruges. In the spring of 1696, Louis XIV. endeavoured to 1696 weaken the power of the confederate army in Flanders, by causing England to become the seat of civil war. The partisans f King James were excited to rise in arms ; a plot wao formed for the assassination of King William, and a French army approached the coast to embark with King James for England. Several regiments were in consequence selected to return to England, but the Twenty-third remained in Flanders. In the meantime the conspirators had been discovered ; a British fleet was sent to blockade the French ports ; the designs of Louis XIV. upon England were frustrated, and several of the corps re- turned to Flanders. The Twenty-third regiment, in May, 1696, marched out pf Bruges, and was posted at Bellem, together with the Dutch cavalry, commanded by Brigadiers Sohack wi !-■ 28 THE TWENTY-TIIIUU KEUIMENT OF FOOT, 169G and Boncourt ; tlio brigade of infantry, consisting of" tlio regitnunts of Macliay, Sir David Collier, Ingoldsby and Ferguson, being under the orders of Sir David Collier : the wiiole were under the command of Lieut.-General Sir Henry Bellasis. In May, King William embarked at Margate, and landed in Holland on the 7th of that month. On the 29th of May, His Majesty reviewed the Twenty-third and other regiments stationed at Bellem, and expressed his satisfaction as to their condition. The troops were well clothed, and most of the regiments were complete in numbers, the losses of the preceding campaign having been replaced. On the 31st of May, King William promoted several officers, and Colonel Ingoldsby, of the Twenty-third regiment, was appointed Brigadier. His Majesty, in order to strengthen the Brabant army in infantry, sent for a considerable detachment from the Prince of Vau- demont's army, to be commanded by the Duke of Wirtemberg. Accordingly, on the 4th of June, the Twenty-tuird and other regiments proceeded en route to Appels upon the Scheldt, near Dendermond, and marched to Malen- stein, where they passed the canal at Sas-van-Ghent. Brigadier Ingoldsby commanded the brigade, of which his regiment, the Twenty-third, formed part. On the 5th of June, the whole of the troops, amounting to fifteen battalions, which had been detached under the Duke of Wirtemberg, joined at Appels. No general engagement, however, occurred, and, in September, the Prince of Vaudemont having been informed of the march of the enemy to Turnhout and Wynendale, requested to be reinforced, in order to provide for the safety of Bruges. The brigades of Fitzpatrick Olt. THE KUYAIi WELSH Fl'^ill.IKUS. •2U (Sevonth Royal Fusiliers) and Ingoldshy (Twenty- 1696 TiijRD) ttccortlingly niarchud towards Ghent to reinforce the Prince, from whence they ])rocceded in boats to Brugoa. The confederates had j)ut their camp into such a state of defence, that Marshal V'illeroy's designs on Bruges wen; frustrated. In October, King William returned to England. During the campaign of lGi)6, neither the French, nor the confederates, had entered upon any siege, or fought any considerable action. The great scarcity of money, upon the recoining of the silver in this year, is one of the reasons given for the inactivity of the English : the loss of the nation upon the reeoinage is stated to have amounted to 2,200,000/. Th TwENTY-THiiiD regiment shortly afterwards occu- pied its former quarters at Bruges. In AprJl, 1697, King William embarked at Margate 1097 for Holland, and the army entered upon the operations of another campaign ; but while the troops were in the field, negotiations for a general peace were opened at Ryswick, Monsieur Letinroot, the Swedish ambassador being mediator. The treaty of Ryswick was signed during the night between the 20th and 21st of Septem- ber, 1697. By this treaty, France was to restore to the Spanish monarch Barcelona, Roses, Gironne, and all that she had acquired in Catalonia ; also Luxemburg, Mons, Charleroi, and all other towns she had obtained posses- sion of in the Low Countries, as well as in America. It was also stipulated between England and France, that Louis XIV. would not attempt to disturb King AVilliam in the enjoyment of the British dominions. After the conclusion of peace, the Twenty-tuiud regiment embarked for Ireland, whore it remained until "A \■\^ m .■>!, ^'■i 30 THE TWENTY THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, m I ? I J 1 1697 events occasioned it to be again sent on foreign service in the Netherlands, the scene of its former glories, and which has been aptly termed the battle-field of Europe, on account of the liberties of Christendom having been so frequently defended in that country. 1700 These events arose from the decease of Charles II. King of Spain, without issue, which occurred on the 1st of November, 1700; and he bequeathed his crown to Philip, Duke of Anjou, second son of the Dauj, 'lin of France, Louis XIV., in violation of existing treaties, accordingly endeavoured to procure the accession of his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain, in opposition to the claims of Charles, Archduke of Austria, the second son of Leopold, Emperor of Germany.* Louis XIV. sent a body of troops to take possession of the Spanish Netherlands, and detained 15,000 Dutch, who formed the garrisons of the barrier-towns in virtue of a previous convention with Spain, which was concluded at the peace of Ryswick in 1697. King William immediately adopted active measures for augmenting the army and uavy, and sent thirteen British battalions to assist the Dutch against the advance jf the French army towards their frontiers.! * On the 5th of May, 1705, Loopold, Emperor of Germany died, and was succeeded by his son Jcie])h, whose decease occurred at Vienna on the i7th of April 1711, when his brother Charles III., of Spain, was elected Emperor. t Jiegimentu vihich proceeded to Holland in 1701. A battalion of the Foot Guards from England. The following regiments embarked at Cork on the 15th June, 1701, 1st Foot. Royals, 1st Batt. 13th Foot. Sir John Jacob's. Ditto 2nd Batt. l.-ith „ HoM'e's. 8th „ Princess Aiine's. 1 7th „ Sir Matthew Bridge's. 9th „ Stewarts. 18th „ Eoyal Irish. 10th „ Sir Bevil Granville's. 24th „ Seymour's. The 1 6th (Stanley's,) and 23rd (Ingoldsby's,) regiments, embarked at Carrickfergus on the 7th of June, 1701, but did not sail from thence until the 15th of that month. OR. THE UOYAL V. r ^SII FUSILIERS. 31 The Twenty-third regiment, commanded by Briga- noi dier-General Ingoldsby, embarked at Cavrickfergus for Flanders on the 7th of June, 1701 ; and afterwards increased its former reputation, by sharing in the victories gained by the Duke of Marlborough ; triumphs which rivalled the ancient glories of Cre^y, and of Agincourt. Brigadier-General Ingoldsby arrived in Holland on the 30tli of June, with the Sixteenth and Twenty-third regiments under his command, which proceeded to their appointed garrisons at Worcum and Heusden. On the 6th of July, King William proceeded to Hol- land ; and on the 16th of September the troops under Brigadier-General Ingoldsby marched to Breda Heath, where the army was reviewed by His Majesty on the 21st of September. After the review, the troops marched back to their respective garrisons, where they remained during the year. On the 1 6th of September, 1701, the decease of James II. occurred at St. Germains, and his son (known in England as the Pretender) was, by order of Louis XIV., proclaimed King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, by the title of King James III. This indignity to the British sovereign and nation, added to the contemplated union of the crowns of France and Spain, aroused the feelings of the British people ; and King William con- cluded an alliance with the Emperor of Austria and the States General, against the French monarch, which was termed " The Grand Alliance," the principal objects of which were to procure the Spanish Netherlands as a barrier for the Dutch, and to prevent France and Spain being united under the same prince. In November, the King returned to London. While these active measures were in progress, the de- 1702 cease of King William occurred on the 8th of March, ^ ' 1 ( '8 \T i !■! 7 V!" i « p h 32 THK TWKNTV-THIRD JIKOIMMNT 01'' I'OOT, 1702 1702 ; and his successor, Queon Anno, rcwdvod to carry into effect the views of her predecessor. War will accord- ingly declared against France and Spain on the 4th of May following, and additional forces wero Hunt to Flanders, the Earl of Marlborough behig appointed to command the British, Dutch, and auxiliary troops, with tho rank of Captain- General. In the meantime the TwENTY-TiiinD rogimunt, having passed the winter amongst the Dutch, quittod it« canton- ments Oil the 10th of March, proceeded to Roscndaol, where the British infantry assembled and oncatnpcd under Brigadier-General Ingoldsby. On the 16th of April, the Prince of Nasgflu Haarbruck, commanding the German and Dutch troops, invested KaTjsersiverth, st strong fortress on tho Waul, a branch of the Rhine, which was garrisoned by the Froncii ; and the Twenty-third, with the other Britinh ruginimits, pro- ceeded from their camp at Rosondaul to tho duchy of Cleves, where they joined a body of Dutch and Gcrmnns under General the Earl of Athlono, and cnd/inipt'd at Cranenburg, on the Lower Rhino, to cover the Hiege. While the allies were engaged in tho Hit of Kayeers- werth, Marshal Boutflers, who coinnnunlod tin; French army under the Duke of Burgundy, with a very »iiperior force, in point of numbers, traversed tho foi'ont of Cleves, and advanced through the plains of Gocli with tho design of surprising Nimeguen. This movement oniwed tho Earl of Athlone to advance upon Nimeguen, nnd the troops under his command arrived on tlu^ morning of the nth of June, within a few miles of iho place, when the French columns appeared marching with all possible expedition to surround the allies. Some nliiirp Mkirmish- ing ensued, in which the rear-guard diMtiiigtUKlied itself in opposing the leading coUuuns of the Frcsnch army. on, THE nOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 33 Nimoguon wa« thus saved from the French, and on the 1 702 17th of J\xm, Kayserswcrth surrendered to the confederate troops. In tho beginning of July, the Earl of Marlborough arrived in the Netherlands, and assumed the command of tho Britiih, Dutch, and auxiliary troops. At this period tho Duchy of Cleves had been overrun by the enemy, who menaced the frontiers of Holland. His Lord«hip oiiomblcd the troops of the several nations, advanced ngainst the French, and by skilful movements forced them ♦'o retire. The Twenty-third formed part of the force under the Earl of Marlborough, and were engaged in several movements designed to bring on a general action, which the enemy avoided. Vmloo, & town in the province of Limburg, on the east side of the river Maese, was invested by the allies on tho 29th of August, and the Twenty-third formed part of the covering army during the siege. The town surrendered (ni the 25th of September. StemMwaert and Ruremonde were the next objects of attack, and were captured early in October. Animated by thoae succcsf^es, the main army struck its tents at one o'clock in i,nc morning of the 10th of October, and ad- vanced in two columns towards tlie city of Liege, and encamped near the works about four in the afternoon. Marshal Boufflers, thereupon, abandoned the city, and setting on fire the suburb of St. Walburg, retired into tho Citadel and Chartreuse. After Jiaving occupied the city '^f Liege, the Earl of Marlborough commenced the siege of the Citadel, which was tiiken by storm on the 23rd of October, and in the capture of which tho Grenadier company of the regiment «listi!)gui«hed itself. The Earl of Marlborough has alludcc. to the bravery D .1 l\ I- 11 \- ' ' I' 34 THE TWENTY-THIRD nEGIMENT OF FOOT, II 1 702 of the troops employed in the capture of the Citadel of Lieye, in a letter to the Earl of Nottingham, dated the 23rd of Octoher, 1702. This letter forms part of the correspondence which was discovered by the present Duke of Marlborough in the year 1842, upon making some improvements at Blenheim, and is included in " The Letters and Despatches of John Churchill^ first " Duke of Marlborough^' recently published und-^r the superintendence of the late General the Right Honorable Sir Georjie Murrav G.C.Ij :- " The p'jst not be!'.' g^iK', I could not but open " this letter tn let you know, that, by the extraordinary " bravery of the officers and soldiers, the Citadel has been '* carried by storm, and for the honor of Her Majesty's " subjects, the English were the first that got upon the " breach, and the Governor was taken by a lieutenant " of Stewart's regiment.* Tiie necessary orders are " given for the hastening the attack of the Chartreuse." A few days after this capture, the Chartreuse surren- dered, and the Earl of Marlborough proceeded to Holland, and thence to London, where, on arrival, Her Majesty Queen Anne created him a Duke, as a reward for the successes of the (.ampaign of 1702. In a list of the forces in Holland, in 1702, preserved in the British Museum, the Twenty-third regiment is stated to have consisted at that period of 44 commissioned officers, 104 non-commissioned officers, and 736 privates. The British troops (juitted tiie valley of Liege in November, and marched to Holland for winter quarters. ,^ In the beginning of April, 1703, the Duke of Marl- borough arrived in Holland, and Bonn, a strong town on the Rhine, was invested by the Dutch and Germans on * Now the Ninth Kegimcut of I'\iot. ilii OH, TUE ROYAL WELSH FU8ILIEUS. 85 the 24th of April. MarshalsVilleroy and BouiBers, taking 1703 advantage of the dispersed state of t'^e allied army, made a sudden advance to surprise the troops in their quarters. The first attack was made on the 10th of May upon two British regiments; at Tongres; and these regiments, the second foot, and Elst's corps (the latter since disbanded), defended themselves upwards of twenty-four hours before they surrendered. Upon this the Twenty-third, and otliei regiments, proceeded to Maestricht, where they formed in order of battle near the works : the French Commander advanced, reconnoitred the position, and withdrew to Tongres, after a sharp cannonade. Bonn surrendered on the 15th of May, and the army was afterwards assembled in the vicinity of Maestricht, where t'lie Twenty-third was fvormed in brigade Wiih the battalion of Foot Guards, the first battalion of the Royals, and the regiments of Stewart, Howe and Marlborough, (now 9th, 15th, and 24th regiments) under the orders of Brigadier-General Withers, in the division commanded by Litutenant-General Charles Churchill, brother of tiie Duke jf Marlborou^. On the 24th of May, the army advanced towards Zbrt^/rcs, when the Fi'ench retreated with precipitation, and the confederates encamped at Thys. The Duke of Marlborough then made several movements in order to bring on a general engagement, which the ; French avoided, and took post behind their fortified lines, wliere His Grace was desirous of attacking them, but was prevented by the Dutch generals and field deputies. The Dukt of Marlborough, in a letter to the Dutch General, Mr. D'Obdam, dated 3rd of July, 1 703, of which the following is an extrac, has feelingly alluded to the long marches, made by the troops in order to bring the enem} to a battle : — '* Nous avons eu une cruelle niarche aujouid'hui pour ]) 2 if ^1 w\ » It il'f' i I .", 36 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, ■f 1703 " les pauvrea soldats, qui ont ete la plupart du chemin a " mi-jambe dans I'eau et la boue, ce qui nous obligera, " j'ai peur, de faire halte ici demain. Mais nous pour- " suivrons la marche demain pour vous approcher de plus " pres, et attendrons avec impatience vos sentiments, avec " ceux des generaux, sur les operations que nous aurons " a faire pour parvenir au plus-tot a nos desseins." Operations were therefore continued against the fortified towns in possession of the enemy, and in August, the army advanced to Hut/, a strong fortress on the Maese above the cily of Liege, which was invested on the 16th, and captured on the 25th of August. Another proposal to attack ihe French lines was declined by the Dutch ; and the Hi "n army afterwards advanced to St. Trond; at the same • ne a detachment invested Limhurg, a city of the Spanish N i ■ erlands, situated on a pleasant eminence amongst the woods near the banks of the little river Wesdet. The siege of this jilace commenced on the 10th of September, and on the 28th, the governor, with a garrison of fourteen hundred men, surrendered. Spanish Guelderland was thus delivered from the power of France, and the Dutch were freed from the dread of an invasion. The army, shortly after the capture of Limburg, went into winter quarters in Dutch Brabant. 1704 In the early part of 1704, a detachment of the regiment proceeded to Maestricht, to take part in the duties. of that garrison, while the Dutch troops were throwing up a strong entrenchment on the heights of Petersberg. Meanwhile the progress of the war had assumed an unfavourable aspect in Germany ; the Elector of Ba' aria had embraced the French interest, and, having been reinforced by a numerous body of French troops, had gained considerable advantages over the army of the Empire. Under these circumstances the Duke of Marl- Coi the the OR, THE UOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. a? borough resolved to lead the army under his command 1704 from the ocean to the Danui>?; and make a powerful effort to change the fortune of the war in the heart of Germany. To engage in this splendid enterprise, the Twenty- third regiment marched towards the Rhine in the early par- ■'" ^'f'y, and was joined at Bedburg by the detach- irf^i- f. . x\Iaestricht. The designs of the British Com- mai' ci were secret; the object of his movements held Europe in perplexing anxiety, suspended the operations of the Elector of Bavaria, and confounded the French Generals, who, the moment the advance assumed a specific direction, were unable to counteract the plans of the Dukr of Marlborough. On the 19 til of May, the army inarched from Bedburg along the course of the Rhine towards the Moselle, and traversed both rivers at Coblentz on the 25th and 26th of that month ; thence proceeding towards the Maine, arrived at the suburbs of Mentz in the beginning of June ; the cavalry being in advance with the Duke of Marl- borough, the infantry and artillery a few marches in the rear, under General Charles Churchill. From the Maine the infantry proceeded towards the Neckar, and passed that river on the 15th of June, shortly afterwards arriving at the seat of war in Germany, and co-operating with the Imperial forces. At three o'clock in the raorning of the '2nd of July, the army marcher' towards- Donawerth, to attack the entrenched camp of the French and Bavarians, under the Count d'Arco, on the heights of Schdlenberg , situated on the left bank of the Danube. After traversing a difficult tract of country, the troops crossed the river Wernitz, and arrived in front of the enemy's camp. About six in the evening, the leading di'ision, consisting of a detach- -11 % '\ i I: f 1' lii !i i! 3» TUB rWRNTY-TIlIIlD llECIMENT OF FOOT, is-. 1704 nioiit from cacli BritiHlj regiment, with the Foot Guards, RoyalH, urid Twenty-third regiment, commanded by Brlgadier-Gencrul Fergusson, and a Dutch force under General Goor, advanced, under cover of a heavy cannonade, to attack the (nitrencliments. The difficulty of the ground, the formidable preparations of the enemy, and the steady })ravery of th(j Bavarians,occasioned the contest to be severe. All the confederate troops behaved with much bravery and rcHohition, and the cavalry shared the .dory of the (lay with the infantry ; but the first attack being com- menc(!d by a battalion of the Foot Guards, and the regi- mentH of ( )rkncy and Ingoldsby (First foot, and Twenty- Tumi) n.'giment) they suffered more than the others. The determined assaults of the British soldiers overcame all rcBiHtancc!, and after an attack, which lasted nearly two liours, the French and Bavarians abandoned the lieightH, and were pursued across the Danube by the A ietors, who captured sixteon pieces of artillery, several standardw, colours, tents, with the equipage and plate of tlie Bavarian commander, the Count d'Arco; the Count and his generals, saved themselves by swimming across the Danube. The Duke of Marlbc 'ongh stated in a letter to Her Maj(>sty Queen Anne, dated 3rd of July, 1 704, from the camp at Kbcrmergcn, that " Mr. Secretary Harley will " have the honor to lay the relation of yesterday's action " before Your Majesty, to which I shall crave leave " humbly to add, that our success is, in a great measure, " owing to the particular blessing of God on the un- " paralleled courage of your troop " The regiment had Captains Harman, Ogilvy, Lieu- tenants Fra/ier, Agan, and Price killed ; Colonel Sabine, Lieutenant- (Jolonel Jones, Major Ingoldsby, Captain Eyme, Lieutenants Jeverau, Kf^nok, Richards, Cadroy, on, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 89 Piggot, Aldy, and Jones wounded ; six Serjeants killed, 1704 and six wounded ; sixty rank and file killed, and one hundred and fifty-six wounded. After this victory Donmcerth was taken possession of by the allies, who penetrated the country "^ Bavaria, and the Elector concentrated his forces ai Augsburg. The enemy having left a garrison at Rain, a Si la'J town near the River Lech, the confederate Generals resolved to attack it. The siege was under the command of the Count de Frise, and to favour the enterprise the allied army, on the 12th of July, moved to the right, its former position being between Standa and Bercheim. The trenches were opened before Bain on the 13th July, and the garrison, under the Count de J^ ""ercy, capitulated on the 17th of that month, and wa>; permitted to proceed to the Elector's camp at Augsburg. The camp at Augsburg was too strong to be attacked v ith any prospect of success, and the troops retired a few b cages ; the siege oi Ingoldstadt was commenced by the Germans under the Prince of Baden in August, and the British troops formed part of the covering army. When the Elector of Bavaria quitted his entrenched camp, and formed a junction with the reinforcements sent by Louis XIV. to his aid, the united forces encamped in the valley of the Danube, near the village of Blenheim. At the same time the allied army, commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, had advanced to the village of Munster, and was encamped with its left to the Danube. The plain upon which the two armies were encamped, was about two leagues in length, and of unequal breadth ; the entrance into it being about the breadth of a cannon- shot, but widening soon after to about a league. It was bordered on one side by the wood of Schellenberg, and ' i ■ ^m ■ U r 1. 11 M^ ii i: 40 TlIK TWKNTYTIWHI) UKOiMENT OV FOOT, III If '' I I 1704 on the other by tlio Duimbo ; the plain was also inter- sected by three or four rivulets in their courses to the river. Several niarslu's, with about .venty scattered vil- lages and hamlets, injpeded the marfli of the confederate army, which amounted nearly to fifty -two thousand men, and upwards of fifty pic'ces of cannon : the enemy was nearly sixty thousand strong, with ninety pieces of artillery ; the right wing was conunanded by Marshal Tallard, and the left by the Elector, with the Bavarians, and the Marshal de Marh?in, with the French troops under his command. All preparations being made, and the Duke of Marl- borough satisfied that the chivalrous spirit of his soldiers would overmatch the advantages of the foe, the British Commander, cm the memorable 13th of August, 1704, after a brisk eannc'iade, gavt; orders for a general attack, which commenced about a quarter before one o'clock, p.m. M;i jor-General Wilks made the first onset with the tenth, fifteenth, twenty-first, Twenty-third, and twenty-fourth regiments, under Brigadier-General Row, who led the attack in gallant style, folio vod by four battalions of Hessians, and 8Uj)ported by i^li vcji battalions of infantry, and fifteen squadrons of cavjilry. This column proceeded to the banks of the little river iScbel, and took possession of two water-mills, which the enemy had evacuated and set on fire ; then advancing through the enclosures, made a determined attack on the French troops posted in the village of Blcnkeim ; Brigadier-General Row striking his sv ord into the enemy's palisades, before he gave the word " fire." Although tlic assault was made with spirit and resolu- tion, yet the brigade was unable to force the entrench- ments against the superior numbers of the enemy ; and while retiring, it was charged by the French troopers, who were repulsed by the Hessian brigade. After repeated. on, TUE UOYAL WELSH FUSILIEHH. 41 attempts on 1)m, vjllngc had provetl unavailing, ii few corps 1704 blockaded t'i ; avenues ; the army traversed the rivulet, and attacking the French position along the front, engaged in a sanguinary conflict. The volleys of musketry, and the charges of cavalry vere continued with varied success, and amidst th's storm of war, the Twenty -tiiihd regiment had repeated opportunities of distinguishing itself. At length victory declared in favour of the confederates, and the French were driven from the field with great slaughter, and the loss of many officers and men taken prisoners, among whom was the French Commander Marshal Tallard. The main body of the French army bt>ing defeated, with the loss of its artillery and baggage, the troops posted in Blenheim attempted to escape by the rear of the village ; but were repulsed. Additional forces were brought against the village; Lieutenant-Gcneral the Earl of Orkney attacked the French troops in the churchyard with eight battalions; and Lieutenant-General Ingoldsby attacked the right of the village with four battalions. The eflbrts of the French troops to escape became hopeless, and at eight o'clock in the evening, twenty-four battalions of infantry, and twelve squadrons of cavalry, surrendered prisoners of war. Thus ended the mighty struggle of this eventful day. Bavaria was subdued ; the German empire was delivered from the menaced danger ; the terrors of the British arms awed the States of Italy, which supported the bourbon cause ; and the tide of war flowed prosperously in the interest of the Allied Powers. ISIonarclis, statesmen, and poets, all vied with each other in doing homage to the genius of the Duke of Marl- borough, and to his brave soldiers, who had, as Marshal Tallard expressed himself, conquered the best troops in J- .■ H i u ■ i't^a ' i ^, A^ ^> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) N 1.0 1.1 11.25 12.0 ■■■ U 11.6 Photogr^hic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USSO (716) •72-4503 4^ 4^ C^ > 42 TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1704 the world, a high compliment from an enemy to the valour of the victors. Few comnuuiders of note were lost by the English in this battle, except Brigadier-General Row, and the Prince of Holstein Beck, who died of their wounds. The total loss of the allies amounted to 4485 men killed, and 7525 wounded, with 273 lost or made prisoners ; while that of the enemy was estimated at nearly 10,000 killed, about thirty squadrons of cavalry drowned in the Danube, and 13,000 prisoners. The Twenty-third regiment had Major George Morgan, Captain Henry Cookman, Lieutenants Hugh Smith, Griffith Jones, Baily, Fleetwood Dormer, Rowland, John Paterson, and Adjutant Powel, wounded. The number of non-commissioned officers and private soldiers of the regiment, killed and wounded, has not been ascertained* So great was the number of French and Bavarians taken in this battle, that several regiments were sent in charge of them to Holland; but the Twenty-third regiment remained with the army in Germany. The battle of BlenJieim rendered it unnecessary to con- tinue the siege of Ingoldstadt, as the Duke of Marl- borough considered it more advisable to unite all the con- federate forces, in order to oblige the French to repass the Rhine. Ratisbon, Augsburg, Meningen, and other im- perial towns were abandoned by the enemy, and the allies took possession of them. The Twenty-third regiment proceeded through the circle of Suabia, and directed its march to Philipsburg, where it crossed the Rhine on the 7th of September, and was subsequently encamped at Croon- Weissemberg, forming part of the covering army during the siege of Landau by the Germans under Pnnce Iicwis. Here the Duke of Marlbo.'ough received an express OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 43 from General Thungen of Ulm having surrendered on 1704 honorable terms on the 11th of September, and the Imperialists found in the town several pieces of cannon, plenty of ammunition, and a quantity of stores and pro- visions, a seasonable supply for carrying on the siege of Landau^ which was invested on the 12th of September, and surrendered on the 24th of November. On the 13th of October the Twenty-third, and three other corps, marched from the covering army encamped at Croon- Weissemberg to Germersheim, and sailed down the Rhine to Holland, where they were placed in garrison for the winter. The Duke of Marlborough took possession of Treves on the 29th of October. His Grace having settled the dis-^ tribution of winter quarters, proceeded towards TVaerbachf on the Moselle, which was occupied by a French garrison of six hundred men. The Duke returned to the camp at Croon- Weissemberg after having given directions to the Prince of Hesse- Cassel for the siege of Traerbach, which was invested on the 3rd of November, and surrendered on the 20th of December. At the commencement of the year 1 705, the regiment 1 705 was in garrison at Ruremonde, where it remained until the opening of the campaign. On the 1st of April, Lieut.-General Richard Ingoldsby was removed to the Eighteenth (Royal Irish) regi- ment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Sabine, who was wounded at the battle of Schellenberg, was promoted to the colonelcy of the Twenty-third, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The TwBNTY-THiRD and Twenty- fourth regiments, which formed the garrison of Ruremonde, were reviewed there on the 7th of May by the Duke of Marlborough ; the regiment afterwards marched to Juliers, and from M- m 44 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1705 thence proceeded through a mountainous country to the Moselle valley, and encamped near the ancient city of Treves. In the order of battle near Treves, on the 29th of May, the regiment was stationed in the first line. The army being united, it passed the rivers Moselle and Saar on the 3rd of June, traversed the defile of Tavemen, and pitched its tents near Syrk. The army here waited for the Imperialists, whose tardy movements, and inefficient state, disappointed the expectations of the Duke of Marl- borough, and rendered it necessary for him to make a retrograde movement to the Netherlands, to arrest the progress of the French in that country. The approach of the army towards the Maese caused the French to raise the siege of the citadel of Liege, and to retire. On arriving at the Maese, a detachment of the regiment was employed in recapturing Hui/^ which had been taken by the enemy during the absence of the con- federate forces up the Moselle. Huy was recaptured on the 11th of July, after having been occupied onlj for a month by the enemy. A stupendous barrier of fortified lines, forts, and bat- teries, had been constructed with great labour and expense to oppose the progress of the Bri General ; but by menacing the lines to the south of tim Mehaigne, to draw the attention of the French army to that quarter, and afterwards making a fovced march to the right during the night of the 17th of July, these stupendous works were forced on the following day at Helixem and Neer-Hespen. The advance was concealed by a thick fog, and under the cover of this obscurity, one column cleared the village of Neer-Winden and Neer-Hespen ; another gained the bridge and village of Helixem ; and a third carried the castle of Wange, which commanded the passage of the Little Gheet. The enemy, being surprised and con- on, THE ROYAL WKLSII FUSILIEltS- 45 founded by the suddenness of the attack, retreated in a 1705 panic. The pioneers were instantly set to work, and in a short time a passage was made for the cavalry. While this was in progress, the Marquis d'Allegre advanced with twenty battalions of French infantry, and fifty squadrons of cavalry, and opened a sharp cannonade ; but his advance was retarded by a hollow way, which gave time for more troops to pass the lines; after a sharp attack, his forces were defeated ; the allies took many prisoners, and captured a number of standards and colours. The Duke of Marlborough stated in his letter to Her Majesty Queen Anne, " that it is not possible to " express the bravery and resolution which your Majesty's " troops, as well as those that icere with them, have shown " on this occasion.^* In this service, the Twenty- third regiment was formed in brigade with the sixteenth, twenty-sixth, twenty-eighth, and Stringer's (afterwards disbanded), under Brigadier-General Fergusson, and composed part of the main body of the army. The next position occupied by the enemy was behind the river Dyle. The Duke of Marlborough advanced with the design of passing the river, but was prevented by heavy rains. On the 21st of July, a small body of French troops crossed the Z>yle, when a slight skirmish ensued. The Twenty- THIRD regiment was subsequently engaged in several manoeuvres, but the designs of the English Commander being frustrated by the Dutch Generals, the forcing of the lines was not followed by such splendid results as had been anticipated. In the autumn the French lines were demolished, and on the 24th of October, a detachment was sent from the grand army, under Count Noyelles, to invest the small town and fortress of Sandvliet, on the Scheldt, which sur- 1 ' i i.' ;.l i't 4 46 THE TWENTY TIIIIID REQIMENT OF FOOT, 1705 rendered on the 29th of October. In the following month the Twenty-third regiment marched back to Holland, and was placed in garrison for the winter. 1706 Every successive victory had inspired the tooopswith additional confidence in their Commander, and in their own prowess ; to besiege a town, or fight a battle, and not conquer, when the Duke of Marlborough commanded, ap- peared impossible Confident that fresh triumphs awaited them, the soldiers took the field in May, 1706, nnd the Twenty-third joined the camp near Tongres on the 19th of that month. On the 23rd of May, as the army was advancing in eight columns, information was received that the French, Spaniards, and Bavarians, commanded by Marshal Villeroy and the Elector of Bavaria, were taking up a position at Mont St. Andre, with their centre at the village of Ramilies^ and the Allies immediately prepared for action. Diverging into the open plain, the allied army formed line, and advanced against the enemy. The Twenty- third, being on the right of the line, proceeded in the direction of the village of Autreglise, and made a demon- stration of attacking the enemy's left. The French weakened their centre to support their left, and the Duke of Marlborough instantly seized the opportunity, and attacked the weakened point. The Royal Welsh Fusi- liers were among the corps which, occupying some high ground on the right, were not engaged during the early part of the battle ; but they had a full view of the plain. A crisis at length arrived ; the brigades on the right were ordered into action, when the regiment evinced that intre- pidity and firmness for which it had been distinguished on former occasions, and another decisive victory exalted the fame of the British arms. The broken remains of the French, Spanish, and Bavarian legions were pursued for OR, THE ROTAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 47 many miles, and an immense number of prisoners, cannon, 1706 standards, and colours were among the trophies of the victors. The battle lasted about three hours, and the wreck of the French army continued its precipitate flight to Louvain, but immediately afterwards abandoned that city, and also Brussels. The states of Brabant, and the magistrates of Brussels, renounced their allegiance to the Duke of Anjou. The principal towns of Brabant, and several in Flanders, were immediately delivered up, and others surrendered on being summoned, or in a few days afterwards. Ostendf however, held out, and in June, the Twenty- third regiment marched to Arseele, and afterwards to Rouselaer, forming part of the covering army during the siege of Ostend, which was invested on the 28th of June, and which surrendered in the beginning of July, the allies taking possession of the place in the name of King Charles III. of Spain, afterwards elected Emperor of Germany. Menin, a strong town on the river Lys, accounted the key to the French conquests in the Netherlands, and one of the masterpieces of the celebrated Vauban, was besieged on the 25th of July, and surrendered a month afterwards; four pieces of cannon with the Arms of England, which were taken by the enemy at the battle of Landen, fought on the 29th July, 1693, were found on taking possession of Menin, and were, by order of the Duke of Marlborough, sent to London. Dendermond was also delivered up in September, after a week's resist- ance. During these sieges the Twenty-third continued to form part of the covering army, and after the surrender of Aeth, a town and fortress on the Dender, which oc- curred on the 3rd of October, the regiment took up its winter quarters at Ghent, where it arrived in November. Ui 48 THE TWKNTY-THinD REOlMbiMT OV FOOT, 1107 On thi 10th March, 1707, a letter wnf addressed by the Duke of Marlborough, from St. James's, to Lieutenant- General Ingoldsby, in which the following allusion is made to the 1'wENTY-THiRD regiment.