Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot
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Title: Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot
Author: Richard Cannon
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE FIRST, OR ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT ***
[Illustration: BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IVᵗʰ.
_and under the Patronage of_
Her Majesty the Queen.
HISTORICAL RECORDS,
_OF THE_
British Army
_Comprising the_
_History of every Regiment_
_IN HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE_.
_By Richard Cannon Esqʳᵉ._
_Adjutant General Office House Guards._
London.
_Printed by Authority._]
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE-GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.
His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have
distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy,
an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army
shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the
Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following
particulars, viz.,
* * * * *
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the
Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed;
The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations, in which it has
been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement it may have
performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from
the Enemy.
* * * * *
---- The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the
Place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in engagements with the Enemy,
have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His
Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and
Privates, as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been permitted
to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or
any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon
the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are
animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any
measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone
great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military
History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples
to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to
emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their
honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the
present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
"London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time
of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration
to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of
Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders,
and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions
of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these
testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's
Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears
to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British
Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements.
Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly
from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and
subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having
been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future keep a
full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive
information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the
career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain,
where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns
of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits
have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the _presence of
war_, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is
known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of
climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in
every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives
from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the
trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect
on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on their
sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many
national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite
of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness
with which they have maintained their advantages against superior
numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps
employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual
bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's
special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk of the
Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail
to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is
considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to
the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the
Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are
serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment to every
thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the
services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic
accounts of the actions of the great,--the valiant,--the loyal, have
always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people.
Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger
and terror, have stood, "firm as the rocks of their native shore"; and
when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the
battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a
record of achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising,
gained by our countrymen,--our brothers,--our fellow-citizens in
arms,--a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their
gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers,
will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and
the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred
upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its
services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will
be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be
completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE INFANTRY.
The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate
courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the
British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the
midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so many proofs
of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon
the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the
distinguishing feature of the British soldier is INTREPIDITY. This
quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country
was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army, on which occasion the
undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as
they descended from their ships; and, although their discipline and
arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and
dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, including
Cæsar's favourite tenth legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short
swords, and other weapons of rude construction. They had chariots,
to the axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling
scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons,
who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit,
or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of
cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar's
legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline
and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus
regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full development of
the national character followed, and it shone forth in all its native
brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of
infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on
horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The
former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and
spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They had
also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins.
The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror, consisted (as
already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely
of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains
of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared
on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved
stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops were
employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of the
military force; and this _arme_ has since acquired, in every quarter
of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any nation at
any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns
succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances,
halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was
worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became
general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it
was almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes of
war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a change in
the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave
place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers continued
formidable adversaries; and owing to the inconvenient construction and
imperfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men,
well trained in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered
a valuable acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth
century.
During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company
of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in
every hundred men forty were "_men-at-arms_," and sixty "_shot_;" the
"men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and thirty
pikemen; and the "shot" were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and
twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his principal
weapon, a sword and dagger.
Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150
to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of
formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe)
in 1590, was:--the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the
halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on each flank of the
halberdiers; half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes; half
the archers on each flank of the musketeers; and the harquebusiers
(whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal
proportions on each flank of the company for skirmishing.[1] It was
customary to unite a number of companies into one body, called a
REGIMENT, which frequently amounted to three thousand men; but each
company continued to carry a colour. Numerous improvements were
eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and, it having
been found impossible to make armour proof against the muskets then in
use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty
for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in
the seventeenth century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and
the infantry were reduced to two classes, viz.: _musketeers_, armed
with matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and _pikemen_, armed with
pikes, from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King
of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men; he caused
the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in
small wooden bandoleers, each containing a charge, to be made up into
cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment into
two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of pikemen. He also
adopted the practice of forming four regiments into a brigade; and the
number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each regiment.
He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could resist the
charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers; and
his armies became the admiration of other nations His mode of formation
was copied by the English, French, and other European states; but, so
great was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that all his
improvements were not adopted until near a century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled the
Admiral's regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted
of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks. In
this year the king added a company of men armed with hand-grenades to
each of the old British regiments, which was designated the "grenadier
company." Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the muzzles of the
muskets, and bayonets similar to those at present in use were adopted
about twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1635, by order of King James II., to
guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th
Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes.
King William III. incorporated the Admiral's regiment in the Second
Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During
the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting the
fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers;
the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans; ensigns,
half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the Marine
regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the breaking out of
the war in 1702.[2]
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every
infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the
grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand-grenades; and
the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour: the corps
of Royal Artillery was first added to the army in this reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry
ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light companies
were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of General
Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside their swords,
as that weapon had never been used during the seven years' war. Since
that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been limited to the
musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British troops have seldom differed
materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states;
and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed
to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to
contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of
the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying
occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior
numbers.
Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have dared
to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant with
any arms. At _Crecy_, King Edward III., at the head of about 30,000
men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of France,
whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men; here British valour
encountered veterans of renown:--the King of Bohemia, the King of
Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and the French army
was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward Prince of
Wales, who was designated the Black Prince, defeated, at _Poictiers_,
with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and
took John I., King of France, and his son Philip, prisoners. On the
25th of October, 1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000
men, although greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness,
defeated, at _Agincourt_, the Constable of France, at the head of the
flower of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men,
and gained a complete victory.
During the seventy years' war between the United Provinces of the
Netherlands and the Spanish monarch, which commenced in 1578 and
terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the States
General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and firmness;[3]
and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant Princes and the
Emperor of Germany, the British troops in the service of Sweden and
other states were celebrated for deeds of heroism.[4] In the wars of
Queen Anne, the fame of the British army under the great MARLBOROUGH
was spread throughout the world; and if we glance at the achievements
performed within the memory of persons now living, there is abundant
proof that the Britons of the present age are not inferior to their
ancestors in the qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness
the deeds of the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who
fought in Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the
French army, which had been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate
that country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the
arduous campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON;
and the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where
Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great
Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means he
could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their
fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British Government.
These achievements, with others of recent dates in the distant climes
of India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the
breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and
Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular
frame,--intrepidity which no danger can appal,--unconquerable spirit
and resolution,--patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful
obedience to his superiors. These qualities, united with an excellent
system of order and discipline to regulate and give a skilful direction
to the energies and adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise
selection of officers of superior talent to command, whose presence
inspires confidence,--have been the leading causes of the splendid
victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame of the deeds of the
past and present generations in the various battle-fields where the
robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered, surrounds the British
arms with an halo of glory; these achievements will live in the page of
history to the end of time.
The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a detail
of facts of an interesting character, connected with the hardships,
sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in the various
parts of the world where the calls of their Country and the commands
of their Sovereign, have required them to proceed in the execution
of their duty, whether in active continental operations, or in
maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set
forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest
commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of
this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every
species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances
of service, are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military
tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles.
Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the
continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time
been introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by which the
superiority of the national military character is maintained. The rank
and influence, which Great Britain has attained among the nations of
the world, have in a great measure been purchased by the valour of the
Army, and to persons, who have the welfare of their country at heart,
the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:--
20 20 20 30 2⚐0 30 20 20 20
Harque- Arch- Mus- Pikes. Hal- Pikes. Mus- Arch- Harque-
buses. ers. kets. berds. kets. ers. buses.
The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10 of a pound; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed 1/23 of a pound.
[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of
Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral
Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its
subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the siege
of Barcelona in 1705.
[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed in
1590, observes:--"I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation would
beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field, let
them be chosen where they list." Yet at this time the Spanish infantry
was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For instances of
valour displayed by the British Infantry during the Seventy Years' War,
see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or Buffs.
[4] Vide the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot.
[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes
the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in
Egypt, to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but
His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed
on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a
strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which
has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has
enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military
character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of
peculiar difficulty."--_General Orders in 1801._
In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope
(afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful
result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is
stated:--"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops
ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing
march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had
acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the
troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been
surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves; and the enemy has
been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he
may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers
a bravery that knows not how to yield,--that no circumstances can
appal,--and that will ensure victory when it is to be obtained by the
exertion of any human means.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE FIRST,
OR
ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT:
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE ORIGIN OF THE REGIMENT
IN THE REIGN OF
KING JAMES VI. OF SCOTLAND,
AND
OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
To 1846.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING CROSS.
M DCCC XLVII.
LONDON:--PRINTED BY W. CLOWES & SONS, DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET,
FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.
THE FIRST,
OR
THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT
Bears on its Colours, as a Regimental Badge,
THE ROYAL CIPHER WITHIN THE CIRCLE OF ST. ANDREW,
SURMOUNTED WITH A CROWN.
In the corners of the second Colour
THE THISTLE AND CROWN,
WITH THE MOTTO
_"NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT":_
ALSO THE
SPHYNX,
AND THE FOLLOWING INSCRIPTIONS:--
"EGMONT-OP-ZEE,"--"ST. LUCIA,"--"EGYPT,"--"CORUNNA,"--"BUSACO,"--
"SALAMANCA,"--"VITTORIA,"--"ST. SEBASTIAN,"--"NIVE,"--"PENINSULA,"--
"NIAGARA,"--"WATERLOO,"--
"NAGPORE,"--"MAHEIDPOOR,"--"AVA."
CONTENTS.
Anno Page
882 Origin of the _Scots Guards_ at the French Court 1
1420 Scots Auxiliaries sent to France 2
1421 Battle of Baugé 3
1422 Scots _Gendarmes_ instituted in France --
---- Capture of Avranches --
1423 Battle of Crevan --
1424 ---- Verneuille --
1440 Scots _Garde du Corps_ instituted in France --
1495 Conquest of Naples 4
1515 Battle of Pavia --
1590 Origin of the _Royal Regiment_ --
1613 _Scots Regiment in the service of Sweden_ 7
1615 Capture of Kexholm, and siege of Plesko --
1620 ---- Riga, Dunamond, and Mittau 8
---- Scots Companies in the service of the King of
Bohemia --
1621} Battles of Prague and Fleurus --
1622}
1625 _Hepburn's Scots Regiment in the Swedish Service_ 9
---- Capture of Selburg, Duneberg, Nidorp, and
Dorpat; and battle of Semigallia --
1626 Relief of Mew --
1627 Capture of Kesmark and Marienberg, and action
at Dirschan 10
1628 Capture of Newburg, Strasberg, Dribentz, Sweitz,
and Massovia --
---- Defence of Stralsund --
1629 Skirmish near Thorn --
1630 Relief of Rugenwald 12
---- Blockade of Colberg 13
1631 Capture of Frankfort on the Oder 14
---- ---- Landsberg 16
1631 Defence of the fortified camp at Werben 17
---- Battle of Leipsic --
---- Capture of Halle, and services in Franconia 21
---- ---- Wurtzburg and Marienberg 22
---- Defence of Oxenford --
---- Capture of Frankfort on the Maine 23
---- ---- Oppenheim and Mentz 24
1632 ---- Donawerth 26
---- Forcing the passage of the Lech 27
---- Capture of Augsburg --
---- Siege of Ingoldstadt --
---- Capture of Landshut and Munich 28
---- Relief of Weissemberg --
---- Defence of Nurenberg --
---- Capture of Rayn and Landsberg 30
---- Relief of Rayn 31
1633 Skirmish near Memmingen 32
---- Capture of Kaufbeuren --
---- Siege of Kempten --
1634 Battle of Nordlingen 33
_Hepburn's Scots Regiment in the French Service_:
---- Siege of La Motte, and relief of Heidelberg 34
1635 _Hepburn's two regiments incorporated_ 35
---- Action near Metz 36
1636 Capture of Saverne --
1638} Siege of St. Omer 38
}
1639} Capture of Renty, Catelet, and Hesdin 39
---- Skirmish near St. Nicholas 40
1643 Battle of Roucroy 41
---- Capture of Thionville and Turin --
1644 Capture of Gravelines 42
1646 ---- Courtray and Dunkirk 43
1648 Battle of Lens --
1649 Siege of Paris 44
1652 Action in the suburbs of Paris 45
---- Skirmish at Villeneuve, St. George's 47
---- Capture of Bar le Duc, and Ligny 48
1653 Capture of Château Portien and Vervins 49
1661 The Regiment proceeds to England 52
1662 Returns to France; Scots Guards incorporated in
the Regiment 53
1666 Proceeds to England, and afterwards to Ireland --
1668 Returns to France 54
1672 Capture of Grave --
1673 ---- Maestricht 55
1674 Skirmishes near Heidelberg --
---- Battle of Molsheim 56
1675 Capture of Dachstein 57
---- Defence of Treves --
1676 Skirmish near Saverne 58
1677 ---- Kochersberg and capture of Fribourg 59
1678 Returns to England 60
---- Grenadier Company added --
1679 Stationed in Ireland --
1680 Four Companies proceed to Tangier 61
---- Action with the Moors --
---- Twelve additional Companies proceed to Tangier 62
---- Actions with the Moors 63
1683 One Company from Tangier to England 67
1684 Fifteen Companies ditto --
---- Five Companies from Ireland to England --
---- Styled "_The Royal Regiment of Foot_" --
---- Reviewed by King Charles II. 68
1685 Battle of Sedgemoor 70
---- Rewards to Wounded Officers and Men 72
---- Reviewed by King James II. 73
1686 Divided into Two Battalions 74
---- 2nd Battalion proceeds to Scotland --
---- 1st " encamps on Hounslow Heath --
1688 1st " ditto 75
---- 2nd " from Scotland to England --
---- The Revolution --
1689 The Regiment mutinies 77
---- 2nd Battalion proceeds to Scotland 79
---- 1st " " the Netherlands --
---- 1st " Battle of Walcourt --
1690 2nd Battalion proceeds from Scotland to Holland 80
1692 Battle of Steenkirk 81
1693 ---- Landen 84
1695 1st Battalion, Siege of Namur 87
1696 Reviewed by King William III. 91
1698 Embarks for Ireland 92
1701 Embarks for Holland 93
1702 Covering the siege of Kayserswerth 94
---- Skirmish near Nimeguen --
---- Covering the sieges of Venloo and Ruremonde 95
---- Capture of Stevenswart and Liege --
1703 ---- Huy and Limburg 97
1704 Battle of Schellenberg 99
---- ---- Blenheim 102
---- Covering the siege of Landau 105
1705 Re-capture of Huy 106
---- Forcing the French lines at Neer-Hespen and
Helixem 107
---- Skirmish near the Dyle 108
1706 Battle of Ramilies 109
---- Covering the sieges of Dendermond, Ostend, and
Menin --
---- Capture of Aeth 110
1707 The regimental badge changed from the _Cross_
to the _Circle of St. Andrew_ --
1708 Battle of Oudenarde 111
---- Covering the siege of Lisle 112
---- Battle of Wynendale 113
---- Forcing the passage of the Scheldt 114
---- Capture of Ghent --
1709 Capture of Tournay 115
---- Battle of Malplaquet 116
---- Covering the siege of Mons 118
1710 ---- Douay and Bethune --
---- Capture of Aire 119
1711 ---- Bouchain --
1712 Covering the siege of Quesnoy 120
1714 Returns to England 121
1715 Proceeds to Ireland 122
1741 2nd Battalion proceeds to the West Indies 123
1742 2nd Battalion proceeds to England 123
1743 " returns to Ireland --
---- 1st Battalion proceeds to Flanders --
1745 " battle of Fontenoy 124
---- " embarks for England 125
---- 2nd Battalion ---- ditto --
---- " marches to Scotland 126
1746 " battle of Falkirk --
---- " ---- Culloden 127
---- 1st Battalion, expedition to L'Orient, &c. 128
1747 " proceeds to Holland 130
---- " relief of Hulst, and defence of
Fort Sandberg --
1748 2nd Battalion proceeds to Holland 131
1749 Both Battalions proceed to Ireland 132
1751 Regulation respecting Colours and Clothing; and
designated "_The First, or Royal Regiment
of Foot_" --
1757 2nd Battalion proceeds to North America 134
1758 " capture of Louisburg --
1759 " ---- Ticonderago, and Crown Point 135
1760 2nd Battalion, expedition against the Cherokees 136
---- " capture of Isle aux Noix, and
Montreal 141
---- 1st Battalion proceeds to Quiberon Bay; returns
to Ireland 142
1761 2nd Battalion, expedition against the Cherokees --
---- " capture of Dominico 144
1762 " capture of Martinico, and the
Havannah --
---- " re-capture of Newfoundland 147
1763 " returns to England 148
1764 " proceeds to Scotland --
1768 1st Battalion ---- Gibraltar --
---- 2nd Battalion returns to England --
1771 " proceeds to Minorca --
1775 Both Battalions return to England --
1780 1st Battalion proceeds to the West Indies 149
1781 1st Battalion, capture of St. Eustatia, St. Martin,
and Saba 149
1782 " defence of St. Christopher --
---- " returns to England 152
1784 2nd Battalion proceeds to Gibraltar 153
---- 1st Battalion ---- Ireland --
1790 " ---- West Indies --
1793 2nd Battalion, defence of Toulon --
1794 " descent on Corsica; capture of
Convention Redoubt, and Calvi 156
---- 1st Battalion proceeds to St. Domingo 159
---- " capture of Fort L'Acal --
---- " attack on Bombarde 160
---- " defence of a Block House --
---- " capture of Port-au-Prince --
---- " defence of Fort Bizzeton 161
1795 " ---- an out-post --
1796 2nd Battalion proceeds to Elba 162
1797 1st Battalion returns to England; proceeds to
Scotland 162
---- 2nd Battalion proceeds to Portugal --
1798 1st Battalion ---- Ireland 163
1799 2nd Battalion returns to England --
---- " expedition to Holland --
---- " action near the Helder --
---- " ---- Shagen 164
---- " battle of Egmont-op-Zee --
---- " returns to England 165
1800 " expedition to Ferrol and Cadiz --
---- 1st Battalion proceeds to Scotland 166
1801 2nd Battalion, expedition to Egypt --
---- " battle of Aboukir --
---- " ---- Alexandria 168
---- " skirmishes at Hamed, El Aft, &c. 170
---- " capture of Cairo, and Alexandria --
---- 1st Battalion returns to England 171
---- " proceeds to the West Indies --
---- " capture of St. Martin, St. Thomas,
St. John, and Santa Cruz 172
1801 2nd Battalion proceeds to Malta 172
1802 " ---- Gibraltar --
1803 " returns to England --
---- " proceeds to the West Indies --
---- " capture of St. Lucia, and Tobago 173
---- 1st Battalion ---- Essequibo, Demerara,
and Berbice 174
1804 _Two additional Battalions embodied_ --
1805 4th Battalion proceeds to Ireland --
---- 3rd Battalion ---- England --
---- 2nd Battalion ---- England 175
1806 4th Battalion ---- England --
1807 2nd Battalion ---- the East Indies --
---- 3rd Battalion ---- Ireland --
---- 4th Battalion ---- Scotland --
1808 " ---- England 176
---- 3rd Battalion, expedition to Spain --
1809 " battle of Corunna 177
---- " embarks for England 178
---- " expedition to Walcheren 179
---- " siege of Flushing --
---- " returns to England 180
1810 1st Battalion, capture of Guadaloupe --
---- 3rd Battalion proceeds to Portugal 181
---- " battle of Busaco --
---- 4th Battalion proceeds to Scotland 182
1811 3rd Battalion, battle of Fuentes d'Onor --
1812 " siege of Ciudad Rodrigo 183
---- Styled, "_First Regiment of Foot, or Royal Scots_" --
---- 3rd Battalion, siege of Badajoz --
---- " skirmish near Torrecille de la Orden 184
---- " battle of Salamanca --
---- " siege of Burgos 185
---- " skirmish near Palencia --
---- 1st Battalion proceeds to Canada 186
1813 " attack on Sackett's Harbour 188
---- " ---- Sodius --
---- " skirmish near Four-mile Creek 189
---- " ---- Cross-roads --
---- " capture of Fort Niagara --
1813 1st Battalion, capture of Black-rock and Buffalo 190
---- 3rd Battalion, skirmish near Osma 192
---- " battle of Vittoria --
---- " capture of St. Sebastian 193
---- " passage of the Bidassoa 195
---- " battles of Nivelle and Nive 196
---- 4th Battalion proceeds to Swedish Pomerania --
1814 1st Battalion, action at Longwood 197
---- " skirmish near Chippewa 198
---- " battle of Lundy's Lane 199
---- " siege of Fort Erie 201
---- " action at Cook's Mills 202
---- 2nd Battalion employed against the Pindarees 203
---- 3rd Battalion, blockade of Bayonne --
---- 4th Battalion, siege of Bergen-op-Zoom --
---- " returns to England 204
---- " proceeds to Canada 205
---- 3rd Battalion, repulsing the sortie from Bayonne --
---- " proceeds to Ireland 206
1815 1st and 4th Battalions return to England 207
---- 3rd Battalion proceeds to Flanders --
---- " battle of Quatre Bras 208
---- " ---- Waterloo 210
---- " advances to Paris 212
---- 4th Battalion proceeds to France --
1816 " _returns to England, and disbanded_ 214
---- 1st Battalion proceeds to Ireland --
1817 _3rd Battalion returns to England, and disbanded_ 215
---- Order respecting inscriptions on the colours --
---- 2nd Battalion, services against the Pindarees 216
---- " battle of Nagpore 217
---- " ---- Maheidpoor 221
1818 " capture of Fort Talnere 223
---- " capture of Forts Gawelghur, and
Narnullah 225
---- " operations against Peishwah Bajee
Rao 226
---- " capture of Forts Unkye, Rajdeir,
Inderye, Trimbuck, and Malleygaum 227
1819 " capture of Asseerghur
1819 2nd Battalion capture of Asseerghur 229
1821 The title of "_First, or Royal Regiment of Foot_"
restored 236
1825 2nd Battalion embarks for Rangoon --
---- " action at Donabew 237
---- " skirmishes at Padoun Mew 240
---- " action at Simbike 244
---- " action near the Irawaddy 246
1826 1st Battalion, Service Companies proceed to the
West Indies 248
---- " Reserve Companies proceed to
Scotland 249
---- 2nd Battalion, action at Melloone 250
---- " ---- Pagahm Mew 251
---- " returns to Madras 252
1831 " embarks for England 254
1832 " proceeds to Scotland 249
---- _The colours of both Battalions assimilated_ --
1833 1st Battalion, Reserve Companies proceed to
Ireland 255
---- 2nd Battalion proceeds to Ireland 256
---- 1st Battalion, Service Companies proceed to Ireland --
1836 2nd Battalion, ---- proceed to Canada --
1837 " Depôt companies proceed to England 257
---- " Service Companies, action at St.
Charles --
---- " ---- action at
Point Olivière 258
---- " ---- action at
St. Eustache 259
1838 1st Battalion proceeds to Scotland 261
1839 " Service Companies embark for
Gibraltar --
1841 " Depôt Companies proceed to Ireland --
1843 2nd Battalion, Service Companies embark for the
West Indies --
---- " Wreck of the Premier Transport,
and return of the head-quarter division
to Quebec --
1844 2nd Battalion, head-quarters, and three Companies
proceed to Nova Scotia, and embark
for the West Indies 261
1846 " Service Companies embark for Scotland,
and joined by Depôt Companies --
---- 1st Battalion, Service Companies embark for the
West Indies 262
---- The conclusion 263
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
1633 Sir John Hepburn 265
1636 James Hepburn 267
1637 Lord James Douglas --
1655 Lord George Douglas 268
1688 Frederick Duke Schomberg --
1691 Sir Robert Douglas 270
1692 Lord George Hamilton 271
1737 Honourable James St. Clair 272
1762 Sir Henry Erskine, Bart. 273
1765 John Marquis of Lorne --
1782 Lord Adam Gordon 274
1801 His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent 275
1820 George Marquis of Huntly 279
1834 Thomas Lord Lynedoch 280
1843 Sir George Murray, G.C.B. 285
1846 Sir James Kempt, G.C.B. 288
PLATES.
Colours of the Regiment, to precede Page 1
Colonel Sir Robert Douglas, at the Battle of Steenkirk,
to face 83
Uniform in 1838, to face 261
[Illustration: Colours of the 1st, or Royal Regiment of Foot.
To face page 1.]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE FIRST,
OR
ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT.
[Sidenote: 882]
THE ROYAL REGIMENT of FOOT is the representative of a body of gallant
Scots, formerly in the service of the celebrated GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS,
King of Sweden; and of another body of Scots, many years in the service
of the Kings of France; and it claims an origin anterior to that of any
other corps in the British army; but, although a laborious research has
been made, and _much_ information procured, yet, owing to the little
attention which was paid to the history of military bodies previously
to the last century, _all_ the circumstances connected with its origin
have not been ascertained. Its first Colonel was SIR JOHN HEPBURN, a
distinguished officer, well known in Europe during the early part of
the seventeenth century; but it appears to have existed some time as
independent companies before it was constituted a regiment. Tradition
has connected its early services with the ancient Scots Guards at the
French court; and, in order that the claims of the ROYAL REGIMENT to
antiquity may be clearly understood, a brief statement of the origin
and services of the Scots Guards is introduced into this record.
The Scots have been celebrated for deeds of arms for many centuries,
and they have been described by historians as a hardy, valiant,
and generous people. Led by a native ardour for military fame,
many Scotsmen have quitted their own country, and, like the daring
adventurers of the remote ages, they have sought renown in foreign
lands, where they have acquired celebrity for martial achievements,
long before the practice of forming military bodies into regiments
existed. It is recorded in history, that as early as the year 882,
Charles III., King of France, had twenty-four armed Scots, in whose
fidelity and valour he reposed confidence, to attend his person as a
guard.[6]
[Sidenote: 1254]
The life of LOUIS IX. is stated to have been twice preserved,--once in
France, and afterwards in Egypt during the Holy War, by his faithful
and valiant Scots attendants; and that monarch, after his return from
Palestine, in 1254, increased the number of Scots who attended his
person to about one hundred, and constituted them a Corps of Guards.[7]
The practice of having armed Scots attendants appears to have been
continued by the succeeding sovereigns of France, and Charles V. is
stated to have placed this corps on a regular establishment.
[Sidenote: 1415]
[Sidenote: 1420]
[Sidenote: 1421]
[Sidenote: 1422]
[Sidenote: 1423]
[Sidenote: 1424]
[Sidenote: 1429]
[Sidenote: 1440]
When King Henry V. of England, after having gained the memorable
victory at _Agincourt_, on the 25th of October, 1415, and captured
many of the principal towns and castles of France, was acknowledged
as heir to the French throne by Charles VI., the Scots Guards appear
to have quitted the court, and to have taken part with the Dauphin
(afterwards Charles VII.), in his resistance to the new arrangement
which deprived him of the succession to the crown. At the same time
7000 men were sent from Scotland, under the command of John Earl of
Buchan, to assist the Dauphin, and these auxiliaries having evinced
signal gallantry on several occasions, especially at the battle of
_Baugé_, on the 22nd March, 1421, when the Duke of Clarence and above
a thousand English were killed, King Charles VII. selected from among
them one hundred "Men at Arms," and one hundred "Archers," whom he
constituted a corps of Guards for the protection of the Royal Person,
which corps was subsequently designated the "GENDARMES ECOSSOISES:" at
the same time, the Scots Commander, the Earl of Buchan, was appointed
Constable of France. The Scots continued with the French army, and
signalized themselves at the capture of _Avranches_, in Normandy, in
1422; and at the battle of _Crevan_, in 1423. An additional force of
five thousand men was sent from Scotland to France in 1424, and the
Scots gave proof of personal bravery at the battle of _Verneuille_, in
1424; and in the attack of an English convoy under Sir John Falstolfe,
in 1429; and after these repeated instances of gallantry, Charles VII.
selected a number of Scots gentlemen of quality and approved valour,
whom he constituted a Guard, to which he gave precedence before all
other troops in France, and this guard was designated LE GARDE DU CORPS
ECOSSOISES.[8] The Scots GENDARMES, and GARDE DU CORPS, continued to
form part of the French military force until about the year 1788; but
for more than a hundred years before their dissolution the officers and
men were nearly all French.
[Sidenote: 1484]
[Sidenote: 1495]
[Sidenote: 1509]
[Sidenote: 1515]
About the year 1484, another auxiliary force proceeded from Scotland
to France; and the Scots in the French service signalized themselves
in various parts of Europe, but especially in Italy in the year 1495,
and they acquired the principal glory in the conquest of Naples.[9]
There were also Scots troops with the French army serving against the
Venetians in 1509,[10] and with King Francis I. of France, in Italy, in
1515, in which year the Scots Guards were nearly all killed in defence
of the King's person before _Pavia_, where he was taken prisoner.[11]
After this fatal battle King Francis is stated to have exclaimed, "We
have lost everything but our honour!"
[Sidenote: 1590]
Two historical accounts of the origin and services of the FIRST, OR
ROYAL, REGIMENT OF FOOT, have already been printed, in which this
corps is stated to be a continuation of the ancient Scots Guards at
the French Court but this is an error,--the Scots Guards were Cavalry,
and this was always an Infantry corps, and it never sustained any
character in the French army, but that of a regiment of the line. The
supposition, that this Regiment was formerly the Body Guard of the
Scottish kings is also without foundation.
Milan, a military historian of the 18th century, who evinced much
zeal and assiduity in tracing the origin of every British corps,
designates the ROYAL REGIMENT an "OLD SCOTS CORPS; THE TIME OF ITS RISE
UNCERTAIN;" and in the two editions of his succession of Colonels,
published in 1742 and 1746, he did not give the date of the appointment
of its first Colonel, SIR JOHN HEPBURN; but, in a subsequent edition,
he states the 26th of January, 1633, to be the date of this officer's
commission, as Colonel of the OLD SCOTS CORPS. This date appears to
be correct, as SIR JOHN HEPBURN did not quit Germany until 1632, and
no mention of a Scots _Regiment_ in the French service has been met
with in any of the military histories, or other French works (of which
many volumes have been examined), previously to 1633. This corps must,
however, have existed some time as _independent companies_, previously
to its being constituted a regiment, as Père Daniel, in his history of
the French army,[12] states, that this regiment, which he designates
"LE REGIMENT DE DOUGLAS," was sent from Scotland to France in the reign
of James VI. (James I. of England), and this monarch commenced his
reign in 1567, when he was only a child, and died in 1625; hence it
is evident that it had been in France some years before its formation
into a regiment, under the command of SIR JOHN HEPBURN, took place.
Père Daniel also alludes to this corps, in connexion with Henry IV.
of France, and thus associates its services with the wars between
that monarch and the Leaguers, which fixes the date of its arrival in
France about the second year of his reign, viz. 1590. Francis Grose,
the author of the British Military Antiquities, does not profess to be
in possession of any information respecting the ROYAL REGIMENT, beyond
what he obtained from Père Daniel; and the French historians of the
seventeenth century introduce the regiment into their works abruptly,
without saying a word about its origin. Thus, the only intelligence
extant relating to the origin of this distinguished corps, and which
is corroborated by collateral evidence, amounts to this:--"A BODY OF
SCOTTISH INFANTRY PROCEEDED FROM SCOTLAND TO FRANCE IN THE REIGN OF
JAMES VI., TO ASSIST HENRY IV. IN HIS WARS WITH THE LEAGUERS; AND WAS
CONSTITUTED IN JANUARY, 1633, A REGIMENT, WHICH IS NOW THE FIRST, OR
ROYAL, REGIMENT OF FOOT IN THE BRITISH LINE." The companies which
proceeded to France were probably raised and commanded by men who
had served in the Scots Guards at the French Court, which might give
rise to the tradition of the ROYAL REGIMENT being connected with that
corps; and, as the Scots Guards have ceased to exist, the ROYALS may be
considered as the representative of that ancient body.
[Sidenote: 1591]
[Sidenote: 1595]
The occasion of these Scots companies being raised and sent to France
in the reign of James VI., was the succession of Henry of Navarre, a
Protestant prince, to the throne of France, in 1589, by the title of
Henry IV., when a sanguinary war commenced between him and the combined
Roman Catholic princes and nobles, called the Leaguers, who opposed
his accession to the throne with all their power and influence. Queen
Elizabeth furnished the French monarch with auxiliary English forces;
the King of Scotland permitted his subjects to aid the Protestant
cause, and several companies of Scottish foot were raised and sent
to France. The British troops highly distinguished themselves under
the Lord Willoughby, Sir John Norris, Sir Roger Williams, and other
commanders. The English afterwards quitted France, but Henry IV.,
having discovered the value of these companies of hardy and valiant
Scots, retained them in his service.
[Sidenote: 1609]
[Sidenote: 1610]
In 1609, and the early part of 1610, Henry IV. made preparations for
engaging in a war with the House of Austria; but he was murdered in
the streets of Paris on the 14th of May, 1610; and, after his death,
his son, Louis XIII., being a minor, the preparations for war were
discontinued, and part of the army was disbanded.
Leaving the Scots companies in France, where they appear to have been
employed in garrison duty for many years, the Record commences the
narrative of the services of another body of Scots, under the King of
Sweden, of which the ROYAL REGIMENT is also the representative.
[Sidenote: 1611]
[Sidenote: 1613]
GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, _King of Sweden_, who was designated "_the lion of
the north_," succeeded to the throne in 1611, and he soon began to take
an important part in the affairs of Europe. Having heard of the valour
of the Scots, he procured, in 1613, a number of companies from Scotland
and from the Netherlands,[13] and formed two Scots regiments. He also
hired fifteen ships from the Scots nation, which took the town and
district of Drontheim, and sailed afterwards to the southernmost shores
of Sweden.[14]
[Sidenote: 1615]
[Sidenote: 1616]
A peace was soon afterwards concluded between Sweden and Denmark;
but Gustavus retained his Scots veterans in his service; and in 1615
he commenced a war with Russia. He soon rendered himself master of
the province of Ingria,--took by storm the strong fort of _Kexholm_,
and besieged _Plesko_; but he was induced to desist from further
enterprises by the pacific interposition of King James I. of England,
and a cessation of hostilities took place.
[Sidenote: 1617]
[Sidenote: 1619]
The Scots in the service of Gustavus were, however, allowed but a short
period of repose before they were again called upon to take the field.
In 1617 Gustavus invaded Poland; and his troops were engaged in various
actions until 1619, when a truce was agreed upon by the contending
powers.
[Sidenote: 1620]
[Sidenote: 1621]
In 1620 the King of Sweden renewed the war; and the Scots, under
Colonels Ruthven and Seaton, distinguished themselves at the siege and
capture of _Riga_, the capital city of Livonia. The towns of _Dunamond_
and _Mittau_ were also captured soon afterwards; and these successes
were followed by another truce.
Meanwhile events had transpired which gave rise to the formation of
another body of Scots, with whose services the ROYAL Regiment is also
connected. The Protestants of Bohemia having revolted from the dominion
of Austria, elected to the throne the Count Palatine, who was assisted
by an English regiment under Sir Horace Hore; and had also in his
service a regiment of English and Scots, under Colonel GRAY; and one of
the Scots companies was commanded by JOHN HEPBURN, who was the first
Colonel of the ROYAL Regiment. GRAY'S regiment was employed in 1620 to
guard the King of Bohemia's person; but after the loss of the battle
of _Prague_ in 1621, His Majesty fled to Holland. GRAY'S regiment
formed part of the force rallied by the Earl of Mansfield; after many
enterprises, it retreated to the Palatinate, and was employed in Alsace
and Germany.