* " Colunel Lalo is acquainted that his officers must con- ** form themselves to other regiments, and use pertuimm *' as those of the regiment of Welsh Fu8iLiEH8."t In May the Royal Welsh Fusiliers again took the field, and were formed in brigade with the Toot Guards, first battalion of the Royals, and the sixteenth regiment under the command of Brigadier-General Meredith. The regiment was stationed in the first line of the order of battle at the camp at Meldart, near Louvain, on the 2Cth of June. The opposing armies passed the campaign in manoeuvring, and observing the movements of each other ; two such armies were probably never in sight for so con- siderable a period, without coming to an engagement ; the French avoided a general action, and in October, the Twenty-third and other regiments returned to Ghent. 170S Louis the Fourteenth seeing his armies beaten and dispirited, and his fortresses wrested from him, meditated the separation of England from the allies, by placing the Pretender on the throne, and an expedition was prepared for this purpose at Dunkirk. Her Majesty's Government receiving intelligence of these preparations, sent out Admiral Sir George Byng with a fleet to watch the enemy's designs. Admiral Baker sailed at the same time to Ostend, in order to convoy from thence Brigadier- General Sabine, of the Twenty-third Fusiliers, and ten English regiments, consisting of one battalion of the * This letter forms part of the collection of the Despatchoo of the Duke of Marlborough, edited by the late Ocneral the .Uight Honorable Sir George Murray, G.C.B. t Colonel Sampson de Lalo was at this period (17U7) Colonel of the Twenty-first, Royal North British, Fusilier*. OA, THE HOTAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 4b Foot Guards, and the first Royals, third, eighth, tenth, jy^ fifteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, twenty-first, and twenty- fourth regiments. The troops embarked at Oatend on the 26th of March, 1708, and arrived at Tynemouth on the 1st of April. Meanwhile the French fleet, with the Pretender on board, had sailed from Dunkirk, but being chased by the British men-of-war, returned to Dunkirk without effecting a landing. The English troops then re- turned to Ostejid, where they arrived on the 30th of April and proceeded to Bruges ; from whence, on the 3rd of May, Brigadier-General Sabine, with the seven battalions of the garrison of Ghent, resailed to Ghent, which he had left on the 19th of March. The Twenty-third regiment commenced its march from Ghent on the 22nd of May, 1708, for the rendezvous of the army near Brussels. Shortly afterwards the French, by treachery and stratagem, obtained possession of the two towns of Ghent and Bruges. They also invested Oudc- narde, and this circumstance led to a general engagement, in which new honors were gained by the Twenty-third regiment. Oudenarde^ being situated on the Scheldt, and at the verge of the frontier, was a connecting link for the alter- nate defence of Flanders or Brabant. The place was invested by the French on the 9th July, and t/ Duke of Burgundy and Marshal Vendome designed to oc( apy the strong camp of Lessines, on the Dender, to cover the siege ; but they were opposed by a Commander, whose promptitude and alacrity have seldom been paralleled, and whose resources were called forth by the magnitude of the stake for which he was contending. By a forced march, the Duke of Marlborough gained the position at Lessines before the French, and disconcerted their plans. Being thus foiled, they relinquished their designs on 'i 60 THE TWENTY-TUIBO REGIMENT OF FOOT, ^'■'t 1 708 Oudenarde, and proceeded in the direction of Gavre, where they had prepared bridges for passing the Scheldt. In order to meet the enemy on the march, and bring on a general engagement, the Twenty-third regiment was detached, with a number of other corps, under Major- General Cadogan, to throw bridges over the Scheldt near Oudenarde, for the army to pass over. The confederate army marched with such expedition, that about two o'clock in the afternoon of tj|e 1 1th of July, the advance arrived at the bridges over which the sixteen battalions, that were with Major-General Cadogan, were then passing. The French had thrown seven battalions into the village of Het/nem, through which the highway runs along the Scheldt, and about tlu'eo o'clock the action commenced by the enemy attempting to dislodge Major- General Hantzan from the eminence on which he was posted ; the French, discovering the ground to be marshy, did not venture to cross the rivulet, and retired towards their own right. Hereupon Major-General Cadogan, who had passed the river, attacked the village of Heynem with such bravery (Brigadier Sabine, of the Twenty-third, with his brigade, being at the head), that the village and the seven battalions of the Swigs regiments of Phiffer, Villars, and Greder, were soon captured. Three of these battalions were taken entire, and the greater portion of the other four likewise. Halting for a sjiort period in the village after this gal- lant attack, the regiment afterwards attacked a body of troops poster^ in the enclosures, and soon drove the French from their ground. As the regiment was advancing in pursuit, a numerous body of the enemy's cavalry menaced it in front and flank, and it fell back to the hedges, where it repulsed the French horsemen. Other British brigades arriving, the whole advanced ; a fierce conflict of musketry OH, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 61 ensued, and night coming on, so that it was impossible to 1708 distinguish friend from foe, onlers were given to the troops to cease firing, which put an end to the slaughter, and saved the remainder of the French army, which re- treated in disorder towards Ghent. The French had four thousand men killed and wounded, and seven tliousand taken prisoners, including eleven gene- rals and seven hundred officers, while the loss of the confede- fates amounted to about three thousand killedand wounded. Numerous standards were also taken from the enemy. After this victory, the confederate Generals resolved to besiege Lisle, the capital of French Flanders, a fortress deemed almost impregnable, and garrisoned by tifteen thousand men, commanded by the veteran Marshal Bouiflers. It is a singular historical fact that, in the early part of his military career, the Duke of Marlborough had served with Marshal Boufflers under the celebrated Mar- shal Turenne. The Twenty-third regiment was selected to take part in this gigantic enterprise, which excited the universal attention of Europe. The place was invested by Prince Eugene on the 13th of August, and the Duke of Marlborough stationed the main army at a convenient distance to cover the siege. The troops appointed to carry on this famous siege con- sisted of fifty battalions, including thirty from the grand army, and on the evening of the 7th of September the pre- parations were cjrupleted for storming the counterscarp. Upon the trenches being relieved by Lieutenant General Wilks, the following dispositions were made for the attack. Eight hundred grenadiers, supported by the same number of FusiliersyWith. two thousand workmen and thirty carpenters, designed for cutting down the palisades, were commanded for the attack on the right, between the lower Deule and the gate of St. Andrew, under the direction of Monsieur E 2 i i-'.( ■'ll. 52 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOUT, 1708 des Roques ; sixteen hundred grenudicrB, supported by the like number of Fusiliers, were ordered for Jie left, between tho Dcule and St. Magdalen's gate, under the direction of Monsieur du Mey. Resides the troops in the trenches, two thousand men were, in addition, employed in tho attack, being detadied for that purpose from the grand army, and placed under the command of Rrigadier-General Sabine, of tho Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers. About eight o'clock on the evening of the 7th of Sep- tember, the signal was given, and the artillery opened against the counterscarp. Whereupon the troops selected for the attack on the left marched out of the trenches in admirable order. They proceeded to the palisades, drove back the defenders, and several leaping into the covered way put all the French found there to the sword, except- ing four officers and a few soldiers, who were taken pri- soners. While effecting this lodgment, the enemy's artil- lery made a terrible fire, and the French sprung three mines, which did considerable execution. The besieg- ers, however, lodged themselves on the salient angle of the counterscarp of the small horn-work, and on the angle of the tenailh. The troops on the right attacked the enemy with the same courage, and successfully maintained their lodgment on that part of the works situated un the lower Deule, between the two attacks ; in addition to these lodgments, the communications towards the breaches were considerably advanced. The Twenty-third regiment had twelve rank and file killed, and sixty-two wounded, in this attack on the counterscarp. At another attack, on the 21st of September, the allies sustained a loss of upwards of one thousand men, and Prince Eugene was wounded, when the Duke of Marlborough sustained the command of the siege and of his own army. OH, TUB ROYAL WELflll KUSILIEUS. 53 On the 28th of SL>pteinl)cr, a convoy of eight hundred 1708 waggons, containing an imrnenso quantity of military jtores, inarcliing from Ostend to the allied army under the com- mand of Major-General Webb, colonel of the eighth foot, »vtts attacked near Wyncndalc by a very superior body of the enemy under Count de la Motte. The French were however repulsed, and the convoy arrived safely at Lisle on the 30tii. Mojor-General Webb acquired great honor by this victory, the enemy being nearly treble the number of his force, and possessed of a train of artillery, which he wanted. The Major-General received the thanks of Parliament for this eminent service. Other attacks were made on Lisle, and on the 23rd of October the town surrendered, and the garrison retired into the Castle, except the horse, which were allowed to proceed to Douay, with the wives and families of the officers and soldiers. The casualties of the regiment at 'the siege of Lisle, from the 14th of August to the 22nd of October, amounted to one captain, three subalterns, three Serjeants, and one hundred and fifteen rank and file killed ; three captains, eight subalterns, fifteen Serjeants, and two hundred and thirty rank and file wounded. On the 14th of November, Prince Eugene had effected a lodgment on the counterscarp of the citadel of Lisle, and on the 17th of that month the troops stationed them- selves on the glacis of the second covered way. The Elector of Bavaria having marched towards Bra- bant, the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene con- certed measures to pass the Scheldt, in order to relieve Brussels. The enemy's strong positions on the Scheldt were forced on the 27th of November ; and the Elector made a precipitate retreat from before Brussels. After a gallant defence, the French were obliged to \ii' ■ 54 THE TWENTY-THIRIX KEGIMENT OF FOOT, ;*li; 1708 surrender the Citadel of Lisle, which took place on the 9th of December. Notwithstanding the lateness of the season, the army was called upon to engage in another enterprise, and on the 18th of December the confederate generals invested G/ient, which surrendered on the 30th of Decem- ber, and the town was immediately occupied by the vic- torious troops. 1709 Having reposed a few months in quarters, and received a body of recruits from England, the regiment traversed the conquered territory to Lisle in June* 1709, and after- wards took part in the manojuvres by which Marshal Villars was induced to diminish the strength of his garrisons in his fortified towns, to reinforce a line of entrenchments and forts, in which he expected to be attacked. This object gained, the siege of Tournay was commenced, and the Twenty-third regiment formed part of the covering army. The town was invested on the 27th of June, and after a month's defence surrendered, when the garrison retired into the citadel. The Citadel of Tournay was situated on some high ground, with a gentle ascent from the town, and the siege proved a service of the most diffi- cult character, arising from the multiplicity of the sub- terraneous works, which were more numerous than those above ground. The approaches were carried on by sink- ing pits several fathoms deep, and working from thence under ground, until the troops arrived at the casemates and mines. The soldiers engaged in these services fre- quently encountered parties of the enemy, and numerous combats occurred in these gloomy labyrinths. On some occasions the men at work underground were inundated with water ; at other times suffocated with smoke, or buried by the explosion of mines. At length it became difficult to induce the soldiers to enter these dark caverns, and engage in so appalling a service. Perseverance and gal- OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 6St lantry eventually triumphed, and the Citadel surrendered ] tt^ on the 3rd of September. After the capture of Toumay, the Allied Army ti-aversed the country with the view of besieging Morts, the capital of the province of Hainault ; but when on the march, the confederate Generals encountered the French army under Marshals Villars and BoulSers near Maiplaquet, on the 11th of September, when a most sanguinary engagement ensued, the loss of life being greater than at the battles of Blenheim, Ramilies, and Oudenarde put together. Early on the morning of the 11th of September, the forces of the several nations, which composed the army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, were under arms. The Twenty-third and other regiments appeared on the ground where they had passed the night, and Divine service was performed by the chaplain. The French camp was a short distance in front ; but a thick mist overspread the woods and open grounds, concealing the armies from each other. Under cover of the fog, the artillery was brought forward, and dispositions made for the attack ; the French heard the din of hostile preparations, seized their arms, and two powerful armies, headed by Commanders of renown, stood arrayed against each other. The troops of both armies had confidence in their leaders, and were anxious for the combat ; the one to acquire new laurels under their favorite chiefs, and the other to retrieve the disasters of eight successive campaigns. Shortly after eight o'clock, the signal for the attack was given, and the cannonading continued sharply on both sides. The Twenty-third regiment formed part of the division commanded by General Count Lottum, and was engaged in the assault of the entrenchments in the wood of Tais- niere. Notwithstanding the impediments from the bar- I !i "lii Ia^« 'S ;;;« 66^ THE TWENTY-THIRD UEQIMENT OF FOOT, .1709 ricades of felled trees, the French were, after an hour's resistance, driven from their entrenchments. The design of this attack was to drive the enemy from the wood, and then to attack them in the flanK of their entrenchments on the plain ; the movement succeeded, and the infantry of the enemy's left wing were defeated. General Withers, with nineteen battalions, attacked the enemy in another entrenchment beyond the woods of Taisniere and Great Blagniere with similar vigour and success. Other attacks raged at the same time in various parts of the ''field, led by the Prince of Orange, the Dutch Generals, and the Prince Eugene. Eventually the enemy's position was broken, and the Twenty-third and other regiments drove the French from the woods to the plain, when a successful charge of the cavalry decided the battle. The allies pursued a portion of the enemy as far as the village of Quievrain, where the French, having taken up an advantageous position near the small river Haisneau, the confederate Generals gave over the pursuit, and thereupon the French crossed the rivulet. The re- mainder of their discomfited army retired in great con- fusion to Maubeuge Conde and Valenciennes, leaving the allies in possession of the field of battle, with sixteen pieces of artillery, twenty colours, twenty-six standards, and other trophies of victory, including many prisoners. The Twenty-thirdFusiliers had Lieutenants Bartley, Fullerton, and Parker killed ; and Captains Jefiro, Brett, and Vincent, Lieutenants Skane, Price, Powell, Aspee, and Gordon, wounded. After this victory, the allies besieged Mons, which was invested on the 21st of September, and the garrison capi- tulated on the 20th of October. The Twenty-third regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege, and afterwards marched to Ghent for winter quarters. ' ;¥ W ■ Olt, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 57 In t'- niiddle of April, 1710, the regiment directed its 1710 marcii . the vicinity of Tournay, wiiere the allied array assembled. The necessary dispositions for advancing towards the enemy's lines being made, the army marched on the 20th of April in two columns, the right under the Duke of Marlborough to Pont-a-Veqdin, and the left under Prince Eugene to Pont Oby, on the Deule. The march was so well planned, that the enemy's lines were passed on the following morning at Pont-a- Vendin, and four days afterwards JJouay, a considerable fortress in the second line of defence, which covered the frontiers of Artois, was invested. Douay is a town of antiquity, having been a place of note in the time of the first Counts of Flanders ; the river Scarpe running through the town, the river Haine being near it, and the works being also strong, numerous, and well-garrisoned under General Albergotti, an oflScer of tried valour, the siege became an undertaking of importance. The Twenty-third took part in repelling the nume- rous sallies made by the garrison of Douay^ and the French army under Marshal Villars vainly endeavoured to raise the siege. After a gallant defence, Douay sur- rendered on the 27th of June. The regiment had one captain, one lieutenant, five Serjeants, and forty-nine rank and file killed ; and two captains, seven lieutenants, ten Serjeants, and 137 rank and file wounded during the siege. It appears by the Duke of Marlborough's correspondence, that the casualties of the Twenty-third reduced the regiment to two efiective captains. "I have received your letter of the lltli of May, " relating to Colonel Bennet, and am apt to believe if you " had seen and considered Brigadier Sabine's memorial, " which he might have shown you, you would not have " thought it any hardship to oblige him to dispose of his ■ I 58 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1710 " company after having enjoyed it as a sinecure through the " whole course and hottest of tlie war, now at a time when " the re^ment is employed at the siege, and reduced to two " captains only to do the duty of the whole." — (Letter to the Board of Ordnance, dated 5th Jknie, 1710.) After the capture of Douay, the Twenty-third regi- ment formed part of the covering army encamped at Villars Brulin during the siege of Bethune, which sur- rendered on the 29th of August, and the French army avoiding a general engagement, the fortresses of Aire and St. Venant were invested and taken. These towns were so situated as to admit of a simul- taneous investment : on the 30th of September St. Venant surrendered, but Aire made a vigorous defence, and was not taken until the 9th of November. After taking part in these services, the regiment marched into quarters at Courtray, where it was stationed during the winter. 1711 Towards the end of April, 1711, the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers advanced from Courtray, and joining the army near Douay, were formed in brigade with the foot guards, a battalion of the royals, and the fifteenth regiment. Numerous and well-appointed Armies, headed by expe- rienced Generals, had proved ineffectual against the British Commander and his brave troops, and the remark applied by Justin to the campaigns of the Macedonian Conqueror, " Alexander cum nullo hostium unquam congressus est, " quern non vicerit : nullam vrbem ohsedit, quam non ex- * pugnaverit,^^ is equally applicable to the successes of the Duke of Marlborough, who " never fought a battle which he did not vnn, nor besieged a town which he did not take."* Before the campaign of 171 1, the French had pre- * Vide List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands and Germany during the ** War of the Spanish Succession," Appendix page 172. «>Il, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 59 pared a line of entrenchments to cover their country, and on nif account of the strength of these works, Marshal VUlars had styled them Marlborough's Ne plm ultra ; but the English General, by a series of skilful movements, passed these stupendous works at Arleux on the 5th of August, The Twenty-third regiment participated in these skil- ful operations, and this success was followed by the siege of Boucfiain, a fortified town of Hainault, situated on both sides of the Scheldt. The regiment formed part of a division of twenty battalions of infantry, commanded by Lieutenant-General the Earl of Orkney, which took post on the north and north-west side of the town and river ; it shared in the duties of the trenches, and in carrying on the attacks, in which services it had several men killed and wounded. The garrison on the 12th of September beat a parley, and on the following day the Duke of Marl- borough took possession of one of the gates of the town. On the 14th of September, the garrison marched out, after delivering up their arms and twenty-four colours ; when, Major-General Grovestein, being appointed Governor, took possession of Bouchain with a detachment of the troops that formed the siege. The regiment remained at Bouchain until the works were repaired, and afterwards went into winter quarters. On the 12th of October, Charles III., the claimant to the throne of Spain, was elected Emperor of Germany by the title of Charles VI., his brother Joseph having died at Vienna in the preceding April. This circumstance materially affected the war, and inclined Great Britain to agree to peace ; for the consolidation of Spain with tlie Empire of Germany would have perilled the balance of power in Europe as much as the anticipated union of the crowns of France and Spain. Tfie course of events had also shown, that a French and not an Austrian Prince, was the choice of the Spanish nation. ! i ■ I ! 3 60 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, nil Louis the Fourteenth, finding his armies defeated and dispirited, his fortresses wrested from him, and the vic- torious troops of the allies prepared to penetrate into the interior of France, at length sued for peace, negotiations for which were shortly afterwards commenced. 1112 In the early part of April, 1712, the regiment once more took the field, and on the 19th of that month en- camped near Tournay, where the Duke of Ormond arrived on the 9th of May, and took command of the army, the Duke of Marlborough having, for a political cause, been removed from his military appointments. On the 19th of May, the army advanced, and on the 21st encamped on the hills of St. Denis, near Bouchain ; thence proceeding across the Scheldt, arrived a few days afterwards near the frontier of France. The siege of Quesnoy was subsequently undertaken, and General Fagel invested the place on the 8th of June, but the trenches were not opened until the 19th of that month. The Twenty-third regiment formed part of the covering army under the Duke of Ormond at Chateau-Cambresis, but was not engaged in any act of direct hostility. The garrison beat a parley on the 3rd July, and on the follow- ing day the town was surrendered. Soon afterwards a suspension of arms was proclaimed between the British and French, preparatory to a treaty of peace, and the Duke of Ormond withdrew, with the troops under his orders, to Ghent, from whence several corps were detached to take possession of the fortress of Dunkirk, which city the French King delivered into the hands of the British, as a pledge of his sincerity in the negociations for a treaty of peace. On the 17th of July, 1712, when the English army, under the command of the Duke of Ormond separated from the Allies, the Twenty-third regiment mustered 670 men, on which day it marched from Cam- OR, TUG ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 61 bresis towards Ghent, where Major-General Sabiue 1712 remained with his regiment, in command of the citadel, until the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht on the 11th of April, 1713. By this famous treaty the Protestant succes- 1713 sion iu England was recognised by Louis XIV.; the separa- tion of the crowns of Spain andFrance secured ; the harbour of Dunkirk demolished ; Nova Scotia, Hudson's Bay, Newfoundland, and St. Christopher's ceded to England ; Naples, Milan, and the Spanish Netherlands yielded to the Emperor of Germany. Sicily was separated from Naples, and transferred to the Duke of Savoy, with the regal title ; and the Dutch obtained Namur, Charleroi, and other strong places for a barrier. Gibraltar and Minorca, which had been taken by the English during the war, were also ceded to Great Britain. The regiment shortly afterwards returned to England, 1714 and was subsequently stationed in Ireland, where it re- ceived the news of the decease of Queen Anne on the 1st of August, 1714, and of the accession of King George the First to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland. The following announcement appeared in the London Gazette of the 9th of November, 1714 : — : " His Majesty has been pleased to appoint Major- " General Joseph Sabine to be Colonel of His Royal " Highness the Prince of Wales s own Royal Regiment of " Welsh Fuzeliers"* In August, 1715, the Earl of Mar withdrew from court, 1715 and in the following month erected the standard of rebel- 1 V * As Major-General Joseph Sabine had been Colonel of the Twenty- third regiment since April, 1705, the announcement, in the 'London Gazette ' of November, 1714, was a renewal of the Commission upon the accession of King George I., and had reference only to the change of title of the regiment in honor of the Prince of Wales, who succeeded to the throne on the decease of his father King George I. on the 11th of June, 1727. 62 THE TWENTY-THIRD RBOIMRNT OF FOOT, 1715 lion in Scotland, by proclaiming tho PretendeVi K\ng of Great Britain and Ireland. This circ'urotttanco occasioned the Twenty-third regiment to bo removed to England, to replace other regiments ordered to proceed to the north to crush the rebellion. The regiment landed at Chester on the 9th of October, and was quartered in the neigh- bourhood. The rebels, assembled under the Earl of Derwentwater and Mr. Forstor, were compelled to aur- render at Preston, in Lancashire, on tho 13th of November, to General Carpenter, in the evening of which day tlie TwENTY-THiitD and other regiments, under tho command of General Wills, arrived at Preston, On tho same day was fought the battle of Skeriffmuir^ near Dumblaine, be- tween the Duke of Argyle and the Earl of Mar, and both parties claimed the victory. Towards the end of Decem- ber, the Pretender arrived in Scotland, and assumed all the ensigns of royalty. He held his court at Scone, and his head-quarters were at Perth. But the Highland chieftains, finding it •n»pos8ible to resist tho royal forces, resolved to abandon ti;e enterprise. They, however, burnt several villages to distress tlie Duke of Argyle in his march, who 1716 in January, 1716, obliged them to abandon Perth, whence they retired to Montrose, where tho Pretender escaped on board a French ship, together with the Earl of Mar «nd other adherents. After this the rebels dicpcrscd to the Highlands. The regiment was subsequently stationed at Harwich, and continued on the Home Establishment for several years. 1717 Charles XH., King of Sweden, in the year 1717, made preparations for a descent in favour of the Pretender, in consequence of His Britannic Majesty having purchased the duchies of Bremen and Verden of the King of Den- mark, who had conquered them from the Swedes; the OR, THE ROYAL WELBH FUSILIERS. 63 first attempt was defeated by sending Admiral Sir George 1717 Byng to the Baltic ; and King Charles being killed in the following year at the siege of Frcderickshall, in Nor- way, the alliance, which he had formed with Peter the Great of Russia and the Spanish monai'ch, for raising the Pretender to the throne of Great Britain, was dissolved. During the year 1717, the regiment remained at Harwich. In July, 1718, the King of Spain having taking Sar- I7l8 dinia, and invaded Sicily, the " Quadruple AUiatwe" was formed between Great Britain, France, Germany, and Holland. War was declared against Spain in December by England and France. During the year 1718, the regiment was stationed at Harwich, Rochester, Landguard Fort, and Tilbury. The Pretender arrived at Madrid in the beginning of I7i9 the year 1719, and the expedition, which had been some time in preparation for the invasion of Great Britain, sailed from Cadiz ; but the Spanish fleet was dispersed by a violent storm, and only two frigates reached Scotland. The Spanish troops, which landed in Scotland in April, were joined by about two thousand Highlanders. 1 o oppose this force, Major-General Wightman proceeded from Inveraess with three troops of the second dragoons, the eleventh, fourteenth, and fifteenth regiments of foot, and on the 10th of June attacked the insurgents at Glen- shiely near the pass of Strachell, and completely defeated them. The Spaniards surrendered on the following day, and the Marquis of TuUibardine, Earl of Seaforth, and other rebel leaders, fled to the Continent. An expedition was projected by the British Government against Corunna, and the armament under General Viscount Cobham sailed in September ; but circumstances occurred that occasioned an attack to be made on Vigo, ■1 : |i , /V ■' 64 ii I i ■itl THE TWENTV-THIRD HEOIMENT OF FOOT, ni9 which was taken, and afterwards abandoned, together with Rondondella and Pontevedra. After these services the expedition returned to England. 1720 In January, 1720, the King of Spian accepted the (.onditions of peace, and acceded to the " Quadruple Alliance,'* the principal design of which was to guarantee the succession in Great Britain and France, and to confirm the partition of the Spanish monarchy. 1*722 During the year 1722, the regiment was stationed at Edinburgh Castle. 1723 In the early part of the year 1723, the regiment was ordered to proceed to London, in consequence of the threatened invasion, and discovery of a plot at home to seize the Tower. The Twenty-third and other regi- ments were encamped in Hyde Park. 1725 The regiment returned to Scotland in 1725, and was stationed at Edinburgh. 1726 In the year 1726, the regiment was stationed in Eng- land, where it remained for the following nine years. The possessions of which Spain had been deprived by the Treaty of Utrecht, in 1713, had been yielded with reluctance, and in the year 1726 the Spanish Monarch assembled an army in Andalusia under the command of General the Count de la Torres, for the purpose of recapturing Gibraltar. 1727 I" February, 1727, the garrison of Gibraltar, under the command of the Lieut.-Governor, Colonel Jasper Clayton, opened its fire on the besieging army. Several regiments were ordered to embark to reinforce the garrison of Gibraltar, but the Twenty-third, Royal Welsh Fusiliers remained in England. King George I. died at Osnaburg on the 11th of June ; on the 18th of that month hostilities ceased, and Gibraltar continued under the dominion of Gr^at Britain. OR, TUB ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 65 On the 18th of May, 1728, the eleventh and Twenty- 1728 THIRD regiments were reviewed on Ilounslow Heath by King George II., and, according to the * London Gazette,' the two regiments " made a very fine appearance." The Twenty-third was subsequently ordered to proceed to Chester. King G«orge II. concluded at Seville a peace between 1729 Great Britain, France, and Spain, in November, 1729, by which it was agreed that mutual reparation should be made for the ships and effects captured on both sides. In the year 1735, the regiment was stationed at £din- 1735 burgh Castle, where George Augustus Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield, the celebrated governor of Gibraltar, joined the regiment as a volunteer. General Joseph Sabine died on the 24th of October, 1739 1739, and Lieutenant-Colonel Newsham Peers, of the Twenty-third, was promoted to the Colonelcy of the regiment on the 23rd of November, 1739. In the two previous years, the British merchants had made great complaints against the Spanish depredations in America, and on the 23rd of October, 1739, war was proclaimed against Spain by Great Britain ; the events in Germany of the following year finally caused a general European war, and disturbed the long interval of com- parative peace which had succeeded the treaty of Utrecht. These events were occasioned by the decease of Charles 1740 the Sixth, Emperor of Germany, on the 20th of October, 1740. The Emperor was the last Prince of the House of Austria, and he was succeeded in his hereditary dominions by his eldest daughter, the Archduchess Maria Theresa, who married, in 1736, the Duke Francis Stephen of Lorraine. The Duke, in the following year, became Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Archduchess, on the day F !i I ^Hj |: 6G THE twenty-tiiihd ueoiment of foot, 1740 following licr father's death, ascended the throne of Hun- gary, Bohemia, and Austria, and declared her husband co-regent in the government of her dominions. Although the possessions of Austria were gnar-nntecd to the Archduchess Maria Theresa by the German EJict, known in history as the " Pragmatic Sanction"* to which nearly all the powers of Europe had been parties, yet the succession of the Archduchess to her father's Austrian hereditary territories was disputed by several claimants ; and among others by Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria, who was afterwards elected Emperor of Germany. The King of Prussia also revived a dormant claim to Silo la, which he invaded in November ; the Prussian monarch offered Maria Theresa sufficient money to resist all her enemies, on condition of ceding Silesia to him, but the proposition was indignantly rejected. These circumstances occasioned the contest, which is designated the " War of the Austrian Succession^" in which most of the Eurojjean powers were ultimately engaged. The King of France supported the Elector of Bavaria, while King George II. supported the Archduchess Muria Theresa ; and in April, 1741, the British Parliament voted a subsidy of 300,000/. to the Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. His Majesty also Informed the Parliament, that the Queen of Hungary had demanded the twelve thousand troops he had stipulated to furnish ; and accordingly he had requested the King of Denmark and the King of Sweden, to hold in readiness their quotas of sis thousand men each, for the maintenance of which they bad '.'jniced sub' r.a from England. King George II. ^as drawn into the war 1741 * The *^ Pragmatic Sanction"' was published by the Emperor Charles VI. on the 1 7th of April 1713, whereby, in case of his having lio male issue, his daughters were to succeed to his hereditary do- Riinions in preference to the sons of his late brother Joseph I. OH, THE UOYAL W£L81I FUSILIEIIS. 