[Sidenote: 1622]
[Sidenote: 1625]
After the Princes of the Union had made peace with the Emperor, it
retreated through Alsace and Lorraine, and along the borders of France
to the Netherlands, and was engaged with a Spanish force near _Fleurus_
(30th August, 1622), when Sir James Ramsay and Captains HEPBURN and
Hume evinced signal gallantry. The army afterwards proceeded to
Holland, and was disbanded; when HEPBURN and his company entered the
service of the King of Sweden. About the year 1625, Gustavus Adolphus
appointed JOHN HEPBURN Colonel of a Scots regiment, of which the ROYAL
REGIMENT OF FOOT is the representative.
The King of Sweden renewed hostilities with Poland in 1625, and
conquered _Selburg_, _Duneberg_, _Nidorp_, and _Dorpat_; and defeated
the Polish army on the plains of _Semigallia_.
[Sidenote: 1626]
During the succeeding year he captured several places belonging to
the Elector of Brandenburg; and in a short time afterwards gained
possession of Polish Prussia.
Historians have omitted to state the part which the Scots regiments
took in these services; but it is recorded that at the relief of _Mew_,
a town near the conflux of the river Versa into the Vistula, COLONEL
JOHN HEPBURN'S Scots soldiers highly distinguished themselves. These
veterans being sent upon a desperate service, climbed a steep and
difficult eminence with surprising alacrity to attack the Poles.
"When Thurn and Hepburn had gained the summit, which lay near the
banks of the Vistula, they found the Polish soldiers entrenching
themselves, and fell on them with incredible fury. But as the Poles
poured in fresh troops every moment, the fight was maintained for two
hours with surprising obstinacy. During this interval Gustavus threw
a supply of men and ammunition into the town. And here, once more, it
appeared that infantry were able to resist an equal or superior body
of cavalry, for the fire of Thurn's soldiers was irresistible, and the
pikemen stood immovable, like a wall of brass."[15] The Poles, dismayed
at the desperate resolution of their opponents, raised the siege, and
Gustavus entered the town on the same evening.
[Sidenote: 1627]
The King of Sweden made his appearance in Prussia in 1627, at the
head of a brave and well-appointed army, of which COLONEL HEPBURN'S
regiment formed a part; he took _Kesmark_ by assault, and defeated, on
the same day, a division of Polish troops marching to its relief. He
afterwards besieged and captured _Marienberg_; and defeated the Poles
at _Dirschan_.
[Sidenote: 1628]
The army was joined in 1628 by nine thousand Scots and English
soldiers, and from this period the British troops took an important
part in the military operations of the Swedish monarch, who was now
at the head of 2,000 cavalry, 24,000 infantry, and 3,000 archers. He
repulsed the Poles in a sharp skirmish, and captured four field-pieces
and fourteen colours; and he subsequently besieged _Dantzic_, but he
afterwards relinquished his design on this place, and captured, by
surrender, _Newburg_, _Strasberg_, and _Dribentz_, and took _Sweitz_
and _Massovia_ by storm.
This year _Stralsund_ was besieged by the Imperialists, and two Scots
regiments in the service of the King of Denmark, with a detachment
from the King of Sweden's army, under the Scots Colonel, Sir Alexander
Lesley, assisted in the defence of the town; after a siege of
three months, the Emperor's General, Albert Count Walstein, having
half-ruined a numerous army, retired from before the place.
[Sidenote: 1629]
In the succeeding year the Emperor Ferdinand II. commenced measures
for the extirpation of the protestant religion in Germany, where it
had taken deep root for about a century; he also sent troops to the
assistance of the Poles in their war with Sweden; but Gustavus was
enabled to oppose the united armies, and to hold them in check. In a
partial action between the advance-guards, a few miles from _Thorn_,
Gustavus's hat was knocked off in a personal encounter with one of
the enemy's officers named Sirot, who afterwards wore the hat without
knowing to whom it belonged. On the succeeding day, two prisoners
(one a Scots officer named Hume) seeing Sirot wearing the King, their
master's, hat, wept exceedingly, and with exclamations of sorrow,
desired to be informed if the King was dead. Sirot, being thus made
acquainted with the quality of his antagonist in the preceding day's
skirmish, related the manner in which he became possessed of the hat,
upon which they recovered a little from their anxiety and surprise.
Soon afterwards the King of Poland, having nearly exhausted his
resources, became disposed to enter into pacific relations with Sweden,
and a treaty was concluded in the summer of this year.
This peace gave the King of Sweden an opportunity of executing his
design of interposing in behalf of the persecuted protestants of
Germany, in which he was abetted by England, France, and Holland, and
the Scots in his service had the honour of taking part in this glorious
enterprise.
[Sidenote: 1630]
Preparations were made for this great undertaking with perseverance
and judgment. It is recorded in history that the King of Sweden had in
his service ten thousand English and Scots soldiers, well nurtured and
experienced in war, in whom "he always principally confided, conferring
on them the glory of every critical and trying adventure." Amongst
these forces, COLONEL JOHN HEPBURN'S SCOTS REGIMENT appears to have
held a distinguished character for gallantry on all occasions; and no
troops appear to have been found better calculated for this important
enterprise than the Scots, who proved brave, hardy, patient of fatigue
and privation, frugal, obedient, and sober soldiers. In addition to
the British troops already in his service, Gustavus afterwards entered
into a treaty with the Marquis of Hamilton, who engaged to raise eight
thousand English and Scots for the service of the Swedish monarch.
When the King sailed with his main army for Pomerania, where he arrived
towards the end of June, 1630, COLONEL HEPBURN'S REGIMENT was stationed
under the renowned Chancellor Oxenstiern in Polish Prussia; but it
was soon afterwards engaged in operations in Outer Pomerania; and was
subsequently again stationed in Prussia, from whence it was suddenly
ordered to _Rugenwald_, in consequence of the following extraordinary
occurrence.
One of the Scots regiments[16] in the service of Sweden, commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monro, having embarked from Pillau in the
middle of August, in order to join the main army, was shipwrecked a
short distance from _Rugenwald_ in Pomerania, which place was occupied
by a garrison of Imperialists. These brave Scots, being cast ashore,
drenched with wet, without ammunition, and having only their pikes and
swords, and a few wet muskets, found themselves surrounded by garrisons
of the enemy, and at a distance of eighty miles from the king and
his army; yet, with astonishing resolution and courage, under such
disadvantageous circumstances, they concealed themselves near the shore
until night, and, having secretly procured a few dry muskets and some
ammunition from a Pomeranian officer, they took the town by a midnight
assault, and maintained themselves, fighting and skirmishing with
the enemy, until COLONEL HEPBURN arrived with his regiment to their
relief.[17]
A Swedish army of eight thousand men was soon afterwards assembled near
Rugenwald, and COLONEL HEPBURN'S REGIMENT, having been relieved from
garrison duty, advanced to _Colberg_, and was engaged in the blockade
of the town; a detachment of the regiment was also sharply engaged with
a body of Imperialists which was advancing to relieve the place, but
was defeated.[18]
[Sidenote: 1631]
During the winter the regiment marched to the vicinity of Stettin,
the capital of Pomerania: it was subsequently employed in several
operations; and in March, 1631, it was encamped at Schwedt, in the
province of Brandenburg, where it was formed in brigade with three
other Scots regiments, viz.--Mackay's, Lumsdell's, and Stargate's.
This brigade was commanded by Colonel Hepburn, whose regiment took
the right, and was designated HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE or the _Green
Brigade_: other brigades were also formed and designated the _Yellow
Brigade_, the _Blue Brigade_, and the _White Brigade_.[19]
Advancing from Schwedt on the 24th of March, the regiment proceeded
with the main army, commanded by Gustavus in person, to _Frankfort_ on
the Oder, and was employed in the attack on the town. The army arrived
before the town during the afternoon preceding Palm Sunday, and the
regiment was posted opposite Gubengate. On the following day, after
divine service had been twice performed, the King sent Captain Guntier
of the regiment, with a serjeant and twelve private men, to ascertain
if a body of troops could be lodged between the outer and inner walls;
and this little party having, with fine courage, waded the ditch and
ascended the mud wall, gained the required information, and returned
without sustaining any loss; the King immediately afterwards commanded
the town to be attacked by storm; HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE was ordered
to commence the assault, and a select body of pikemen, with Sir John
Hepburn at their head, took the lead in this splendid enterprise.
The fascines and scaling ladders being ready, the King called Colonels
Hepburn and Lumsdell, and said, _My valiant Scots, remember your
countrymen slain at Old Brandenburg_.[20] The next moment the cannon
fired a volley, and the storming party rushing through the smoke
instantly attacked the town. Colonel Hepburn and his gallant pikemen
waded the ditch, in doing which they were waist deep in mud and water,
and carried the outer wall in gallant style. The enemy fled from the
wall towards a great sallyport, followed by Hepburn and his valiant
pikemen in full career; but when within a few paces of the port,
Hepburn was wounded in the leg and forced to halt; his place was
instantly supplied by the Major of his regiment, who was shot dead the
next moment; many of the pikemen also fell, and the remainder shrank
back before the tempest of bullets which assailed them. But in a few
moments the pikemen, led by Colonel Lumsdell and Lieutenant-Colonel
Monro, returned to the charge, and forced the sallyport; the enemy,
being confounded by the fury of the onset, omitted to let down the
portcullis. Having gained the streets, the pikemen formed up, and a
division of musketeers formed on each flank; the musketeers opened
their fire, the pikemen charged along the street, and the enemy was
routed, when a dreadful slaughter ensued, for during the fury of the
assault no quarter was given. Lieutenant-Colonel Masten, with a party
of musketeers of HEPBURN'S BRIGADE, followed the pikemen into the town,
and joining in the charge, augmented the confusion and slaughter of
the enemy. Meanwhile Major John Sinclair and Lieutenant George Heatly,
with another party of fifty musketeers of HEPBURN'S BRIGADE, scaled the
walls with ladders and drove their opponents into the town; but were
immediately afterwards charged by a troop of Imperial cuirassiers. The
brave Scots retired a few paces, and placing their backs to the wall,
kept up such a sharp fire that they forced the cuirassiers to retreat.
While HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE was thus carrying all before it, the
Yellow and Blue Brigades attacked another part of the town, where they
were warmly received by an Irish Regiment in the Emperor's service,
and were twice repulsed. The Irish behaved to admiration, but being
eventually overpowered, nearly every man was killed; and their Colonel,
Walter Butler, being shot through the arm, and pierced through the
thigh with a pike, was taken prisoner.
The slaughter continued for some time. The Imperialists beat a parley
twice, but the noise and tumult of the conflict was so great that the
drum was not heard; and they eventually fled over the bridge, leaving
nearly two thousand men and fifty colours behind them, besides stores,
treasure, and much valuable property, which fell into the hands of the
victors. The leading division of pikemen of HEPBURN'S BRIGADE, which,
after he was wounded, was commanded by Colonel Lumsdell, captured
EIGHTEEN COLOURS. This officer highly distinguished himself; and after
the town was taken, the King bid him ask what he pleased and his
request should be granted.[21]
Frankfort being thus gallantly won, a Scots officer, Major-General
Lesley, was appointed governor of this important acquisition; and on
the 5th of April, the King, placing himself at the head of a select
body of men from each brigade, commanded by Colonel Hepburn, proceeded
in the direction of _Landsberg_, and while on the march, the advance
guard defeated a regiment of Croatians. On the 8th of April a strong
fort in front of the town was attacked. The King, having through the
invention of a floating-bridge, and the ingenuity of a blacksmith,
surprised an out-guard and gained some advantage, the fort surrendered,
and the town soon afterwards followed this example. It was a remarkable
circumstance that the garrison exceeded in numbers the besieging army;
but the valour of Gustavus's troops, and the high state of discipline
which prevailed in his army, enabled him to perform astonishing
exploits. Colonel Hepburn and Lieutenant-Colonel Monro acquired great
credit by their conduct on this occasion.
After placing a garrison in Landsberg, the detachment commenced its
march on the 18th of April, back to Frankfort; and HEPBURN'S REGIMENT
proceeded soon afterwards to the vicinity of Berlin. Attempts were
made to induce the Duke of Brandenburg to join with the Swedes, and
when persuasion proved unavailing, the city of Berlin was invested.
The Duke, alarmed at this hostile proceeding, sent his Duchess and the
ladies of the court to entreat Gustavus to forbear; but the Swedish
monarch proved inexorable, and the Duke of Brandenburg was forced to
comply.
In July the regiment proceeded to Old Brandenburg, and on its arrival,
a pestilential disease raging in the city, the regiment was ordered to
encamp in the fields. During the same month the Marquis of Hamilton
arrived in Germany with six thousand British troops, which had been
raised for the service of the King of Sweden.
The regiment was subsequently engaged in several operations. It
encamped a short time near the banks of the Elbe, in the vicinity of
_Werben_, where an entrenched camp was formed, which was attacked
several times by the Imperialists without success.
The Saxons at length united their force with the Swedes; at the same
time the Imperialists, under the Count de Tilly, invaded Saxony, and
captured several towns, including _Leipsic_. The Swedish and Saxon
armies advanced against the invaders, and this movement was followed by
the decisive battle of _Leipsic_, in which COLONEL HEPBURN'S REGIMENT
took an important part.[22]
Having passed the night in order of battle, at day-break, on the
morning of the memorable 7th of September, 1631, divine service was
performed in the Swedish army, and the troops afterwards advanced
against the enemy. The Swedes took the right, and the Saxons the left.
The advance guard was composed of three regiments, two Scots and one
Dutch, led by three Scots colonels; and HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE formed
part of the reserve, which was commanded by Colonel Hepburn. The
engagement commenced about mid-day; and after a tremendous cannonade,
the cavalry of both armies advanced and engaged in a series of charges,
in which the Swedish and Finland horse had the advantage; and the King
was enabled to change his position so as to avoid the evil effects of
a high wind and clouds of dust which nearly blinded his soldiers. At
length the enemy attacked the Saxons on the left with great fury, and
drove them out of the field. The Imperialists then directed their main
force against the Swedes, and a detachment from the Scots regiments
highly distinguished itself in a conflict with the enemy's cavalry.[23]
During the heat of the conflict HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE was moved from
the rear of the centre to the left flank, which had become exposed by
the flight of the Saxons. Immediately afterwards two columns of the
enemy were seen coming down upon the left of the Swedish army, and the
King ordered HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE to wheel to the left and confront
the enemy. Before this movement was executed, the Imperialists were
within musket shot; in a moment the artillery on both sides opened
a tremendous cannonade; this was followed by two volleys from the
musketeers, and the next moment HEPBURN'S pikemen went cheering to the
charge with distinguished bravery, and, breaking in upon the front of
the first column, drove it back with terrible confusion and slaughter.
Meanwhile HEPBURN'S right wing of musketeers, commanded by Colonel
Monro, fell with great fury upon the enemy's troops which protected
the cannon and captured the guns. The slaughter would have been great,
but the ground where the battle was fought being very dry, and newly
ploughed, and the wind high, the clouds of dust favoured the escape
of the enemy.[24] When HEPBURN'S BRIGADE was attacking the enemy's
columns, the King sent the Blue Brigade and a body of musketeers to
its assistance; but before the arrival of these reinforcements the
Scots were triumphant. The Imperial columns being broken, the Swedish
horsemen pursued the fugitives until dark and made great slaughter.
Success having attended the Swedish arms in other parts of the field,
the victory was complete; but the conquerors had the misfortune to lose
their baggage, which was plundered by their friends, the runaway Saxons.
The Scots gained great honour in this action, particularly the brigade
of which HEPBURN'S regiment formed part. Colonel Monro, who commanded
the right wing of musketeers, writes--"The victory and credit of the
day was ascribed to our brigade; we were thanked by his Majesty for
our service in a public audience, and in view of the whole army, and
we were promised to be rewarded." In another place the same author
observes--"His Majesty did principally, under God, ascribe the glory
of the victory to the Swedish and Finland horsemen, who were led by
the valorous Velt-Marshal Horne; for though the Dutch horsemen did
behave themselves valorously divers times that day, yet it was not
their fortune to make the charge which did put the enemy to flight;
and though there were brave brigades of Swedes and Dutch in the field,
yet it was the SCOTS brigades' fortune to gain the praise for the foot
service, and not without cause, for they behaved themselves well, being
led and conducted by an expert and fortunate cavalier, the valiant
HEPBURN."[25]
The pursuit was continued until the Imperial army was literally cut
to pieces, excepting a few regiments, which, being favoured by the
clouds of dust and smoke, escaped. The Imperial camp was left standing,
and the Swedish troops passed the night in their enemy's tents. The
Imperial cannon, the greater part of the baggage, and many standards
and colours, were captured by the victorious Gustavus. Such were the
results of the famous battle of _Leipsic_,--the most important action
which had been fought for more than half a century,--and where the
regiment, which is now represented by the FIRST, or ROYAL REGIMENT, in
the British line, acquired great honour.
After passing the night on the field of battle the army assembled in
column, and divine service was again performed; after which the King
of Sweden addressed the several regiments on the subject of their
exploits on the preceding day, and again returned thanks to HEPBURN'S
SCOTS BRIGADE for its distinguished gallantry.[26] From the field of
battle the army advanced to _Leipsic_, and invested the town, but
the recapturing of this place was left to the Saxons. Meanwhile part
of HEPBURN'S BRIGADE proceeded to _Halle_, and captured the town and
castle on the 11th of September. While the army lay near this place
several protestant Princes, with the Elector of Saxony at their head,
visited the King, on which occasion his Majesty passed many encomiums
on the Scottish nation, and beckoning to Colonel Hepburn, who stood in
another part of the room, recommended him, Lumsdell, and Monro, to the
Elector's more immediate notice.[27]
From Halle the brigade marched to Erfurt, in the famous forest of
Thuringia, and was afterwards destined to take part in the reduction
of the Circle of Franconia. From Erfurt the brigade advanced, with
other troops, through the forest of Thuringia,--proceeded a distance
of one hundred and eleven miles along difficult roads, and took by
capitulation six large towns, in the short period of eight days.
Having arrived at _Wurtzburg_, the town soon surrendered; but a strong
castle, called _Marienberg_, standing on an eminence on the other side
of the river Maine, being garrisoned by a thousand men, well provided
with every means of defence, held out against the Swedish arms, and
the Scots were selected to commence operations against this place.
The approach was hazardous beyond description; one arch of the bridge
was blown up, and the batteries raked the bridge from one end to the
other. A few daring Scots musketeers, however, passed the river in
small boats on the 5th of October, and, leaping on shore in the face of
a sharp fire, were soon warmly engaged. A plank had, in the meantime,
been laid across the broken arch of the bridge, and a number of veteran
Scots running across one after another, joined their companions in the
fight, and a lodgment was effected beyond the river, and some advantage
gained. The castle was afterwards taken by storm; and this having been
deemed an impregnable fortress, it was found well stored with corn,
wine, ammunition, and treasure; and small arms were found for seven
thousand men.
While the brigade lay at Wurtzburg, the King sent out so many
detachments that he had only about ten thousand men at head-quarters,
and an army of fifty thousand men, commanded by the Duke of Lorraine,
advanced against him. His Majesty having received information that
the enemy designed to pass the Maine at _Oxenford_ and attack him,
the King proceeded, on the same evening, after dark, to the quarters
of HEPBURNS'S SCOTS BRIGADE, and commanded the men to assemble under
arms immediately. Having selected eight hundred musketeers, his
Majesty commanded them to follow him, while the pikemen and colours
remained behind. The musketeers, being led by Brigadier-General
Hepburn, and accompanied by eighty Swedish horsemen, continued their
march throughout the night, and at two o'clock on the following morning
arrived at _Oxenford_, and formed up in the market-place, while fifty
of the horsemen advanced to observe the motions of the enemy. Soon
afterwards the report of pistols was heard, when his Majesty sent out a
lieutenant and fifty musketeers to skirmish and to cover the retreat of
the horse, which service was gallantly performed. The enemy, however,
proved too numerous, and the fifty musketeers were forced to retire,
when the King sent a hundred musketeers, under Lieutenant-Colonel
Monro, to restore the fight, and they drove back a superior body of
the Imperialists, for which they were applauded by the King. These few
Scots having thus frustrated the designs of the enemy, his Majesty
returned to Wurtzburg, leaving Hepburn, with his musketeers, to
defend the place; and this excellent officer made such a formidable
disposition of his men, and kept so good a countenance, that, although
the enemy advanced with his army up to the town with drums beating
and colours flying, as though he was about to storm the place, yet he
afterwards retired. The musketeers, having thus boldly confronted a
large army and maintained their post, were afterwards ordered to return
to Wurtzburg.
On the 7th of November HEPBURN'S SCOTS BRIGADE, or the GREEN BRIGADE,
advanced with the army towards _Frankfort on the Maine_, a place
celebrated throughout Europe for its annual fairs; and while traversing
the rich plains and beautiful scenery of one of the most fruitful parts
of Germany, several strong towns surrendered to the army. The brigade
crossed the Maine at Aschaffenberg, on the 14th of November, and
arrived at Frankfort on the 16th, when the city surrendered.
In the early part of December HEPBURN'S or the GREEN, and the Blue
brigades, were employed in the siege of a strong fort near _Oppenheim_,
and while performing this service, these hardy veterans were encamped
in the midst of a deep snow. The enemy made a sally in the night, but
were repulsed by the Scots pikemen, and on the following morning the
fort surrendered. The two brigades afterwards attacked a fort, and
also the castle belonging to the town. A party of gallant Scots having
stormed the wall between the outward fort and castle, they found the
drawbridge down, and, forcing an entrance into the castle, they put the
Spanish garrison to the sword; at the same time another party stormed
the fort with such fury that nine companies of Italians were soon
overpowered and forced to surrender. These Italians afterwards engaged
in the Swedish service, and were attached to the GREEN BRIGADE; but
they all deserted during the following summer. The King having passed
the Rhine with part of his army to attack the town on the other side,
the place surrendered.
Notwithstanding the severity of the season, the King resolved to
continue operations, and one Sunday afternoon, in the early part
of December, in tempestuous weather, with frost and snow, the army
appeared before _Mentz_. HEPBURN'S SCOTS,[28] or the GREEN BRIGADE,
took its post before the town; and the men having prepared the
batteries during the night, the fire of the cannon commenced at
day-break with such fury that the besieged were dismayed, and they
surrendered in the middle of December. The brigade was afterwards
placed in garrison in the town, where it continued during the remainder
of the winter.
[Sidenote: 1632]
During the preceding campaign, several additional regiments arrived
in Germany from Scotland, namely, Sir James Lumsdell's, the Master
of Forbes', Sir Frederick Hamilton's, and Colonel Monro's; also
Colonel Austin's English regiment; recruits also arrived for the old
regiments; and in the beginning of 1632 there appear to have been
thirteen Scots regiments and five English regiments in the service
of the King of Sweden. There were also two Scots generals, three
major-generals, three brigadier-generals, twenty-seven colonels,
fifty-one lieutenant-colonels, and fourteen Scots majors,[29] in the
Swedish army: and the FIRST, or ROYAL, REGIMENT OF FOOT, in the British
line, being the only one of these eighteen British regiments which has
continued to exist to the present time, it is the representative of the
whole of this gallant force.
HEPBURN'S veterans remained in garrison at Mentz, recruiting in
vigour and in numbers, until the beginning of March, 1632, when they
proceeded to Frankfort on the Maine, and, advancing from thence to
Aschaffenberg, were reviewed in the fields before the town on the
6th of March, by the King of Sweden. From Aschaffenberg the brigade
continued its march to Weinsheim, where it was reviewed by the Elector
Palatine, who complimented this distinguished body of Scots on the high
character it had acquired for deeds of valour.
After this review the brigade advanced with the army to invade Bavaria,
and on the 26th of March it appeared before _Donawerth_ on the Danube,
when the King posted part of the troops on the heights above the town.
On the following day, a battery having been constructed to command
the bridge, the enemy made a furious sally, and, having driven back
some Swedish troops, captured the guns; but a number of HEPBURN'S
veterans rushing forward sword in hand, the Bavarians were repulsed and
driven back into the town. During the night, Sir John Hepburn marched
his brigade with great silence five miles up the Wernitz, and having
crossed the river, returned by the opposite bank to an angle which
commanded the bridge over the Danube, where he posted his musketeers
behind garden-walls and hedges, and formed the pikemen into three
bodies under the cover of the enclosures. At day-break the enemy's
garrison attempted to force its way through the besieging army; eight
hundred musketeers rushed suddenly out of the town towards the bridge
where HEPBURN'S men were posted, when the Scots musketeers opened a
destructive fire, and before the smoke had cleared away, the pikemen
came cheering forward to the charge, while the musketeers drew their
swords and joined in the attack, and the enemy's column was broken
and cut to pieces. Many of the Bavarians fled towards the town;
HEPBURN'S veterans, following in full career, entered the town with the
fugitives, and made great slaughter in the streets. Meanwhile, the
enemy's troops, which sallied on the other side of the town, were also
nearly all destroyed. The governor escaped, but he saved only a small
portion of his garrison. Thus Donawerth was captured in forty-eight
hours after the army appeared before the town; and in this exploit the
gallant veterans under Sir John Hepburn acquired new laurels.[30]
This success enabled the King to penetrate into Bavaria; and in the
early part of April HEPBURN'S BRIGADE took part in the brilliant
enterprise of forcing the passage of the river _Lech_ in the face of
a superior army, and the success which attended this daring exploit
alarmed one half of Europe, and astonished the other.
The brigade was afterwards engaged in the siege of _Augsburg_, which
place capitulated on the 10th of April. From Augsburg the brigade
proceeded with the army to _Ingoldstadt_, and, being engaged in the
siege of this town, it had one very trying night's service: the King,
expecting a sally from the garrison, ordered Hepburn's veterans to
stand all night under arms on some high ground near the town; the enemy
kept up a constant fire against the brigade with dreadful execution,
and the men had to stand like targets to be shot at, without the power
of making resistance. "To my mind," observes the brave Colonel Monro,
"it was the longest night in the year, though in April, for at one shot
I lost twelve men of my own company." The first attack not succeeding,
the King raised the siege and retired.
After quitting the precincts of Ingoldstadt, the brigade was detached
against _Landshut_, a pretty little town with a castle, in Bavaria,
which place surrendered on the 29th of April.
Having completed this conquest, the brigade proceeded to Freysingen,
where it rejoined the main army, and advanced from thence to _Munich_.
This celebrated city surrendered immediately, and the King being
desirous of preserving it from plunder, he made a present of about five
shillings English to every soldier in the army, and posted HEPBURN'S
SCOTS BRIGADE at the bridge to prevent the ingress of stragglers.
The army was afterwards encamped without the town, excepting the old
Scots brigade, which entered the city with the King, and HEPBURN'S own
regiment furnished the guard at the market-place, while the remainder
of the brigade furnished the King's guard at the castle. As no other
brigade was admitted into Munich, this circumstance proves the high
estimation in which this old Scots corps was held. Its commander,
Brigadier-General Hepburn, was appointed governor of Munich.
Leaving this city on the 1st of June, the brigade again directed its
march towards Donawerth, where it arrived on the 4th. It subsequently
marched to the relief of _Weissemberg_, which was besieged by the
enemy; but the garrison surrendered before the troops marching for its
relief arrived. The brigade then continued its march to Furt, where an
encampment was formed. It was afterwards employed in several operations
of a defensive character. The King having to defend _Nurenberg_, and to
confront an army of 60,000 men with only 20,000, his Majesty formed an
entrenched camp round the city, where the brigade was stationed some
time.
The enemy's army, commanded by the Duke of Bavaria and Count Walstein,
appeared before Nurenberg, and by means of their immense superiority
of numbers endeavoured to cut off the supplies of provision from
the Swedish army, but were unable to accomplish their object. The
opposing armies lay watching each other's movements until the 21st
of August, when, reinforcements having arrived for the Swedes, the
King attacked the enemy's fortified camp; the old Scots Brigade was
sharply engaged in the attack of the heights of Altenberg, and in the
attempt on Altenberg Castle, in which service it lost many officers
and men; but the attack failed at every point. The King afterwards
formed a fortified camp within cannon shot of the enemy, and the two
armies confronted each other until the 8th of September, when his
Majesty retired, and five hundred musketeers of the old Scots Brigade,
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sinclair, covered the retreat to
Neustadt. A few days afterwards, the Marquis of Hamilton being about
to return to England, Brigadier-General Hepburn obtained permission
to accompany him, and the regiment was left under the command of the
Lieutenant-Colonel. When the gallant Hepburn and several other officers
took leave of their companions in arms, Monro informs us that "the
separation was like the separation which death makes betwixt friends
and the soul of man, being sorry that those who had lived so long
together in amity and friendship, also in mutual dangers, in weal and
in woe, the splendour of our former mirth was overshadowed with a cloud
of grief and sorrows, which dissolved in mutual tears."
The brigade was now commanded by Colonel Monro, and towards the end of
September it marched to the relief of _Rayn_, which was besieged by the
enemy; but this garrison also surrendered before the troops marching
to its relief arrived. The King, however, resolved to retake the town,
and having arrived before the walls on the 3rd of October, he took
advantage of a thick fog, and brought his cannon to bear upon the works
unperceived, when the garrison immediately surrendered.
The brigade being much exhausted and decreased in numbers from its
recent hard services, it was placed in quarters of refreshment in
Bavaria, while the King marched with part of the army into Saxony.
Before his departure, his Majesty expressed his approbation of the
conduct of these veteran Scots on all occasions, and exhorted the
commanding officers to use every possible expedition in replacing the
casualties in the ranks of their respective regiments; but this proved
the final separation between the great Gustavus Adolphus and these
distinguished regiments; his Majesty marched to Saxony, and was killed
at the battle of Lützen,[31] which was fought on the 6th of November,
1632.
After the death of the King of Sweden[32] the old Scots Brigade
served for a short time under the Elector Palatine, and was employed
in the siege and capture of _Landsberg_, a town of Upper Bavaria on
the Lech; and while before this place a dispute about precedence arose
between this and another (Ruthven's) brigade: "But," observes Colonel
Monro, "those of Ruthven's Brigade were forced, notwithstanding their
diligence, to yield the precedence unto us, being older blades than
themselves, for in effect we were their schoolmasters in discipline, as
they could not but acknowledge."
When the capture of Landsberg was effected, the old Scots Brigade
marched to the relief of _Rayn_, which was closely beset by the
Bavarians, who raised the siege on the approach of the Scots, and
retired into Saxony.
From Rayn the brigade marched to the vicinity of the ancient city of
Augsburg, where the men lay two months of extreme cold weather in the
open fields; the loss of the great Gustavus Adolphus was now seriously
experienced, the generals were indecisive, and operations were
suspended.
[Sidenote: 1633]
But in February, 1633, the brigade was again called into action. It
proceeded, in the first instance, to Ulm, a considerable town on the
banks of the Danube, and from thence towards _Memmingen_, to attack
a division of the enemy stationed in the town; but, having halted at
some hamlets within three miles of the place, the houses took fire in
the night, and the brigade lost much baggage, and saved its cannon and
ammunition with difficulty. This misfortune did not, however, prevent
the troops from marching against their adversaries, who after some
sharp skirmishing, retired.
Soon afterwards the brigade proceeded to _Kaufbeuren_, a small town on
the Wertach, and having invested the place, the garrison held out two
days, and then surrendered. Having refreshed the men with three days'
rest at Kaufbeuren, the brigade marched with part of the army towards
the Iller, and, having passed the river by a temporary bridge, besieged
_Kempten_ (the ancient _Campodunum_). But while the brigade lay before
the town, it was suddenly ordered to proceed by forced marches to the
Duchy of Wirtemberg.
Having been recalled from Wirtemberg, the brigade proceeded to
Donawerth on the Danube, where it was stationed during a great part of
the summer; while a convention of the Protestant princes of Germany was
held at Heilbronn. The pay of the troops being a long time in arrear,
they resolved not to engage in any further operations until their
arrears were paid. Thus disorder and confusion found its way into the
Swedish army, and the Scots regiments were no longer recruited with the
same facility as formerly.
[Sidenote: 1634]
The old Scots Brigade, however, continued at its post of duty, and it
formed part of the army, commanded by Marshal Horn and the Duke of
Saxe-Weimar, which advanced to the relief of _Nordlingen_; and this
movement brought on a general engagement, which was fought in the
vicinity of the town on the 26th of August, 1634, when the confederates
were defeated, and the Scots Brigade suffered so severely, that one
of the regiments (Monro's) was reduced a few days afterwards to one
company.[33] After the battle, the wreck of this distinguished brigade
retreated to Worms, a town situate on the left bank of the Rhine; and,
Marshal Horn having been taken prisoner, the veteran Scots were under
the orders of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar.
The loss of the battle of _Nordlingen_ almost ruined the protestant
interest in Germany, but soon afterwards the court of France agreed to
support this depressed and declining cause. The prospect of immediate
succours from France allayed the consternation which prevailed amongst
the confederate princes. A French army approached the Rhine, and
several towns in Alsace admitted French garrisons.
In the French army which thus approached the Rhine, the celebrated SIR
JOHN HEPBURN appeared at the head of a Scots regiment in the French
service. When this officer quitted Germany in 1632 (as before stated),
he was not satisfied with the manner in which the Swedish affairs were
conducted: on his arrival in England he was knighted; in the following
year he tendered his services to Louis XIII.; and a regiment having
been constituted of the old Scots companies and some newly-raised men,
he was appointed its Colonel, by commission dated the 26th of January,
1633. He served in 1634 with the French army,[34] commanded by Marshal
de la Force. During the summer he was engaged in the siege of _La
Motte_ (or La Mothe), which place surrendered on the 26th of July; and
HEPBURN'S REGIMENT lost one captain and several men in this service.
On the 19th of December, Sir John Hepburn passed the Rhine with his
own and six other regiments of infantry, seven cornets (or troops)
of cavalry, and a train of artillery, and took post at Manheim, from
whence he sent forward parties to reconnoitre the enemy. The remainder
of the French army afterwards passed the Rhine, and Sir John Hepburn
marched to the relief of _Heidelberg_, an ancient city situate on the
river Neckar, at the foot of the mountain called the Giesberg. This
city was besieged by the Imperialists, and defended by the Swedes.
After some sharp fighting, in which Sir John Hepburn distinguished
himself, the besieging army retreated, and the city was delivered to
the French on the 23rd of December.