67 from the apprehension uf losing Hanover, butattliis period 1741 His Majesty abstaiuc'l from being a principul in thecontest, by agreeing witli the l* reiich sovereign fiOuia XV. to give his vote, as Elector f Hanover, to the Elector of Ikvariu for the dignity of Emperor of Germany, and thereby to preserve the neutrality of his Hanovt;rian territories. Several British regiments were ordered to be prepared for continental service, but no embarkation took plnce during the year 1741. During the summer of 1741, the Twenty third Royal Welsh Fusilieiis were encamped ou Lexdun Heath, near Colchester. The Elector of Bavario was chosen Emperor of Germany 1742 at Frankfort on the Maine, and crowned, as Charli-s VH., on the 11th of February, 1742 : he was, however, most unhappy prince ; his electoral dominions were overrun by the Austrians, the French were driven out of BoIk mia, and the King of Prussia, under the mediation of King George H., concluded a peace at Brcslau with the Queen of Hungary. The King of England resolving to take a more active part in the war, an army of sixteen thousand men, under Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, was ordered to be em - barked for the Netherlands in the summer of 1742, in order to support the Queen of Hungary. On the 28th of April, the regiment was reviewed on Kew Green by His Majesty King George II., and in May, the Twenty-third and other regiments embarked for Flandere ;* but no action took place during that year, the troops being suddenly marched into winter quarters, after every preparation had been made for active operations. * See list of British regiments which served in Flaudere'and Germany, betweei 1742 and 1748, during the " War of the Austrian Succession." —Appendix, page 1 75. F 2 11 68 THE TWENTY-THIKD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1743 Early in the year 1743, the Earl of Stair inarched his army towards the Rhine, and in May encamped near Hoechst, on the Maine. From thence the allied troops proceeded to Kellenhuch and Aschaffenberg, wh.Te they found themselves hemmed in, and their supplies cut off by the able dispositions of the French commander. Marshal Noailles, who had crossed the Rhine in the beginning of June, with an army of sixty thou- sand men. In this state His Majesty King George the Second found matters when he assumed the command of the army on the 9th of June. A retreat was determined upon, and commenced on the 26th of June. His Majesty had no sooner quitted Aschaffenberg than it was seized by the French. He had not proceeded above three leagues when he perceived that the enemy, to the number of thirty thousand, had crossed the river farther down at Selingen- stadt, and was drawn up at the village of Dettinffen, to dispute his passage. The route of the allied army lay between a mountain and the Maine, and the French army was drawn up with this narrow pass in its front. In this situation the destruction of the allies seemed inevitable ; but Marshal Noailles having repassed the river, the Duke de Grammont, who succeeded to the command, advanced to the attack through the defile, thus foregoing all the advantages of his position. The British troops, under the immediate eye of their King, on the 27th of June, received the impetuous attack of the French with such steadiness and intrepidity, that the latter were forced to retire, and recross the Maine with the greatest precipitation, and the loss of five thousand men. The loss of the Allies was two thousand, of which the Royal Welsh Fusiliers sustained fifteen men killed. Colonel Peers was severely wounded in the throat, of which he afterwards died. Lieutenant Price and twenty-seven men were wounded. XXIII , TllK KOYAL WELSH s«!(^!:;^f'--v ■mi ^T*' ■'-•■■.'»*; ■ •■■■ •i*"'!""'' '. ^' '■-' ■ * ./»iuy /4I « l7i'Z . 1 ll 1- '■;,: '1 II li 6 i^ I J' I I 1^ 'd Mt^^lf UiJ Wtili^ml,- w .if ":'!•{ :^:^^;i I T / OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 69 Major-General John Huske was removed from the 1743 thirty-second regiment to the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, on the 28th of July, 1743, in succession to Colonel Peers, who died of the wounds received at the battle of Dettingen.* This victory, though honorable to those by whom it was achieved, was productive of no decisive results. The army, after some unimportant movements, retired into winter quarters in October. On the 20th of March, 1744, France declared war 1744 * Although the results of the Battle of Dettingen, fought on the 27th of June, 1743, were not equal to those attending the victories gained over the French by Edward the Third and Henry the Fifth, yet there are circumstances which render the conflict at Dettingen similar to those of Cre^ and Agincourt. At Creqy, on the 26th of August, 1346, King Edward the Third and his Son Edward the Black Prince, were present ; and at Dettingen King George the Second was accompanied by his son the Duke of Cumberland. It was the debut of both the Royal Princes on the tented plain, and the chivalrous bearing of the Black Prince, particularly his behaviour to the prisoners, finds a parallel in the conduct of the Duke of Cum- berland, who refused to have his wound attended to, until the surgeons had examined that of a French officer, the Count De Fenelon, who had been taken prisoner and conveyed to the Duke's tent. " Begin," said His Royal Highness, " with the wound of the French officer ; he is more dangerously hurt than I am, and stands more in need of assistance." The disadvantage, under which the British fought at Dettingen, was equal to that at Agincourt, and the impetuosity of the enemy, in both instances, prevented the English army perishing from want of provisions. AH these battles are likewise note'd for the number of the French Royal family and nobility who were present. King George the Second, when Hereditary Prince of Brunswick Lunenburg, took part in the victory gained by the famous Duke of Marlborough atOudenarde on the 11th July, 1708 ; and the battle of Dettingen is further remarkable as being the last action in which a British Monarch commanded the army. The want of provisions and tents, unfortunately, compelled the victors to abandon the field of battle, otherwise Dettingen might have rivnlled many of the achievements recorded in British History. 70 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1744 against England, and on the 29th of that month a counter declaration was made by Great Britain, in which the Frencli monarch was accused of violating the Pragmatic Sanction, and of assisting the son of the Pretender in his designs on the British throne. The French, during the year 1744, possessed themselves of several towns in the Netherlands, hut no other event of importance occurred.* 1745 The following year is inemorahle in the annals of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. In the spring of 1745, a French army of seventy-six thousand men, commanded by Marshal Saxe, invested Toumay. The Duke of Cumberland, who had assumed the command of the allied army of British, Austrians, and Dutch, resolved to attempt its relief, though his force did not exceed fifty thousand. His Royal Highness accordingly advanced, and on the 9th of May took up a position at Maulbre, in sight of the French army, which was strongly posted behind the village of Fontenoy. The following day was employed by the allies in driving in some of the enemy's outposts, and clearing some defiles through which they were to march to the attack, while the French completed their batteries, and made the most formidable preparations for the recep- tion of their enemy. The Duke of Cumberland began his march at two o'clock in the morning of the 11th of May ; the action commenced at nine, and lasted till three. The efforts of the British infantry, who began the attack, were at first successful : they drove the French from their lines; but the left, composed of Austrian and Dutch troops, failing in its attack of the village of Fontenoy, the British were compelled to retire with greaf loss. They rallied, however, and again charging the enemy, drove him • " Vide List of Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands and Germany, during the War of the Austrian Succession." — Appendix page 174. OU, TUB ROVAL WELSU FUSILIEHS. 71 back to his entrenchments with great slaughter; but, from 1745 wanting the support of the left wing, the British troops became exposed to the tremendous fire of the French necessary, which was batteries, and a retreat became effected in good order. The Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers had Lieutenants Weaver, Price, Forster, and Isaac, four Ser- jeants, one hundred and eighty-one privates, killed; Captains Hickman, Gary, and Drysdale, Lie"<^'"*"ants Bernard, Izard, Awbry, Clarke, Eyre, Robertr '*. six Serjeants, and seventy-one privates, woun( Lort, Captains Sabine, Taylor, and Johnston, j Berners, Gregg, Haws, and Lort, five Serjeants, ♦, '. ( : j i ^ four privates, missing. While the army was in Flanders, Prince Charieo ward, eldest son of the Pretender, arrived in Scotland, and being joined by several clans, he asserted his father's pretensions to the throne. Unaccustomed to hear the sound of war at their own gates, the British people were at first alarmed, but soon recovering, they evinced loyalty and union in sustaining the fixed rights of their Sovereign and in defending their own liberties. The volunteer as- sociations were not, however, ready to tike the field for some time, and in October, 1745, the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, with several other regiments, were recalled from the Continent, on account of the break- ing out of the rebellion in Scotland. In December, the regiment was sent to the coast of Kent and Sussex, in anticipation of a descent by the French. The Twenty-third remained in England until the n46 suppression of the Rebellion had been effected by the defeat of Prince Charles, at the battle of CuUoden on the 16th of April, 1746. In 1747 the regiment was again removed to the theatre 1747 ■ -H-l ' I . ! \ 72 TUB TWENTY-THIKD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 7'tv\ ' PI iVi 1747 of war in the Netherlands, where it arrived in time to take part in the operations of the campaign. On the 2nd of July, the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers were engaged in the battle of Laffeld, or Val^ where they again suffered severely from the misconduct of the Dutch allies. A squadron of their horse giving way, fled with such pre- cipitation and confusion, that they overthrew and trampled down the infantry in their rear ; two platoons of the Fusiliers fired upon them ; but the French cavalry, charg- ing after the fugitives, increased the confusion, and pene- trated to the centre of the Allied Army. The Duke of Cumberland exerted himself with great courage and ac- tivity to remedy the disorder ; but the defeat would have been total, had it not been for the gallantry of General Sir John Ligonier, who, at the head of three regiments of British cavalry and some squadrons of Imperial horse, charged the whole of the French cavalry with such im- petuosity and success, that he overthrew everything before him, and enabled the army to effect an orderly retreat to Maestricht. In this battle, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had Cap tain Johnston and one man killed ; Captains Fortescue, Izard, and Baldwin, Lieutenants Eyre, Rich, Gregg, Aday, M'Laughlan, and Hewett, and forty-two men wounded ; and Lieutenant Oakes and one hundred and eighty-seven men missing. 1748 ^^^ regiment was again in the field in the summer of 1748, but hostilities were at length terminated by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which was signed on the 7th of October, 1748. By it all the great treaties from that of Westphalia in 1648, which first recognised the principle of a balance of power in Europe, to that of Vienna in 1738, were renewed and confirmed. Prussia retained Silesia, and the Empress-Queen Maria Theresa was guaran- OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 73 teed the possession of her hereditary dominions, according 1749 to the Pragmatic Sanction. France surrendered her con- quests in Flanders, and the English those in the East and West Indies ; so that Great Britain gained nothing hy the war, save the glory of having supported the German sovereignty of Maria Theresa, and of adhering to former treaties. During the winter the regiment returned to England. In the Royal Warrant, dated the 1st of July, 1751, for HSl ensuring uniformity in the clothing, standards, and colours of the army, and regulating the number and rank of regiments, the following directions are given for the Twenty-third, or the Royal Welsh Fusiliers : — " In the centre of their colours, the device of the Prince " of Wales, namely, three feathers issuing out of the " Prince's Coronet ; in the three comers of the second " colour, the badges of Edward the Black Prince, namely, " the Rising Sun, Red Dragon, and the Three Fba- " thers in the Coronet ; with the motto, * Ich Dim* " On the grenadier caps, the Feathers as in the colours, " White Horse, and motto * Nee aspera terrent,* on " the flap. " The same badge of the Three Feathers and " motto, ' Ich dien,* on the drums and bells of arms ; rank '* of the regiment underneath." The Twenty-third regiment remained in Great Bri- 1755 tain until the year 1755, when it embarked for Minorca. While the regiment was stationed at Minorca, the 1756 undetermined limits of the British and French territory in North America occasioned a war between the two kingdoms ; and early in 1756, the King of France pre- pared a powerful armament for the capture of the island of Minorca. The regiment assisted in the glorious, though unsuccessful, defence of Fort St. Philip in that w THE TWENTY-TIIIBD REGIMENT Or yOOT, 1156 island. The troops at Minorca consi^ited of four regiments, the fourth, or King's Own, the TwENTy-TiiiRO Royal Welsh Fusiliers,* the twenty-fourth, and thirty-fourth, which together mustered not more than two thousand four hundred and sixty duty men, a force too nnall even for the defence of Fort St. Philip. His Majesty's Government, having received intelligence of extensive preparations in the port of Toulon, the object of which was generally ' supposed to be an attack on Minorca, despatched, early in April, a fleet under Admiral Byng for the defence of that island. The French force destined for the reduction of Minorca amounted to sixteen thousand men, and was commanded by the Due de Richelieu. The armament sailed from Toulon on the 13th of April, 1756, appeared off Citadeila on the 18th, and disembarked on the following day. A fiaw days sufficed to make the French masters of the whole island, with the exception of Fort St. Philip, into which all the troops were withdrawn, after having broken up the roads and bridges, and opposed every possible obstacle to the movements of the enemy. The works of the fort were strong in themselves, but they were at this time in a ruinous condition, notwithstanding the efforts of the governor. General Blakeney, to put them in a posture of defence. The enemy entered the town of Mahon on the 27th of April, and commenced their approaches under an incessant fire from the fort, which caused them much loss. The French batteries opened on the 9th of May, but they were soon discovered to be at too great a distance, and to be * At the commencement of the siege they were commanded by General Hoske, Colonel of the Twentit-thibd Kegiment, and Bitiiterfd 1 major, 4 captains, 14 subalterns, 1 chaplain, 1 adjutant, 1 lurgcon, 1 asitistant surgeon, 1 quarter-master, 28 serjeantR, 27 corpor/ili, 17 drummers, 616 privates, of whom only C were sick. 1i' OR, THE ROYAL WELSU FUSILIERS. 75 liablj to much annoyance from the guns of the fort *hey 1756 therefore, on the 12th, pushed forward a body of tivjps, which took possession of the town of St. Philip, and com- menced erecting batteries under cover of the houses, within two hundred yards of the fort, while the garrison kept up a continued fire, which destroyed in the day the works thrown up during the night, besides causing the enemy a great loss of men. In consequence of this attack on Minorca, war was declared mgainst France on the 18th of May. On the 19th of June, the fleet of Admiral Byng ap- peansd off the island, and the exertions of the besieged were redoubled : the elation of hope, however, was but of short continuance, for on the 22nd, the French fired a feu-de-joie in honor of their pretended victory over the English fleet. The siege was carried on with the greatest vigour until the 27th, when the enemy's fire had done such execution on the defences of the fort, that the Due de Richelieu judged that the moment had arrived for giving the assault. At ten o'clock that night, the enemy issued from their works to the different attacks, which/were made simultaneously on so many different points, thail the garrison, worn out with seventy days' incessant duty, were unable to repel them in all. The assailants were, however, received with the most determined courage, and repulsed several times with immense slaughter : strong in numbers, however, they as often returned to the assault ; and after a long and sanguinary contest, ultimately succeeded in effecting a lodgment in the Queen's redoubt, and in the Anstruther and Argyle batteries, the last of which blew up with three companies of French grenadiers. The firing having continued from ten o'clock at night until four in the morning, the French general beat a parley, for leave to bury the dead and carry off the wounded. I: ii V- H 70 TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1156 and a cessation of arms was agreed on, of which the French took the advantage of strengthening the force in the lodgments they had effected. The success of the assailants, on this night, was purchased at the expense of two thousand men ; while the loss of the garrison did not exceed forty-seven killed and wounded. The governor, however, considering the worn-out condition of his men and the shattered state of the works, and one of the prin- cipal outworks being in possession of the enemy, summoned a council of war, in which it was unanimously agreed that the fort could not sustain another assault. Terms of sur- render were accordingly proposed, and on the 29th of June a capitulation was signed, allowing the garriscTi all the honors of war. " The noble and vigorous defence which the " English have made " (says the Due de Richelieu in his reply to the second article proposed by General Blakeney) " having deserved all marks of esteem and veneration that " every military person ought to show to such actions, — and " Marshal Richelieu being desiroun also to show to General " Blakeney the regard due to the brave defence he has " made, — grants to the garrison all the honors of war that " they can enjoy under the circumstances of their going " out for an embarkation, to wit, firelocks on their shoul- " ders, drums beating, colours flying, twenty cartridges *' for each man, and also lighted matches." Beatson, in his Naval and Military Memoirs^ has thus alluded to the conduct of the garrison of Minorca: — " Thus did four regiments,* and one company of artillery, " maintain the fort against such numbers of tlie enemy, " by sea and land, for such a length of time, as can, " perhaps, scarcely be paralleled in history. The terms " on which the fort was at last surrendered by a handful The 4th, 23rd, 24th, and 34th regiments. oil, THE ROYAL WELSU FUSILIERS. 77 " of men, so distressed, so shattered, and so neglected, 1 756 ** remain a lasting monument to their honor." The total casualties of the siege were eighty-nine killed, three hundred and sixty-seven wounded, one missing, twenty-three died of wounds, and ten of disease. The loss of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers exceeded that of any other regiment, being twenty-eight killed and ninety wounded, among whom was Lieutenant Price ; five died of wounds and two of disease. The garrison embarked on the 12th of July, and pro- ceeded to Gibraltar, from whence the Royal Welsh Fusi- liers soon returned to England, and were quartered in the Isle of Wight. At this period the army and navy were increased, and among other augmentations, fifteen of the regiments of infantry were authorised to raise second battalions from the 25th of August, 1756. In 1758, these additional battalions were formed into 1758 distinct corps, and numbered from the sixty-first to the seventy-fifth regiment. By this q^rrangement the second battalion of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers was constituted the present Sixty-eighth regiment.* In the summer of 1758, the Government resolved on making a descent on the French coast, by which it was expected to make such a diversion in favour of the British Allies in Germany as would obviate the necessity of send- Snd Batt. Constituted. Snd Batt. Cunitituted. ► 3rd Foot, the 61 St Regimeut. 24th Foot, the 69th Regiment. 4th „ the 62nd Regiment. 31st „ the 70th Regiment. ; 8th „ the 63rd Regiment. 32nd „ the 71st Regiment. 11th „ the 64th Regiment. 33rd „ the 72nd Regiment. 12th „ the 65th Regiment. 34th „ the 73rd Regiment. 19th „ the 66th Regiment 36th „ the 74th Regiment. 20th „ the 67 th Regiment. 37th „ the 75th Regiment. 23rd „ the 68th Regiment. The 71s t, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, an i 75th regin lents, were disbanded I after the peace of Fontainebleau in 1763. 7t) THE TWENTY-THIRD REQIMENT OF FOOT, iimi 1758 ing them a reinforcement of troopB. The Royal Welhii FudiLiEHS formed part of the army employed on this oc- casion, which amounted to fourteen thousand men, and was commanded by the Duke of Marlborough. The embark- ation commenced on the 24th of May ; the expedition sailed on tlie 1st of June, and on the 5th stood in for the bay of Cancale, two leagues to the eastward of St. Malcetj where a landing was effected without loss. The army was put in motion on the 7th, and took up a position close to St. Maloea, which the Commander-in-Chief recon- noitred. Having observed several houses filled with naval and military stores, which were not protected by the guns of the town, a detachment was sent after dark to set fire to them, a service which was most effectually per- formed, thirteen vessels of war, besides several mer- chantmen and prodigious quantities of stores, being de- stroyed. St. MaloeSy though incapable of making an effectual resistance against a regular siege, was considered too strong to be attempted by a coup- de-main ; the army, therefore, returned to Cancale Bay, where it embarked on the 10th and 12th, having lost thirty men firom the time of landing. The fleet left Cancale on the 21st of June, and on the 23rd made the Isle of Wight ; but the wind changing, it again bore away for the coast of France, and on the 26th was close to Havre de Grace. Preparations were made for landing, but, on reconnoitring the coast, the enemy was found to be so well prepared, tliat the de- sign was abandoned, and the fleet steered for Cherbourpf where it anchored on the 29th. Here the preparations for a descent were renewed ; but a strong gale blowing on shore, occasioned such a surf, that it was deemed too hazardous to land the troops. The gale meanwhile in- mi V 'V OR, TUE UOYAL WELSH FU8ILIEI18. 79 creused to such a degree, that several of the transports 17.')8 were driven from tlieir anehore, and ran foul of each other ; and the whole fleet was in considerahle danger. The provisions and forage were nearly exhausted, and sickness hegan to show itself among the troops. Under these circumstances, the design against Chcrhourg was abandoned ; the fleet returned to England ; and the Royal Wklsu Fusiliers, early in July, once more took up their quarters in the Isle of Wight. Soon after this, the Government considering it necessary to reinforce the army in Germany, a brigade, consisting of the twentieth, Twenty-third, and twenty-fifth regi- ments, was ordered from the Isle of Wight, under the command of the Duke of Marlborough. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers disembarked at Hal- zoone, near Embden, on the 2nd of August, 1758, and on the 4th commenced their inarch to join the allied army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. They eflfected their junction about the middle of the same month ; but though they had much severe service in marching and counter- marching, during the remainder of the campaign, they had no opportunity of signalizing themselves against the enemy. On the 13th of November they went into winter quarters in Munster. Operations were commenced early in the spring of 1759 1759, and the allies gained some advantage; but when the French forces were assembled, they possessed so great a superiority in numbers, that Prince Ferdinand was obliged to fall back as the enemy advanced. A series of retrograde movements brought the allied army to the vicinity of Mindetij situated on the bank of the river Weser, in Westphalia. The French army, commanded by Marshal de Con- tades, took possession of Minden, and occupied a strong position near that city. I \'-i 80 TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1759 Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick manoeuvred: he de- tached one body of troops under his nephew, the Here- ditary Prince of Brunswick, and appeared to leave another exposed to the attack of the whole of the opposing array. The destruction of this corps was resolved upon by the French Commander, and he put his army in motion for that purpose during the night between the 31st of July and the 1st of August. While the French were on the march. Prince Ferdinand advanced with the allied army, and early on the morning of the 1st of August, as the leading colunm of the enemy attained the summit of an eminence, it was surprised at discovering, instead of a few weak corps, the allied army formed in order of battle. Tims the French Marshal suddenly found himself com- mitted, and under the necessity of fighting upon unfavour- able ground. After some delay he formed line, and the battle commenced. The . Twenty-third, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Edward Sacheverel Pole, with the twelfth and thirty- seventh British regiments, followed by the twentieth, twenty-fifth, and fifty-first, under Major-General Walde- grave and Major-General Kingsley, flanked by two bat- talions of Hanoverian foot guards and the Hanoverian regiment of Hardenberg, and supported by three regi- ments of Hanoverians and a battalion of Hessian foot guards, advanced to attack the left wing of the French army, where Marshal de Contades had posted the Sliteoi his cavalry, the carabineers, and gendarmes. The twelfth, Twenty-third, and thirty-seventh regiments led the at- tack with signal intrepidity : as they moved forward in firm array, the enemy's artillery opened a tremendous fire, which rent chasms in the ranks, and the French carabineers advanced to charge them ; but a rolling volley from the three British regiments smote the hostile squadrons, when many men fell, and the survivors reined up their horses. A'V OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 81 wheeled about, and galloped to the rear; their artillery 1759 recommencing its fire as the repulsed squadrons with- drew. The Hanoverian brigade came up on the left of the twelfth, Twenty-third, and thirty-seventh, and the other three British regiments on the right. Soon, another line of French cavaliers, gay in splendid uniforms, and formidable in numbers, came forward, the soldiers shout- ing, and waving their swords ; but they were struck in mid-onset by a tempest of bullets from the British regi- ments, broken, and driven back with severe loss. Still pressing forward with a conquering violence, the three brigades became exposed to the fire of the enemy's infantry on their flanks ; but nothing could stop them : encouraged by success, and confident in their own prowess, they followed up their advantage, routed the whole of the French cavalry, and drove it from the field.* Two brigades of French infantry endeavoured to stem the torrent of battle ; but they were quickly broken and dis- persed.f A body of Saxon troops made a show of coming * "Notwithstanding the loss they sustained before they could get up " to the enemy ; notwithstanding the repeated attacks of the enemy's "cavalry; notwithstanding a fire of musketry well kept up by the " enemy's infantry ; notwithstanding their being exposed in front and "flank, such was the unshaken firmness of those troops (12th, 20th, 23rd, " 25tb, 37th, .'ilst, and brigade of Hanoverians) that nothing could stop " them, and the whole body of French cavalry was totally routed." — Campaigns of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. t " The brunt of the battle was almost wholly sustained by the English " infantry and some corps of Hanoverians, who stood the reiterated " charges of so many bodies of horse, (the strength and glory of the " French armies,) with a resolution, steadiness, and expertness in their "manoeuvres, which was never exceeded, perhaps never equalled : they " cut to pieces or entirely routed those bodies. Two brigades of foot " attempted to support them ; but they vanished before the English " infantry." — Annual Register. " Six regiments of English infantry, and two battalions of Hanoverian " guards, not only bore the whole brunt of the French carabineers and "gendarmerie, but .ibsolutely broke every body of horse and foot that "advanced to attack them on the left and in the centre."— Smollett. 1' I O 82 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 'I I I 1159 down upon the conquering British regiments, hut they were soon put to flight, and the triumphant English con- tinued their splendid career, overpowering all opposition. The action commenced hetween six and seven o'clock in the morning: ahout nine the enemy began to give way ; a general confusion followed ; and at ten o'clock the whole French army fled in disorder, with the loss of forty-three pieces of cannon, ten stand of colours, and seven standards. The loss of the allies fell chiefly on the British regi- ments; that of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers was four Serjeants and thirty-one rank and tile killed ; Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Sacheverel Pole, Captains William Fowler and John Fox, Captain- Lieu- tenant Richard Bolton, Lieutenants Charles Reynell, Joseph Patterson, Arthur Barber, Grey Grove, and George Orpin, Second Lieutenant David Ferguson, six Serjeants, three drummers, and one hundred and fifty-three rank and file wounded ; and ten rank and file missing.* In the general orders of the following day, it was stated, " that His Serene Highness orders his greatest thanks to " be given to the whole army for their bravery and good " behaviour yesterday, particularly to the British infantry "and the two battalions of Hanoverian guards. His " Serene Highness declares publicly, that next to God, he " attributes the glory of the day to the intrepidity and •' extraordinary behaviour of the troops." The distinguished conduct of the Twenty- third regi- ment on this occasion was afterwards honored with the King's authority 'to bear the word "Minuen" on its * See List of Officers belonging to the Twenty-third Kotal Welsh Fusiliers on the 1st of August, 1759, the date of the Battle of JUindtn, Appendix, page 176. OH, THE ROYAL \V£LSII FUSILIERS. 83 colours and appointments, in commemoration of its gal- 1759 lantry.* Minden was' taken possession of on the following day, and the French army was forced to make a precipitate retreat to a distance of about two hundred miles. The allies followed the retiring enemy with great energy, ascending precipices, passing morasses, overcoming nume- rous difficulties, and pressing upon and attacking the retreating army, with so much resolution, that several French corps were nearly annihilated, and many prisoners, with a great quantity of baggage, were laptured. The Twenty-third shared in the hazards, toils, and conflicts of this brilliant success, and when the weather became too severe for the troops to remain in the field, the regiment went into cantonments in the bishopric of Osnaburg in Westphalia. The regiment left its quarters on the 5th of May, 1760, 1760 to take the field, and on the 12th of that month it arrived in the vicinity of Paderborn : it was joined by a numerous body of recruits from England, to replace the losses of the preceding campaign. A hundred thousand French troops took the field under the Duke of Broglio, with a separate corps under the Count de St. Germain, and so far outnumbered the allied army, that the latter was obliged to act on the defensive. The Twenty-third took part in numerous operations, and towards the end of May they were encamped on the heights near Fritzlar ; in July they proceeded to the vicinity of Saxenhausen, from whence they retreated towards Cassel, and encamped near Kalle. Upwards of thirty-thousand French troops crossed the * The six British regiments of infantry which took part in the glo- rious battle of Minden were the 12tb, 20ih, 23rd, 25th, 37th, and Slst rcgioieuts. G 2 I . I 84 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1 760 river Dymel, and took post near Warhourg, to cut off the communication of the allies with Westphalia, when Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick quitted the camp at Kalle, and crossed the river to attack this portion of the French army. The battle commenced on the morning of the Slst of July, at which time the regiment, and other British infantry corps, were several miles from the scene of conflict. The grenadier company of the Twenty-third, however, being in advance, was sharply engaged, and highly distinguished itself : it had one Serjeant and eleven privates killed ; Captain Rainey, Lieutenant Mercer, and nineteen privates wounded. The remainder of the army hurried forward with extraordinary zeal to share in the action : it was a hot summer's day; the soldiers had a rugged country to traverse, morasses to pass, and numerous difficulties to over- come, and they exerted themselves with so much energy, that several men dropped on the road ;* but before they arrived at Warbourg, the French troops had retreated across the river. The regiment afterwards encamped near Warbourg, and on the 1st of October proceeded towards the Lower Rhine, in order to form part of the separate corps under the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, who invested the town of Wesel, in the duchy of Cleves, on the 3rd of October. A numerous French force advanced to raise the siege, and encamped behind the convent of Campen„ The Hereditary Prince determined to surprise the enemy's camp at Rhynberg, and for this purpose the confederate army marched at ten o'clock in the night of the 15th of October ; but it was found necessary to dislodge a corps which occupied the convent : this occasioned some firing ; the French camp was alarmed, and the soldiers im- mediately formed for battle. The Hereditary Prince * London Gazette. ? . L_ OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 85 attacked the French army before daylight on the 16th of 1760 October, and the Twenty-third regiment was engaged in a desperate musketry fight for many hours ; it was opposed to very superior numbers, and the French had the advantage of a wood. The fire of musketry was con- tinued from five in the morning until nine at night, when the Prince, finding it impossible to force the enemy from the wood, ordered a retreat. The Twenty-third had two Serjeants and nineteen rank and file killed ; Major Marlay, Captains Gould and Fowler, Lieutenants Ferguson, Grove, Orpin, Blakeney, Mecan, four Serjeants, and ninety-seven rank and file wounded. Lieutenant-Colonel Pole, Captains Gould and Fowler, with forty-four rank and file, were taken prisoners. The siege of Wesel was raised, and the regiment repassed the Rhine, and was cantoned in the Principality of Hesse. On the 16th January, 1761, Lieut.