[Sidenote: 1635]
After this success, part of the French army marched to Landau,
and formed a junction with the Swedish forces under the Duke of
Saxe-Weimar, which had escaped after the defeat at Nordlingen. Thus
the remaining few veterans of HEPBURN'S SCOTS REGIMENT in the _Swedish
service_, and HEPBURN'S SCOTS REGIMENT in the _French service_, were
brought into contact to fight together in the same cause, and the two
regiments appear to have been incorporated into one. This union would,
doubtless, prove agreeable to both corps; the veterans in the Swedish
service had long been without pay, and the strongest attachment existed
between them and their former leader, Sir John Hepburn, who had been
their companion in toil, in danger, and in victory; and this union of
the two corps placed them again under their favourite commander: at the
same time, Hepburn's regiment in the French service was already much
decreased in numbers from a long campaign, and the addition of these
renowned veterans would prove a valuable acquisition. Thus Hepburn's
Regiments, or _Le Régiment d'Hebron_ in the SWEDISH SERVICE, and _Le
Régiment d'Hebron_ in the FRENCH SERVICE (for the French historians use
the same title for both regiments), appear to have become one corps in
1635; and there is reason to believe that the remains of several other
Scots corps in the Swedish service were added to HEPBURN'S REGIMENT,
as its establishment, two years afterwards, is stated to have amounted
to the extraordinary number of 8316 officers and soldiers.[35] There
appear also to have been two other Scots regiments in the French
service in 1635, namely, Colonel Lesley's and Colonel Ramsay's, besides
the Scots _Gardes du Corps_ and _Gendarmes_ spoken of at the beginning
of this Memoir.
HEPBURN'S REGIMENT served during the campaign of 1635 with the French
array in Germany, commanded by the Cardinal de la Valette; and the
remains of the Swedish army, which had escaped after the defeat at
Nordlingen in 1634, continued to co-operate with the French, and were
commanded, under the Cardinal, by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar. Little
advantage, however, accrued from placing an ecclesiastical dignitary at
the head of the army. The supplies of provision were intercepted by the
Germans, the French troops were reduced to the necessity of subsisting
on roots gathered about the villages, and the horses were fed on the
leaves of trees. At length the army, after burying its cannon and
destroying its baggage, retreated through mountainous parts of the
country; the Germans followed and attacked the rear; HEPBURN'S REGIMENT
was sharply engaged amongst the mountains; and the Imperialists were
severely punished for their temerity in a sharp action in September,
near _Metz_.[36]
[Sidenote: 1636]
During the summer of 1636 HEPBURN'S REGIMENT served with the army
commanded by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and in the month of May it
appeared before _Saverne_, a town of Alsace, situated on the banks of
the river Sarre, which was defended by an Imperial garrison commanded
by Colonel Mulhein. The siege of this place was immediately commenced,
and the garrison made a desperate resistance. A breach having been
effected, three assaults were made on the 20th of June, and were
repulsed with great loss. On the following day the batteries against
the town opened their fire with greater fury than before, and during
the progress of the siege the gallant Sir John Hepburn[37] was shot in
the neck, and died, regretted, not only by his old companions in arms,
but also by the court of France, where his valour and abilities were
well known and appreciated. After holding out a few days longer the
garrison surrendered; and Louis XIII. conferred the vacant Colonelcy of
the regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel James Hepburn, whose name appears
amongst the Scots lieutenant-colonels in the service of the King of
Sweden in 1632.
[Sidenote: 1637]
The regiment appears to have continued to serve in Alsace, under the
Duke of Saxe-Weimar, whose army consisted of French, Scots, Swedes, and
Germans, in the pay of France; and during the year 1637 it was engaged
in several skirmishes with the Imperialists, but no considerable action
was performed by either side.
This year Colonel James Hepburn was killed, and he was succeeded in the
command of the regiment by Lord James Douglas, second son of William,
first Marquis of Douglas. From this period the regiment was known in
France by the title of _Le Régiment de Douglas_.[38]
While the regiment was in Alsace, Picardy was invaded by the Spaniards,
and in 1637 this corps of hardy Scots appears to have been withdrawn
from the army commanded by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and stationed near
the frontiers of Picardy.
[Sidenote: 1638]
In the spring of 1638 it was placed under the command of the Marshal
de Chastillon, for the purpose of penetrating into the Earldom of
Artois, which at this period formed part of the Spanish Netherlands.
The army having been assembled near Amiens, passed the Somme on the
18th of May, 1638; DOUGLAS' REGIMENT, forming part of the division
under Lieutenant-General Hallier, passed the river at Abbeville,
marched from thence to Doullens, and, after taking part in the capture
of several small forts, was engaged in the siege of _St. Omer_, a place
of great strength, and provided with a good garrison. The trenches were
opened on the night between the 29th and 30th of June. On the 12th of
July three hundred of the garrison issued out of the town to attack
the men in the trenches, and encountering a party of DOUGLAS' SCOTS,
a fierce combat ensued, and the Spaniards were driven back with the
loss of many men killed and taken prisoners; the enemy also lost a
strong post which they had held until that time.[39] A Spanish force,
however, advanced to the relief of the garrison, and having succeeded
in throwing succours into the town, the siege was raised by the French.
After quitting the vicinity of St. Omer, the regiment was engaged in
the siege of _Renty_, a small town on the river Aa. The army appeared
before this place on the 1st of August, and on the 9th the garrison
surrendered.
The next service in which the troops were employed was the siege of
_Catelet_, a town of Picardy, which the Spaniards had captured in 1636;
and this place was taken by storm on the 14th of September.
[Sidenote: 1639]
Having passed the winter in quarters in Picardy, DOUGLAS' REGIMENT
marched in the early part of May, 1639, to the rendezvous of the army
at Doullens, and served this year against the Spaniards, forming part
of the army commanded by General Meilleraie. The French commander
marched first towards Aire, but after reconnoitering the defences of
this place, he proceeded to _Hesdin_,--a town situated amongst marshes
on the little river Canche, where he arrived on the 19th of May,
and commenced the siege of the place with great vigour. Louis XIII.
visited the camp, that his presence might animate the soldiers in their
attacks; and, the garrison having surrendered on the 29th of June, the
King was so well pleased with the manner in which this siege had been
conducted, that he presented General Meilleraie with the baton of a
Marshal of France; the ceremony was performed in the breach he had made
in the fortress, and the King commanded _Te Deum_ to be sung in the
principal church of the town.[40]
After repairing the works, the army advanced against the Spanish
forces under the Marquis de Fuentes; and DOUGLAS' REGIMENT took part in
a sharp skirmish near the village of _St. Nicholas_, on which occasion
four pieces of cannon were captured from the Spaniards.
[Sidenote: 1640]
[Sidenote: 1641]
[Sidenote: 1642]
The regiment continued to take part in the military operations against
the Spaniards. Meanwhile Scotland was violently agitated by an attempt
made by King Charles I. to introduce the English Liturgy. This was
followed by an unfortunate misunderstanding between the King and his
Parliament in England, which produced a civil war; but, in the scenes
of slaughter and devastation which followed, this regiment did not
take part. It was in the service of Louis XIII. of France, who was
engaged in a war with Austria and Spain; and the French King had urgent
occasion for the presence of the three Scots regiments[41] with his
armies.
[Sidenote: 1643]
While the civil war was raging in England, Louis XIII. died (14th May,
1643), and was succeeded by his son Louis XIV., who was afterwards
designated _Louis le Grand_; at the time of his accession he was in
his minority. Notwithstanding this event the war was prosecuted with
vigour, and the court of France procured, in 1643, an additional
regiment of foot from Scotland, commanded by Colonel Andrew
Rutherford,[42] afterwards Earl of Teviot. This regiment was designated
in France _Le Régiment des Gardes Escossois_, or the REGIMENT OF SCOTS
GUARDS: but the title was only honorary, as it was never employed near
the royal person. The date of its formation has not been ascertained;
but, as it was afterwards incorporated into DOUGLAS' REGIMENT, now the
FIRST ROYALS, this corps is its representative, and its services have a
place in this Memoir.
Immediately after the regiment of Scots Guards arrived in France,
it was ordered to advance to the relief of _Roucroy_, a town of the
Ardennes, which was besieged by the Spaniards. The troops employed
in this service were commanded by Louis de Bourbon, Duc d'Enghien,
who was afterwards celebrated for military achievements under the
title of _Prince of Condé_, or the Great Condé. The Spaniards had a
superiority of numbers: the two armies engaged near _Roucroy_, on the
19th of May, when the French gained a decisive victory, and captured
the cannon, baggage, and many of the standards and colours belonging
to the Spaniards. Rutherford's Scots' Regiment had the honor of taking
part in this battle. It was soon afterwards employed in the siege of
_Thionville_, a town situated on the river Moselle; and had one captain
and four men killed, and one major and several private men wounded
in the attack of the counterscarp. This siege being prosecuted with
vigour, the town surrendered on the 10th of August, and the regiment
appears to have marched immediately afterwards for Italy.
Meanwhile DOUGLAS' REGIMENT had been removed from the Netherlands
and placed under the orders of Prince Francis-Thomas of Savoy, who
commanded the French army in Italy; and, having been engaged in several
operations, it was employed in the autumn in the siege of the city of
_Turin_, in Piedmont, which place was invested on the 14th of August.
The Scots Regiment of Guards also arrived in Piedmont in time to take
part in the siege, which was terminated on the 27th of September
by the surrender of the city, when DOUGLAS' REGIMENT was placed in
garrison.[43]
[Sidenote: 1644]
Before the following campaign the regiment was, however, removed from
Piedmont to Picardy; and passing from thence to the Netherlands, it
served, in 1644, under the Duke of Orleans, who held, during the
minority of Louis XIV., the title of Lieutenant-General to the King.
The army in the Netherlands was this year of considerable magnitude,
and DOUGLAS' REGIMENT formed part of the division commanded by Marshal
Meilleraie,[44] and was engaged in the siege of _Gravelines_, a town
situated on the river Aa, nine miles from Dunkirk. The communication
of Gravelines with the sea rendered it a place of great importance
to the Spaniards, who made strenuous exertions for its preservation.
Two sorties were made by the garrison in the early part of July, when
DOUGLAS' REGIMENT was sharply engaged, and the enemy was repulsed.
Every attempt made by the Spaniards to relieve the place was defeated,
and the town surrendered on the 28th of July, 1644. This success
was followed by the capture of several forts, and places of minor
importance, near the sea.
[Sidenote: 1645]
[Sidenote: 1646]
While the Scots regiments in the service of France were gaining laurels
in Italy and Flanders, England continued the theatre of civil war,
and many desperate engagements were fought with varied success. At
length the King's army, after suffering a series of reverses, was
found unable to withstand the forces of the Parliament; and a number
of officers and soldiers, who had fought in the royal cause, fled to
France, and were taken into the service of Louis XIV. Five English
battalions were formed, and added to the French army in Flanders;
and, during the campaign of 1646, the British troops were employed in
the siege and capture of _Courtray_, a considerable town on the river
Lys; and they afterwards took a distinguished part in the siege of the
city of _Dunkirk_, which surrendered to the French army on the 10th of
October, 1646.
[Sidenote: 1647]
The British troops continued to take part in the war in Flanders: and
in 1648 a troop of Scots cuirassiers, and the regiment of Scots Guards,
had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves at the battle of
_Lens_,[45] in Artois, under that distinguished commander the Prince of
Condé. This battle was fought on the 10th of August, 1648. The Spanish
army, commanded by Archduke Leopold, suffered a complete overthrow,
and lost thirty-eight pieces of cannon, and upwards of one hundred
standards and colours.
Soon after this victory an insurrection broke out in Paris; the court
removed to Rouel, and afterwards to St. Germain, and part of the army
was recalled from Flanders to besiege the capital, and to reduce the
Parliament of Paris to obedience.
[Sidenote: 1648]
[Sidenote: 1649]
In this year (1648) a treaty was concluded at _Munster_, which restored
peace to a great part of Europe, but the war was continued between
France and Spain, and the British troops were continued in the service
of France. Meanwhile King Charles I. of England, having fallen into
the power of Cromwell, was beheaded at Whitehall Palace on the 30th of
January, 1649.
While these events were taking place in other parts of Europe, Paris
was besieged by the French army, of which DOUGLAS' REGIMENT continued
to form a part; but an amicable arrangement between the Court and
Parliament took place in the spring of 1649. This was, however,
followed by insurrections in several of the provinces, and the Spanish
commanders, availing themselves of the distracted state of France,
recaptured several places in the Netherlands.
While France was disturbed with internal commotions, three hundred
veteran Scots, who had been left in garrison at _Ypres_ in West
Flanders, were engaged in the defence of that place against the
Spaniards, and, after a gallant resistance, were eventually forced to
surrender: but obtained honourable conditions, and marched out on the
6th of May, 1649, with drums beating and colours flying.
[Sidenote: 1650]
The commotions in France occasioned a decrease in the revenues of Louis
XIV., and DOUGLAS' veterans, with the other Scots regiments in the
French service, could not procure their pay. Meanwhile, King Charles
II., who had been an exile on the continent for some time, was entering
into a treaty, called the COVENANT, with the Scots, through whose means
his Majesty expected to recover the sovereignty of Great Britain; at
the same time, application was made to the French court for permission
for DOUGLAS' and the other regiments to return to Scotland with the
King; but these gallant veterans were so beloved and esteemed in France
for their good conduct on all occasions, that Louis XIV. declined
to accede to this request, and promised to give them their pay with
greater regularity in future.
[Sidenote: 1651]
Had these distinguished regiments accompanied their sovereign to
Scotland, great advantage would, doubtless, have accrued to the royal
cause. But, instead of accompanying their King, they were employed in
the defence of several strong towns on the frontiers of Picardy and
Flanders. The internal disorders in France continued, a want of money
prevailed in the army, and many of the French soldiers deserted. At the
same time the Spaniards, being in communication with the disaffected in
France, recovered several more of the towns which had been wrested from
them in the preceding campaigns, and besieged Dunkirk.
While these events were occurring on the continent, Charles II. was
crowned King in Scotland; but his affairs not prospering in the north,
he penetrated into England, and the Scots troops sustained a decisive
overthrow at _Worcester_ on the 3rd of September, 1651. The King fled
from the field, and, after remaining in concealment with several loyal
families for a short time, he escaped in disguise to France.
Meanwhile, the troubles in France were increasing. The Duke of Orleans
and the Prince of Condé were opposed to the court; the latter was at
the head of an army; and DOUGLAS' REGIMENT was employed in operations
against the insurgents.
[Sidenote: 1652]
After several marches and manœuvres, the opposing armies came in
contact in the summer of 1652, in the vicinity of _Paris_; the royal
army was commanded by Marshal Turenne; and the rebel army by the Prince
of Condé, who erected barricades in the Fauxbourg of St. Antoine, where
he was attacked on the 2nd of July, 1652.[46] The fighting had been
continued for some time with great resolution on both sides, when
DOUGLAS' and three other regiments attacked a barricade across one of
the streets near the river, which they carried sword in hand, and,
having dislodged the enemy from the houses, established themselves on
this spot. Immediately afterwards a troop of royal horse, attempting to
pass the barricade, was repulsed by the insurgent horsemen, who were
driven back in their turn by the fire of DOUGLAS' and another regiment
from the houses. Scarcely had the horse quitted the street, when two
bodies of insurgent foot came rushing forward with great fury to retake
the barricade, but DOUGLAS' and another regiment opened so destructive
a fire from the houses, and the regiments which guarded the barricade
made so resolute a defence, that the rebels were repulsed with great
loss. A general attack was afterwards made on the other posts occupied
by the rebels in the suburbs of Paris, and the rebellion would probably
have been crushed at once, but the Parisians opened their gates and
admitted the insurgents into the city, and thus protected them from
the fury of the royal army. The city of Paris having thus manifested
a determination to take part with the insurgents, DOUGLAS' Regiment,
with the remainder of the royal army, retreated on the same day to St.
Denis, where his Majesty and the court had retired.
While the Prince of Condé held possession of Paris, and the royal army
lay at St. Denis, a large Spanish army prepared to penetrate from the
Netherlands into France, to act in concert with the French insurgents;
when the court of Louis XIV. removed to Pontoise, and the army
marched to Compeigne, and encamped under the walls of the town. The
Spanish army entered France, but after a short stay it retired to the
Netherlands, when the army of Louis XIV. advanced towards Paris, and
encamped near Gonesse. This movement was followed by the return of the
Spanish forces under the Duke of Lorraine, when the army under Marshal
Turenne attempted to intercept the enemy, and a sharp skirmish occurred
at _Villeneuve St. Georges_, nine miles from Paris, and the designs of
the Duke of Lorraine were frustrated. But the Prince of Condé marched
out of Paris, and succeeded in forming a junction with the Spaniards
at Ablon; and the united armies were double the number of the forces
under Marshal Turenne, who constructed two temporary bridges over the
Seine, threw up entrenchments, and maintained his post for several
weeks. While the two armies confronted each other, frequent skirmishes
occurred in the fields and vineyards, in which DOUGLAS' Scots took a
conspicuous part. On one of these occasions a captain of the regiment
was taken prisoner, who escaped from the enemy a few days afterwards,
and brought information that the Prince of Condé had left the Spanish
army in consequence of indisposition. The enemy not being so watchful
as before, and the King's army being in want of provisions, it retired
with great secrecy during the night of the 4th of October, and
continued its march to Courteuil, when the enemy quitted the vicinity
of Paris, and marched into winter quarters in Champagne and other parts
of France.
When the absence of the united rebel and Spanish army from Paris
was ascertained, the royal family of France proceeded with a strong
guard to the capital, and obtained possession of the city; and
DOUGLAS' Regiment, with the remainder of the King's army, marched for
Champagne, to attack the enemy in his quarters.
During the winter DOUGLAS' Regiment was engaged in the siege of _Bar
le Duc_; the lower town was taken by storm, and, about the middle of
December, when two practicable breaches were made, the upper town and
castle surrendered; when an Irish regiment in the Spanish service was
made prisoners. The Irish finding that the Duke of York was with the
French army, in command of the Scots gendarmes and a regiment of foot
called the Regiment of York, they obtained permission to enter the
French service, and were incorporated into the Duke's regiment.