-General the Honor- 1761 able George Boscawen was appointed, by His Majesty King George HL, Colonel of the Twenty-third Royal AVelsh Fusiliers, from the twenty-ninth regiment, in succession to General John Huske, deceased. The enemy having amassed immense magazines in tlie country of Hesse, and on the Lower Rhine, the allied army made a sudden advance into the enemy's canton- ments, and in February, 1761, captured several strong towns, and seized on numerous stores of provisions. The Twenty-third shared in this enterprise, advancing through a deep snow, and taking part in several important captures : when this service was performed, the regiment retired to its former quarters. Again taking the field in Jmie, the regiment was em- ployed in several manoeuvres, and in the middle of July it was in position near the Aest and Lippe rivers, in i m 86 THE TWENTY-TIIIIID UEGIMENT OF FOOT, 1761 Prussian Westphalia. After several harassing marches, the regiment was stationed in front of the village of Kirch DcnherTif and near to Fellinghaus(n^ in the hishopric of Paderborn. The French, commanded by the Prince de Soubize and Marshal Broglio, attacked this post on the 15th of July ; but the ground was maintained with firm- ness and resolution by the British infantry, and the enemy was repulsed with loss. The fire of the skirnrlshers was contitiued during thr- night, and at three o'clock on the following morning, the attack was repeated with fresh Uoops, but the position was gallantly maintained by the British and other regiments. After five hours' sharp fighting, some disorder appeared in the enemy's ranks, when the several brigades charged and routed the oppo- sing battalions, which retreated with precipitation, aban- doning their dead and wounded, together with several pieces of cannon. The Twenty-third regiment, which foriped part of Lieut.-General Conway's division, had no officers or men killed in this battle, the casualties being limited to one Serjeant, and a few privates wounded. The Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers were stationed near Kirch Denkem until the 27th of July ; they were subsequently employed in manoeuvring and skirmishing in various parts of the bishopric of Paderborn and on the river Weser ; in September they were em- ployed in the country of Hesse. In the early part of November the regiment was engaged in several skirmishes in tlie electorate of Hanover, and was subsequently quartered in the bishopric of Osnaburg, where it passed the winter.* * The following singular statement appeared in " Tlie London Gazette,'''' of the 17th November, 1761, which surpasses a similar incident recorded of the famous Lord Mayor of London, Sir Richard Whittington : — on, THE llOYAL WELSH FU8ILIER8. 87 In the spring of 1762, the regiment quitted its canton- 1162 nients in Osnaburg, and was formed in brigade with tlie same regiments, as in the preceding year. It was engaged, on the 24th of June, in the surprise of the French army encamped at Graebenstein, and commanded by Marshal D'Etrees and the Prince do Soubize. The TwENTV-THiRD formed part of the reser/e under the Marquis of Granby, who marched between two and three o'clock in the morning of that day, to the eminence opposite Furstenwald, in order to fall upon the left wing of the enemy. The troops under Prince Ferdinand also passed the Dymel at four o'clock in the morning, and the allied army arrived in presence of the enemy, before he had the least apprehension of being attacked. The French were surprised and confounded ; they abandoned their camp, leaving their tents standing, and retreated towards Cassel : one division, under General Stainville, throwing itself into the woods of PFilhelmstafd, to cover the move- ment This division was attacked, and ultimately forced to surrender : part of the division had before surrendered to Lord Granby's corps, and upon the coming up of the army, the remainder, after one fire, surrendered to the fifth fusiliers. His Serene Highness stated in his despatch to His Majesty King George III., that " all the troop* behaved extremely well, and showed great zeal and willingness ;" and also that " Lord Granby acquitted himself, upon this occasion, with remarkable valour, and had a great share in the victory^^ The casualties of the allies amounted to about three '* The French have demanded from the country of Eischsfeld " and IIohen3tein,_/oM;' hundred cats ; one hundred and eighty had " been already delivered to them. The motive for the demand is, •' that the mice eat up their magazines, " >, »i Pi ■ I 88 TUE TWENTY-TUIBD HEtilMENT Or FOOT, I ■If i 1762 hundred men, but it is not recorded tlmt the Twenty- THiuD regiment sustained any loss on this occasion. , A series of successful operations, in which the Twenty- third regiment was engaged, followed this victory. The enemy was forced to quit several strong posts ; on the 2l8t of September, 1762, a most obstinate contest took place on the height of Brucker-Muhl, near Amonchourg, which continued, without intermission, from six o'clock in the morning until night put an end to the struggle. The Royal Welsh Fusiliehs do not appear to have partici- pated in this action, as they are not included in the list of killed and wounded, which amounted to about eight hundred men. In the beginning of November the allies took Cassel, after which a suspension of hostilities was proclaimed, the preliminary articles of peace between France and England having been signed at Fontainehleau by the Duke of Bed- ford on the 3rd of that month. By this treaty, the whole of Canada, part of Louisiana, together with Cape Breton, and the other islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were ceded to Great Britain. In the West Indies, the islands of Tobago, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Grenada were retained by Great Britain ; but Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marigalante, and St. Lucia were restored to France. In the East Indies, the French obtained the restitution of their settlements, but agreed not to erect any fortifications in Bengal. Minorca was restored to England in exchange for Belleisle, and the fortifications of Dunkirk were agreed to be demolished. Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain, in return for the restitution of the Havannah, Manilla, and all the places which Spain had lost since the cornmencoment of the war. 1763 The regiment was quartered in the bishopric of Munster after the suspension of hostilities, and in the beginning of OK, THE llOYAL WEI^II FUSILIERS. 89 1763, the thanks of Parliament were cominunicated to the 1763 army for its conduct during the war. In February the regiment marched ^luough Holland to Williamstadt, where it embarked for England : its effective strength, according to the embarkation return, was twenty-nine officers, six hundred and eighty-nine non-commissioned officers and soldiers. The treaty of Fontainebleau was concluded at Paris on the 10th of February ; the ratifications were exchanged on the 10th of March, and peace was proclaimed in London on the 22nd of that month. For the next ten years the regiment remained in Great Britain, but in the summer of 1773 it embarked at Ply- 17*13 mouth for North America, and disembarked at New York on the 14th of June. In the following year, 1774, the regiment was removed 1774 to Boston, where, in consequence of an anticipated out- break by the Americans, a strong military force had been assembled under the command of General Gage. During the winter a firm determination of resistance to 1775 the acts of the mother-country became general in the American States; and on the 19th of April, 1775, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were engaged in the first hos- tile collision that took place between His Majesty's troops and the colonists, in the unhappy contest which was soon to assume a most formidable character. Information having been received that the Americans were forming a con- siderable depot of military stores at a place called Con- cord, about twenty miles from Boston, a detachment, consisting of the fiank companies of the army, was de- spatched under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith, of the tenth regiment, for the purpose of destroying it. Though the greatest secresy had been observed in the preparations for the expedition, and the il m-. m-M ! ii ! I i M 'ill 90 THE TWENTV-TIIIUD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1775 detachment inarched with the utmost caution, they soon perceived, by the ringing of bells, the firing of guns, &c., that the country was alarmed ; and, on arriving at Lex- ington, about fifteen miles from Boston, they found a 'jonsiderable body of people assembled under arms. These dispersed in confusion on the approach of the detachment ; some shots were exchanged, though it does not seem certain which party was the first to fire. One soldier and several of the Americans were killed. The detachment continued its march to Concord, where a strong party of the militia of the country was found posted on an eminence at the entrance of the town ; these were attacked and dispersed by the light infantry, not without further loss on both sides, while the grenadiers carried into execution the purpose of the expedition, by destroying the stores. In the afiair at Lexington, the regiment had four rank and file killed ; Lieutenant- Colonel Benjamin Bernard, and twenty-six rank and file, wounded. By this time the alarm was spread far and near ; and an immense multitude appeared, who opposed the return of the detachment to Boston, by keeping a galling fire on its front, flanks, and rear, under cover of the houses, hedges, and walls, which lined the road ; the colonists displaying, at this early stage of the contest, that skill in this species of warfare, by which they were subsequently so much distinguished. Thus harassed, the detachment reached Lexington, where it met another detachment, con- sisting of the remaining eight companies of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and the same number of the eighth regiment, which had been sent to its support under the command of Colonel Earl Percy. These formed a square, under protection of which the wearied soldiers of Colonel Smith's detachment took some rest and refreshment, the OR, THE HOYAL WELSH FlTSILIEllS. 91 first since leaving Boston : so much were they exhausted, 1775 that they are described in Stedman's History of the Ameri- can War, as " having their tongues hanging out of their mouths like those of dogs after a chase." Both detachment} soon resumed their march, still harassed by the Ameri- cans, till they arrived at Boston about sunset. The British force amounted in all to about eighteen hundred men, of whom seventy-one were killed, one hun- dred and thirty-six wounded, and forty-nine missing ; the loss of tlie Americans is stated by themselves at about sixty, of whom two-thirds were killed. On the 11th of May, 1775, His Majesty was pleased to appoint Major-Gcneral the Honorable Sir William Howe, K. B. (from the forty-sixth regiment), to be Colonel of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusi- liers, in succession to Lieutenant-General the Ho- norable George Boscawen, deceased. Boundless was the exultation of the Americans at the result of this unhappy affair, — they talked of nothing but driving the King's forces out of Boston ; the militia poured in from all quarters, till twenty thousand men were assembled under commanders who had acquired some military experience as militia officers. This formidable force was even still further increased, and a line of encampment was formed thirty miles in extent, enclosing Boston in its centre. At the same time the provincial congress was busily employed, in framing regulations and providing equipments, which should give to their forces some semblance of a regular army. Meanwhile the British tioops were kept blockaded in Boston, their numbers being considered inadequate to any hostile opera- tions, though about the beginning of June reinforcements arrived from England with Major-General the Honorable Sir William Howe, which placed the army on a more re- I I '■ (*i1 TIIR TWENTYTirillU HKOlMENT OF I'OOT, IT, ! |ti .1 I •^1 1775 spectablc footing as to numbtTs than it had hitherto been. Separated from the peninsula of Boston by the river Charles is the peninsuhi of Charlestown, in the centre of which rises an eminence called Bunker n Hill, which commands the whole of Boston. This eminence, General Gage, owing probably to the insufficiency of his force, had not occupied ; but the Americans perceiving the advantages of the position, formed the hardy design of taking possession of it, which they soon executed with singular skill. As soon as it was dark, on the evening of the 10th of June, a strong body moved with great pre- caution across (liarlestown neck, and gained unobserved the summit of the hill. Being provided with the neces- sary tools, they commenced throwing entrenchments, with such order and silence, that before morning they had comjdeted a considerable line well flanked, and in many places cannon-proof. The first alarm was given by the fire of some of the men-of-war, by which the peninsula was nearly surrounded ; this was soon followed by that of the batteries of Boston. About noon of the 17th of June, a detachment from Boston was landed at Charles- town, and joon after a reinforcement, which increased the whole to two thousand. These, under cover of the artillery, advanced to attack the works : the Americans, with the steadiness of veterans, kej)t close behind their entrenchments, and reservetl their fire till the near ap- proach of their enemy, when they poured it in with such effect, that the British ranks were literally mowed down, and the soldiers forced to recoil in several places. Rallied by their officers, and stung ' the reflection of having been repulsed by an enemy .lom they held in contempt, they again mounted to the assault, with such impetuosity that they forced their way over the entrench- on, Tin; iioYAL WKLsn fuhilikks. 99 monts, driving tlu; colonists from tlunn nt the point of the 1776 bayonet. The success was complete ; the Americans fled with precipitation ; hut the reduced and exhausted state of the victors did not admit of a pursuit. The casualties of the day amounted to about one-half of the numbers engaged, being two hundred and twenty- six killed, and eight hundred and twenty-eight wounded ; among the former nineteen, and among the latter seventy officers. Of this severe loss, the Royal AVklsii Fusi- liers, eager to distinguish themselves the first time they were engaged under the immediate eye of their colonel, Major- General the Honorable Sir William IIowc, appear to have borne their full proportion. No return has been preserved of the casualties of the regiment generally ; but the grenadier company went into action with three officers and forty-six rank and file, and returned with five eff'ective ; the rest were all killed or wounded.* The loss of the Americans is estimated by themselves atone hundred and forty-six killed, and three hundred and four wounded. * Journal of rii|)taiii Julian, one of" the surviving veterans of the day. If it i' _v be permitted to quote a work of fiction as uti autlio- rity, it niay l»e observed, as a confirmation of tlie severe loss of the re- giment, ihrti the celebrated American novelist, J. Fenniniore Cooper, in fiis wort entitled " Lionel Lincoln," after describing the battle of Bunker's Hill, states, " The VVklsh Fusilikbs had hardly men " enough left to saddle their goat ;" and after alluding to the keeping of a goat, with gilded horns, by the regiment, adds, " that the corps " was distinguished alike for its courage and its losses." — For account of the custom of keeping the goat, above uiiudcd to, vide Appendix, page 177. Mrs, Adams, in a letter to her husband .(ohn Adams Esq. (after- wards the second President of the United States), dated 25th June, 1775, has thus alluded to the battle of Burkcr's HiH : — " But in the midst of sorrow we have abundant cause of thankful - *' ness, that so few of our brethren are numbered with the slain, " while our enemies were cut down like grass before the scythe. " But one officer of all the Welsh Fusiliers remains to tell his " story,''''— Letters of Mrs. Adams, third edition, vol. i. p. 43, 44. m Ik 04 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, I b 1776 After the battle of Bunker's Hill nothing of importance was attempted on either side ; the begieged and besiegers remained in a state of equal inactivity, till the commence- ment of 1776, when General Washington began to carry on his operations with more vigour, in the hope of reduc- ing Boston before the arrival of some expected rein- forcements from England. Among the besieged, the slow but sure effects of the long blockade began to show themselves ; provisions were scarce, and a supply could not be procured, and the men were worn out with in- cessant toil. On the 2nd of March, two batteries opened their fire on the town with such effect, that Major-General Sir William Howe, who had succeeded to the command, soon became sensible that nothing now remamed but to evacuate the place. Accordingly the garrison, and such of the inhabitants as adhered to the cause of the mother- country, were embarked, and conveyed to Halifax, in Nova Scotia. 'fhe troops having recovered from the sickness and fatigue produced by the blockade of Boston, Sir William Howe sailed for Staten Island, near New York, where he landed on the 2nd of July, and was joined by con- siderable reinforcements from England. On the 4th of July, the American Congress issued their Declaration of Independence, abjuring their allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain, and all hope of accommodation failed. Shortly afterwards another body of troops arrived from the southern provinces, commanded by Major-General Sir Henry Clinton, and the operations of the campaign com- menced on the 22nd of August, by the army crossing over to Lonff Island, where the Americans had raised a strong line of defence across a narrow neck of land, near Brooklyn, for the protection of New York, which it commanded. The Americans were soon compelled to retire to their works, OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 95 which the British Commander prepared to attack in form; I'j'je this was no sooner perceived by the enemy than he resolved to abandon his lines, which he was sensible were incapable of resisting a regular attack. This resolution was car- ried into effect on the 29th of August, with extraordinary secresy and«good order, — an army of nine thousand men being transported from New York, with all its cattle, artillery, and stores, without the loss of a single indi- vidual. Early in September the British crossed over to New York Island, and soon after took possession of New York without opposition. After a series of movements and skirmishes, which terminated with the battle of White Plains, on the 28th of October, the Americans were driven from all their positions in York Island, with the exception of the important fort of Fort Wash- ington, which kept open the communication with the Jerseys : this place was reduced on the 16th of Novem- ber, the garrison of 2500 men surrendering prisoners of war. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, having assisted in all these operations, went into winter quarters on New York Island. On the I'ith of April, 1777, the regiment embarked, m? under command of Major-General Tryon, and pro- ceeded to Norwalk Bay, in Connecticut, where it landed. From thence it marched about twenty miles, to Dan- bury, and destroyed the magazines of warlike stores belonging to the enemy. The following day the troops marched to Ridf/e/ield,v,herc the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves, being at- tacked by very superior numbers, stationed to protect very large magazines of military stores of every description, which were burnt, after the Americans had been defeated and dispersed. * The intention, for which the expedition had * Journal of Licutenant-General Sir Thomas Saumarcz, then a Lieutenant in the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers. I 96 THE TWENTY-THIRD REaiMENT OF FOOT, :ii' n*!*? been undertaken, having been fully accomplished, the British troops returned to embark, when they were con- stantly harassed and attacked, night and day, by a very superior force of the enemy ; particularly when they came in sight of their ships, they saw more than three times their own numbers, drawn up in a very advantageous position, with the intention of disputing their passage. After much manoeuvring on the part of the British, they at length attacked the Americans with the bayonet, and totally defeated them, with great loss in killed and wounded. While the embarkation was proceeding, a strong party of the enemy, under General Arnold, at- tacked a British regiment with so much vigour as to make it give way. Upon this the Royal Welsh Fusi- liers were ordered by Brigadier-General Erskine, Quarter-Master General of the army, to charge ; this they did, after firing a volley so effectually, aided by the other regiment, which had rallied, that, after killing and wounding a great number of the Americans, the latter dispersed, and did not fire another shot, but allowed the rear-guard to embark without further molestation. In this expedition the regiment had five rank and file killed ; second Lieutenant Edward Price, one serjeant, and eighteen rank and file wounded. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers received the particular thanks of Brigadier-General Erskine, and of the other general officers, for their gallant conduct on this and every other occasion since they disembarked : after this the troops returned to New York. Early in June the Commander-in-Chief crossed over with the army, to Staten Island, and subsequently to New Jersey. He, however, found General Washington's position at Middlebrook too strong to be attacked with any prospect of advantage, and every scheme to draw that cautious officer from his fastnesses having proved OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 97 unavailing, Major General the Honorable Sir William 1777 Howe returned to Staten Island on the 20th of June, and on the 24th the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were again in New York. Having failed in his attempt to penetrate to Phila- delphia through the Jerseys, Sir William Howe now resolved to embark the army, and to arrive at that place by sailing up the Delaware. The troops destined for this service, among which were the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, embarked on the 21st of July, and sailing two days after- wards, arrived on the 30th off the Capes of the Delaware. Here, in consequence of information that the enemy had taken means that would render the navigation of the Delaware extremsly dangerous, the Commander-in-Chief altered his plans, and proceeded to the Chesapeake, where he arrived about the middle of August : on the 25th, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers disembarked at Elk Ferry, in Pennsylvania. The army marched for Philadelphia, the enemy retiring, and taking up a position on the opposite side of the Brandywine^ of which he determined to dispute the passage. The able disposition of the British general, and the valour of his troops, however, prevailed, and on the 11th of September, after a sharp contest, the Americans were driven into the woods in their rear, where they took up a second position, from which they were also dislodged and completely routed. The Americans suffered severely in this action, having three hundred killed, six hundred wounded, and four hundred taken prisoners ; the British loss was one hundred killed and three hundred wounded. Captain Thomas Mecan, of the regiment, was wounded in this action. On the 20th of September another body of the Americans, under General Wayne, was com- pletely routed by a detachment, commanded by Major- General Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey, who, in pur- u ii 08 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, .4 ' hillV 1777 suance of a system which he afterwards strongly inculcated on his array in the W est Indies, commanded that not a shot should ht fired, but the b"yonet only should be used ; the surprise was, in consequence of this precaution, irost com- plete, and the slaughter of the enemy dreadful, at the expense to the English of one officer killed, and seven men killed and wounded. On the 26th of September, Lieut-General Sir William Howe advanced to Germantown, and, on the foUowuig day, Lieut.-Geueral Earl Cornwallis took possession of Phila- delphia. The first object of the British Commander, after the occupation of the town, was to open a communication with the fleet, by removing the obstructions which the enemy had contrived to the navigation of the Delaware ; large detachments were made for this and other services, which considerably reduced the main body of the army stationed at Germantown, an important post about seven miles from Philadelphia. General Washington, who was apprised of this circumstance, conceived the moment favourable for an attack on Germantown. He accordingly moved from l.is encampment on the evening of the 3rd of October, and on the morning of the 4th, under cover of a dense fog, commenced a vigorous assault on the British outposts, which were driven into the village, while the Americans advanced in separate columns, with the view of at once penetrating the centre of the position, and attacking it on both flanks. Their desigris were, how- ever, frustrated by the gal' itry of the fortieth regiment, which occupied a large stone house, in which it maintained itself, and checked the advance of the enemy till the whole of the British line had formed. The action was kept up with considerable obstinacy for some time, but the thick- ness of the fog preventing the combination of the several attacks of the enemy, he was repulsed, and, under cover OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 99 of the fog, withdrew, with all his artillery. The regiment 1771 was not engaged in any other operations during this winter, which it passed in Philadelphia, but it shared in some very severe duty at the reduction of the forts on the Delaware below the city. In the spring of 1778, Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir 1778 William Howe returned to England, and resigned the com- mand of the army to Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, who decided on evacuating Philadelphia, and returning with the army to New York. The evacuation was eflfected on the 18th of June, when the army was transported, with its baggage, provisions, and stores, to the Jerseys, in the boats of the fleet. General Washington having received intelligence of the design, had despatched messengers to various points, with orders to collect all the troops that could be assembled, to harass and obstruct the British army on its march. After a variety of movements on both sides. Sir Henry Clinton arrived on the 27th of June, at a place called Freehold^ where, judging from the appearance of more numerous parties of the enemy, that a serious attack was meditated, he encamped in a very strong posi- tion. The night passed without any hostile movement on the part of the enemy, and in the morning Sir Henry Clinton conceiving that the vast convoy of baggage, with which he was encumbered, would be the object of attack, despatched it at an early hour, escorted by General Knyphausen's division, himself following at some distance with the rest of the army. The rear-guard, composed of the flank companies, understood Lieut.-General the Earl Comwallis had not proceeded, for when near Monmouth Court-House, a vastly superior body of the Americans made its appear- ance under Generals Lee and the Marquis Lafayette. The British immediately commenced their dispositions for u 2 >;:S||ti 100 THE TWENTY-THIKD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1178 attacking them, but ere these were completed, the Ameri- cans retired to a rising ground in their rear. Sir Henry Clinton still resolved to engage, with the view of compelling the enemy to recal some parties that were advancing on the flanks of the army in pursuit of the baggage. The attack was made with such vigour, notwitnstanding the exhausted condition of the men from the severe heat of the weather, that the Provincials were forced to give way, and were only saved from a total rout by the arrival of General Wash- ington with the main body of his army. The flank com- panies of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers distinguished themselves on this occasion ; particularly the right flank company, which received the warmest thanks of Brigadier- General Sir William Medows, who commanded the grena- dier brigade ; that company had one-third of its ofiicers and men killed and wounded: among the latter was Captain Thomas Wills, who had his thigh carried away by a cannon shot, of which he died a few days after ; he was assisted ofl^ the field by his subaltern. Lieutenant Saumarez. After this affair the army continued its march unmolested to Sandy Hook, from whence it was conveyed to New York on the 5th of July. About this period the French King having taken part in the contest, a powerful fleet under the Count D'Estaing arrived on the coast of America, and appeared off the harbour of New York. The British Admiral, Lord Howe, though inferior in force, made such preparations for their reception, that the French thought it prudent to withdraw to Rhode Island, whither his Lordship resolved to go in pursuit of them. On this occasion, the fifty-second regi- ment was ordered to serve on board the fleet as Marines, but the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, desirous of paying a eompliment to the brother of their Colonel, volunteered their services, which were accepted, and the regiment em- OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 101 barked on the 2nd of August The fleet was prevented, 1 178 by contrary winds, irom sailing before the 6th, and on the 9th it arrived ofl" Rhode Island, where a part of the hostile fleet was discovered at anchor, the remainder had gone up a river. Lord Howe immediately made the signal to prepare for action, and bore down to the attack ; unfortunately, however, when almost witliin gun-shot of the enemy, the wind all at once became contrary, and the Admiral was obliged to put back. On the following day, the French fleet was observed coming out of the harbour, and forming in line of battle ; Lord Howe having mancBuvred unsuccessfully to gain the weather gage, at length resolved to attack the enemy without that advantage. But just as the fleets were nearing each other, so furious a tempest arose, that both were so completely dispersed, that, on the fol- lowing morning, no two ships were in sight of each other. A general engagement was thus prevented, but three encounters afterwards took place between single ships of the hostile fleet, which terminated most honorably to the British arms. On the evening of the 15th, the * Renown,' of fifty guns, fell in with the ' Languedoc,' of ninety guns. Count D'Estaing's flag- ship, and attacked her so vigorously, that the French Admiral was every moment expected to strike his colours, when, unfc^u- nately, six of the enemy's ships hove in sight, and com- pelled the gallant Captain Dawson to desist. On the same evening. Captain Hotham, in the * Preston,* also of fifty guns, engaged the ' Tonnant,' of eighty guns, with every prospect of success, when night put an end to the contest, which he was prevented from renewing in the morning by the appearance of the French fleet. On the 16th, Captain Raynor, of the ' Isis,' another fifty-gun ship, fell in with the ' Caesar,' seventy-four, and engaged her in so spirited a man- ner, and with so much advantage, that she put before the 1 :| 102 THE TWENTY-THIRD BEGIMENT OF FOOT, . 1*778 wind, and sailed away, leaving the ' Isis' so diiiabled in her masts and rigging, as to be unable to pursue. The loss of the * Isis' was only one man killed, and fifteen wounded, while that of the * Caesar' amounted to fifty, and her keel was so much damaged, that she was obliged to put into Boston harbour to refit. The regiment disembarked at New York on the 4th of September, when Admiral Lord Howe was pleased to present " his most particular thanks " to the officers and soldiers of the three companies of the *' Royal Welsh Fusiliers for their spirited and gallant " behaviour on board the ships that had engaged the " enemy, and to the whole regiment for its conduct during " the time it served on board the fleet." 1779 On the 27th of May, 1779, the regiment embarked with a part of the army, and sailed up the river Hudson to East Chester and Vereplanks, when it assisted at the taking of Fort Lafayette^ and other fortified places, which the Americans had constructed there and at Stony Point. Soon after it proceeded on another expedition, under Major-General Tryon, to Newhaven, in Connec- ticut, a great rendezvous for American privateers. Tlie troops landed, and having demolished the batteries that had been erected to oppose them, destroyed severe^ ships, and a vast quantity of naval stores. From New- haven they proceeded to Fairfield, where they destroyed the stores, and reduced the town itself to ashes ; Norfolk also shared the same fate, as did also Greenfield, a small seaport in the neighbourhood. Tlie detachment then returned to New York, having, during an absence of not more than nine days, occasioned prodigious losses to the Americans. On the 20th of September, the regiment embarked, with a strong detachment of the army, under Lieut.-General the Earl Cornwallis, and sailed under convoy of Admiral OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIEHS. 103 Arbuthnot's fleet, with the intention of invading tho whole i'j7g of the French West India Islands. In consequenco, how- ever, of information received from an English frigate, that a greatly superior French fleet was within a few days' sail, the British fleet put back, and made all sail for New York, where the troops disembarked. Towards the end of this year, the Commander-in-Chief, Lieu .-General Sir Henry Clinton, having resolved to carry the war into the southern provinces, embarked with a great part of the army, in which were the Royal Wklsh Fusi- liers, andsailed for Charlestown, in South Carolina. After a tedious and tempestuous voyage, during which some of the transports were lost, the troops disembarked, on the 12th of February, 1780, at North Ediston, on St. John's Island, HSO about thirty miles from Charlestown. So great were the obstacles encountered by the army in its advance, that it was the 29tli of March before the Commander-in-Chief, having established the necessary posts to preserve his communica- tion with the sea, crossed the river Ashley, and established himself on Charlestown Neck. This interval had been diligently employed by the Americans in strengthening and improving Ae defences of the town, which were, how- ever, too much extended for the numbers of the garrison. On the 1st of April, the British army broke ground within eight hundred yards of the works, and, on the 8th, the guns were in battery ; on the 10th, Sir Henry Clinton and Admiral Arbuthnot, who had passed the outer defences of the harbour, summoned the town to surrender to His Majesty's arms, but the Governor, General Lincoln, declaring it was his determination to defend it to the last extremity, the batteries opened, and the fire of the enemy's advanced works was soon observed to slacken. General Lincoln had been expecting supplies and re- inforcements ; but these, by the activity of Lieut.-General ■i 'J ! 104 TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OP FOOT, 1180 the Earl Cornwallis and Lieut.