From Bar le Duc, DOUGLAS' Regiment marched a distance of nine miles,
to _Ligny_, a town situate on the river Ornain, and was engaged in
the siege of the castle. A mine being ready, on the 21st of December,
"Marshal Turenne commanded the regiments of York and DOUGLAS to
prepare for the attack at the springing of the mine, and ordered his
own regiment to be in readiness to second them. All things being
prepared in this manner, fire was given to the mine, and in the midst
of the smoke, before it could be discerned what effect the mine had
produced, the Count d'Estrées, who commanded the attack, ordered it
to be instantly made. Accordingly, they fell on, passing over the
ditch, which was very broad, upon the ice. But when they came to the
ditch, they perceived that the mine had failed their expectation, and
there was no possibility of mounting the breach. Upon this there was a
necessity of making a retreat; the ice broke under the men, and most
of them fell into the ditch, which gave leisure to the enemy to do
execution on them. Thus, for want of a little patience to see what
effect the mine had wrought; the regiment of York lost four captains,
some lieutenants and ensigns, and about a hundred men, slain outright,
and the regiment of DOUGLAS two captains and near fifty private
soldiers; besides many officers and soldiers hurt."[47] Immediately
after this failure another mine was commenced, and the garrison
surrendered on the 22nd of December.
[Sidenote: 1653]
A garrison having been placed in Ligny, the army proceeded to _Château
Portien_, a small town of the Ardennes, situate on the right bank of
the river Aisne; and while on this march the weather was so severe,
that several of the soldiers were frozen to death on the road. The
siege of this place was commenced in the beginning of January, 1653,
and the town was delivered up in less than ten days.
Having completed this conquest, the troops proceeded through a
difficult tract of country, and besieged _Vervins_. The weather
continued inclement, the men were suffering from the want of food, and
great difficulties had to be overcome; yet the attacks were made with
such spirit and determination, that possession was gained of this town
on the 28th of January.
The troops were now exhausted, and DOUGLAS' Regiment was sent into
quarters of refreshment. It again took the field in June following; but
the enemy had so great a superiority of numbers, that the greater part
of the year was passed in defensive operations.
[Sidenote: 1654]
[Sidenote: 1655]
The regiment appears to have passed the year 1654 in garrison. In 1655
it was employed in the Netherlands; its Colonel, Lieutenant-General
Lord James Douglas, commanded a flying camp between Douay and Arras;
several skirmishes occurred, and on one occasion LORD JAMES DOUGLAS was
killed; he was succeeded in the Colonelcy by his brother, LORD GEORGE
DOUGLAS, afterwards EARL OF DUMBARTON. This change in its Colonel did
not alter the title of the corps, as it continued to be distinguished
by the title of DOUGLAS' REGIMENT.
This year (1655) the King of France concluded a treaty with Cromwell,
who was at the head of the British nation with the title of Lord
Protector; and it was stipulated that a body of Cromwell's forces
should proceed to Flanders to co-operate with the French against the
Spaniards.
[Sidenote: 1656]
[Sidenote: 1657]
[Sidenote: 1658]
This treaty occasioned King Charles II. to unite his interests with
those of Spain; the Duke of York quitted France, and obtained a command
in the Spanish army; and a great part of the Royal British troops,
which had escaped from England and entered the French army, transferred
their services from the crown of France to that of Spain. The cavalier
gentlemen, who thus transferred their services to the crown of Spain,
were formed into a troop of Horse Guards, of which Charles Berkeley
(afterwards Earl of Falmouth) was appointed Captain and Colonel; and
the remainder were formed into six regiments of foot--one English, one
Scots, and four Irish.[48] The determination thus manifested, by the
British troops in the service of France to preserve their loyalty to
King Charles II., appears to have occasioned measures to be adopted
by the French commanders to prevent DOUGLAS', and the other old Scots
regiments, from following this example; and these corps appear to have
been placed in remote garrisons, as they are not mentioned in the
histories of the military transactions in the Netherlands in 1657 and
1658, in which years the French army and Cromwell's forces captured
St. Venant and Mardyk, defeated the Spanish army, and afterwards took
Dunkirk, Ypres, Bruges, Dixmude, Furnes, Gravelines, Oudenarde, and
Menin; and Dunkirk was occupied by the English.
[Sidenote: 1659]
In September, 1658, Cromwell died; and in 1659 the Prince of Condé
disbanded his forces, and having tendered his submission to the crown
of France, he was received into the favour of Louis XIV. At the same
time a treaty of peace, called the Peace of the Pyrenees, was concluded
between France and Spain, and Dunkirk was ceded to England.
[Sidenote: 1660]
After this treaty was concluded the strength of the French army was
decreased, and DOUGLAS' Regiment was reduced to eight companies. These
events were followed by the restoration of King Charles II. to the
throne of Great Britain; when the British troops which had been in the
service of Spain were placed in garrison at Dunkirk; and DOUGLAS'
Regiment, in the French service, was in garrison at Avennes.
[Sidenote: 1661]
Soon after the restoration, King Charles II. disbanded the army of the
Commonwealth, which he found in England at his return. It was, however,
deemed necessary to have a regular force established, for in January,
1661, a number of religious fanatics, called millenarians, or fifth
monarchy-men, took arms against the government, and, although this
insurrection was suppressed in a few days, yet it was deemed necessary
to send for the Duke of York's troop of Guards from Dunkirk, and
afterwards for DOUGLAS' veteran Scots regiment from Flanders.
The regiment having arrived in England in the spring of 1661, it
obtained rank in the British army from that date. It appears, however,
to have had rank in the Swedish army from about the year 1625, and in
the French army from 1633. No instance has been met with of its having
been distinguished by any other title than the name of its Colonel,
except during part of the time it was in the Swedish service, when it
was designated, together with three other Scots regiments of which it
is now the representative, the GREEN BRIGADE.
Soon after its arrival in England the establishment of the regiment
was augmented, and its presence at this particular period was of
great service to King Charles II.[49] But his Majesty having (after
disbanding the whole of the army of the Commonwealth) established
three troops of Life Guards, a regiment of Horse Guards, and two
regiments of Foot Guards, in England; and a troop of Life Guards, and
a regiment of Foot Guards in Scotland; it was not deemed necessary to
detain DOUGLAS' veteran corps in England, and it was, accordingly, sent
back to France in 1662.
[Sidenote: 1662]
At the same time, General Andrew Rutherford, who commanded the
battalion of Scots Guards in the French service, having been appointed
Governor of Dunkirk by King Charles II., his battalion was incorporated
in DOUGLAS' Regiment. There was also another battalion of Scots Foot
in the service of France, commanded by Lord James Douglas, and this
battalion was likewise incorporated into DOUGLAS' veteran regiment,
which now consisted of twenty-three companies of one hundred men each,
and its established numbers, including officers and non-commissioned
officers, were upwards of 2500.
[Sidenote: 1663]
The King of France having, after the treaty of the Pyrenees, placed his
army upon a peace establishment, the strength of DOUGLAS' Regiment was
reduced to eight companies of one hundred men each.
[Sidenote: 1665]
[Sidenote: 1666]
Three years after its return to France, a war broke out between England
and Holland; and in the succeeding year Louis XIV. took part with the
Dutch against England, when DOUGLAS' regiment was again ordered to quit
the French service, and to return to England: it accordingly landed at
Rye, in Sussex, on the 12th of June, 1666, and mustered eight hundred
men.[50]
The Roman Catholics in several counties in Ireland were, at this
period, in a state of insurrection; and in a short time after the
arrival of the regiment from France, it was ordered to proceed to
Ireland, where it appears to have remained upwards of twelve months.
[Sidenote: 1668]
[Sidenote: 1670]
After the conclusion of the peace of Breda in 1668, the insurrections
in Ireland having been suppressed, the regiment was again sent to
France; and in an order issued by Louis XIV. in 1670, respecting the
rank of regiments, it appears one of the first.[51]
[Sidenote: 1672]
A war commenced in 1672 between the French monarch and the States
General of Holland; King Charles II. of England also declared war
against the Dutch; and a British force, commanded by the Duke of
Monmouth, was sent to France to co-operate with the army of Louis XIV.
in an attack upon Holland. DOUGLAS' Regiment had, in the meantime, been
augmented to sixteen companies, and when the army took the field, it
formed two battalions; and was in the division of the army commanded
by Marshal Turenne. Several fortified towns were captured by the main
army; and in June, DOUGLAS' Regiment, being encamped in the vicinity
of Nimeguen, was detached with several other corps under the Comte
de Chamilly to besiege _Grave_. The attack on the town commenced
towards the end of June, and in the early part of July the governor
surrendered. A number of the subjects of the British crown, who had
entered the service of Holland, being found in garrison, they were
permitted to engage in the service of Louis XIV., and were received as
recruits in DOUGLAS' Regiment.[52] In August the regiment was withdrawn
from the vicinity of Grave, and ordered to join the forces under
Marshal Turenne.
[Sidenote: 1673]
In 1673 eight thousand British troops served with the French army,
and were engaged in the siege of _Maestricht_, in which service they
evinced signal gallantly; and in repulsing a sally of part of the
garrison, the Duke of Monmouth, Captain Churchill (afterwards the great
Duke of Marlborough), and twelve private men of the English Life Guards
(a squadron of which corps was serving with the French army), highly
distinguished themselves.[53] The town surrendered on the 2nd of July.
[Sidenote: 1674]
Before the following year King Charles II. concluded a treaty of peace
with the Dutch Republic; but his Majesty did not withdraw the whole
of his troops from France; and during the campaign of 1674 DOUGLAS'
Regiment, with the Scots regiment of Hamilton, and the English
regiments of Monmouth and Churchill, served with the French army on
the Rhine, commanded by Marshal Turenne. In the early part of June,
DOUGLAS' Regiment was encamped near Philipsburg,[54] a town in the west
of Germany about half a mile from the Rhine, and was formed in brigade
with the French regiments of Plessis and La Ferté, with a battalion of
detachments, commanded by Brigadier-General the Marquis of Douglas.[55]
The opposing armies having taken the field, DOUGLAS' Regiment was
suddenly withdrawn from the vicinity of Philipsburg, and, after
crossing the Rhine, advanced towards the ancient city of _Heidelberg_,
to prevent the junction of the forces under the Duke of Lorraine and
the army commanded by the Duke of Bournonville. This movement brought
on several skirmishes, in which the regiment took part; it was also
engaged in a sharp action on the 16th of June, when the Imperialists
were defeated; and in the accounts of this action published at the
time, the conduct of the regiment is spoken of in terms of commendation.
After chasing the enemy out of the Palatinate, the regiment retired
with the army across the Rhine, to join the reinforcements from Alsace
and other places; and after the arrival of these troops, the army
re-passed the Rhine, and DOUGLAS' and two other regiments were detached
to the vicinity of Landau, and ordered to encamp within a league of
the town. The regiment was subsequently detached towards Manheim, and,
after taking part in several operations, in the beginning of October it
was encamped at Lavantzenaw, in Alsace.
Information having been received that the Germans had passed the Rhine
and advanced to _Molsheim_, the French and British troops quitted their
camp about an hour after midnight on the 3rd of October, and after a
march of several hours, arrived at the enemy's camp, and attacked them
with great spirit. The conflict took place amongst woods and broken
grounds, and the British troops displayed signal gallantry, fighting
with a spirit and resolution which the enemy could not withstand.
Many officers and men fell, yet the conflict was continued, and Lord
Duras (afterwards Earl of Feversham) had three horses killed under
him. Eventually the enemy were driven from the field, with the loss
of ten pieces of cannon, thirty standards and colours, and several
prisoners.[56]
The Germans were subsequently reinforced by a number of fresh troops,
when Marshal Turenne retired with the French and British forces, and
took up a position near Saverne in Alsace, by which he prevented the
Imperialists deriving much advantage from their superiority of numbers.
[Sidenote: 1675]
During the depth of the winter, when the Germans had retreated,
DOUGLAS' Regiment[57] was placed, with several other corps, under
the orders of the Marquis of Vaubrun, and engaged in the siege of
_Dachstein_, a town in the department of the Lower Rhine. The trenches
were opened during the night of the 25th of January, 1675; and during
the night of the 28th, DOUGLAS' veterans were engaged in storming the
works, and lost several officers and men. Amongst the killed was the
Major of the regiment, who is stated by the French historians to have
been an officer of great merit. On the following day the governor
surrendered the town, when the regiment was sent into quarters.
It again took the field in the month of May, and was encamped for a
short time near Strasburg; at the same time the Germans, under the
Count de Montecuculi, menaced the city of Philipsburg with a siege;
but the French and British forces passed the Rhine on the 7th of June,
when the Germans changed their position, and the two armies confronted
each other, and manœuvred for several days in the territory bordering
on the Rhine. DOUGLAS' Regiment, having been on a detached service for
some time, was suddenly ordered to join the main army, from whence it
was afterwards sent to _Treves_ to reinforce the garrison. Several
sharp skirmishes occurred; and on the 27th of July, as Marshal Turenne
was reconnoitring the enemy, he was killed by a cannon-ball. After the
death of this celebrated veteran, the army was commanded _ad interim_
by the Count de Lorge, who retreated across the _Rhine_. The Germans
attacked their adversaries while making this retrograde movement,
when the gallant conduct of two battalions of veteran Scots saved the
main army from a severe loss. _Treves_ was afterwards besieged by the
Germans, and DOUGLAS' Regiment highly distinguished itself in the
defence of this ancient city, under the command of Marshal de Crequi.
The French troops mutinied, and endeavoured to compel the governor to
surrender, but DOUGLAS' Scots stood by the Marshal in the desperate
defence of the town, and were thanked for their conduct by Louis XIV.
Treves was surrendered on the 5th of September, and the regiment was
bound by the articles not to serve for three months, either in the
field or in the defence of any town.
[Sidenote: 1676]
The French monarch having employed the greater part of his forces in
making conquests in the Netherlands, a small army, of which DOUGLAS'
and Hamilton's Scots regiments formed part, was employed on the Rhine
during the campaign of 1676, under the orders of Marshal Luxembourg.
The imperial army, commanded by the Duke of Lorraine, had great
superiority of numbers. In the beginning of June, the two armies were
manœuvring and skirmishing in Alsace; and on the 5th of that month,
while the French were retiring through the mountains near _Saverne_,
the Germans attacked the rear-guard with great fury, and, having
forced a defile, put several French squadrons into confusion. But
as the German horsemen galloped between the mountains in pursuit,
two battalions of Scots foot having taken post on some high ground
beyond the defile, the musketeers opened so tremendous a fire that the
pursuing squadrons were checked and forced to retire, when a regiment
of German horse, and several squadrons of Lorraine dragoons, were
nearly destroyed. In this rencontre Sir George Hamilton and several
other officers of distinction were killed. The French army subsequently
formed an entrenched camp near Saverne; and the Germans besieged
Philipsburg, which was surrendered on the 15th of September.
[Sidenote: 1677]
During the campaign of 1677, the French army on the Rhine was commanded
by Marshal de Crequi. The British troops with this army consisted this
year of two squadrons of Royal English horse, and two battalions of
DOUGLAS' and a battalion of Monmouth's regiments.[58] The opposing
armies took the field, and after much manœuvring and skirmishing, the
Prince of Saxe-Eysenach, who commanded a division of Germans, having
been driven into an island on the Rhine, was forced to capitulate. A
sharp skirmish afterwards took place at _Kochersberg_, in Alsace, when
the Imperialists were defeated, and sustained great loss. _Fribourg_
was subsequently besieged by a detachment from the French army, and the
garrison surrendered on the 16th of November, when DOUGLAS' regiment
proceeded into winter quarters.
[Sidenote: 1678]
At length the conquests effected by France occasioned the English Court
and Parliament to become sensible of the necessity of restraining
the ambition of Louis XIV.; and King Charles II., having concluded
a treaty with the Dutch, gave orders for the British troops in the
French service to return to England; at the same time, his Majesty
issued commissions for an augmentation of about twenty thousand men
to the English army, and declared his determination of engaging in
the war with France. DUMBARTON'S Regiment, as it was now designated,
accordingly received orders in the early part of the year 1678 to quit
the service of the French monarch, and from this period it has been
permanently on the British establishment.
Soon after the arrival of the regiment from France, a number of men,
who each carried a large pouch filled with HAND-GRENADES, were added
to the establishment, and formed into a company, under the command
of Captain Robert Hodges. These men were instructed to ignite the
fuses, and to cast the grenades into forts, trenches, or amidst the
ranks of their enemies, where the explosion was calculated to produce
much execution; and the men, deriving their designation from the
combustibles with which they were armed, were styled GRENADIERS. Their
duties were considered more arduous than those of the pikemen or
musketeers; and the strongest and most active men were selected for the
grenadier company. And although the hand-grenades have long been laid
aside, yet one company, which is designated the "Grenadier Company,"
continues to form part of every battalion.
[Sidenote: 1679]
In 1679, DUMBARTON'S Regiment, which consisted at this period of
twenty-one companies, was stationed in Ireland. In the autumn of
this year, Tangier, in Africa (which had been ceded by Portugal to
Charles II., in 1662, as part of the marriage-portion of his consort,
Donna Catherina, Infanta of Portugal), was besieged by the Moors, who
destroyed two forts at a short distance from the town, and then retired.
[Sidenote: 1680]
They, however, again appeared before the town in the spring of 1680,
when four companies of DUMBARTON'S Regiment were ordered to reinforce
the garrison; and these companies having embarked at Kinsale in the
James and Swan frigates, landed at Tangier on the 4th of April.