-Colonel Tarleton, were intercepted. A considerable body of militia and cavalry, that was marching to the relief of the town, was totally routed by these officers, who now crossed the Cooper river, and completed the investment of the place. Meanwhile the second and third parallels had been completed, and a second summons had been answered by proposals which were deemed inadmissible. The batteries of the third parallel now opened on the town ; the works were pushed to the very edge of the ditch, and preparations for an assault were in progress, when the terrified inhabitants presented a petition to General Lin- coln, praying him to accept the proffered conditions. A flag of truce was sent out, and the articles of capitulation, which had before been rejected, were agreed to on the 11th of May, a circumstance highly honorable to the humanity of Sir Henry Clinton, considering the extremities to which the place was reduced. Great quantities of ordnance and military stores were taken in Charlestown^ and several French and American ships were captured, or destroyed. The loss of the British during the siege was seventy- six killed, and one hundred and eighty-nine wounded. Soon after the surrender of Charlestown, Sir Henry Clinton returned to New York, leaving Lieut.-General Earl Cornwallis with four thousand men in South Carolina ; to this part of the army the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were attached. As the season was unfavourable for active operations, the little army was distributed in canton- ments, securing the frontiers of the province, the Welsh Fusiliers at Camden, with some others corps under Lord Rawdon. The Americans, however, were not disposed to . leave the British in quiet possession of South Carolina ; and, during the month of July, various parties, moving from different points, assembled under the command of OR, THE ROVAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 105 General Gates, and entered the province. The British 1780 outposts were also called in, and united at Cnmden. On the 15th of August, General Gates heing at Rugeley's Mills, about twelve miles distant. Earl Com- wallis, who had arrived at Camden from Charlcstown two days before, got his little band under arms about midnight, and marched with the intention of surprising and attacking him. 'At the same hour the American General moved from his ground with similar intentions, and about three o'clock in the morning of the 16th the advanced guards met. Some shots were exchanged, but the firing soon ceased, as if by mutual consent, and both armies lay on their arms till daylight. The ground, on which they had thus accidentally met, was a small sandy plain, with some straggling trees ; some swampy ground on the flanks of the British narrowed the field of action, and made the numerical superiority of the enemy of less con- sequence. Each army was drawn up in two lines; the right division of the first line of the English was composed of a small corps of light infanty, the Twenty-third, and thirty-third regiments, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel James Webster of the thirty-third. Observing a movement on the enemy's left, which appeared to be with the intention of making some alteration in their order. Earl Comwallis directed Lieut.-Colonel Webster to begin the attack, which was done with great vigour, and in a few minutes the action became general along the whole front. The enemy's left, which was composed of Virginia militia, soon gave way, thus leaving that flank of their army uncovered ; on this, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and light infantry, instead of pursuing the fugitives, wheeled up to their left, and falling on the exposed flank, materially contributed to the success of the day. " Our line," re- 106 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1780 marked Lieut.-General Earl Coniwallia, "continued to " advance with the cool intrepidity of experienced British " soldiers, keeping up a fire, or making use of the bayonet, " as opportunities offered." After an obstinate resigtancc of three-quarters of an hour, the Americans were thrown into complete disorder, and forced to fly from the field in the utmost confusion. Tlie cavalry pursued, and made about one thousand prisoners. . The army by which this victory was achieved did not exceed two thousand men, of whom not more than fifteen hundred were British or regulars, the remainder were militia or refugees ; the American force was computed at six thousand, of whom eight or nine hundred were killed or wounded ; the loss of the British was two hundred and thirteen. The Twenty-third regiment had six rank and file killed ; Captain James Drury, and seventeen rank and file wounded. Seven pieces of artillery, all the enemy had, one hundred and fifty waggons, laden with ammunition, provisions, &c., and several stands of colours, fell into the hands of the victors. Earl Comwallis having awaited at Camden the arrival of ome necessary supplies from Charlestown, set out on the 8th of September on an expedition, which he had long medi- tated, for the reduction of the province of North Carolina. Towards the end of the month his Lordship removed to Charlotte, where he halted and established a post. As tlie army depended entirely for subsistence on the country through which it marched, several mills in the neighbour- hood of Charlotte were occupied by detachments in order to be preserved for the purpose of grinding c^rn for the troops. At one of these (Polk's Mill) a small detachment was posted, commanded by Lieutenant Guyon, of the regiment, a very young man. The Americans made an attack upon the mill with a very superior force, but were OH, THE ROYAL WEIJSII FU8ILIEKS. 107 repulsed. Lieutenant Guyon'B conduct was highly ap- 1760 plauded."" Here Earl Cornwallis received the intelligcnco of the defeat and destruction of the detaclnnent of Major Fer- guson ; and oh this disaster left the western frontiers of South Carolina exposed to the incursions of the enemy, his Lordship found himself under the necessity of return- ing to protect the loyal inhabitants of that ])rovince. On this march the army was exposed to the greatest priva- tions, being frequently two days at a time without suste- nance. " For five days they were supported on Indian " com, which was collected as it stood in the fields, — five " ears was the allowance for two soldiers for twenty-four " hour8."t At this period, and for several months after, the army was without tents, bivouacking in the woocS;;, under torrents of rain, while at every step the so! '^t sunk over the shoes in mud. On the 29th of October, the troops arrived at Wynes- borough, a convenient station for supporting two of the most important posts, Camden and Ninety-six, where Earl Cornwallis halted to await the junction of reinforce- ments from New York, with whose assistance his Lordship would be able to resume his operations in North Carolina. On the 17th of January, 1781, the British cause in 17SI North America suffered a severe blow in the defeat of a detachment under Lieut. -Colonel f.. *leton, at Cowpens. Earl Cornwallis, hoping to retrieve ui some measure the disaster, by recovering the numerous prisoners made hy the enemy on this unfortunate occasion, commenced the most vigorous pursuit of General Morgan, by whom the blow had been struck. To expedite the movements of the army, orders were issued for the destruction of * Stedman's History of the American War, \oi. ii., p. 233. t Ibid., vol. ii., p. 224. The author was Commissary to the Army. 108 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, '! I 1781 all superfluous baggage ; these were obeyed with the most rigid exactness : the soldiers, emulating the example of their Commander, destroyed even the spirits without a murmur. By extraordinary exertions the army reached the Fords of Catawba on the 29th of January, only two hours after the passage of General Morgan, having on this march suffered even greater hardships than on that from Charlotte to Wynesborough. " The " troops had to ford one or more rivers or creeks daily or ** nightly, and had to march generally all night, without " any wine or spirits to drink, having destroyed all they " had, and that without having ever been recompensed for " so doing." A heavy fall of rain during the night rendered the Catawba impassable for the next two days, and enabled General Morgan to disencumber himself of his prisoners, whom he despatched under an escort of militia, by a different route from that which he proposed to follow himself. On the 1st of February, the river having so far subsided as to be fordable. Earl Cornwallis made his dispositions for crossing during the night. A portion of his small force was detached to make a feint at a public ford called Beakies, while his Lordship marched with the remainder to a private one, called M'Gowans. The fires on the opposite side soon made it evident that this ford had not escaped the vigilance of the enemy ; it was, nevertheless, determined to proceed with the enterprise,, and the column entered the river, which was five hundred yards wide,, and reached to the men's middles. The head of the column had not got half way over when the enemy's piquets were alarmed, and commenced firing. "The " current was so strong," says Sir Thomas Saumarez, "that " the officers and men were obliged to fjasten to each other, " otherwise they must have been carried down the river and \ OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 109 "perished. The bottom was rocky and uneven, and the nsi " enemy firing from the opposite bank all the time the " troops were crossing. Notwithstanding all these diffi- " culties, they made good their landing, and immediately " attacked and dispersed the Americans. General David- " son was killed, and several of the enemy bayoneted." Captain James, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was wounded. The enemy now fled with a precipitation that again baflled the most active pursuit, and crossed the Yadkin, where the British were again detained by a sudden rising of the river. Earl Comwallis now endeavoured, by a circuitous route, to cut off the enemy's communication with Virginia ; but in this design his Lordship was also frustrated by the excessive rains and the swollen state of the rivers. The Americans were, however, driven from North Carolina, and Earl Comwallis retired to Hillsborough, in that province, where he hoisted the Royal Standard, and invited the people to join him ; but provisions becoming scarce in the neighbourhood, his Lordship was under the necessity of making a retrograde movement, and the enemy re-entered the province. Earl Comwallis ad- vanced to meet them, but General Green, who now com- manded the American army, declined a battle, till, being joined by strong reinforcements, he at length made a stand at Guildford Court- House. The Britisli General seeing, with much satisfaction, that the long-wished-for opportunity of bringing his antagonist into action had arrived, put his little army in motion early on the morning of the 1.5th of March. " About one o'clock," says Sir Thomas Saumarez, " the action commenced. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers " had to attack the enemy in front, under every disad- U U'^ M m-:-\ I' 110 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1 mi '■1: 1781 "vantage, having to march over a field lately ploughed, " which was wet and muddy from tlie rains which had " recently fallen. The enemy, greatly superior in numbers, " were most advantageously posted on a rising ground, and " behind rails. The regiment marched to the attack under ** a most galling and destructive fire, which it could only " return by an occasional volley. No troops could behave ** better than the regiment and the little army did at this " period, as they never returned the enemy's fire but by " word of command, and marched ou with the most un- " daunted courage. When at length they got within a " few yards of the Americans' first line, they gave a volley, " and charged with such impetuosity, as to cause them to " retreat, which they did to the right and left flanks, leaving " the front of the British troops exposed to the fire of a "second line of the enemy, which was formed behind " brushwood. Not being able to attack in front, the Fusi- " LiERS were obliged to take ground to their left to get " clear of the brushwood. They then attacked the enemy " with the bayonet in so cool ■ H deliberate a manner, as " to throw the Americans into tlic greatest confusion, and •' disperse them. After this the Royal Welsh attacked and " captured two brass six-pounders, having assisted in " the attack and defeat of the third line and reserve of " the Americans. Such men of the Fitsiliers and seventy- " first as had strength remaining were ordered to pursue " the dispersed enemy. This they did in so persevering a " manner, that they killed or wounded as many as they ** could overtake, until, being completely exhausted, they " were obliged to halt, after which they returned as they " could to rejoin the army at Guildford Court-House." " This action," continues Sir Tliomas Saumarez, " was " unquestionably the hardest, and best-contested, fought " during the American war. The Royal Welsh Fusi- on, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. Ill " LTERS had about one-third of the officers and soldiers 1761 *' killed or wounded." Earl Cornwallis, in his official account of the battle, thus characterises his troops : " The " conduct and actions of the officers and soldiers that com- " pose this little army, will do more justice to their minds " than I can by words. Their persevering intrepidity in " action, their invincible patience under the hardships and •' fatigues of a march of above six hundred miles, in which " they have forded several large rivers, and numberless " creeks, many of which would be considered large rivers "in any other country in the world, without tents or " covering from the climate, and often without provisions* " will sufficiently manifest their ardent zeal for the honor " and interests of their Sovereign and their country." The victory at Guildford was gained by one thousand four hundred and forty-seven men over an army computed at seven thousand ; the loss of the victors was ninety-three killed, and four hundred and thirteen wounded, a largo deduction from so small a force. Unfortunately too, many of the wounded perished on the night that succeeded the action, as the great extent of ground on which it was fought, rendered it impossible to collect them all under shelter from the torrents of rain which continued to fall. This brilliant and dearly -purchased success was followed by no beneficial results ; the army could not be subsisted in that part of the country, and Earl Cornwallis was under the necessity of retiring to Wilmington. General Green now penetrated into South Carolina, and caused so much apprehension for the detached posts in that province, that Earl Cornwallis, Mith the view of drawing him off, marched into Virginia. At Petersburgh his lordship was joined by a detachment from New York under General Arnold. From Petersburgh the army marched to Richmond and Williamsburgh, destroying everywhere vast quantities of "A' 1 112 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, ill nsi tobacco and other produce, in which the wealth of the colo- nists consisted. At this period seventy men of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, under the command of Captain Forbes Champagne, were mounted, and detached with Colonel TarletL i to surprise the General Assembly of the State of Virgivia, which was sitting at Charlotteville. This novel service- tiiey performed very eflSciently, for they charged through a river into the town, took prisoners seven members of the Assembly, and destroyed one thousand stand of arms, and a great quantity of gunpowder, tobacco, &c. While at Williamsburgh, Earl Cornwallis received in- structions from Lieut.- General Sir Henry Clinton to detach a considerable portion of his force to New York, where Sir Henry expected to be attacked by General Washington. Earl Cornwallis, conceiving that he should not be able to maintain himself at Williamsburgh with the remainder of his army, resolved to march the whole to Portsmouth, where the detachment was to embark for New York. For this purpose it was necessary to pass the river James, and while the army was thus engaged in doing so, on the 6th of July, the Marquis de la Fayette, who served as a volunteer in the American army, came up, expecting to cut off the rear-guard after the main body should have crossed. Earl Cornwallis, aware of his intention, made his dispositions such, that the Marquis supposing that there was only a small body opposed to him, advanced briskly, driving in the piquets, which had been instructed to draw him on. The whole line was, however, under arms, and gave the enemy so warm a reception, that night alone ,^ved them from total destruction ; as it was they lost three hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoners. It soon became evident that the preparations of General Washington, which had caused so much apprehension for New York, were in reality directed against the army in OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 113 Virginia. Earl Cornwallis's situation was indeed becoming 1 781 most hazardous ; General Washington, with eight thousand American troops, and the Count de Rochambeau, with an equal number of French, were rapidly approaching to sur- round him by land, while the French fleet was preparing to blockade him by sea. His Lordship selected York Town, at the mouth of the river York, as the best post for at once securing his own troops, and the ships by which he was attended. The army arrived at York Town in the month of August, and immediately commenced fortifying the place. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers were directed to construct a redoubt on the right flank, anrl 'n advance, having a ravine between it and the town, anu were in- formed by Earl Cornwallis, that this post was to be entrusted to them to defend. On the 28th of September, the combined French and American army made its appearance, and Earl Cornwallis having the same evening received assurance of speedy succour from Sir Henry Clinton, withdrew his troops from the outer works, which were, on the following day, occupied by the enemy, and the place completely invested. On the 6th cf October the enemy opened the first parallel, and on the 9th, their batteries commenced firing on the British left ; other batteries fired at the same time against a redoubt, advanced over the creek upon the British right, and defended by one hundred and twenty men of the TwENTY-Tin, T> regiment and marines, who maintained that post with uncommon gallantry ; * soon after three thousand French grenadiers, all volunteer.' , made a vigor- ous attempt to stoiui the right advanced redoubt, and were repulsed by only one hundred and thirty officers and soldiers of the Royal Welsh Fusilierg, and fort" \m ii> .Mi n * Lord Cornwallis's despatch. Ill THK TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1781 marines ; two other attempts were also made by the French to storm the ledoubt, which were also Knsucce;?tful.* On tl'e night of the 14th October Die enemy e''t/iblig'::^d the seco.id parallel, and as it was eyidt f!< that the hulf- reined works of the town could not stand mfttiv hoc; i, against its fire, a so; de v/as determined on. Thi£ was nuuk, on the mor2iing of the 16th, bv a party of three hundred and fifty men, who gull uitly forced their way into two of the batteries that were in the ifreatest state of forwai 'Ines^', spiked the gut.3, and killed about one hundred o? the enemy. This success was, however, of litt '^ ivail, the guns having been hastily and imperfectly spiked, were ?onn ';e&tored, and before evening were fit for service. ^fot a gun could be shown on the works of the townj and the shells were nearly all expended ; no alternative, there- fore, remained, but to surrender, or attempt to draw off the garrison by the Gloucester side of the river, on which there was only a small French force, which could be easily overpowered. The latter alternative was decided on^ and some large boats were, on other pretences, ordered to be in readiness at night. In these a detachment of the army, including a part of the Ro'iAL Welsh Fusiliers, em- barked, some reached the opposite side, but at this critical moment, the weather, from being calm and moderate, changed to a most violent storm of wind and rain, and drove all the boats, some with troops on board, down the river. Fortunately^ they were all enabled to ''cturn in the course of the forenoon, but the design of drawing off the garrison was completely frustrated. Meanwhile the enemy's batteries had opened at daybreak ; the defences were crumbling into ruins, and were J ready assailable in more than one point. Under ihi-^.^ circumstances, Earl * sSir Thon, vS Sav.ioarez. OR, THE KOYAL WELSH FU8ILIERS. 115 Cornwallis, unwilling to expose his men to the carnage of 1781 an assault, which could not fail of success, made proposals for a capitulation on the 17th. The terms were adjusted on the following day, and on the 19th the articles were signed ; and so terminated the services of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in the American war, though not ingloriously. Earl Cornwallis, in his official account of the siege, observed, " The detachmentof the Twenty-third "regiment and marines, in the redoubt of the right, " commanded by Captain Althorpe (Twenty-third), and " the subsequent detachments commanded by Lieutenant- *' Colonel Johnstone, deserve particular commendation." Sir Thomas Saumarez adds, " for the gallant defence made " by the troops which defended the right redoubt, they " received the particular thanks of Earl Cornwallis, and " also the most flattering testimonies of approbation from the " general officers of the army, for their persevering and in- " trepid conduct during the siege, and on all former occa- " sions." Even the French general officers, after the termi- nation of the siege, gave the Royal Welsh Fusiliers their unqualified approbation and praise, for their intrepidity and firmness in repulsing the three attacks made by such vastly superior numbers on the redoubt, and could not easily believe that so few men had defended it. The combined army, including militia, amounted to twenty thousand men, while the garrison, on the day previous to the surrender, mustered five thousand nine hundred and fifty rank and file, of whom, however, only four thousand and seventeen were reported fit for duty. Lieutenants Mair and Guyon, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, were killed during the siege. By the terms of the capitulation, the garrison surrendered prisoners of war, but the officers were permitted to return to Europe on parole, and to reUiin their private property ; I 2 , ( j! ',i I 116 THE TWENTY-THIRD REOIMRNT OF FOOT, 1*731 the coloura of the regiment were thus saved, hy Captain Peter and another officer wrapping them round their bodies, t On the 29th of October, Captain Saumarez, who was appointed to attend the regiment during its captivity, marched from York Town with half the garrison, and on the 15th of November arrived at Winchester, iii the back settlements of Virginia, where the soldiers were confined in barracks, surrounded by a Btockade. 1782 On the 12th of January, 1782, the regiment marched from Winchester, through the state of Maryland to Lan- caster in Peimsylvania, a long and severe march, during ■vhich save' if ;^ the soldiers were frost-bitten. Here, on ihe 2nd o" Javc, \ <^'>., Captain Saumarez was one of the thirreen Lritiib i aj/i- ns whc were compelled to draw lots for their lives. At this period King George III,, having been induced to concede the Independence of the United States, hostili- ties ceased, and on the 30th of November, 1782, the preliminary Articles of Peace were signed at Paris b} the commissioners of the King of Great Britain, and those of the American Congress, 1783 The preliminaries of the treaties between England, France, and Spain, were signed at V'Tsailles on the 20th of January, 1783. St. Lucia wa« restored to France ; also the settlements on the river Senegol ; and the city of Pondicherry in the East Indies, France relinquished all her West India conque»t«, with the exception of Tobago. Spain retained Minorca (whiclj she had captured in the previous year), and alw) We»t Florida ; and East Florida was ceded in exchange for the restitution of the Bahamas to Great Britain. .* '"he late Lieutenant- Gdnu-rsl Wciar. f ((ti'^il^n Julian's Journal. OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 117 In May, 1783, the regiment quitted Lancaster, and 1783 joined the British army in Staten Island, and in January, 1784, embarked for England, and was stationed in the i784 United Kingdom during the ten following years. Major-General Richard Grenville was appointed by i786 His Majesty King George III. to be colonel of the Twenty-third Royal ^VEL8H Fusiliers on the '2lat of April, 1786, in succession to Lieut.- General the Honorable Sir William Howe, who was removed to the colonelcy of the Nineteenth (late Twenty-third) Light Dragoons. In the year 1789, the regiment was employed on the 1789 King's duty at Windsor, and on His Majesty visiting that place on the 17th of March, upon his recovery, the regiment was posted on the batteries of the Round Tower, and fired thrice a feu-de-joie. The affairs of France, which had been for some time in an unsatisfactory state, approached a crisis, and in this year was commenced the Revolution in that co jntry, which ultimately affected all rhe dynasties of Europe, airl involved Great Britain in a war of upwards of twenty years' duration. On the 21st of Januray, 1793, Louis XVI. was de- 1793 capitated, and the progress of democracy menaced Europe with universal anarchy. On the l&t of February, the National Convention of France dr jlared war against Great Britain and Holland, and the iiritish Government caused a large army to be sent, under the command of the E uke of York, to join the Austrian and Prussian allies ; several en- gagements occurred, and the French gained possession of the Austrian Netherlands. Holland opened her principal towns to the enemy, and they were garrisoned by French troops. Republican pr ,> ijiles also became prevalent in the F-ench West In'lif I'^lands, and the settlers of St. . ,t 118 THE TWENTY-TUIUD llBaiMENT OF FOOT, 1793 Domingo solicitod protection from tlie British GoYcni- mcut against the inhabitants of colour, whoso violence threito' fju to involve the colony in all the horrors at- tc idant 01- leraocratical outrages. ViO-i In the year 1794, the Twenty-tihui) regiment cm- barked for St. Domingo, where it assisted at the taking of Port-au-Prince, Lut suffered so severely from the climate, that the regiin .i; returned to England a perfect 1796 skeleton in 1796, and wn? stationed jit Chatham. 1798 In 1798 the regiment formed part of a force, sent under the command of Major-Gcneral Coote, to destroy sluices and works in the canal of Ostend. Two companies only landed on this service ; they were made prisoners of war, in common with the rest of the troops, and marched to Lisle ; they were soon after, however, exchanged, and joined the head-quarters of the regiment in Guernsey. 1799 In August, 1799, the regiment embarked for Holland, with the army under Lieuteiiant-Genenil l^ir Ralph Abor- cromby, sailed from the Downs on the 13th of that month, and after a tedious and tem])estuous voyage arrived in Texel Roads on the 22nd. Preparations for a landing were immediately commenced, but it coming on to blow so hard on-shore, the fleet wi.s forced to put to sea again : and the gale continuing unabated for the two following days, it was not till the 2Gth that it finally came to anchor. On the morning of the 27th, the troops got into the boats and launc^ies of the fleet to disembark. The re- serve, composed of the Royal Welsu Fusiliers and fifty-fifth, ccmmanded by Colonel M'Donald of the latter regiment, w ''e the first to reach the shore. They had scarcely for aod, rnd begun to move forward, when they got into actiun with a considerable body of Dutch infantry, cavalry, and artillery, commanded by General Daendels. " The ardour and glorious intrepidity displayed by the Oti, THE I 'XL WKIilll F(F8IMEn8. Ih) " troops soon drovo the enemy from the nearest gnntl-hllls ;" 1199 but the contest continiiod from five o'clock in the morning till three in the afternoon, when the enemy, completely ' worn out, were compelled to retire. Ihe loss of the British fell chiefly on the reserve, whicli were the corps principally engaged. The Royal WEi>iH Fusiliers had eighteen rank and file killed, and Captains Bury, Ellis, and the Honorable Godfrey M'Donald, five Serjeants, and sixty-nine '•ank and file wounded. For some days the troops remained in the position they had won on the sand-hills, suffering severely from the weather, having no other shelter than trenches, which they dug for themselves in the sand. On the 1 st of September they advanced from this uncomfortable situation, and established themselves on the Zi/pe Dyhe^ extending across the peninsula of the Helder, from the Atlantic to tlie Zuyder Zee. Early in the morning of the 10th of Sep- tember, the enemy advanced in, three columns to attack the position, but were repulsed at every point : the reserve quickened the retreat of the French. In a few days His Royal Highness the Duke of York arrived and assumed the command of the army, and as considerable reinforcements of English and Russians arrived about the same time, offensive operations com- menced. On the 19th of September the Allied army marched in four columns to attack the posts of the enemy. AH conducted themselves with great bravery, and the efforts of three of the columns were crowned with com- plete success. The right column, however, composed of Russians, was unfortunately surrounded in the village of Bergen, and ultimately repulsed with considerable loss. In consequence of this misfortune, the whole of the troops were recalled to the position from which they had marched in the morning. The reserve had marched on the evening I 120 TUP. TWKXTV-THIUI) HIUJIMENT » .' i'OOT. 1799 procodiiig tlio battle to turn the cvtrerae right of the enemy. There was no opposition in that quarter, out the colunui also resumed ita former position. The state of the weather prevented further active operations during the remainder of the month of Septem- ber ; but the interval was usefully employed in prepara- tions for a renewal of the attack on the enemy : this was made on the 2nd of October, on which was gained the hard-fought battle, generally known as that of Alkmaar. The action commenced by the reserve, which formed the advance guard of the right column of the army, under Sir Ralph Abercromby, attacking and carrying a redoubt in front of the village of Campe, and driving the enemy from that village and the heights above it. 'i he soldiers then advauccd along the sand-hills, inclining to their left, took the Slaper Dyke in reverse, and cleared the road to Groete, and the heights above it, for the Russian column which marched by the Slaper Dyke. Having cleared the ground in front of the Russians, the reserve inclined con- siderably to the right, to connect itself with the right column (which had marched by the sea-shore), still warmly engaged with the enemy, who were in considerable force on the sand-hills. Meanwhile Lieut. General Sir Ralph Abercromby had been for several hours warmly engaged with a superior body of the French, which occupied Egmont- op-Zee, and the hills in front of it. The arrival of the reserve enabled him to advance and take post on the sand-hills, on which the troops lay on their arms that night, and on the following morning occupied Egmont-op-Zee. In this battle the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had seven rank and file killed, and Lieutenants M'Lean and Keith, one serjeant, three drummers, and forty-nine rank and file wounded. After the action, the enemy took up a strong position between Boever W} ok and Wyck-op-Zee, from which His Oit, TUB HOYaI. VVB1.SII Fl SI I.I Kits. 121 the tlic Royal Highness (Icturmiiioil to drive him heforo hcshouhl 1799 have time to strengthen it, or to receive reinforcements. In pursuance of this determination, and preparatory to a general movement, the advanced posts were ordered to be pushed forward on the 6th of October. This was effected in general with little opposition ; but the Russians, while attempting to take posesssion of a height in their front, were attacked by a strong party of the enemy. Sir Ralph Abercromby moved up with the re;;erve to support them, and the enemy advancing with his whole force, the action soon became general along a great i)art of the line, and was maintained with great obstinacy till a late hour in the night, when the enemy withdrew from the field. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers had six rank and file killed, and one serjeant and thirty-three rank and file wounded. Winter was now Betting in with such rigour, that it was evident nothing further could be effected during that season ; a retrograde movement was therefore resolved on. About seven o'clock in the evening of the 7th of October, the troops were suddenly ordered to fall in, and by ten the retreat had commenced. The night being extremely dark and stormy, and the greatest precautions having been taken to elude the vigilance of the enemy, there was no pursuit, and the army on the 9th resumed its former position on the Zype Dyke unmolested. On the 14th, His Royal Highness the Commander-in- Chief made proposals to the French General Brune for withdrawing the British and Russr^ian troops from Holland, and on the 18th, articles to that effect were agreed on. In pursuance of the convention, the Royal W^ei^h Fusiliers marched to the Ilelder, and on the 29th of October embarked on some Dutch schuytz, to be conveyed to some line-of-battle ships about fifteen miles off". The wind dying away they were unable to proceed, and were 122 TUE TWENTY-THIUI) REGIMENT OF FOOT, m i 1 799 ordered on board some Dutch frigates, when it was the fate of Lieutenants Hill, Llanson, Viscer, Maclean, and Hoggard, with the grenadier and two other companies, amounting to two hundred and sixty-two men, and twenty- five women and children, to embark in the ' Valk.' This ship was prevented from sailing at the same time with those which conveyed the rest of the regiment, but she got out with the next tide. On the following evening they were, by reckoning, within thirty miles of Yarmouth, but would not come nearer the shore during the night. Next morning the wind was contrary, and soon increasing to a storm, drove the ' Valk' towards i .e coast of Norway. She now beat about for several days, till all idea of her position was lost. On the morning of the 10th of Novem- ber the ship struck on a sand bank, as was afterwards ascertained, within six miles of the Dutch coast, from which the captain had conceived he was many leagues distant, supposing himself to be at least equally near to that of England ; the crew, of whom, indeed, scarcely twenty had ever been at sea before, abandoned themselves to despair, and trusted more to their prayers than to their exertions. The spirit of the Englishmen was not, however, dis- mayed by th 3ir appalling situation. Lieutenant Hoggard, who had some little knowledge of nautical affairs, took some of the soldiers down to the pumps, and Lieutenant Hill, having failed in an attempt to break open the powder- magazine, fired several rounds from a soldier's musket ; the ship guns had all been drawn, and the gunner could not be found. The ship now beat over the bank and drifted among some breakers, the mainmast went over- board, severing the long boat in two in its fall ; the mizen and foremasts soon followed, carrying with them numliers of people who had crowded into the rigging. Lieutenant OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIEU8. 123 jbt. Hill now hearing the ship going to pieces, took his station 1 199 on the forecastle, where he lay down, and from whence he ^vitnessed the unhappy fate of most of his companions, the afterpart of the ship having soon broken away. The forecastle seemed to be fast bedded in the sand, but it soon fell over, when Lieutenant Hill quitted it, and after many fruitless and fatiguing efforts, succeeded in fastening himself with his braces to a fragment of the wreck, on which he at length reached the shore, when he found, that of four hundred and forty-six souls which had sailed in the ' Valk,' only twenty-five survived, — himself, nineteen men of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and five Dutch sailors. The land on which they were cast proved to be the island of Ameland, on the coast of Holland. The in- habitants had hoisted the colours of the House of Orange, and cut off all communication with the main land ; they received the survivors in the kindest manner, and per- formed the last offices to those who were washed ashore, with as much decency as their poverty would permit. Having fulfilled these melancholy duties. Lieutenant Hill hired a fishing-boat, in vhich he and his companions were conveyed to the Helder, from whence they returned to England in the ' Success ' frigate. The regiment was now reduced by shipwreck and the casualties of the campaign, from one thousand to about four hundred men ; drafts were received from the Irish militia, and a few recruits were raised in England, but the supplies were far from placing the regiment on its former establishment. In June, 1800, the regiment embarked at Plymouth in three frigates, and joined the channel fleet under Admiral .qqq I arl St. Vincent, disembarked on the Isle de Houat oii the coast of France, re-embarked and joined the army under Lieutenant-General Sir Janios Pulteney, in the un- SI m '5 if J/; i J. 1 If ' 124 TUE TWENTY -THIIJU llEGIMENT OF FOOT, i 1800 successful attempts on Ferrol and Vigo in August; it thence proceeded to Cadiz Bay, and joined tlie anuy assembled there under the command of Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby. Tlie troops being prevented from landing in consequence of an epidemic fever raging in the city, it was resolved to employ them in an expedition to Egypt. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers sailed for Malta, where they landed early in December, for the purpose of refreshing the men, and cleaning the ships ; from Malta they proceeded to the general rendezvous, Marmorice Bay, in Asia Minor, where they again landed and en- camped. The expedition finally sailed from Marmorice 1801 Bay on the 23rd of February, 1801, and on the 2nd of March, anchored in AhoukirBay. The Royal Welsu Fusiliers formed part of the reserve, with the flank com- panies of the fortieth regiment, the twenty-eighth, forty- second, and fifty-eighth regiments, the Corsican rangers, and detachments of the eleventh dragoons, and of Jlom- pesch's regiment, commanded by Major-General, after- wards Lioutenant-General Sir John Moore. The state of the weather, and the surf on the slii. :, prevented any attempt to land until the 8th of March. At two o'clock on that morning, the reserve, the guards, and the first brigade, amounting in all to about five thousand five hundred men, commenced getting into the boats, but owing to the great extent of the anchorage, the assembling and arranging of these at the ])lace of rcmdezvous were not completed till nine. When the signal was made to advance, all sprang forward at the same instant : the French, to the number of two thousand, drawn iip at the summit of the sand-hillt^, in part sixty feet high, and apparently inaccessible, looking down in amazement at the hardihood of the attempt \\'hen they could no longv r doubt of the seriousness of the intention to land, they OR, THE ROYAL WEI^II FUSILIERS. 125 opened such a tremendous fire from their artillery, and 1801 as the troops approached, from their small arms, that the surface of the water was broken into foam, and it seemed as if nothing could live in it. This only increased the ardour of the rowers, who pressed on and forced the boats to the beach. " The reserve jumped on shore and formed " as they advanced ; the Twenty-third and fortieth " rushed up the heights with almost preternatural energy, " never firing a shot, but charging with the bayonet the " two battalions which crowned them, breaking and pur- " suing them till they carried the two Mole Hills in the " rear, which commanded the plain to the left, taking at the " same time three pieces of cannon."* The guards and the first brigade were no less successful, and the British were left in full possession of the heights, and eight pieces of cannon. The loss of the regiment was six rank and file killed, and Captains Ellis, Lloyd, and Pearson, one Serjeant, and thirty-seven rank and file, wounded. The rest of the army disembarked during the day, and the whole occupied a position about three miles in ad- vance, till the 12th of March, when ^t again moved forward and came in sight of the enemy, wl.j was ftrongly posted with his right to the canal of Alexandria, and his left to the sea. On the morning of the 13th, the army marched in two columns against the ng';!. of the enemy's position, but had not proceeded far, when the French, descending from the heights, attacked the leading brigades of both columns. These quickly formed line, repulsed the enemy, aiid continuing to advance in the same formation for three o lulics, finally compelled him to take refuge under the fortified heights of Alexandria. I\^' 5* i * ' • Sir Robert Wilson's History of the Expedition. 12G TUB TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1801 The reserve, which had covered the right flank during these operations, was now brought forward, while the second line marched to the left to turn the enemy on both flanks. The Commander-in-Chief, however, on reconnoitring the position, judged it prudent to with- draw the troops rather than expose them to the certainty of consideraVle loss, when the extent of the advantage to be gained could not be ascertained : they had already, -, 'sed, suflPered severely during the reconnoisance. The army remained unmolested in the position to which it had retired within about four miles from Alexandria, till the morning of tlie 21st. The reserve was posted on an eminence on the extreme right, within a few yards of the sea, and among the ruins of an ancient palace, the work of the Romans. About an hour before daybreak on the morning of the 21st of March, the French, to the number of twelve thousand, issued from their works and advanced to the attack. The action comra»>nced by a feint on the British left, but it soon becam. evident that the greatest efforts were directed against the right. The attack on this point was begun by the infantry, sustained by a strong body of cavalry : the contest was unusually obstinate ; the enemy was twice repulsed, and their cavalry were repeatedly mixed with the British in- fantry. I'hey at length retired, leaving a prodigious number of dead and wounded on the field. " The reserve, *' against whom the ])rincipal attack of the enemy was *' directed, conducted themselves with unexampled spirit: " they resisted the impetuosity of the French inffintry, and " repulsed several charges of cavalry."* " To Major- " General Moore, Brigadier- General Oakes, and the " reserve, no acknowledgments arc sufficient."t * Major-Geiicral JluUhinson's despateh. f tleucral Order. OH, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 127 The regiment had five rank and file killed ; second 1801 Lieutenant Samuel Cooke, two Serjeants, and twelve rank and file wounded. In this battle the nation sustained the loss of the gallant Sir Ralph Abercromby, who was wounded early in the action, and died on the 28th of March. l^Jajor General Hutchinson, on whom the command devolved, marched against Cairo with the main body of the army. The Roval Welsh P'usiliers remained with Major- General Coote before Alexandria, and assisted in the operations which terminated in the capitulation of that place or the 2nd of September. In November they embarked for Gibraltar. " The conduct of the troops of every description," 3ays Major-General Hutchinson, in his despatch of the 5th of September, " has been exemplary in the highest degree : " there has been much to applaud and nothhig to repre- *' hend, Theii* order and regularity in the camp have " been as conspicuous as their courage in the field." - For their conduct on this service the troops received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, and His Majesty was graciously pleased to permit each regiment to bear on its colours and appointments, the Sphinx, with the word " Egypt." Each officer was presented with a gold medal by the Grand Soignior.* On the 27th of March, 18(j2, a definitive treaty of 1802 peace was signed at Amiens between the French Re- public, Spain, and the Batavian Republic, on the one part, and Great Britain on the other, The princiual features of the treaty were, that Great Britain restored ail her con- quests during the war, excepting Trinidad and Ceylon, which were ceded to her, the former by Spain, and the * Vide List of Regiments employed in Egyj.t, and General Order, dated Horse Guards, 16th of May IbOl, inserted in pages 178, etc. of tlie AppcnJi.x. = S ;>^ ■ iS J^Jff 128 THE TWENTY-THIRD llEGIMENT OF FOOT, ■ <'■ - 1/ ' :'M \ Til 11 1802 latter by the Batavian Republic. Portugal was main- tained in its integrity, excepting that some of its possessions in Guiana were ceded to France. The territories of the Ottoman Porte were likewise maintained in their integrity. The Ionian Republic was recognised, and M ' "ii to be restored to the Knights of St. John < ^ > ' : ; "• >ut of their firelocks " and they shall take them.' .. G jrge would not, how- " ever, permit the attempt to be made. The enemy eva- " cuatcd them during the night, spiking and dismounting " the guns, and retired to a third fort near their principal " works. The second division of the army having now *' come up, and the way being opened for the fleet by the " capture of Pigeon Island, preparations were commenced *' for bombarding Furt Bourbon. "Four mortar batteries opened on the evening of the " 19th of February, and continued firing all night. This " was repeated till the 23rd, when the French proposed " terms of capitulation, which were deemed inadmissible, *' and the firing was resumed. On the following day three " white flags were hoisted, and negotiations were opened, " which terminated in the garrison, amounting to two thou- " sand men fit fo duty, besides seven hundred sick, laying *' down their arms and eagles, and becoming prisoners of war. " The casualties of the first battalion during this ser- " vice were two Serjeants, and eighteen rank and file killed ; " and twooflicers. Surgeon Power and Lieutenant Roskelly, " three Serjeants, and ninety-seven rank and file wounded. " Of 850/. voted to the wounded at Martinique from the " Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's, 250/. fell to the share of the " grenadier comj)any of the Royal Welsh Fusilieus, out :;ii ill \. i^' HI .iri :5l IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. ^.^i 1.0 I.I ly US ■ss I& L& i2.0 i II '-25 III '-MU^ ^ 6" ► Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) S72-4S03 <^ 'A 134 THE TWENTY-TUIUD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1 809 " of which sum the company erected a monument in the " Dutch church at Halifax, to the memory of their con., ides " who fell in the expedition."* For their distinguished conduct on this service, the Royal Welsh Fusilieks received the gracious per- mission of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and on hehalf of His Majesty, to hear the word "Martinique" on the regimental colour and appointments. After the reduction of Fort Bourhon, the first battalion returned to Halifax with Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost. 1810 The first battalion embarked at Halifax, in Nova Scotia, on the 10th of November, 1810, arrived in the Tagus on the 1 1th of December, and having disembarked on the following day, marched on the 16th to join the army under Viscount Wellington, which was then advancing from the lines of Torres Vedras in pursuit of Marshal Massena ; on the 18th the Royal Welsh Fusiliers arrived at Sobral, where they joined the fourth division, commanded by Major-General the Honorable George Lowry Cole, under whose orders they continued till the termination of the war ; they were brigaded with the two battalions of the seventh Royal Fusiliers under the Colonel the Honorable Henry Pakenham. 1811 The hostile armies soon went into cantonments; the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Azembuja, where they re- mained till the 24:th of January, 1811, when they moved to Aveira de Cima ; in the meantime Major-General Houston had been appointed to the command of the brigade. On the 5th of March, Marshal Massena broke up from his cantonments at Santarem, and put his army in motion * Letters and Journal of Lieutenant, afterwards Lieut.-Colonel, Harrison. oil, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 135 for the frontiers of Portugal. Tlie allied army was 1811 immediately ordered in pursuit. The fourth division formed part of a force which was sent in the direction of Thomar, under the orders of Marshal Beresford, who, on the 12th, came up with a strong rear-guard of the enemy at Redinha. It was immediately attacked, and, after a sharp contest, driven in on the main body of the army. Viscount Wellington now determined to detach a consi- derable portion of his army to lay siege to Badajoz, which about this time fell into the hands of the French, and the fourth division was ordered on this service, the execution of which was entrusted to Marshal Beresford. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, having quitted the main army, marched by Thomar, and on the 18th of March crossed the Tagus at Tancos. A bridge having been constructed with some diflSculty, the division crossed the Guadiana, and on the 9th of April arrived before Olivenga, which they were directed to besiege. Major-General Cole sat down before the place on the 11th, and on the 15th, when the breaching battery was completed, sent a flag of truce into the town, ofl'ering favourable terms in case of an immediate surrender. No answer was returned, and the batteries opened their fire. A breach was soon effected, when the governor, apprehensive of an assault, made an unconditional surrender of the town, and the garrison, consisting of three hundred and seventy men, marched out prisoners of war. Soon after this event Viscount Wellington arrived ia the neighbourhood of Badajoz, and having reconnoitred the place, gave orders for the immediate commencement of the siege. The fortress was completely invested on the 8th of May, and the operations of the siege carried on with little effect till the 14th, when Marshal Beresford having received intelligence of the march of Marshal I 1 136 THE TWENTY-raiBD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1811 Soult from Seville with a strong force to raise the eiugc, broke up from before the place, and advanced to Valverdu. The fourth division was left to cover the removal of the stores to Elvas,a service which was so completely effected, that not a single article fell into the hands of the enemy. As the position of Valverde left Badajoz completely open, Marshal Beresford, on the 15th of May, moved his army to the heights of Albuhera, where ho resolved to give battle. The fourth division joined on the morning of the 16th, only about half an hour before the com- mencement of the action, and formed, with a brigade of Portuguese, the second line of the British and Portuguese army; the Spanish troops, under Generals Blake and Castauus, forming in two lines the right of the allied army. About eight o'clock in the moming the enemy was observed to be in motion : a strong body of cavalry, and two heavy columns of infantry issued from the woods in front of the position, and moved on the bridge and village of Alhuhera. Meanwhile Marshal Soult, with the main body of his army, crossed the river considerably above the position ; and, having taken possession of the heights on the right, attacked and drove the Spaniii" '^ from their ground, and formed his line so as to rake ;' r' the allies nearly at right angles. In order to dislodge the enemy from this commanding position, which he had thus gained, Major-General Cole was ordered to form his division in an oblique line in rear of the right, with his now right thrown back, and an ineffectual attempt was made to make the Spanish troops advance. Major- General Stewart's division now arrived from the centre of the line, passed through the Spaniards, and attacked the heights. At this period of the action a heavy storm of rain, added to the smoke of the guns, obscured the atmosphere so much, that the leading brigade of this division, while in oil, TU£ UOYAL WELSH VVHUIEM. 137 the act of deploying, was attacked by a body of Polieh 1811 Lancers, when two regiments were unfortunately broken and cut to pieces. Major-General Hoghton'i brigade next arrived, and sustained the contciit for some time with the greatest gallantry, but the enemy's artillery and musketry spread havoc through their ranks, while a deep gulley in their front prevented the British from using their bayonetjs. At this crisis the fourth division was ordered to advance, and Major-General the Honorable George Lowry Cole in person led the Fusilier brigade up the heights. *' Such a gallant line issuing from the midst of smoke, *' and rapidly separating itself from the confusion and " broken multitude, startled the enemy's heavy masses, " which were increasing and pressing forward as to an " assured victory ; they wavered, hesitated, and then " vomiting forth a storm of fire, hastily endeavoured to " enlarge their front, while their fearful dischargi? of grape, " from all their artillery, whistled through the British " ranks. Myers was killed ; Cole, and the colonels, " Ellis, Blakeney,* and Hawkeshawe full, wounded ; and " the Fusilier battalions, struck by the iron tempest, " reeled and staggered like sinking ships. Suddenly and " sternly recovering, they closed on their terrible enemies, " and then was seen with what a strength and mnjesty ^* the British soldier fights. In vain did Soult, by voice " and gesture animate his Frenchmen ; in vain did the " hardiest veterans, extricating themselves from the " crowded columns, sacrifice their lives to gain time for " the mass to open on such a fair field ; in vain did the " mass itself bear up, and, fiercely striving, fire indis- " criminately on friends and foes, while the horsemen, • Now Lieut.-General the Right lion, Sir Kdwurd Blukeney, commanding the forces in Ireland. 138 THE TWE^TV-TUIRD IIEGIMENT ^F FOOT, 1811 " hovering on the flanks, threatened to charge the advanc- " ing line. Nothing could stop that astonishing infantry " No sudden burst of undisciplined valour, no nervous " enthusiasm weakened the stability of their order, — their " flashing eyes were bent on the dark columns in front ; " their measured tread shook the ground ; their dreadful " volleys swept away the head of every formation ; their " deafening shouts overpowered the dissonant cries that '- broke from all parts of the tumultuous crowd, as foot " by foot, and with a horrid carnage, it was driven by the " incessant vigour of the attack, to the farthest edge of " the hill. In vain did the French reserves, joining with " the struggling multitude, endeavour to sustain the fight ; " their efforts only increased the irremediable confusion ; " and the mighty mass giving way, like a loosened cliff, " went headlong down the ascent. The rain flowed after " in streams discoloured with blood, and fifteen hundred " unwounded men, the remnant of six thousand uncon- " querable British soldiers, stood triumphant on the fatal " hill."* The loss of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in this des- perate conflict was severe. Captain Montague, and Lieutenant Hall, one serjeant, and seventy-three rank and file killed : Lieutenant-Colonel Ellis, Captains Hurford, M'Donald, and Stainforth, I^ieutenants Harrison, Treeve, Booker, Tliorpe, Castles, Harris, Ledwith, and M'Lellan, twelve Serjeants, one drummer, two hundred and thirty- two rank and file wounded, and one serjeant and five rank file missing ; Captain M'Donald and Lieutenant Castles died of their wounds. So numerous were the casualties among the officers and Serjeants, that Captain Stainforth's company was, at the conclusion of the action, commanded by a corporal, named Thomas Robinson. * Colonel Napier's History of the Peninsular War. on, TUE KOVAL WELSU FUSILIERS. 130 About three o'clock in the afternoon both armies 1811 resumed the positions they had respectively occupied in the morning, and remained in them during the 17th of May. On the morning of the 18th Marshal Soult retired towards Seville, pursued for some distance by the allied cavalry, though far inferior in numbers. On the retreat of the French, the siege of Badajoz was resumed, and the place again completely invested on the 25th of May, under the immediate superintendence of Viscount Wellington. The additional divisions arrived from the northern army to assist, and the fourth division was stationed at Almandralejo to cover the operations ; these were continued till the 10th of June. A breach had been effected, and had been twice assaulted without success, on the 6th and 9th, when Viscount Wellington, in conse- quence of the information he received of the movements of the French generals, converted the siege into a^block- ade, and removed the stores to Elvas, himself taking post at Albuhera. As the forces, however, which were moving upon Badajoz proved to be greatly superior in numbers to the allies, his Lordship retired across the Guadiana, and placed the army in position on the Caza, with the right protected by the fortress of Elvas. The army continued in this position till the middle of July, when the French corps, which were opposed to it, having separated, the fourth division marched to the north, and joined the main army, which was occupied in block- ading Ciudad Rodrigo. Towards the end of September, Marshal Marmont, having been joined by the corps of General Dorseene, advanced to raise the blockade, and Viscount Wellington withdrew on the 25th to the heights ofFuente Guinaldo. Several partial encounters took place on the 25th and 26th, and during the succeeding night the Allies retired towards Alfazates, leaving the fourth ! k ^ I. U !i 140 TUE TWENTV-TIHUD llEaiMENT OF FOOT, 1811 division as a rear-guard at Aldea dc Ponte. Tliis village was attacked on the 27th by the French advanced guard, which twice succeeded in gaining possession of it, and was as often repulsed by the gallant division, which remained masters of the disputed post, and which it maintained till night, when it fell b.nk to Soita. Viscount Wellington having asked Major-General Pakenham for a "stop-gap regiment " to cover the retreat of the division, the latter replied, " That he had already placed the Royal Weisii " Fusiliers there." " Ah I " said his lordship, " that is " the very thing." In these affairs Captain Van Courtland was killed, and Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Pearson, commanding the light companies of the brigade, and Captain Cane were severely wounded. Viscount Wellington awaited the enemy in the position of SoUa ; but Marshal Marmont, satisfied with the sample he already had of the prowess of his opponents, declined an engagement, and retired to Ciudad Rodrigo. The Allies went into cantonments on the frontiers of Portugal. While in quarters, the troops were employed under the direction of the engineers, in preparing large quantities of fascines and gabions, which they were soon summoned to employ in the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo. 1812 As the fourth division contributed to this brilliant affair only by taking its turn of duty in the trenches, — in which the Royal Welsh Fusiliers suffered a loss of seventeen rank and file killed and wounded, — it may be sufficient to state that the ground was broken on the night of the 8th of January, 1812, and that on the 19th of the same month the place was taken by storm ; a rapidity of operation which Marshal Marmont, (who was ajjproaching somewhat hastily to its relief,) declared to be quite incomprehensible. Having repaired the works of Ciudad Rodrigo, and OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 141 placed a Spanish garrison in it, the Earl of Wellington next 1812 turned his attention to Badajoz. The preparations for the siege of this fortress had heen carried on with ex- traordinary secrecy, and were completed ahout the be- ginning of March. The army broke up from its canton- ments in the neighbourhood of Almeida, and marching with the greatest rapidity, arrived before Badajoz on the 16th of that month, when the place was invested by the third,, fourth, and light divisions. On the 6th of April, three breaches were considered practicable, and orders were issued for the assault. The storming of the breaches in the face of the bastion of La Trinidad^ and in the curtain between that bastion and that of Santa Maria, was assigned to the fourth division, led by Major-General the Honorable Charles Colville. The troops destined for this service issued from the works at nine o'clock at night ; when on the glacis they were discovered by the enemy, who poured a heavy fire upon them ; they, nevertheless, advanced in good order to the covered way, which they entered at various points where the palisades had been broken by the fire of the besiegers. Bags of hay were now thrown into the ditch to lessen its depth ; and on these the men jumped down, or descended by the ladders. The ditch was now filled with men, and the enemy exploded an incredible num^ r of fougasses, shells, and other combustibles, which they had arranged along the foot of the breach, and in the ditch : their effect was in the highest degree appalling, as ' well as destructive, and naturally created some confusion among the assailants. In the midst of this fire, smoke, and noise, three flank companies of the fourth division, that were intended for the attack of the breach, in the curtain, mounted an unfinished ravelin in front of it, con- ceiving it to be the breach itself. They soon discovered 142 THE TWENTYTIIinO RBOtMENT OF FOOT, 1812 their mistake ; but being now exposed to a musketry fire from the whole of the front attacked, and seeing a difficult descent, before they could reach the foot of the breach, they halted, and returned the fire of the garrison. At this crisis the light division, which was to have stormed the breach in the bastion of Santa Maria, being led too much to the right, joined these flank companies of the fourth division on the summit of the ravelin, and con- siderably increased the confusion. Order being at length restored, these troops were conducted to the real points uf attack. Tn the meantime the columns of the fourth division moved on to the attack of the breach La Trinidad^ without firing a shot ; but from want of sufficient ladders, there was no formation of the troops to make them advance with eflfect. Only the bravest, prompted by their indi- vidual gallantry, or those nearest the spot, followed their officers ; and the enemy was found to be so well prepared, that notwithstanding the most heroic and persevering effi)rts of the assailants, no lodgment could be effijcted on the breach. As the men ascended, the besieged rolled down upon them an astonishing number of loaded shells, and exploded a variety of other combustibles, which had been previously arranged on the face of the breach. Several officers and men reached the summit, and grappled with the chevaux-de-frise with which it was guarded ; but being unable to force over them, they were much cut and bayoneted in their attempts to remove them ; and finally, driven down the bread' with great slaughter. Though thus repulsed in repeated assaults by the seemingly inex- haustible combustibles of the enemy, not an individual attempted to withdraw from the scene of carnage ; but all remained patiently to be slaughtered in the ditch. The Earl of Wellington, however, hearing of the state ofaflfairs. OR, THE IIOYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 143 ordered the divisions to bo withdrawn, and to be formed ^^^^ again for a renewal of the assault a little before daylight. The success of the third and fifth divisions in escalading the castle and the bastion of San Vincente, however, obviated the necessity of any ulterior measures, — the British were already masters of Badajoz. The loss of the Royal Weijju Fusiliers during the siege and in the assault was, — Captain Maw and Lieute- nant Collins, three Serjeants, and nineteen rank and file, killed. Lieut.-(^olonel Ellis, Captains Potter, Leahy, Stainforth, and Hawtyn, — Lieutenants Farmer, Johnson Harrison, George Brown, Walley, Brownson, Walker, Tucker, Fielding, Holmes, Llewellyn, and Wyngate, — seven Serjeants, one drummer, and eighty-four rank and file wounded ; of whom. Captain Potter and Lieutenant Llewellyn died of their wounds ; one serjeantand nineteen rank and file missing. On the night of the assault, in consequence of Colonel Ellis's wounds, the battalion was commanded by Captain Leahy. Major-General the Honorable Charles Colville was severely wounded, and carried from the breach by Serjeant James Ingram, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. After the fall of Badajoz, the army marched to the north ; and on the 16th of June, arrived at Salamanca. Marshal Marmont retired on its approach, leaving gar- risons in some forts which commanded the Tormes at that place. The Allies crossed the river by the fords above and below the town ; and while the sixth division besieged the forts, the remainder were held in readiness to oppose the main body of the enemy, who still attempted to keep up a communication with them. On the 20th, Marshal Marmont aj)peared in front of the position of San Christoval, and made a strong demonstration with his cavalry on the plain ; but after a warm skirmish, again 144 TUB TWENTY-TIIIUD nt:0IMENT OK FOOT, 1812 retired. Lieutenant Leonard, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, while witnessing the afTuir, was killed hy a chance shot from a great distance. The forts being taken on the 27th, the French retired to the Douro ; but being soon reinforced, resumed the offensive, and obliged the Allied army to retire in turn. These movements continued several weeks, each General narrowly watching his ad- versary, and holding himself in readiness to attack, on the commission of any important fault. Such an opportunity presented itself on the 22nd of July, on the plains of Salamanca, and the Earl of Wellington hastened to avail himself of it. The attack was made against the centre and left of the enemy. On the former point the resistance was obstinate. The fourth divisicn advanced to the attack in line, exposed to a very accurate fire of grape, round, &c. : it carried two positions in the most gallant style, — but the vuost determined valour must yield to numbers. It was opposed to Bonnet's division, about ten thousand strong, — got intermixed with the lines of the enemy, who involved it, — deployed on the left flank of the Portuguese brigade of the division, and finally, com- pelled the French to retrograde about four hundred yards : here it re-formed, and being joined by the supports, the sixth division renewed the attack with complete success. The victory of Salamanca cost the regiment Major Offley, and nine rank and file killed ; Lieut.-Colonel Ellis, Major Dalmer, Lieutenants John Enoch,* M'Donald, Fryer, and Clyde, and eighty- four rank and file wounded. The enemy being now driven across the Douro, the Marquis of Wellington, to which title his Lordship had been advanced after this victory, marched upon Madrid, where the army arrived on the 12th of August. Nothing * Now Major Enoch, Deputy Assistant Quarter Muster General at Head Quarters. OR, THE ROYAL WBL8U FU8IUBR8. 145 could exceed the enthusiasm with which the allies were 1813 received by the inhabitants of the capital ; thousands came forth to meet them, bearing branches of laurel and other emblems of triumph. All business was suspended in the city, — the streets were strewed with flowers, — and the houses decorated as on occasions of the greatest festivity. Bull-fights and other public amusements were exhibited for their entertainment. From this scene of gedety and dissipation, the regiment removed to the Escurial, where it remained till the retreat of the army to the frontiers of Portugal, in consequence of the failure of an attack on the Castle of Burgos, and the approach of Marshal Soult, with his army, from Andalusia, and of General Clausel, with the troops that had been beaten at Salamanca. The Royal Welsh Fusiliers reached Soutilla, on the banks of the Douro, on the 5th of December, so re- duced by eleven months of incessant service, that they were about this time formed into six divisions of twelve files each. In the course of the winter a few men joined from the ^813 second battalion ; but the regiment commenced the cam- paign of 1813, with only three hundred effective men; most of these, however, were hardy experienced veterans, and all were newly clothed, and in the highest state of equipment. The army did not take the field this year till the middle of May, when it advanced and drove the enemy from his position on the Douro ; following him up without inter- mission, as far as Vittoria, where, on the 21st of June, a general action was fought, which terminated in the total defeat of the French, commanded by King Joseph, who narrowly escaped being made prisoner. On this occasion the Royal Welsh Fusiliers did not come in immediate collision with the enemy. Lieutenant Sydney L . Id '_ I was 146 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1813 wounded, and four men killed, in driving the French across the Zadorra, on the 19th of July. In consequence of this decisive victory, the whole of the French, with the exception of the garrisons of San Sebas- tian and Pampeluna, evacuated the Spanish territory, and retired across the Pyrenees. The blockade of Pam- peluna was entrusted to the Spaniards ; the fourth division covering them in front of the pass of Roncesvalles. On the 25 th of July, Marshal Soult, who now commanded the French army, made his appearance in the pass, with a very superior force ; and the division, after an obstinate resistance, was compelled to retire to a strong position in the rear, which the enemy did not venture to attack. On the two following days, the enemy continued to advance in great force ; and the allied army, which was now con- centrated to protect the blockade of Pampeluna, fell back on that fortress, near which, on the 28th of July, both armies appeared in order of battle. The chief efforts of the enemy during this day, were directed against the position occupied by the fourth divi- sion, which was engaged in a contest second only to that of Albuhera, in severity. " The battle of the 28th of " July was a beautiful display of military manoeuvres ; the " enemy formed his columns in the most perfect order, and " advanced to the attack with a rapidity and impetus, ap- " parently irresistible. I was in immediate support of the " seventh Caqadores (Portuguese), who were the advanced " piquet, and consequently received the first shock of the " enemy's column. My people only thought of fighting, " and at once checked their progress. Our supports on " both sides were brought up, and the contest continued with " varying success till four o'clock, when the enemy with- " drew, only leaving his voltigeurs in our front. We had " three divisions upon us, — the fourth, fifth, and seventh; OR, THE ROYAL WEL8H^ FUSILIERS. 147 "the two former were chiefly opposed to the fortieth, who 1813 " made two unheard-of charges ; indeed, the whole day was " a succession of charges."* " In the course of this con- " test," says the Marquis of Wellington, "the gallant fourth " division, which had been so frequently distinguished in " this army, surpassed their former good conduct.! Every " regiment charged with the bayonet : and the fortieth, " seventh, twentieth and Twenty-third, four diflorent " times." Their officers set them the example, and Major- General Ross, commanding the brigade, had a horse killed under him. On the 28th, Captains Stainforth and Walker were killed, and Lieut. -Colonel Ellis, Lieutenants the Honor- able John Neville, Harris, Br ce^ and Adjutant M'Lellan were wounded. " The battalion," says Colonel Ellis, " has " only the semblance of one. I commenced the action of " the 25th, with only two hundred and fifty-four ; so with " the loss of one hundred and five in action, sick, and " attendants on the wounded, I am reduced to one hundred " and sixty bayonets. On the morning of the 30th, when " formed for the pursuit of Marshal Soult, I only stood " one hundred and twenty-one ; and by the 2nd of " August, I was reduced to one hundred and eight." On the 29th of July, both armies remained inactive ; but on the 30th the enemy was observed to be in motion. He was instantly attacked, and compelled totally to abandon a position which the Marquis of Wellington declared to be one of the strongest and most difficult of access ever occupied by troops. On the 2nd of August, the French * Letter of Lieut.