Fort Henrietta, which stood at a short distance from the town, was
at this time besieged by the Moors, and two breaches having been
made, and the works undermined, the garrison could not maintain the
place; consequently a sally from the city was resolved upon, to give
the garrison an opportunity of blowing up the fort, and of cutting
their passage through the Moorish army to the town; and Captain Hume,
Lieutenant Pierson, Lieutenant Bayley, four serjeants, and 80 private
men, of DUMBARTON'S Regiment, were selected to form the forlorn-hope
in the sally. Accordingly, at eight o'clock on the morning of the 12th
of May, DUMBARTON'S veterans issued from the town, and made a gallant
attack on the Moorish army; at the same time the garrison in the fort
blew up the building, and rushed forward, sword in hand, to cut their
passage through the barbarians. The conflict was sharp: the Moors came
running forward in crowds to cut off this devoted band; yet these
resolute Britons forced the first trench, and gained the second. This
was, however, twelve feet deep; and while struggling to overcome the
difficulty, Captain Trelawny and 120 men were killed by the Moors;
and only forty-four officers and men succeeded in joining Captain
Hume and his party of veteran Scots. This party was also attacked by
several bodies of Moorish horsemen, who were all expert lancers; but
the barbarians were repulsed. One Moorish chieftain rode over Captain
Hume; but his horse fell, and the barbarian was immediately killed.
The men continued skirmishing, and retiring in good order until they
arrived under the protection of the guns of the fortress. The companies
of DUMBARTON'S Regiment lost on this occasion fifteen men killed, and
Captain Hume[59] and several men wounded.
In a few days after this action a cessation of hostilities was agreed
upon with the Moors for four months; and during the summer twelve
additional companies of DUMBARTON'S Regiment arrived at Tangier, from
Ireland, under the command of Major Sir James Hackett. The arrival of
these celebrated veterans is thus announced in one of the publications
of that period:--"After this landed the valorous Major Hackett with
the renowned regiment of the Earl of Dumbarton; all of them men of
approved valour, fame having echoed the sound of their glorious
actions and achievements in France and other nations; having left
behind them a report of their glorious victories wherever they came;
every place witnessing and giving large testimony of their renown: so
that the arrival of this illustrious regiment more and more increased
the resolutions and united the courage of the inhabitants, and added
confidence to their valour."[60]
Hostilities again commenced in September, when the garrison quitted
the town, and encamped under the walls; and the Lieut.-Governor, Sir
Palmes Fairborne, is reported to have made the following speech to
DUMBARTON's Scots:--"Countrymen and fellow-soldiers, let not your
approved valour and fame in foreign nations be derogated at this time,
neither degenerate from your ancient and former glory abroad; and as
you are looked upon here to be brave and experienced soldiers (constant
and successive victories having attended your conquering swords
hitherto), do not come short of the great hopes we have in you, and the
propitious procedures we expect from you at this time. For the glory of
your nation, if you cannot surpass, you may imitate the bravest, and be
emulous of their praises and renown."[61]
The expectations of the Lieutenant-Governor, with regard to these
celebrated Scots, appear to have been realised; and in the various
skirmishes and actions which followed, they always signalised
themselves. In the account of a sharp action fought on the 20th of
September, it is reported that "The grenadiers under Captain Hodges
behaved themselves very bravely." On the 22nd of the same month, "Some
of the Moorish horse advanced resolutely to the very line where our men
were lodged, but were repulsed, and several of them killed. Several
of the Scots grenadiers, who were very active and daring, advancing a
little too far, were killed, and others, advancing to their relief,
were likewise hard put to it." A sharp skirmish was afterwards kept up
throughout the day, and "The Scots and the seamen from the fleet were
hotly engaged, having beat the Moors out of several trenches." While
retiring, Captain Fitzpatrick was attacked by a Moorish chieftain, but
was delivered by a shot which brought the barbarian down at the moment
he was about to spear the captain. A Scots grenadier, of undaunted
bravery, being desirous of possessing the Moor's charger, leaped over
the trenches and seized the horse; but this brave man was immediately
afterwards cut to pieces by a party of Moors, who came galloping
forward at the moment he was about to retire with the horse. On the
same day it was resolved, in consequence of a newly-erected fort being
completed, to retire within the walls, when Sir James Hackett, at
the head of DUMBARTON'S Scots, covered the retrograde movement, and
repulsed several charges made by the Moorish lancers.
A sally was made from the town on the 24th of September, when the
Scots again distinguished themselves, and had Captain Forbes and eight
men killed. The Lieut.-Governor, Sir Palmes Fairborne, also received
a mortal wound, and was succeeded in the command of the garrison by
Lieut.-Colonel Sackville of the Foot Guards.
On the 27th of September, a general sally of the garrison was made
on the Moorish lines, where between fourteen and fifteen thousand
barbarians were encamped. About three in the morning, the troops
issued in silence from the town, and formed in order of battle. Soon
afterwards the signal for the attack was given, when DUMBARTON'S[62]
company of Scots grenadiers, led by Captain Hodges, and followed by
the remaining companies of the regiment, rushed towards the Moorish
lines with the velocity of lightning. The Moors, who were reposing
beyond their trenches, were suddenly aroused by the sound of a
trampling multitude rushing to battle; and the next moment a shower of
hand-grenades bursting amongst them put them in some confusion; yet
they sprang to their arms, and, standing firm to receive the charge,
disputed the ground with firmness. Soon the action became general, and
"Nothing was heard but the roaring of cannon, the firing of muskets,
and the loud acclamations of the Christians, who, ever and anon, when
they gained any trench of the enemy, raised a shout which pierced
the clouds, and echoed in the sky.[63]" DUMBARTON'S veterans quickly
carried the first trench, then mixing in fierce combat with the Moors,
soon proved that a valiant Scot was more than a match for one of the
dusky sons of Africa. The first trench having been won, a portion of
it was levelled for the cavalry, and the British and Spanish horsemen
charged the Moors, and plunging amidst the dark masses, trampled
and cut down the astonished Africans. At the same time the British
grenadiers were seen using their hatchets with dreadful execution on
one side, the pikemen were bearing down all before them on another,
and, the musketeers, having slung their muskets, were fighting, sword
in hand, with an impetuosity which the Moors could not withstand. The
waving masses of barbarians were broken, and they fled like a scattered
swarm over the land; the British troops pursued, and a number of single
combats followed, for the Moors were more expert in personal conflicts
than in fighting in large bodies. These combats, however, generally
terminated in favour of the British; and the Scots, particularly
Captain Hodges and his grenadier company, were distinguished for the
number they slew. Thus the siege of Tangier was raised, and DUMBARTON'S
veteran Scots captured a splendid colour[64] from the Moors. The
regiment lost[65] in this action, Lieutenants Scott and St. Leger;
Ensigns Farrell, Murray, Bell, and Rhue; six serjeants, and thirty
private soldiers killed; Captains Lockart, Lundy, Hume, Douglas,
and Percy; Lieutenants Glascock, Murray, Ennis, Corson, Bainesman,
Macrohen, Stuart, Aukmooty, and Butler; with Ensign Mowast, and one
hundred serjeants and private men wounded.
In a few days after this engagement a truce was concluded with the
Moors for six months; and in the early part of December a regiment of
foot (now the Fourth, or King's own), with 200 recruits for DUMBARTON'S
Regiment, arrived from England.
[Sidenote: 1681]
During the winter, Lieut.-Colonel Kirk was sent on an embassy to
Muley-Ismael, Emperor of Morocco. In the spring of 1681, a treaty of
peace for four years was concluded and sent to England by Captain
Thomas Langston.
[Sidenote: 1682]
[Sidenote: 1683]
King Charles II., however, found the maintenance of a sufficient
garrison at Tangier too expensive to be continued without the aid
of a grant from parliament. At the same time the nation was more
alarmed at the prospect of a popish successor to the throne than at
the apprehension of losing this fortress, which they feared would
become a nursery for popish soldiers. The advantage derived from the
Levant trade, and other arguments, were brought forward in favour of
maintaining Tangier; but the parliament refused the necessary supply;
and towards the end of 1683, Admiral Lord Dartmouth was sent with a
fleet to demolish the fortress, and to bring away the garrison and
British inhabitants.
[Sidenote: 1684]
One company of DUMBARTON'S Regiment arrived from Tangier, in November,
1683, and landed at Gravesend; and the remainder arrived in the river
Thames in February, 1684, and, having landed at Rochester, were
quartered--eight companies at Rochester and Chatham, six at Winchester,
and two at Southampton. At the same time directions were sent to the
Duke of Ormond, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, to send the five
companies of the regiment in that country to England.
In June of this year four companies attended the Duchess of York
(afterwards Queen of England) at Tunbridge Wells; and in the autumn
King Charles II. conferred upon this celebrated regiment the title of
THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT.[66]
On the 1st of October, sixteen companies of the Royal Regiment,
commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir James Hackett, were reviewed, with
a number of other corps, by King Charles II., on Putney Heath. "The
Coldstream, my Lord DUMBARTON'S, and the Admiral's Battalions,
successively exercised all three by beat of drum, the military postures
of pike, sword, and musket, every man dexterously discharging his
duties with an exact and general readiness, to the great delight of
their Majesties and Royal Highnesses, who vouchsafed, all the time
of exercise, to grace the arms with their presence. The other two
battalions of the Royal Regiment[67] had not fallen short of the like
performance, if illness of weather, when they just intended it, had not
prevented: the day proving wet and showery was a general impediment
from proceeding at that time to any other motions customary upon the
like reviews; and all decamped sooner than otherwise they would have
done." In the Army List, published by Nathan Brooks, in October,
1684, the ROYAL, or DUMBARTON'S Regiment, is stated to "consist of
twenty-one companies, two lieutenants to each company, three serjeants,
three corporals, and two drums, established; distinguished by red coats
lined with white; sashes white, with a white fringe; breeches and
stockings light grey; grenadiers distinguished by caps lined white, the
lion's face, proper, crowned; flys St. Andrew's cross, with thistle and
crown, circumscribed in the centre, '_Nemo me impunè lacessit_.'"
[Sidenote: 1685]
After the review, the regiment was stationed in extensive cantonments
in the county of Kent, where it remained until the death of King
Charles II., on the 6th February, 1685, when it was suddenly ordered to
march into quarters in London and the adjacent villages.[68] Although
King James II. was known to be a papist, yet no opposition was made to
his accession to the throne; and in March four companies proceeded to
Yarmouth, and four to Rochester, leaving thirteen companies in quarters
in the metropolis.
The tranquillity of the kingdom was, however, suddenly disturbed
in June, 1685, by the rebellion of James, Duke of Monmouth, who
appeared on the western coast with a band of followers, and asserted
his pretensions to the throne, when orders were issued for the ROYAL
Regiment to be augmented to one hundred men per company, and five
companies were sent from London to Portsmouth, to increase the strength
of that garrison.
Shortly afterwards, Brigadier-General Lord Churchill (afterwards the
Great Duke of Marlborough) was sent to the west of England with a
body of troops to oppose the rebels; and another division of the army
followed under the direction of Lieut.-General the Earl of Feversham,
who was appointed to the command of the royal forces. At the same
time five companies of the ROYAL Regiment of foot, under the orders
of Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Douglas, and a troop of the Royal
Horse Guards, commanded by Sir Francis Compton, were sent from London
with the train of artillery to be employed on this service. The four
companies of the ROYAL Regiment at Yarmouth were at the same time
ordered to march to London; so that during Monmouth's rebellion the
regiment was employed as follows:--Five companies with the army; five
in garrison at Portsmouth; seven attending the court in London; and
four at Rochester.[69]
The five companies of the ROYAL Regiment, under the orders of
Lieut.-Colonel Douglas, with nine field-pieces,[70] having joined
the army under the Earl of Feversham, the rebels found it necessary
to move to Bridgewater. The King's forces advanced to the village of
Weston, where they arrived on the 5th of July, and the cavalry having
been quartered in the village, the infantry encamped on _Sedgemoor_.
The ROYALS, being formed in one small battalion, took the right of
the line, and were posted behind a deep ditch; a squadron of horse
and fifty dragoons were sent forward as an advanced guard, and one
hundred of the ROYALS were kept under arms in readiness to support
the cavalry out-guards. During the night the rebels marched out of
Bridgewater, with the design of surprising the King's forces; but the
guard having given an alarm, the five companies of the ROYAL Regiment
were formed in order of battle in a few moments, and opening their
fire upon the advancing rebels with good effect, held them in check,
and gave time to the other battalions to form, and for the cavalry
to draw out of the village.[71] The rebel cavalry, under Lord Grey,
first attempted to charge the ROYALS, but being unable to cross the
ditch, they were driven back by the steady fire of the veteran Scots.
The rebel infantry, headed by the Duke of Monmouth, directing their
march by the fire, first attacked the ROYALS, and extending along the
moor, a sharp combat of musketry ensued in the dark. The rebel foot,
consisting principally of miners, fought with desperation; but their
cavalry was soon chased out of the field by the King's horsemen; and
when daylight appeared, the Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, and Royal
Dragoons, charged the right flank of the rebel infantry, and put
Monmouth's untrained battalions into disorder. A complete rout ensued;
the insurgents fled from the moor; and numbers were slain and made
prisoners in the adjoining fields. The companies of the ROYAL Regiment
were foremost in the pursuit, and captured the Duke of Monmouth's
standard with his motto in gold letters,--"_Fear none But God._"[72]
The Duke of Monmouth was taken prisoner soon afterwards, and was
beheaded on the 15th of July on Tower-Hill, London.
Thus the rebellion was suppressed; and the sum of 397_l._ was paid
to the officers and soldiers of the ROYAL Regiment of foot who were
wounded in this service, as is set forth in the following warrant,
copied from the public accounts of that period:--
"JAMES R.
"WHEREAS by the establishment of our forces, we have been graciously
pleased to direct that an allowance be made to such officers and
soldiers as should be wounded or hurt in our service; our will and
pleasure is, that out of such monies as are or shall come to your hands
for the contingent use of our guards, &c., you cause the sums following
to be paid to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, of
our ROYAL Regiment of Foot, hereunder mentioned, viz.:--
£. _s._ _d._
Capt. Jas. Moncrief 40 0 0
Lieut. Jno. Stirling 20 0 0
" Rob. Dury 20 0 0
" Thos. Bruce 20 0 0
" Jno. Livingston 35 0 0
" Jno. M'Kullock 25 0 0
" Jas. Law. 15 0 0
----------------
£175 0 0
----------------
Serjeants.
Murdo Mackenzie 8 0 0
John Henderson 2 0 0
James Ferchardson 2 0 0
Will. Conn 8 0 0
Corporals.
Andrew Kennedy 8 0 0
Andrew Duncomb 4 0 0
Drummer.
William Murray 5 0 0
Privates.
Thomas Powell 4 0 0
John Mackintosh 4 0 0
David Campbell 3 0 0
David M'Cloud 4 0 0
Allan M'Cullough 3 0 0
Edwd. Correll, jun. 8 0 0
Duncomb Grant 4 0 0
John Mackenzie, jun. 2 0 0
Alex. Mackintosh 2 0 0
Alex. M'Dowgall 4 0 0
John Pendrick 3 0 0
John Brown 4 0 0
John Shepheard 2 0 0
John Chambers 7 0 0
James Hall 7 0 0
Thomas Shepheard 2 0 0
John Lowry 2 0 0
David Jekenbur 4 0 0
John Richy 3 0 0
James Ratt 2 0 0
James Cormagh 2 0 0
Thomas Gouthar 2 0 0
James Johnston 3 0 0
John Adams, jun. 8 0 0
James Johnston. 2 0 0
John Mackiver 4 0 0
James Mosey 5 0 0
John Gorden 4 0 0
James Factor 5 0 0
Thomas Baker 2 0 0
James Contie 3 0 0
Robert Miller 4 0 0
Dunie Ferguson 2 0 0
Dune Mackenzie 2 0 0
John Young 4 0 0
Nicholas Farland 3 0 0
John Clark 2 0 0
Alex. Wilson 2 0 0
Andrew Singleton 2 0 0
William Symins 2 0 0
George Robinson 4 0 0
David Arrott 4 0 0
Thomas Mackgowne 2 0 0
John M'Garth 2 0 0
John Mackenzie 3 0 0
John Burne 3 0 0
Jno. Robinson 2 0 0
Jas. Ramskin 3 0 0
Will. Lowder 3 0 0
John Davison 2 0 0
Charles Johnson 3 0 0
Charles Gelly 3 0 0
Willm. Bayon 2 0 0
James Watson 2 0 0
Charles Jolley 5 0 0
Peter Constable 5 0 0
----------------
222 0 0
Officers 175 0 0
----------------
£397 0 0
----------------
"Which sums, amounting to three hundred and ninety-seven pounds, are to
be paid to the said persons, in satisfaction for their wounds received
in our service during the late rebellion; provided none of them be
already admitted to the allowance appointed for our Royal Hospital,
near Chelsea. And for so doing, this, together with the acquittances of
the said persons, or their assigns, shall be your discharge.
"Given at our Court at Whitehall this 16th day of May, 1686.
"By his Majesty's command,
"WILLIAM BLATHWAYTE.
"_To our trusty and well-beloved Cousin and Councillor Richard,
Earl of Ranelagh, our Paymaster-General, &c. &c. &c._"
The following men of the ROYAL Regiment, who were admitted into the
Royal Hospital at Chelsea, received the sums set down against their
names:--
£. _s._ _d._
J. Batchelor, 10 marks 6 13 4
Martin Bryer 6 13 4
Jas. Bennerman 6 13 4
John Dannine 6 13 4
Arch. Eastwood 6 13 4
John Murray 6 13 4
Angus Macleod 6 13 4
Arch. Nicholson 6 13 4
Thomas Jarvis 6 13 4
Robert Thomas 6 13 4
John Harris 6 13 4
Godfrey Twiddy 6 13 4
Serjeant Weems of the ROYAL Regiment particularly distinguished
himself; and a warrant of James II. directs that he should be paid
"Forty pounds for good service in the action at Sedgemoor, in firing
the great guns against the rebels."