-Colonel Ellis to Captain, now Lieut.-Colonel Harrison. f Colonel Ellis, in the letter above quoted, feelingly laments that his Lordship had not witnessed the conduct of the regiment in the battle of Albuhera, which ho declares is " still without a parallel." L 2 ■m 148 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1813 were once more driven through the passes of the Pyrenees^ into their own territory. The siege of San Sebastian, which had heen suspended on the advance of Marshal Soult to the relief of Pampe- luna, was now resumed. On the 31st of August, the breach was carried by assault ; the storming party con- sisted of volunteers from the different divisions of the army, and those of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were commanded by Lieutenant Griffiths, who was among the wounded. After the fall of San Sebastian, the hostile armies re- mained for some time inactive, or occupied only in strengthening their respective positions, and preparing for the further prosecution of the campaign. The troops, however, suffered severely from the inclemency of the weather. Exposed on the bleak summits of the Pyrenees, they gazed with intense longing on the beautiful plains of France, which lay stretched out beneath their feet. The close neighbourhood of a watchful enemy rendered the greatest vigilance necessary, and the duties were severe. The mf ment so ardently desired at length arrived. Early on the morning of. the 7th of October, the army, under favour of a dark and stormy sky, descended from the heights, crossed the Bidassoa, and established itself on the French territory, with little opposition from the enem}. The continued inclemency of the weather, and the badness of the roads, retarded the further advance of the army till the 10th of November, when all preparations being completed, the columns moved down the passes of the Pyrenees in the most perfect silence, and lay down, each at its appointed station, to await the dawn of day to make their attack. This was commenced by the fourth division, which carried a strong redoubt in front of the village of Sarre^ drove the enemy from that village, and OR, THE ROYAL WEL8U FUSILIERS. 149 continued its e<' icc against the heights in its rear, ex- 1813 posed to the fi jf entrenchments by which the position was secured. These, however, were successively abandoned as the division advanced, the enemy flying in great disorder, towards the bridges on the Nivelle ; the garrison of one redoubt, which alone offered any resistance, were made prisoners. The other attacks were all equally successful, and terminated in Marshal Soult withdrawing the whole of his army, and resigning his position to the Allies, who now went into cantonments in advance of the Nivelle, where they were permitted another interval of repose. On the 9th of December, the army was again in motion and attacked the enemy's position on the Nive ; on that and the four following days, a severe contest was main- tained by the hostile forces, in which each was in turn the assailant. The flanks of the position were the contested points, and the fourth division, which was in the centre, was not immediately engaged ; but it had much severe duty in marching to the support of either flank, as they were successively engaged. On the 11th of December, two battalions of Nassau troops, having heard of the liberation of their country from the yoke of Napoleon, deserted from the French, and were received by Lieutenant-Colonel Ellis, who then com* manded the brigade. After the passage of the Nive the army again went into 1314 cantonments ; the Royal Wklsh Fusiliers at Ustaritz, where they remained till the middle of February, 1814, when they again took the field, and drove the enemy through a most difiicult and intersected country, till on the 27th of February, he took up a strong position at OrtheSf where he determined to await the issue of a battle. The attack was commenced by Major-General the Honor- 5 J ^M^M 150 THE TWENTY-THIRD REOIMENT OF FOOT, 1814 able George Lowry Cole, with the fourth division, carry- ing the village of St. Boe'a, after an obstinate struggle. Marshal Beresford, who directed the movements of this part of the line, next turned his attention to two lines of the enemy, posted on the height, above ; the only approach to these lay along a narrow tongue of ground, flanked on either side by a deep ravine, and completely exposed to the fire of the enemy's artillery. In this contiued situation it was impossible to deploy, and so destructive was the action of the enemy's guns on the columns, that notwith- standing the most gallant and persevering efforts of the fourth division, it was impossible to gain the heights. By a powerful attack in flank, however, the enemy was at lengtli driven from the position, and forced to retreat with precipi- tation, pursued by the cavalry, who made many prisoners. Captains Wynore and JoUifle, and Lieutenant Harris, were severely wounded ; and fifty men were killed and wounded. By the 10th of April the whole army had crossed the Garonne, and an immediate attack on the enemy's position, under the walls of Toulouse, being resolved on, it was begun by the fourth division, which, having driven the enemy from the village of Mcmt Blanc, proceeded in open columns along the front of the position till they gained the extreme right, when they wheeled up, and advanced in line, overcoming all resistance, and forcing the French from the heights, and beyond their entrenchments. Hero they waited for the artillery, which, owing to the badness of the roads and the rapidity of the advance, had been left behind. As soon as the artillery came up, they continued their advance along the ridge, following up their success, till the enemy, repulsed on all points, was compelled to take refiige within the walls of Toulouse. The Twenty-third were not much exposed to OR, THE ROYAL WEL8II FUSILIERS. 151 musketry in this action, but were under a licavy cannonade 1814 the whole day. The casualties did not exceed eight men killed and wounded. During the night of the 11th of April, the French army evacuated Toulouse, and the white flag was hoisted. On the day following, the Marquis of Wellington entered the city amidst the acclamations of the inhalntants. In the afternoon of that day intelligence was received of the abdication of Napoleon; and had not the express been detained on the journey by the police, the sacrifice of many valuable lives would have been prevented. A dis- belief in the truth of this intelligence also occasioned much unnecessary bloodshed at Bayonm^ the garrison of which made a desperate sortie on the 14th of April, and Lieut.-General Hope was wounded and taken prisoner. Major-General Hay was killed, and Major-General Stopford was wounded. This was the lost action of the Peninsular war. By the treaty of peace, the island of Elba was ceded to Napoleon Bonaparte in full sovereignty for life, and a pension payable from the revenues of France* On the drd of May, 1814, Louis XVIII, entered Paris, and ascended the throne of his ancestors. After the battle of Toulouse, the first battalion of the Twenty-third Regiment marched to Langon, near Bordeaux, where it was stationed during the whole of the month of May. On the 1st of June it marched for Blancfort, where it arrived on the Gth, and embarked on board the ' Egmont,' 74, disembarked on the 26th at Ply- mouth, from whence it soon after marched to Gosport. For the services performed by the first battalion during the Peninsular war, the Royal Wei^u Fusilier^ have received the Royal Authority to bear on the regimental colour and appointments, the words "Albuhera," 152 THE TWENT7-TH1RD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1814 «« Badajoz," "Salamanca," " Vittoria," "Pyre- nees," " Nivelle," " Orthes," " Toulouse," and " Peninsula." Lieut.-Colonel Ellis, who had been promoted (4th June, 1814) to the rank of Colonel by Brevet, was appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath, and received the honor- ary distinction of a Cross, and one Clasp. Lieut.-Colonel Sutton, also Colonel by Brevet, and Knight Commander of the Bath, a Cross and three Clasps, for his services in the Portuguese army. Lieut.-Colonel Pearson, a Medal. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Dalmer, a Medal and one Clasp. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Hill, attached to the Portuguese army, a Cross. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Hurford, a Medal and one Clasp. Captain Leahy, who commanded the regiment at the storming of Badajoz, a Medal. On the 25th of October, 1814, the second battalion was reduced, when twenty-six Serjeants, twenty-one cor- porals, twenty-three drummers, and three hundred and seventy-seven privates, were transferred to the first bat- talion, which now mustered upwards of one thousand rank and file. Of these, however, many of the veterans of Holland, Egypt, Martinique, and the Peninsula, and some limited service men, were soon after discharged. 1815 On the return of Napoleon from Elba, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were again ordered on service, and embarked at Gosport on the 23rd of March, 1815. On the 30th they disembarked at Ostend, and immediately proceeded in canal boats to Bruges, from whence they marched to Ghent, and subsequently to Lessines, where they were attached to the fourth division, commanded by Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Charles Colville. On the 24th of April the regiment marched to Gram- mont, where it remained, with the intermission of a few OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 153 days, till the 15th of June, when the troops were hastily 1815 summoned from their cantonments in consequence of the advance of the French army, commanded hy the Emperor in person. The Rotal Welsh Fusiliers marched witli the greatest expedition during the whole of the 16th and 17th, and arrived late in the evening of the latter day, at Braine la Leude, in the neighbourhood of which they bivouacked in a wheat-field, under torrents of rain. The station of the fourth division, on the memorable 18th of June, was in the reserve ; and during the early part of the day, the re^ment was merely exposed to a distant cannonade, from which it sufiered no loss. The light companies of the brigade were, however, engaged, and lost some men. As the day advanced, Colonel Sir Henry Ellis perceiving an opening where his regiment might be employed with ad- vantage, moved it up into the line ; where, formed in square, it sustained several charges of the French cuiras- siers. The greater number of the men were now, for the first time, in presence of an enemy ; but these en^ulated the steadiness of their veteran comrades, and all nobly maintained the character of the regiment- The glories of the battle of Waterloo were, however, dearly purchased by the Rotal Welsh Fusiliers with the life of their beloved commander. Sir Henry Ellis, who, continuing on horseback in the centre of the square, was struck with a musket ball in the right breast. Feeling himself faint from loss of blood, he calmly desired an opening might be made in the square, and rode to the rear. At a short distance from the field he was thrown from his horse while in the act of leaping a ditch; here he was found soon afterwards, much exhausted, and conveyed to a neighbouring out-house, where his wound was dressed. In the course of the night 154 THE TWBNTY-TUIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1815 of the 19th, the hovel in which he was lodged unfor- tunately caught fire, and he was with difficulty rescued from the flames by Assistant-Surgeon Munro, of the regiment ; but exhausted by so many shocks, he soon after expired.* The other casualties were, Brevet-Major Hawtyn, Captains Jolliffe and Farmer, Lieutenant Fenshaw, two * The officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the regi- ment, have commemorated their affection and esteem for their dis- tinguished leader, by erecting a monument to his memory, at • cost of 1200/., in the Cathedral of Worcester, his native city. The following is the inscription : — In Memory of f I. .*» • ^ Colonel Sir Hiitkt Walton Ellis, K.C.B., A native of this city . Who, at ui early age, entered the Twintt-thiro Regiment, Or, ROTAL WlL«H FUNLIEBI, Then eommanded by hU father, Mijor-Qeneral John Joyner Bllit, And afterwards led on to honourable distinction by himself, during seven yean of unexampled military renown ; Having received eight wounds, and rendered servicesaa important as they were brilliant, In Holland, Bgypt, the West Indies, America, Spain, Portugal, and France, He fell by a musket-shot at tlie head of his Regiment, Almost in the glorious moment which announced victory to Great Britain, and Feact ' '^.urope, on the memorable Plains of Waterloo. ,»"" j" v■ He died of his wounds on the 90th of June, 1 8 1 5, aged 3S years. His loss was lamented, and his worth recorded, by his illustrious Commander, Wellfaigton, In words that will perish only with history itself. 'i ' ''Vff,'"'' -^ ' This Monument was erected By the officers, non-commissioned offlcem, and privates of the Royal Wilsb Fitsilibrs, As a Tribute of their respect and affection to the Memory of a Leader, Not mure distinguished for Valour and conduct in the Field, Than beloved for every Generous and Social Virtue. .•.'■'.' ij li^K:'.- Extract from His Grace the Duke of Wellington's despatch, dated Orville, 29th of June, 1815 :— / " Your Lordship will see in the enclosed lists, the names of some " valuable officers lost to His Majesty's service. Among these I << cani^ot avoid to mention Colonel Cuneron, of the Ninety-second, " and Colonel Sir Henry Ellis, of the Twemty-thibd regiment, to ♦• whose conduct I have frequently drawn your Lordship's attention, ** and who at last fell, distinguishing themselves at the head of the <* brave troops which they commanded." " Notwithstanding the glory of the occasion, it is impossible not « to lament such men, both on account of the public and as friends." .«' ifad4Uy hU'3mUru)t»vS\Sawi JFor (iumone . 2iiooraU. OR, TU£ ROYAL WEL8U FU81LIKR8. 155 Serjeants, and nine rank and file killed. Brevet Lieu- 1815 tenant-Colonel Hill, Captain Johnson, Lieutenants Field- ing, Griffiths, Clyde, and Sidley, seven Serjeants, and 8eventy-(Mie rank and file wounded. Lieutenant Clyde died of his wounds. o - ....... i . «.. The Twenty-third Royal Wbubh Fusiliers, re- ceived the royal authority to bear the word " Waterloo" on the regimental colour and appoinments, in commemo- ration of their services on this occasion ; a medal was conferred on each officer and soldier ; and the privilege of reckoning two years' service, towards additional pay and pension on discharge, was also granted to the men. After this brilliant and decisive victory, the allied army advanced rapidly on the French capital. On the 24th, the fourth division arrived before Cambray, of which it took possession the same day: the Royal Welsh FusiuERS entered by an old breach near 'the Port du Paris, with the loss of Lieut. Leebody, and one private killed. The citadel having surrendered on the following day, the division resumed its march to Paris on the 26th, and on the 1st of July encamped on the plain of St.*Denis. Lieutenant-General the Honorable Sir Lowry Cole, having now joined the army, the Royal Welsh Fusi- liers were, at his request, transferred to the sixth divi- sion, in which they were again brigaded with the seventh Royal Fusiliers, their associates in so many victories. The regiment formed part of the Army of Occupation, 1818 and remained under the command of the Lieutenant- General, in Major-General Kempt's brigade, till October, 1818, when the British troops were withdrawn fipom France. On their return from France, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers were stationed in Ireland. Major-General Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Bart., 1823 156 TUB TWBNTy-THlRD RKOIMBNT OF FOOT, 1823 K.C.B., Quarter- Master General to the Forces, was re- moved from the colonelcy of the eighty-fifth light infantry to that of the Twenty- THIRD Royal Welsh Fusiliers, on the 23rd of April, 1823, in succession to General Richard Grenville, deceased.* In December, 1823, the regiment embarked for Gib- raltar. Previous to the embarkation, the following general order was issued by Lieut.-General the Right Honorable Lord Combermere, G.C.B., commanding the Forces in Ireland. " Adjutant-GeneraTs Office, Dublin, 24th November, 1833. " General Order. " The Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers " being on the point of embarkation for a foreign station, *' Lieutenant-General Lord Combermere feels he cannot, " in too strong terms, express his approval of the general " good conduct and discipline of this superb regiment, " during the time it has been under his orders. " The Twenty-third, so eminently distinguished for " its services in the field, has, been uniformly conspicuous " in this command for its soldierlike aonearance and be- A A " haviour ; and from the ample opportunity the Lieu- " tenant-General has had of personal observation, he is " enabled to bear testimony to the merits of the system, — " evincing throughout the corps the greatest zeal, energy, " and talent on the part of Colonel Pearson, as well as un- '' remitting attention on the part of all under his command. " By command of the Lieutenant-General, (Signed) "J. Gardiner, D.-A.Goiiernl. ^'' Lieut. -Col. JV. Harruon^ commanding 2Srd Fusiliers." * Vide Letter addressed by Mm'or-General Sir Willoughby Gordon, Hart., to Colonel Pearson, commanding the Twbntt-thjrd regiment, ^i.z>\ ?8tb. of April 1823, inserted at page 187 of the Appendix. OR, THE ROYAL W£LSU FU8IUERS. 157 In the year l''^25 the r«.-^tment was formed into six 1835 service and four depSt companies, the latter being stationed first at Plymoutli md afterwards at Brecon. The depdt eompanie^ proceeded to Gueniuey in April 1826 1826, but returned to £iigland in September following. In January, 1827, the regiment joined the expedition to Portugal, under Lieutenant-General Sir William Clia« ton ; and in March, 1828, returned to Gibraltar. I VI November, 1830, the depdt companies embarked for 1^30 Ireland. On the 28th of October, 1834, the six service com- 1834 panics embarked at Gibraltar for England, and arrived at Gosport on the 10th of November, where they were joined by the depdt companies, which had been removed from Ireland in August. In September, 1836, the regiment embarked at Liverpor 1 1836 for Ireland, and landed at Dublin on the 14th of thatmoath ■ On the 22nd of May, 1838, the six service companies, ig3g under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Ross, embarked at Cork for Nova Scotia, where they arrived on the 13th of June. The four depot companies remained in Ireland. In June, 1840, the depot companies were removed 1840 from Ireland to Great Britain. The service companies proceeded from Nova Scotia, to Canada, in October, 1 840. In consequence of the augmentation of the army, in 1842 April, 1842, the Twenty-Third regiment was ordered to be separated into two battalions, the service companies abroad being styled the First Battalion, and the depot, augmented by two new companies, being styled the Reserve Battalion. The depot was accordingly moved from Carlisle to Chichester, and there receiving one hun- dred and eighty volunteers from other corps, was organised for foreign service ; the reserve battalion embarked from 158 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1842 Portsmouth, for Canada, on the 1 3th of May, 1842, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Wellesley Torrens, and arrived at Montreal on the 30th of June following. 1843 The first hattalion proceeded from Quebec to the West Indies, in September, 1843, under the command of Lieut-Colonel Arthur Wellesley Torrens, and arrived at Barbadoes in October. 1844 The first battalion remained at Barbadoes until Novem- ber, 1844, when it proceeded to the Island of Trinidad. In the year 1844, the Regimental Goat* died, and Her Majesty was pleased to direct that the two finest goats belonging to a flock in Windsor Park, the gift of the Shah of Persia, should be given to the regiment ; one of these joined the first battalion at Halifax, and is still serving " the observed of all observers ;" — the other was sent to the reserve battalion in Canada. 1845 During the year 1845, the first battalion remained at Trinidad. 1846 In April, 1846, the first battalion proceeded to Antigua, where it remained until December, when it was moved to Barbadoes. While the first battalion was stationed in the West Indies, Lieut.-Colonel Torrens, of the Twenty-Third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, for two years and a half administered the civil government of St. Lucia, and by the sanitary measures pursued by him, preserved the health of the troops serving in that island with unpre- cedented success. The correspondence on this subject was subsequently published, by command of His Grace the Duke of Wellington, Commander-in-Chief, for the information and guidance of General (or other) Officers, commanding at foreign stations, in a circular letter dated * Vide Appendix, page 177. OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 159 from the Horse Guards, on the 18th of November, 1847, 1846 in which it was directed that similar precautions might be attended to at all military commands, where draining and clearing were requisite, particularly pointing out the salutary effects of removing from the immediate vicinity of military stations all superabundant vegetation, brush- wood, strong weeds, rank grass, «SiC., by means of fatigue parties, as had been effected at St. Lucia. On quitting the colony, the offer of the permanent Lieutenant-Governorship, on an augmented salary, was made to Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens by Her Majesty's Government; but it was declined, — the Lieutenant- Colonel preferring to continue his service in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The first battalion embarked on board the freight ship 184*7 * Herefordshire,' at Barbadoes, on the 16th of March, 1847, and sailed for Nova Scotia, where it arrived in the beginning of April. In September, 1848, the first battalion embarked at 1848 Halifax, in Nova Scotia, for England, under the command of Major Charles Crutchley, and was afterwards stationed at Winchester. On Thursday the 12th of July, 1849, new Colours were 1849 presented to the regiment by Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Prince Albert, at Winchester Barracks. The first battalion being drawn up in line, with the old Colours in the centre, received His Royal Highness with the usual honors : the flank companies were then brought forward so as to form three sides of a square, to the centre of which the new Colours were brought under escort, and piled on an altar of drums. The Reverend George Gleig, M.A., Chaplain- General to the Forces, then consecrated them, after which His 160 THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1849 Royal Highness delivered them to Lieutenants Bruce and Sutton, making the following address to the battalion : — " Soldiers of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers I The ceremony " which we are performing this day, is a most important, " and to every soldier, a sacred one : it is the transmission " to your care, and keeping, of the Colours which are " henceforth to be borne before you, — which will be the " symbol of your honor, and your rallying point in all " moments of danger. " I feel most proud to be the person who is to transmit " these Colours to a regiment so renowned for its valour, " fortitude, steadiness, and discipline. " In looking over the records of your services, I could " not refrain from extracting a few, which show your " deeds to have been intimately connected with all the " great periods in our history. " The regiment was raised in 1689. Its existence -* therefore began with the settlement of the liberties of " the country. It fought at the Boyne under Schomberg ; " captured Namur in Flanders in 1695 ; formed part of " the great Marlborough's legions at Blenheim, Ramiliesy " Oudenarde, and Malplaquet; fought in 1743, at Dettingen, " and at Fontenoy in 1745 ; decided the battle of Minden " in 1759, for which the name of Minden is inscribed " on the colours. Showed examples of valour and per- " severance in America: in 1775 at Bunker's Hill, in " 1777 at Brandywine, in 1780 at the capture oiCharles- " totm, and in 1781 at Guildford. The regiment ac- " companied the Duke of York to Holland ; was amongst " the first to land in Egypt, in 1801, under the brave " Abercroraby, and was the last to embark at Corunna " in 1809. Between these two important services, it fought " at Copenhagen, and was at the taking of Martinique. OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 161 " Egypt, Martinique, and Corunna are waving on 184U. " these colours. In the Peninsula the regiment won for " its colours, under the Duke of Wellington, the names " of Albuhera, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, " Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthes, and Toulouse. The " deeds performed at Albuhera are familiar to everybody " who has read Napier's unsurpassable description of that " action. The regiment was again victorious over a " powerful enemy at the Duke's last great victory at " Waterloo. " Although you are all, of course, well acquainted " with these glorious records, I have thought it right " to refer to them as a proof that they have not been " forgotten by others, and as the best mode of appealing *' to you to show yourselves at all times worthy of the " Name you bear. " Receive these Colours, one, emphatically called The Queen's, — let it be a pledge of your loyalty to your Sovereign, and of obedience to the laws of your country ; *• the other, more especially the Regimental one, — let *' that be a pledge of your determination to maintain the " honor of your regiment. In looking at the one, — you ** will think of your Sovereign : in looking at the other^ *' you will think of those who have fought, bled, and ** conquered before you." To which gracious address Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Wellesley Torrens replied in these words, " May it please " your Royal Highness. In the name of the Royal *' Welsh Fusiliers, I return you the heartfelt thanks " of the regiment, for the honor you have conferred upoft us this day. " The eminent services of the Royal Welsh Fusi- liers, during a lapse of one hundred and sixty years, are deeply impressed upon our memories, and while M « «( « « «( 162 THE TWENTY-THIRD REQIMBNT OP FOOT, 1849" we welcome the responsibilities, wo fuel the privilege •* of succeeding to so vast an inheritance of renown. " Our hearts have beat v,Uh pride and exultation to •* hear those achievements so accurately romemborcd, and " so graceiully recorded by your Royal Ilighnoss, the " honored Consort of the Sovereign to whoso service we " have devoted our lives. " With the exception of a brave and skilful officer *♦ (Lieutenant-Colonel Holmes) now absent in command " of a hattalion of the regiment in America, ond of two " highly respected veteran officers present upon this *♦ parade (the paymaster and the quarter-^ master of the " battalion), not one of the present generation of Welsh " Fusiliers has had a share in the acquisition of the " glorious badges which are inscribed on their colours. " But though it has not been our good fortune to have " taken part in any of the campaigns since the termination " of the great continental War, the regiment has served " faithfully, patiently, and honorably, though with less " hrilliant glory indeed, during a prolonged foreign and " colonial service in every climate, from the burning sun " of the Mediterranean and of Portugal, to the snows of the *' Canadas, and the heat and pestilence of the West " Indian archipelago. " Throughout I have seen the discipline of the regi- " ment preserved, and its high spirit maintained ; and, " Sir, I know and feel, that when the hour of trial shall " arrive, it will be found that a discipline so patient " and so enduring, is animated yet by the self-same *' determination which hurled back tlie French mo^scH " from Albuhera heights, and stemmed their squadrona •' on the crowning field of Waterloo^ The new Colours were then trooped, and took the place of the old ones, which were marched off the parade. HnAtmAv 11 1£ KH J - »•»'»'»» ■aflSS .,::^jr f.-r iHHiU'uli ,\h/HiU'\ /i\trf'f^/i. miiiu-4't .-tfJi *'• i^t/Hnuf^" S* Sfftui,/ The time. His withh Th( Peter' with I In regiin the c( Wine under tinuei Mont OR, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. 163 The battalion then marched past in slow and quick 1849 time. ** His Royal Highness afterwards honored the officers with his presence at luncheon. The old Colours were lodged in the church of St Peter's, Carmarthen, on the J 9th of November, 1849, with military honors. In April, 1850, to which the Historical Record of the 1850 regiment has been brought, the first battalion, under the command of Lieut. -Colonel Torrens, proceeded from Winchester to Plymouth ; and the reserve battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Crutchley, con- tinued in Canada, the head-quarters being stationed at Montreal. M [ 164 ] SUCCESSION OF COLONELS OF THE TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT, OH, THE ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS. Henry, (Fourth) Lord Herbert, of Cherbury. Appointed l*Jth March, 1689. This nobleman was a cousin of the celebrated Admiral Arthur Herbert, who was created Baron of Torbay, and Earl of Torrington, by King William III., for his eminent services at, and subsequent to, the Revolution of 1688. Henry, Lord Herbert, who raised the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was appointed colonel of tjje regiment on the 17th of March, 1689, which he shortly afterwards resigned, and was succeeded by Colonel Charles Herbert, the youngest brother of the Admiral ubove mentioned. Henry, Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, died without issue on the 21st of April, 1691, and the titles became extinct; but were revived in about three years afterwards in v.he nephew of the first peer. Charles Herbert. Appointed 10th April, 1689. Amongst the Lords and Commons summoned by the letter of the Prince of Orange, (afterwards King William III.,) to meet at Westminster on the 22nd of January, 1689, were Henry, Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, and Charles Herbert, Esq., M.P., for the town of Montgomery ; the latter suc- ceeded his cousin Lord Herbert, as Colonel of the Twenty- third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, on the 10th of April, 1689. Colonel Charles Herbert was iiilled at the battle of SUCCESSION or C-OLiUMKt.S. 105 Aghrim, on Sunday the 12th of July, 1691, after having passed a bog up to the middle, at the head of his regiment, and forced the Irish to quit the Itedges they had occupied beyond it. But pushing tl»em briskly to their main body, he was unfortunately taken prisoner ; and the enemy seeing a probability of rescue, inhumanly put him to death. The honors of his brother. Admiral the Earl of Torrington, were entailed on him, so that iiis dying immaturely, and unmarried, made his loss the more to be regretted. Both the Admiral and his brother Charles, together with their cousin Lord Herbert, were all zealous supporters oftlie Revolution of 1688. Toby Purcell. Appointed 13M July, 1691. Upon Colonel Charles Herbert being killed at the battle of Aghrim, Lieut.-Colonel Toby Purcell, of the Twenty-third Fusiliers, was promoted colonel of the regiment by King "William III. Colonel Purcell distinguished himself at the battle of the Boyne, on tlie 1st of July, 1690, when major in the Twenty-third, and the spurs worn by him on that occasion are still preserved in the regiment, in possession of the senior major for the time being. Colonel Purcell did not long enjoy the honor of the colonelcy of the regiment, con- ferred upon him by his Sovereign, as his decease occurred in the year 1692. Sir John Morgan, Bart. Appointed 20th April, 1692. This officer's connection with the Twenty-third, as colonel of the regiment, was but of brief duration, for his decease occurred in the early part of 1693, tiie year following his appointment to the colonelcy of the Twenty-third regiment. lllCHARD InGOLDSBY. Appointed 28th February, 1693. Richard iNGOLDSBit entered the army in the reign of King Charles II., his first commission being dated the 13th of June, 1667. He adhered to the Protestant interest at the Revolu- tion in 1688, and served under King William III., who 166 8U('( eSSION UK COLONRLS. promoted Lieut.-Culonel Ingoldsby, from the Eighteenth Royal Irish regiment, to the colonelcy of the Twenty-third RoTAL Wklsh Fusiliers, on the 28th of February, 1693. He commanded the Twentt-third at the siege of Namur, in 1695, and in June, 1696, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. On the breaking out of the " tVar of the Spanish Succession*' in 1701, he was sent to Holland with a body of British troops, and he highly distinguished himself during several campaigns ui.der the great Duke of Marlborough. He was promoted to the rank uf major- general on the 9th of March, 1702, and served in that ca- pacity during the campaigns of that and the following year. In January, 1704, he was promoted to the rank of lieut.- general, and his name is found among the officers wlio dis- tinguished tiiemselves at the battles of Schellenberg ani Blenheim. On tiie 1st of April, 1705, Lieut.-Gencra! Ingoldsby was removed to his former regiment, the colonelcy of the eighteenth Royal Irish being conferred upon him by Her Majesty Queen Anne. After acquiring a high reputa- tion in the field, he was honored with the appointments of one of Her Majesty's Lords Justices, and of Master of the Horse for Ireland. He died on the 29th of January, 1712. Joseph Sabine. Appointed 1st April, 1705. The commission of tliis officer, as major in the Twenty-third Fusiliers, is dated 13th July, 1691, and his military career is intimately connected witli the services of the regiment. Colonel Sabine was wounded at the battle of Schellenberg, near Donawertli, fought on the 2nd of July, 1704, and shared in the splendid victory obtained by the Duke of Marlborough, over Marshal Tallard and the Elector of Bavaria at Blenheim, on the 13th of August following. For his eminent services. Her Majesty Queen Anne conferred the colonelcy of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers upon him, on the 1st of April, 1705, on Lieut.-General Ingoldsby being removed to the Eighteenth Royal Irisli regiment. In 1708, Brigadier- General Sabine commanded the ""ten regiments sent from Ostend to Tynemouth, to oppose the designs of the Pretender, who made an unsuccessful attempt to land in England. Upon the return of the Pretender to Dunkirk, Brigadier Sabine re- nUCCKttSIUN OP CUI.ONRI.fl. 16T embarked for Ostend. The glorious victories gained by tlie Duke of Marlborougii in tlie Netherlands, and wliich are de- tailed in the Regimental Record, afforded Brigadier Sabine frequent opportunities of distinguishing himself, particularly at the battle of Oudenarde, on the 11th of July, 1708, where his brigade captured the seven battalions of tlie Swiss regi« ments of Fliiifer, Yillars, and Greder. He also gained additional reputation at the siege of Lisle, on the 7th of Sep- tember, 1708, in the attack of the counterscarp, Brigadier Sabine being selected to command tlie force ordered on that duty. In July, 1712, Major-Gcneral Sabine was appointed to command the citadel of Ghent, and on the conclusion of the treaty of Utrecht in April, 1713, he returned with the regiment to England. Here his active military career ceased, for Ihe long interval of peace which ensued, afforded no op- portunities for further display, althougli the attention he paid to the discipline of the Twentv-tiiikd, kept the regiment in a state of efficiency, and paved the way for its future honors in the " War of the Austrian Succession,* previously to which the decease of General Joseph Sabine occurred, namely, on the 24th of October, 1 739, a few months after his pro- motion to the rank of General. Newsham Peers. Appointed 23rd November, 1739. LlEUT.-COLONEL NeWSIIAM PeeRS, of the TWENTY-THIBD Royal Welsh Fusiliers, was promoted to tlie colonelcy of the regiment on the 23rd of November, 1739; but he did not long enjoy the honor, for the colonel was severely wounded at the battle of Dettingen on the 27th of June, 1743, of which he afterwards died. I .John Huske. Appointed 2%th July, 1743. Colonel John IIuske, of the thirty-second regiment, served as Brigadier at the battle of Dettingen on the 27 th of June, 1 743, and was severely wounded. He was promoted td the rank of major-general, and appointed Colonel of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers on the 28th of July, 1743, by King George II., as a reward for his distinguished services. On III I II! lOfl HUCCRBSION OP COLONELS. the breaking out of the rebellion in Hcutland in n45, the Minjor-gcnerurB services were called in requiHition tu araiHt in forming the camp in the north of England under the com- mand of Field -Marshal Wade. By his judicious conduct at the bntrle of Falkirk, on the 17th of January, 1746, he secured the retreat of the Hoyal forces to Linlithgow. He also distinguiHhed himself at the battle of CuUoden on the IGth of April, 1746, which crushed the rebellion. On the Uth of August, 1747, he was promoted to the rank of lieut.* general, and was further advanced to that of general on the flth of December, 1746. General Iluske commanded the TwEXTY-TiiiHD regiment during the siege of Minorca, by the French, in 17o6. General Iluske died on the 16th of January, 1761. The IIoNonABLK George Roscawen. Appointed \6th January, 1761. Lieut.-Genehal the Honohable Georoe Boscawen, brother of Viscount Falmouth, entered the army as an ensign in the Foot Guards in the year 1728, in which he was after- wards promoted to the rank of Captain. He distinguished himself iit the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy in 1743 and 1745; in the latter year he was appointed Deputy-Governor of Scilly. He was appointed colonel in the army on the 18th of August, 1749 ; and on the 14th of October was appointed aide-de-camp to the King: on the 4th of March, 1752, King George II. nominated him colonel of the twenty-ninth regi- ment. On the 14th of January, 1758, Colonel the Honor- able George Boscawen was advanced to the rank of major- general, and to that of lieutenant-general on the 22nd of February, 1760. On the 16th of January, 1761, King George III. removed Lieut.-general the Honorable George Boscawen from the colonelcy of tlie Twenty-ninth to that of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh FCsiliers. Lieut.- general the Honorable George Boscawen's decease occurred on tiie 3rd of May, 1 775, in York-street, St. James's. AViLLiAM Viscount Howe, K.B. Appointed Wth May, 1775. This distinguished officer commenced his military career as a cornet in the Duke of Cumberland's regiment of light dragoons, in which he was promoted to a lieutenancy on the 21st of Sep- SUCCKSSIUN OP L'UI.UNKI,*i. m) tem')er, 1747. Tlio rt'^imellt was dinbanded in 1749, sliortly after tho conclusion of the treaty of Aix-la-('lia|)«'lle, wliich was (•igned in ( )ctober of tlie preceding year. lie wa* promoted to the rank of captain in tiie t\ventietl\ regiment on the l8t of June, 17<'jO, and to tliat of major in the sixtieth (afterwards fifty-eighth; regiment on tlie 4tli of January, 1756. On the 17th of December, 1757, lie was promoted to tlie lieutenant- colonelcy of the fifly-eiglith regiment. During the *' Seven Years* War" lie served in America under Major-General "VVolfewith great reputation, and was advanced to the brevet rank of colonel on the lOtli of February, 17G2. Colonel the Honorable William Howe was appointed by King George III. to the colonelcy of the Forty-sixth regiment on the 2l8t of No- vember, 1764. His iSIajcsty also advanced him to the rank ol major-general on tlie 25tli of May, 1772, Major-general the Honorable AVilliuin Howe was appointed to succeed General Gage in the chief command of tli(> liritisli forces in Americ: shortly after the commencement of the War of Independence and arrived at Boston with Major-generals Clinton and Bur- goyne in May, 1775. Major-General the Honorable Sir William Howe, K.B., was appointed by His Majesty, colonel of the TwENTY-THiiiD RoYAL Wklsh Fusiliers, from the forty- sixth regiment, on the Uth of May, 1775. He commanded at the attack on Bunker's Hill on the 17tli of June following, was besieged in Boston during the winter, evacuated that town in the spring of 1776, and retired to Halifax, in Nova Scotia. In June, he arrived at Staten Island, where he was joined by his brother Admiral Lord Howe. The brothers here informed the American Congress, that they had received full power to grant pardon to such as should return to their obedience ; but the Commissioners appointed by that body declined the proposition as unworthy of attention. In August, he defeated the Americans at Lciig Island, and took possession of New York in September. After the campaign of the Jerseys, Sir William Howe sailed for New York, and entered Chesapeake Bay. Having previously secured the command of the Schuylkill, lie crossed it with his army, and repelled the attack of the Americans at Germantown, in September. On tiie 29tli of the previous month (August) His Majesty had advanced him to the rank of lieut. -general. In the spring of 1778, he returned to England, having resigned the i: i no SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. command of the army to Lieut.- general Sir Henry Clinton. On the 2l8t of April, 1 186, Sir William Howe was removed to the colonelcy of the nineteenth (late twenty-third) Light Dra- goons, which he retained until his decease. On the 12th of October, 1793, Sir "William Howe was promoted to the rank of general. In 1799, he succeeded to the Irish peerage held by his brother Richard Earl Howe, the celebrated Admiral ; and in 1805 he was appointed Governor of Plymouth. Gene- ral Viscount Howe died on the 12th of July, 1814, in the eighty-fifth year of his age. Richard Grenville. Appointed 21st April, 1786. This officer entered the army in the year 1759, as an ensign in the First Foot Guards ; he obtained the rank of captain in 1760, by raising an independent company ; and on the 7th of May, 1761, he was removed to the twenty-fourth regiment. Captain Grenville served the campaigns of 1761 and 1762, in Germany, as aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Granby. In 1772, he purchased a company in the Coldstream Guards, and in 1776, he accompanied the brigade of Foot Guards to North America. On the 19th of February, 1799, he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and on the 20th of November, 1782, to that of major-general. His Majesty King George III., as a reward for his ser\ices, conferred upon Major-general Grenville the colonelcy of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, on the 21st of April, 1786; on the 3rd of May, 1796, he was advanced to the rank of lieut. -general ; and to that of general on the 1st of January, 1801. General Grenville died in London on the 22nd of April, 1823. Sir James Willougiiby Gordon, Bart., G.C.B., and G.C.H. Appointed from the JSighfy-Jifth regiment on the 23rd April, 1823. APPENDIX. List of Battles, Sieges, ^-c, in the Netherlands, during the reign of King William III., from 1689 to the Peace of Jtyswick in 1697. Battle ofWalcourt 25 August, 1689 Fleurus 1 July, 1690 Mods surrendered to the French . . . . 10 April, 1691 Namur surrendered to the French . . . 1 July, 1692 Battle of Steenkirk 3 August, Fumes and Dixmude captured .... — Sept., The French lines at D'Otignies forced . . 10 July, 1693 Battle of Landeu, or Neer-Wiuden ... 29 July, Surrender of Huy 28 Sept., 1694 Attack on Fort Knocque 9 June, 1695 Dixmude surrendered to the French. . . 16 July, — — Deinse surrendered to the French . . . 21 July, — . Namur retaken by King William III. . . 25 July, .■ Citadel of Namur surrendered .... 5 Sept., Treaty of Rycwick signed 21 Sept., 1697 N.B. — The dales given in this, and in the three following pages, are according to the Gregorian, or New Style. r; '.1 • I Ill hi I The Julian or Old Style, was named after Julius Cajsar, who ad- justed the Calendar, and ordained that the year should consist of 365 days 6 hours : — a day being added to every fourth year by the accumu- lation of these six hours. This mode of reckoning continued until the sixteenth century ; but as the year was upwards of eleven minutes too long by this calculation, the excess had amounted in the year 1582 to ten days. Pope Gregory Xlll. accordingly amended the Calendar by ordering that the 5tli of October should be reckoned the 1 5th of October. The Catiiolic nations adojjted the Gregorian Style, but the Protestants rejected the improvement. In the year 1700, however, when it became necessary to omit eleven days, the Protest- ants of Germany, Switzerland, and the Nctlicrlands, adopted the New Style. England retained the Julian computation until the reign of King George II., when an Act of Parliament (24 George II,, 1751) was passed, whicii provided that eleven days should be dropped from the year 1752, by considering the ard of September as the 14th of September, The year 1800 was not reckoned as a leap year, and therefore inter- posed another day between the Old and New Style, so that Russia, where the Julian method is still followed, is twelve days behind the other nations of Europe, which have adopted the Gregorian compu- tation. Hi 172 Appendix. List of Sieges, Battles, Sfc, in the Netherlands and Ger- many, connected with the Services of the British Army, during the " War of the Spanish Succession," from 1702 to 1713. Invested. Surrendered. Siege of Kayserswerth by the Prince of Nassau Saarbruck .... 16 April, 17 June, 1702 Skirmish near Nimeguen between the French army under Marshal Boufflers, and the Allied troops under the Earl of Athlone 11 June, — — The Earl of Marlborough assumed the command of the Allied Army 2 July, Siege of Venloo 29 Aug., 25 Sept., Capture of Fort St. Michael 18 Sept., Siege of Stevenswaert .... 29 Sept. 3 Oct., -^— Ruremonde 2 Oct. 7 Oct., Capture of Liege Citadel by storm 23 Oct., The Chartreuse of Liege surrendered .... 29 Oct., The Earl of Marlborough created Duke of Marlborough 14 Dec, Action with the French near Tongres .... 10 May, 1703 Siege of Bonn 24 April, 15 May, Huy 16 Aug., 25 Aug., • Limburg 10 Sept., 28 Sept., March of the Allies into Germany 19 May, 1704 Battle of Schellenberg, near Donawerth ... 2 July, Donawerth entered by the Allied Army ... 3 July, Siege of Rain. . {trenches opened) \S ZvAy, 17 July, Tngoldstadt {abandoned after the Battle of Blenheim) . . . 9 Aug., Battle of Blenheim 13 Aug., Ratisbon, Augsburg, Meuiiigen, and other imperial towns occupied by the Confederate Army —Aug., Ulm surrendered to General Thungen . . . . 11 Sept., Siege of Landau 12 Sept., 24 Nov., Occupation of Treves 29 Oct., Siege of Traerbach 3 Nov., 20 Dec, E(uy captured by the French 11 June, 1705 Recapture of Huy 11 July, Forcing the French Lines at Helixem, and NeerHespen, near Tirlemont .... 18 July, — ^ Skirmish near the Dyle 21 July, Siege of Sandvliet 26 Oct., 29 Oct., Battle of Ramilies 23 May, 1706 The principal towns of Brabant, and of Flanders, occupied by the Allied Army — May and June, — APPENDIX. 113 Invested. Surrendered. Siege of Ostend 28 June, 8 July 1706 Menin 25 July, 25 Aug., Dendermond 29 Aug., 5 Sept., Aeth 16 Sept., 3 Oct., Battle of Oudenarde 11 July, 1708 Siege of Lisle 13 Aug., 23 Oct., Battle of Wynendale 28 Sept., The Citadel of Lisle surrendered 9 Dec, Passage of the French positions on the Scheldt 27 Nov., Siege of Ghent 18 Dec, 30 Dec, Tournay 27 June, 29 July, 1709 Capture of the Citadel 3 Sept., Battle of Malplaquet 11 Sept., Siege of Mons 21 Sept., 20 Oct., — — Passage of the French lines at Pont k, Vendin . 21 April, 1710 Siege of Douay 25 April, 27 June, Bethune 15 July, 29 Aug., St Venant 6 Sept., 30 Sept., Aire 6 Sept., 9 Nov., Passage of the French lines at Arleux . . . . 5 Aug., 1711 Siege of Bouchain 10 Aug., 13 Sept, — — The Duke of Ormond assumed the command of the forces, in succes- sion to the Duke of Marlborough 9 May, 1712 Siege of Quesnoy 8 June, 4 July, Occupation of Dunkirk by the British troops . . 7 July, Treaty of Utrecht signed 11 April, 1713 t ■ 174 APPKNUIX. Battles, Sieges, ^c, tohich occurred in Qcrmany and in the Netherlands from 1743 to 1748, during the " War of the Austrian Succession." Battle of Dettingen (Germany) 27 June, 1743 Menin invested by the French 18 May, and captured t 6 June, 1744 Ypres invested by tlie Freuch 7 June, and captured . 14 June, Fort Knocque surrendered to the French # • . • Juno, — — . Fumes surrendered to the French •..••! ft July, — — Friburg (Germany) invested by the French , . i 21 Sept. — — Citadel of Friburg captured by the French i . • t 28 Nov. — — Tournay invested by the French . .,.,., 23 April, 1745 Battle of Fontenoy .11 May, — — Citadel of Tournay surrendered to the French. . . 21 June, — — Skirmish near Ghent 9 July, — Citadel of Ghent captured by the French .... 15 July, — — Bruges captured by the French July, — — Oudcnarde captured by the French 21 July, —— Dendermond captured by the French Aug. — — < Ostend invested by the French on 14 July, and captured 23 Aug. Nieupoit captured by the French 26 Aug, — « Aeth captured by the French 28 Sept. Brussels invested by the French 24 Jan., and captured 20 Feb. 1 746 Mechlin captured by the French , May, Antwerp captured by the French 20 May, Citadel of Antwerp captured by the French . . . 31 May, Mons invested by the French on 7 June, and captured 1 1 July, — Fort St. Ghislain captured by the French .... 21 July, — - Charleroi invested by the French on 25 July, and captured ,, 2 Aug. — — Huy captured by the French. ...,.,, Aug. — — Namur invested by the French 26 Aug, ; Citadel captured 19 Sept. — — Battle of Roucoux, near Liege 11 Oct, —^ Sluys surrendered to the French 11 April, 1747 Fort Sandberg in Hulst, and Axel, surrendered to the French 28 April, Sandvliet captured by the French June, — — Battle of Vai, or Laffeld, near Maestricht .... 2 July, Bergen-op-Zoom invested by the French 13 July, and captured • • 10 Sept. —— Forts Lillo, Frederick Henry, and Croix .... 2 Oct. — — Limburg Cc7»tured by the French March, 1 748 Maestricht in ested by the French 3 April, — — Maestricht surrendered to the French 3 May, — — Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle 7 Oct. APPENDIX. 175 List of the Britisu Regiments whicli gervcd In Fft;n« and Ueihiant between 1742 and 1748, during tlio •' Warnf tha Aitntfian Succession." CAVAI-Br. \mt III Wllllll Kill' Iwrkiiil fur Chm. ".} '.'} Regiments. 3rd Troop Horse Guards . . 4th ditto ditto 2nd ditto Horse Gre-l nadier Guards • / Royal Regiment ) Horse Guards . ) 1st Horse (Ist Dra-l goon Guards) . . j 4th Irish Horse (7th j Dragoon Guards) / 1st Dragoons . i 2nd ditto . . 3rd ditto .... 4th ditto . . . • 0th ditto (Inniskilling) 7 th ditto . . . Foot Guards. Ist Foot Guards 1st Battalion . 2nd ditto ditto 3rd ditto ditto • Infantry. 1st Foot 1st Batt. . 3rd ditto (Buffs) . 4th ditto . . . 8th ditto , . . 11th ditto . . . 12th ditto . . . 13th ditto . . . 18th ditto . . . 19th ditto (Green) . 20th ditto . . . 2l8t ditto, Royal Nth British Fusiliers 23rd ditto, Royal Welsh Fusiliers 25th ditto . . 28th ditto . . 31st ditto • . 32nd ditto . . 33rd ditto . . 34th ditto . . SOth ditto . . 37th ditto . . 42nd ditto . . 48th ditto . . .} Colonels. Earl of Albcmairlo Earl of Efflngimm EarlofCrauftird Earl of Hertford Earl of Pembroka Sir John Ligonlcr Hawley . . Campbell . . Honey wood t t Rich. • • . Lord Cadogun , Cope . . I Duke of Cumberlnnd Duke of Marlborough Earl of Dunmore St. Clair . , Howard t • Barrel . • • Onslow . . , CornwalliB . , Duroure . . Pulteney , • Mordaunt . , Howard • . Bligh . . . Campbell . , I Hejoined IMi;n,«.t,,«,«. |t%*,™r KillHin In r,m»»- d„,, ,ft„ j|ilf(lic uf llip Re- ||,„ ,„p. MKtin IN f.niir uf preMionof kli« I'lMtindcr. UieHebel- lloo. Peers , . . Earl of Rothes . Bragg . . , Handasyd . Skelton . . . Johnson . • Cholmondeley , Fleming . . Pousonby . . Lord Semphill LordHarry IJeaucIcfk 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1742 1744 1742 1744 1742 1742 1743 1742 174.1 1744 1742 1742 1742 1744 1744 1742 1742 1742 1744 1744 1742 1744 1744 174(5 1740 1740 1740 1740 1749 1745 Retnd. In Plandsri 1745 1740 Ittfltinliied In 1 riDiideri. I 1745 1745 1745 1745 1745 1745 1745 Htmd. In f Inndcn 1745 1745 1745 n«mdi In Plnndm 1745 1745 1745 1745 1749 1745 1 netnnlnrd In 1 i flondira. I 1749 1745 1745 1 1745 I 1745 1747 1747 1747 1747 1746 1746 • • 1748 1747 1747 1747 • • 1747 1747 1747 176 APPKNOIZ. Names of the OflScers belonging to the Royal Welsh Fcpilieks on the 1st of August, 1759, the date of the Battle of " Minden." Rank. Name. Date of Rank in tlie C'ommisiiion, Army. Colonel . . .John Huske . . 29 July 1743 (Lt-Gen. Jlth t of Aug. 1/47. Lieut.-Colonel E. Saclieverel Pole* 9 Jan. 1756 Major . . Thos. Marlay . . 7 Sept. „ Captain . . Charles Hemington 29 Oct. 1754 > t Paston Gould . . IG „ 1755 1 1 Patrick Kainey . 25 Dec. „ • > Paul Castleman . 23 Mar. 1756 » > William Fowler* . .>6 Aug. „ 27 Apr. 1766 < ) John Fox*. . . 28 „ „ Captain Lieut. Richard Bolton* . 5 Apr. 1757 First Lieuts. L^njamin Young . 29 Oct. 17.54 11 Benjamin Bernard 2 „ 1755 > t Cutlibert Shafto . 26 Dec. „ >» Charles Reynell* . 25 Aug.l756 27 Apr. 1756 1 ) Joseph Patterson* 26 „ „ 23 June „ f f James Sutherland. 27 „ „ >t Harry Blunt . 28 „ „ n Arthur Barber* . iSept. „ >i Philip Mercier . * tf »l 1 > Arthur Hawthorne 3 9t ti 1 1 Edward Evans * 9> >* >> Grey Grove* . . 25 „ 1757 >» George Orpin* 26 „ „ > > William Blakeney 27 „ „ )) Robert Gibbings . 28 „ „ ) f Thomas Grant 29 „ „ 1 » Joseph Ferguson . 30 „ „ 9 9 Fred. Mackenzie . 3 Oct. „ , f Charles Owen. . 9 June 1759 Second Lieuts. William Tyrwhitt 24 Sept.1757 > J James Crcswell . 25 „ „ 9 9 William Wollery . 27 „ „ ) > David Ferguson* . 30 ., „ 1 9 George Pettener . 1 Oct. „ 9 9 Thomas Mecan . 20 Dec. 1758 > I Robert Douglas . 7 Feb. 1759 ? ) Maxwell Boyle . 9 June „ Chaplain . James Ashton. . 28 Sept.1757 Adjutant . . Benjamin Bernard 23 Mar. 1756 Quarter Master Richard Baily 22 July 1758 Surgeon . . William Pearson . 15 „ 1758 * Wounded at Minden. APPENDIX. 177 [From Grose's " Military Antiquities."'] " The Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliebs has a privileged honor of passing in review, preceded by a goat with gilded horns, and adorned with ringlets of flowers ; and although this may not come immediately under the denomination of a reward for merit, yet the corps values itself much on the ancientness of the custom, " Every 1st of March, being the anniversary of their tutelar saint, David, the officers give a splendid entertainment to all their Welsh brethren, and after the cloth is taken away, a bumper is filled round to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, (whose health is always drunk to first on that day,) the band playing the old tune of ' TJie noble race of Shenkin,' when a handsome drum-boy, elegantly dressed, mounted on the goat, richly caparisoned for the occasion, is led thrice round the table in procession by the drum-major. " It happened in 1775, at Boston, that the animal gave such a spring from the floor, that he dropped his rider upon the table, and then bounding over the heads of some officers, he ran to the barracks with all his trappings, to the no small joy of the garrison." -Major Donkin's Military Collections.''^ ! f! Ill ;n! N 178 APPKMDIX. " General Orders. Horse Guards, leth May, 1801. •' The recent events which have occurred in Egypt have induced His Majesty to lay his most gracious commands on His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, to convey to the troops employed in that country His Majesty's highest approbation of tlieir conduct ; and at the same time His Majesty has deemed it expedient that these his gracious senti- ments should be communicated to every part of his army, not doubting that all ranks will thereby be inspired with an honorable spirit of emulation, and an eager desire of distin- guishing themselves in their country's service. •* Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes that have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons ; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and most forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given its full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the* national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under cir- cumstances of peculiar difficulty. *' The illustrious example of their Commander cannot fail to have made an indelible impression on the gallant troops, at whose head, crowned with victory and glory, he terminated his honorable career ; and His Majesty trusts that a due contemplation of the talents and virtues which he uniformly dis- played in the course of his valuable life, will for ever endear the memory of Sir Ralph Abercromby to the British army. " His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief having thus obeyed His Majesty's commands, cannot forbear to avail him- self of this opportunity of recapitulating the leading features of a series of operations so honorable to the British arms. " The boldness of the approach to the coast of Aboukir, in defiance of a powerful and well-directed artillery, the orderly formation upon the beach, under the heaviest fire of grape and musketry, tlie reception and repulse of the enemy's cavalry and infantry, the subsequent charge of our troops, which decided the victory, and established a footing on the shores of Egypt, are circumstances of glory never surpassed in the military annals of the world. APrKNDIX. no " The advance of the army, on the 13th of March, towards Alexandria, presents the spectacle of a movement of infentry through an open country, «vho, being attacked upon their march, formed, and repuh.a ihe enemy ; then advanced in line for three miles, engaged along therr whole front, until they drove the enemy to seek his safety under the protection of his entrenched position. Such had been the order and regularity of the advance. "Upon the 2lst of March, the united force of the French in Egypt attacked tlie position of the British army. "An attack, begun an hour before daylight, could derive no advantage over the vigilance of an army ever ready to re- ceive it. The enemy's most vigorous and repeated efforts were directed against the right and centre. Our in&ntry fought in the plain, greatly inferior in the number of their artillery, and unaided by cavalry. " They relied upon their discipline and their courage. The desperate attacks of a veteran cavalry, joined to those of a numerous in&ntry, which had vainly styled itself ^Invincible,* were everywhere repulsed j and a conflict the most severe terminated in one of the most signal victories which ever adorned the annals of the British nation. " In bringing forward these details, the Comnmndev-in-Chief does not call upon the army merely to admire but to emulate such conduct. Every soldier who feels for the honor of his country, while he exults in events so splendid and important in themselves, will henceforth have fresh motives for cherishing and enforcing the practice of discipline, and by uniting, in the greatest perfection, order and precision with activity and courage, will seek to uphold, and transmit undiminished to posterity, the Glory and Honor of the British Arms. " Nor is a less useful example to be derived from the con duct of the distinguished Commander who fell in the field. His steady observance of discipline, his ever- watchful attention to the health and want* of hid troops, the persevering and un- conquerable spirit which marked his military career,, the splendour of his actions in the field, and the heroism of hi» death, are worthy the imitation of all who desire, like him, a life of honor and a death of glory. " By Order of His Royal Highness the Commander-m-Chief. '* Harry Calvert, Colonel and Adjutant- General.** 180 APPKNDIX. The following Regiments were employed in Egypt, in 1801, and were permitted by His Majesty King George the Third, to bear on their colours the Sphinx, witii the word " Egypt," as a distinguished mark of Ilis Majesty's, Royal approbation, and as a lasting memorial of the glory acquired to His Majesty's arms by the zeal, discipline, and intrepidity of his troops in that arduous and important campaign, viz. — Corps. Commanding Officers. J8th Light Dragoons, 1 Troop . Captain Hawkins. 1 1th Light Dragoons, 1 Troop . Captain A. Money. 12th ,, . Colonel Mervyn Archdall. t22ncl , , . Lieut.-Col. Hon. Wm. Lninley. 26th (afterwards 23rd) Light) , • . ^ i , « u . />, o Dragoons . . . . . . f Lieut.-Colonel Robert Gordon. Hompesch's HuRsars (detachment) Major Sir Robert T. Wilson. Coldstream Guards, 1st Battalion Lieut.-Colouel Arthur Brice. 3rd Foot Guards, 1st Battalion . Lieut.-Colonel T. Hilgrove Turner Royals, 2nd Battalion ... Lieut.-Colonel Duncan Campbell. 2nd, Queen's Royal .... Colonel the Earl of Dalhoosie. 8th Foot, King's Colonel Gordon Drummoud. TOth , Lieut.-Colonel Richard Quarrell. 13th , , , Hon. Chas. Colville. 18th, Royal Irish .... , , Henry T. Montresor t20th Foot, 1st and 2pd Battalions , , George Smith. 23rd, Royal Welsh Fusiliers . , , , John Hall. t24th Foot , , John R. Forster. t25th , , Colonel William Dyott. f 26th , , , , Lord Elphinstone. 27th, Inniskilling, 1st & 2nd Bns. Lieut.-Colonel Samuel Graham. 28th Foot Colonel Hon. Edward Paget. 30th , , Lieut.-Colonel Wm. Wilkinson. 40th , , (Flank Companies) . Colonel Brent Spencer. 42nd, Royal Highland Regt. . Lieut-Colonel William Dickson. 44th Foot ....... , , David Ogilvie. * The 10th, 80th, 86th, and 88th Regiments proceeded from the East Indies, under the orders of Major-General David Baird, to join the army in Egypt. t The 22nd Light Dragoons, 20th (two battalions), 24th, 25th, and 26th Regiments, the Ancient Irish Fencibles, and the foreign corps of De Watteville and Chasseurs Britanniques, joined the Army in Egypt in July, 1801. X One troop of the 8th Light Dragoons and the 61st Regiment, embarked from the Cape of Good Hope, joined the army under Major-General Baird at Cosseir, in July, 1801, and proceeded through the Desert to Ghcueh, or Kcnneh, on the Nile, where the troops embarked for Cairo. Ari'KNDIX. 181 Corps. Commanding Officers. 50th Foot Colonel Patrick Wauchope. ft4th ,, Ist and 2nd Battalions Lieut.-ColondJohnTlios. Layard. 5gth J J , , William Iloustoun. teigt , ^ , , Francis Carruthers. 79th , Colonel Alan Cameron. *80th • Lieut.-Colonel John Montresor. *86th ',] . . James P. Lloyd. *88th , , Colonel Wm. Carr Beresford. 89th , , , William Stewart. 90th ,, .. Rowland Hill. 92nd , Lieut.-Colouel Charles Erskine. tDe Watteville's Regiment . . Lieut.-Col. Louis de Watteville. The Queen's German Regiment Lt-Col. Peter John Jas. Dutens. De Roll's Regiment .... , , The Baron De Durler. Dillon's Regiment .... , , The Baron Perponcher.; Royal Corsican Hangers . . . Major Hudson Lowe, f Ancient Irish Fencibles. •f Chasseurs Britanniques . . . Colonel John Ramsay. Staff Corps (detachment). 182 AI'I'KNDIX. »' G ENERA L Orders. Hia Majesty's Ship, * Audacious,' 18r/j .lanuarij, 1809. '* The irreparable loss that has beeti sustained by tiie fall of tlie Commaiuler of tlie Forces {Lieut.- General Sir John Moore), and the severe wound whicli has removed Lieut.- General Sir David Baird from his 8tati»)ii, render it tlie duty of Lieut.- General Hope to congratulate the army upon the successful result of the action of the 16th instant. '< On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British trOops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy luul acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. " These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves ; and the ehemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position, or of numbers he may employ, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers, a bravery that knows not how to yield, that no circumstances can appal, and ihat will ensure victorj' when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means. <' The Lieut.-General has the greatest satisfaction in distin- guishing such meritorious services, as came within his obser- vation, or have been brought to his knowledge. *' His acknowledgments are, in a peculiar manner, due to Lieut.-General Lord William Bentinck, and the brigade under his command, consisting of the fourth, forty-second, and fiftieth regiments, and which sustained the weight of the attack. " Major- General Manningham, with his brigade, consisting of the Royals, the twenty-sixth and eighty- first regiments, and Maj.sts, liowever, of the brigades under the command of Major' Generals Hill and Leith, and Colonel Cntlin Craufurd, conducted themselves with deter- mined resolution ; and were ably supported by the officers commanding these brigades, and by the troops of wliich they were composed. " It is peculiarly incumbent upon the Lieut.- General to notice the vigorous attack made by the second batti.lion of the fourteenth regiment under Lieut.- Colonel Nicolh, which drove the enemy out of the village, of the lefl of which he had possessed himself. " The exertions of Lieut.- Colonel Murray, Quarter-Master General, and of the other officers of the General Staff, during the action, were unremitted, and deserve every degree of approbation. " The illness of Brigadier- General Clinton, Adjutant- General, unfortunately deprived the army of the benefit of his services. ** The Lieut. -General liopes the loss in point of numbers is not so considerable ns ni^'Ut have been expected ; he laments, however, the fal' t the gallant soldiers and valuable officers who have snffi'rwl. " The LitHU.-lteneral knows that it is impossible, in any language he can use, to enhance the esteem, or diminish the regret, thai the army feels with him for its late Commander. His career has been unfortunately too limited for his country, but has been sufficient for his own fame. Beloved by the army, honored by his Sovereign, and respected by his country, he has terminatetl a life devoted to her serviVi by a glorious deatli, — leaving his name as a memorial, an example, and an incitement, to those who shall follow him in the path of honor, and it is from his country alone that his memory can receive tiie tribute wliich is its due. (Signed) " John Hci'E, Lieut. -General." 184 APPENDIX. '' General Orders. Horse Guards, \at FeJruary, 1809. " The benefits derived to an army from the example of a distinguLihed Commander, do not terminate at his death ; his virtues live in the recollection of his associates, and his fame remains the strongest incentive to great and glorious actions. " In this view, the Commander-in-Chief, amidst the deep and universal regret which the deatli of Lieut.-General Sir John Moore has occasioned, recals to the troops the military career of that illustrious officer for their instruction and imitation. " Sir John Moore from his youth embraced the profession with the feelings and sentiments of a soldier ; he felt that a perfect knowledge, and an exact performance of the humble but important duties of a subaltern officer, are the best found- ations for subsequent military fame ; and his ardent mind> while it looked forward to those brilliant achievements for which it was formed, applied itself, with energy and exemplary assiduity, to the duties of that station. " In the school of regimental duty, he obtained that correct knowledge of his profession so essential to the proper direction of the gallant spirit of the soldier ; and he was enabled to establish a Ci^aracteristic order and regularity of conduct, be- cause the troops found in their leader a striking example of the discipline which he enforced oti others. " Having risen to command, he signalized his name in the West Indies, in Holland, and in Egypt. The unremitting attention with which he devoted himself to the duties of every branch of his profession, obtained him the confidence of Sir Ralph Abercromby, and he became the companion in arms of that illustrious officer, who fell at the head of his victorious troops, in an action which maintained our national superiority over the arms of France. " Thus Sir John Moore at an early period obtained, with general approbation, that conspicuous station, in which he gloriously terminated his useful and honorable life. *' It? a military character obtained amidst the dangers of climate, the privations incident to service, and the sufferings of repeated wounds, it is difficult to select any one point as a preferable subject for praise ; it exhibits, however, one APPENDIX. 185 feature so particularly characteristic of the man, and so im- portant to the best interests of the service, that the Commander- in-Chief is pleased to mark it with his peculiar approbation— «' The life of SIR JOHN MOORE was spent amongst THE troops. " During the season of repose, his time was devoted to the care and instruction of the officer and soldier ; in war he courted service in every quarter of the globe. Regardless of personal considerations, he esteemed that to which his country called him, the post of honor, and by his undaunted spirit and unconquerable perseverance, he pointed the way to victory. " His country, the object of his latest solicitude, will rear a monument to his lamented memory ; and the Commander-in- Chief feels he is paying the best tribute to his fame by thus holding him forth as an Example to the Army. " By order of His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief. '* Harrt Calvert, " Adjutant- General!* o 186 APPENDIX. The following Regiments composed the Army under Lieut. - General Sir John Moore, at Cohunna, on the 16th of January^ 1809. Corps. Comrhanding Office s. 7th Light Dragoons 10th ,, 15th ,, 18th ,, Srd ,, (King's Germ. Leg Artillery Engineers Waggon Train Detachment . 1st Foot Guards, 1st Battalion 3rd Ist Foot 2ud 4th 5th 6th 9th 14th 20th 23rd 26th 28th 32nd 36th 38th 42nd 43rd 43rd 50th 51st 52nd 52nd 59th 60th 60th 71st 76th 79th 81st 82nd , , 91st ,, 92nd , , > > » > > > J » > ) I > > > » » I > 1 > .' > > > > » >> > ) > I >» » > > > ) > > > > > 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st . 1st . 2nd Ist » • 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 5th , 1st Ist 1st 2nd t • 1st let ) > '» » > t » » » » > » > > » » » > » > » » » » > » 1 1 ) t » » > » > > > » > » > 1 > < > > 9.5th (Rifle Reg.) 1st , , , , 2nd Staff Corps Detachment 1st Light Batt. King's German Legion. and Lieut.-Colonel Vivian , , Leigh. , , Grant , , Jones. Major Bnrgwesel. Colonel Harding. Major Fletcher. Lieut-Colonel Langley. , , Cocks. , , Wheatley. Major Muller. Lieut-Colonel Iremonger. , , Wynch. , , Mackenzie. Major Gordon. Lieut.-Colonel Cameron, Nicolls. Ross. Wyatt. Maxwell. Belson. Hinde. Bum. Hon.Chas.Greville Stirling. Gifford. Hull. Major Charles Napier. Lieut.-CoIoneI Darling. Barclay. John Ross. Fane. Codd. Major Davy. Lieut.-Colonel Pack- , , Symes. , , Cameron. Major Williams. , , M'Donala. , , Douglas. Lieut-Colonel Napier. , , Beckwith. Wade. Nicolay. Leonhart. } > > » > > » » >» > J » > > » > » > > > I » » I » It Halkett APPENDIX. 187 Letter addressed to Colonel Pearson^ commanding the TWENTT-THIRD RoYAL "WeLSH FuSILIERS, by MojOT- General Sir Willoughby Gordon^ Bart.^ on his appointment to the Colonelcy qfthe Regiment. " Horse Guards, " Dear Sir, 28th AprH, 1823. " The Commander-in-Chief having acquainted me that the King has been graciously pleased to appoint me to the colonelcy of the TwENir-THiRD Royal Welsh Fusiliers, I take the earliest opportunity in my power to notify the same to you. I beg you will be assured, that it has been to me a source of the highest gratification in having been thus selected for this honorable command ; and that while I receive it as an additional proof of His Majesty's favour to me, I feel a pride in the national distinction of the corps, and in being thus associated with its long and hardly-earned honors and renown, which it will be ever one of my most anxious duties iy« endeavour to maintain and extend. " It is also no small satisfaction to me to be immediately placed in communication with an officer under whose com- mand this fine regiment has established so much of its fame and glory. ••I have, &c., (Signed) « J. W. Gordon, " Colonel Royal Welsh Fusiliers. " Colonel Pearson, C.B., Commanding Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers." LONDON I Printed by William '^Lowit and Bom, Sttmrord 8tr«et, For Her M^eity'i Stfttionery Oftte*. I 1