A few days after the battle, the establishment of the ROYAL Regiment
was reduced from 100 to 50 private men per company; and in August
eleven companies were encamped on Hounslow Heath, where they were
reviewed by the King. In September, thirteen companies marched to
Winchester, to attend the court at that city; and the regiment passed
the winter at Portsmouth and Exeter, with one company detached to Lynn.
[Sidenote: 1686]
At this period the establishment of the regiment consisted
of 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant-colonel, 1 major, 18 captains, 1
captain-lieutenant, 41 lieutenants, 21 ensigns, 1 adjutant, 1 chaplain,
1 quarter-master and marshal, 1 chirurgeon, 1 chirurgeon's mate, 1
drum-major, 1 piper, 42 drummers, 63 serjeants, 63 corporals, and
1050 private soldiers. The privilege of having two lieutenants and
three serjeants to each company appears to have been peculiar to this
regiment; and a warrant of King James II., dated the 1st of January,
1686, directs that "As any of the lieutenants of the ROYAL Regiment
shall die, or be displaced, their number be reduced to one lieutenant
only in each company of this regiment; and that as the serjeants shall
die, or be displaced, they be in the same manner reduced to two in each
company."[73]
On the 1st of March, 1686, a second adjutant and a second surgeon's
mate were added to the establishment, and the regiment was again
divided into two battalions; the first battalion consisting of eleven,
and the second of ten companies; and in April the second battalion
embarked at Gravesend for Scotland. At the same time the whole of the
first battalion was placed in garrison at Portsmouth, from whence it
marched in June following to the vicinity of Hounslow, and on the
24th of that month erected its tents on the heath, where about twelve
thousand men were encamped, under the orders of Lieut.-Generals the
Earls of Feversham and Dumbarton, and were frequently exercised in
presence of the royal family. In July, four companies marched from
Hounslow Heath, and encamped near Tunbridge Wells, to attend the
Princess Anne (afterwards Queen Anne) during her residence at that
place; and in August the battalion struck its tents, and marched to
Yarmouth and Bungay, with a detachment at Landguard-Fort, where it
passed the winter.
[Sidenote: 1687]
From these quarters the first battalion was removed in the spring
of 1637 to the vicinity of London, where it halted a few days, and
afterwards proceeded to Portsmouth, and passed the summer months in
that garrison. In the autumn it marched into Yorkshire; and the men
were employed dining the winter in working on the fortifications at
Hull.
[Sidenote: 1688]
In April, 1688, the first battalion was recalled from Yorkshire, and
was stationed at Greenwich, Woolwich, and Deptford, until the 26th of
June, when it encamped on Hounslow Heath.
In the meantime the second battalion had marched from Scotland to
York. In August it proceeded to Hertford and Ware; and in September
to Gravesend, where the first battalion had previously arrived from
Hounslow Heath; and the two battalions being again united, occupied
Gravesend, Tilbury-Fort, Sheerness, and other places along the banks of
the Thames and the coast of Kent.
At this period the nation was violently agitated by political events.
The King, being a roman catholic, and being guided by jesuitical
councils, and countenanced and encouraged by a few families of the same
persuasion, was attempting to effect the subversion of the established
religion and laws. At the same time many noblemen and gentlemen who
felt the greatest concern for the welfare of their country had invited
the Prince of Orange to come to England with a Dutch army to aid them
in resisting the proceedings of the court. Thus the kingdom was divided
against itself, and men were looking forward, with a mixed feeling
of hope, terror, and consternation, to the great convulsion which
threatened the State. The King made preparations to avert the danger,
and augmented his army, when the ROYAL Regiment was increased to 26
companies, and the total strength to 1858 officers and soldiers, each
battalion having now a grenadier company.
In the early part of November, the Dutch fleet having sailed past
Dover, the ROYAL Regiment was ordered to the west; and when the Prince
of Orange had landed at Torbay and advanced to Exeter, it proceeded to
Warminster, which was the most advanced post of the royal army. The
head-quarters were at Salisbury, and King James reviewed his army on
Salisbury Plain on the 21st of November. But his Majesty found that
his conduct had alienated the affections not only of his subjects in
general, but of the officers and soldiers of his army, many of whom
forsook his camp and joined the Prince of Orange. Yet, while many of
the nobility and gentry, with officers and soldiers from almost every
regiment in the army, were quitting the King's standard daily, the
ROYAL Regiment of Foot was an exception; it preserved its ranks entire,
and stood with an unshaken loyalty amidst the general defection which
prevailed in the kingdom.
When the King ordered his forces to retire towards London, the ROYAL
Regiment marched, first to Devizes, and afterwards to Windsor, where
it arrived on the 29th of November. The desertions continuing, the
King sent orders to Lieut.-General the Earl of Feversham to make no
further resistance to the Prince of Orange, and his Majesty afterwards
attempted to effect his escape to France. These orders produced
much confusion. Several corps were disbanded; and the men spreading
themselves in parties over the country, committed many disorders. The
ROYAL Regiment, however, appears to have been equally conspicuous for
good order as for loyalty, and continued at its post of duty until
directed by the Prince of Orange to march to Oxford.
Although the King failed in his first attempt to escape to France,
yet he afterwards succeeded, and having been followed by the Earl of
Dumbarton, the Colonel of the ROYAL Regiment, the Prince of Orange
conferred the Colonelcy on one of his most distinguished officers,
Marshal Frederick De Schomberg, afterwards Duke Schomberg.
[Sidenote: 1689]
After these events had transpired, a convention was assembled, which
declared the throne abdicated and vacant, and conferred the sovereignty
on William and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange. Many of the
officers and men of the ROYAL Regiment were, however, not satisfied
with the new arrangements. Their regiment had been King James's
favourite corps, on account of its antiquity, valour, and good conduct,
and its having served with his Majesty in France, when he was an exile.
Having preserved their loyalty to the last, the officers and men did
not expect much favour from the new king. At the same time they were
not pleased that a foreigner, Marshal Schomberg, though an officer
of distinguished merit, should be placed at the head of a national
Scots corps. While these feelings were prevalent in the breasts of
the officers and men, the regiment received orders to embark for the
Netherlands to replace the Dutch troops which were in England. This
order was considered premature: the national assembly in Scotland had
not declared for King William, and the Scots officers and soldiers did
not consider themselves bound to obey the commands of a king who had
not been acknowledged in Scotland. Under this impression a number of
officers and men mutinied, and, seizing the money appointed for their
pay, marched with four pieces of cannon towards Scotland. At the same
time the Royal Regiment of Scots Horse, commanded by Major-General
Viscount Dundee, deserted from its quarters at Abingdon, and proceeded
in the same direction.[74] The King sent Major-General Sir John Lanier
with his own (now the First Dragoon Guards), and Colonel Langston's
regiment of horse, and Lieut.-General De Ginkell (afterwards Earl of
Athlone) with three regiments of Dutch dragoons, in pursuit of the
mutineers; and these troops having overtaken the men of the ROYAL
Regiment in Lincolnshire, about twenty officers and five hundred men,
who had previously become convinced of their error, laid down their
arms and submitted themselves to the King's clemency. King William
III. is reported to have repeatedly expressed his admiration of the
firm loyalty and attachment evinced by the officers and soldiers of
the ROYAL Regiment to their former sovereign, when he was forsaken by
almost every other person; and the King, after dismissing three or four
officers, pardoned the remainder of the regiment, and ordered the first
battalion to be completed to its establishment from the second, and to
proceed to its original destination.
The second battalion of the ROYAL Regiment having transferred its
serviceable men to the first, proceeded to Scotland; and the first
battalion embarked for the Netherlands, where it arrived in the
beginning of May, 1689, and joined the Dutch camp at Tongres in the
early part of June. The British troops were commanded by the Earl of
Marlborough,[75] and the combined army by Prince Waldeck. The ROYALS
were employed in several operations; and on the 25th of August they
took part in a sharp action with the French troops commanded by
Marshal d'Humieres, at _Walcourt_, in the province of Namur. The enemy
attacked a foraging-party, and this brought on a sharp action, in which
the British infantry evinced firmness and intrepidity, particularly
a detachment under Colonel Robert Hodges;[76] and the French were
repulsed with considerable loss.
[Sidenote: 1690]
During the winter, the second battalion of the ROYAL
Regiment, having recruited its ranks, was sent from Scotland to
Holland; and in the summer of 1690 both battalions took the field. On
the 21st of June, the regiment was on its march to Brussels; but Prince
Waldeck, without waiting for the arrival of the British troops, engaged
the French at Fleurus, and was defeated. This disaster reduced the
combined army to the necessity of limiting its operations, and acting
on the defensive during the remainder of the campaign.
[Sidenote: 1691]
On the 1st of July, 1690, Marshal Duke Schomberg was killed at the
battle of the Boyne in Ireland; and the Colonelcy of the ROYAL Regiment
remained vacant until the 5th of March, 1691, when it was conferred by
King William III. on Lieut.-Colonel Sir Robert Douglas.
The regiment having been withdrawn from its winter quarters in the
month of March, 1691, was encamped at Halle, in South Brabant, where
the first battalion was formed in brigade with the Scots Foot Guards,
and the regiments of Ramsay, Angus, Mackay, and Hodges; and the second
battalion was posted, with O'Ffarrel's regiment, between two divisions
of Dutch infantry.[77] The French besieged Mons, and the confederates
being unable to relieve the place, the garrison surrendered on the 31st
of March, when the French troops went into quarters.
After the surrender of Mons, the ROYAL Regiment was sent into garrison,
from whence it was withdrawn in May, and was encamped near Brussels,
and both battalions were formed in one brigade with the Scots regiments
of Mackay, Ramsay, O'Ffarrel, and Angus, under the orders of
Brigadier-General Ramsay. The summer was passed by the opposing armies
in manœuvring on the rich plains of the Netherlands; and in October the
troops marched into quarters for the winter.
[Sidenote: 1692]
In the spring of 1692, Louis XIV. marched into the Netherlands with an
immense army and besieged Namur, when the ROYAL Regiment was called
from its cantonments, and advanced with the army, commanded by King
William III. in person, to the relief of the place; but the march
having been delayed by heavy rains, the garrison surrendered on the
20th of June. On the 23rd of that month, Colonel Sir Robert Douglas,
with 2 captains, 2 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, and 120 private men, of
the ROYAL Regiment, was detached, with other troops, to attempt the
surprise of Mons. After marching all night, the detachment arrived
about one o'clock on the following morning within a short distance of
the town, when the troops were ordered to halt, and Sir Robert Douglas
and Colonel O'Ffarrel, having proceeded to consult with the Prince of
Wirtemberg, who commanded the party, mistook their way in the dark, and
fell into the hands of a detachment of French cavalry, and were made
prisoners. The enemy being found prepared to resist, the detachment
returned to the camp at Mellé, and Sir Robert Douglas was released on
payment of the regulated ransom, and rejoined the regiment on the 29th
of June.
After several changes of position, King William resolved to attack
the French army commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, at its camp, near
_Steenkirk_. On the evening of the 23rd of July (O.S.), the first
battalion of the ROYAL Regiment, commanded by Sir Robert Douglas,
the second battalion of the 1st Foot Guards, with the regiments of
Fitzpatrick and O'Ffarrel, and two battalions of Danes, were ordered
forward to commence the attack on the French army, and were accompanied
by a detachment from each battalion of Brigadier-General Churchill's
brigade, with hatchets and spades to make a passage through the woody
grounds between the two armies. Between ten and eleven o'clock on the
following morning these troops arrived in front of the French camp,
and took post in a thick wood, beyond which there was a small valley
intersected with hedges lined with French infantry, and on the opposite
side of the valley appeared the French camp. About eleven o'clock two
batteries opened their fire upon the enemy; and when the main body of
the army had arrived within a mile of the wood, the leading regiments
issued from amongst the trees and commenced the attack. "Certainly
never was a more dreadful and at the same time bolder firing heard,
which for the space of two hours seemed to be a continued thunder. Our
van-guard behaved in this engagement to such wonder and admiration,
that though they received the charge of several battalions of the
enemy, one after another, yet they made them retreat almost to their
very camp."[78] Amongst the foremost in this action was seen the
brave Sir Robert Douglas at the head of the first battalion of the
ROYAL Regiment, emulating the noblest actions recorded in the annals
of war. Having led his battalion against the troops behind the first
hedge, he soon cleared it of French combatants, and drove one of the
enemy's battalions from the field in confusion. A second hedge was
attacked and carried by the gallant Scots in a few moments:--a third
was assaulted,--the French stood their ground,--the combatants fought
muzzle to muzzle,--and again the ROYALS proved victorious, and the
third hedge was won. The toil of conflict did not cool the ardour of
the veteran Scots; but forward they rushed with a loud huzza, and
attacked the troops which lined the fourth hedge. Here the fighting was
severe; but eventually the ROYALS overthrew a fourth French battalion,
and drove a crowd of combatants from their cannon.[79] In this conflict
the first battalion lost one of its three colours. Sir Robert Douglas,
seeing the colour on the other side of the hedge, leaped through a gap,
slew the French officer who bore the colour, and cast it over the hedge
to his own men; but this act of gallantry cost him his life, a French
marksman having shot him dead on the spot while in the act of repassing
the hedge. "Thus the Scots commander improved upon the Roman general;
for the brave Posthumius cast his standard in the middle of the enemy
for his soldiers to retrieve; but Douglas retrieved his from the middle
of the enemy, without any assistance, and cast it back to his soldiers
to retain."[80] While the leading regiments were thus carrying all
before them, the main body of the army was a mile in the rear, and
could not be brought up in time to sustain the corps in advance: the
ROYALS and other regiments of the advance-guard, after displaying a
degree of constancy and valour seldom equalled, were forced to retire;
and eventually the army retreated to its camp.
[Illustration: Sir Robert Douglas of Glenbervie, Colonel of the Royal
Regiment of Foot, killed at the Battle of Steenkirk, July 24th, 1692.
[To face page 83.]
The loss of the regiment in this action has not been ascertained.
Mention has, however, been made in history of two Captains, viz.
Mackraken and Levingston, of the ROYAL Regiment, who were killed;
and from the returns published at the time, the brigade to which the
regiment belonged lost 6 field officers, 14 captains, 24 subalterns,
and 507 men killed; and 6 field officers, 20 captains, 32 subalterns,
and 608 men wounded[81]; and doubtless a number of these belonged to
the ROYAL Regiment.
A few days after the battle, King William conferred the Colonelcy
on Lord George Hamilton (afterwards Earl of Orkney) from the Royal
Regiment of Fusiliers.
On the 2nd of August, a detachment of the ROYAL Regiment, commanded by
Captain Rowland Mackenzie, was engaged with a party of French troopers
in a wood near the camp, and took twenty prisoners.[82] Towards the end
of September the regiment marched from the camp to Bruges, from whence
parties were detached to Scotland to procure recruits.
[Sidenote: 1693]
Having passed the winter at Bruges, where the losses of the preceding
campaign were replaced by recruits from Scotland, the regiment marched
out of its quarters towards the end of April, 1693, and pitched its
tents on the levels near the town, from whence it proceeded to the
villages near Brussels, where it arrived on the 13th of May. On the
17th, it marched out of its village cantonments and joined the camp at
Dieghem, from whence it subsequently marched to Parck camp in front of
Louvaine, and had its post on the heights near Birbeck. Here it was
stationed until the early part of July, when the army advanced, and,
after several marches, the regiment was in position on the 18th of
July, near the village of Neer-Winden, in South Brabant. The first
battalion had its post in the village of _Neer-Landen_, near the left
of the line, and its grenadier company occupied a strong building at
the head of the village. The second battalion was stationed on the
right of the village, where a slight entrenchment was made during the
night.
On the morning of the 19th of July, when the first rays of light
appeared, a French army, commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, of nearly
double the numbers of the confederates under King William, was
discovered in order of battle within cannon-shot of the position.
The batteries instantly opened their fire, and, about eight o'clock,
six French brigades attacked the post at Laér and Neer-Winden, but
were repulsed. The enemy next attacked the village of Neer-Landen
with four brigades,[83] and the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment
stood its ground manfully. The French came rushing to the attack with
great fury, but the head of their column was pierced by a shower of
musket balls, and the killed and wounded crowded the street, while the
grenadiers of the ROYAL Regiment threw their grenades, with unerring
aim, from the windows of the house they occupied. The French, however,
pressed forward, and the battalion, being unable to resist the host
of combatants which assailed it, was forced to retire; at the same
time the house occupied by the grenadiers was set on fire. At this
moment the Queen Dowager's Regiment (now 2nd Foot, or Queen's Royal)
advanced to the assistance of the ROYALS, and the two battalions
renewed the fight with great bravery. Prince Frederick's and Fagel's
Dutch regiments also advanced to support the two British battalions; at
the same time King William came galloping to that part of the field,
and his presence inspired the combatants with new ardour. The French
disputed the ground for some time, but after a fierce conflict of
about two hours' duration, they gave way, and were driven through the
defile into the plain; and the ROYAL and Queen Dowager's battalions,
which had fought together at Tangier in Africa, stood triumphant at the
end of the village, and were thanked for their gallantry by the King.
Notwithstanding this success, the fortune of the day turned eventually
in favour of the French, who carried the village of Neer-Winden, and
broke into the King's camp, when their superiority of numbers gave them
a decided advantage. The ROYALS were withdrawn from their post; and the
King ordered a retreat, which was effected with difficulty, and was
attended with great loss. The loss of the enemy was, however, so great,
that he derived little advantage from this victory, excepting the power
of besieging Charleroi, which was taken in the autumn. The loss of the
ROYAL Regiment does not appear to have been great; the only officers
of this corps mentioned by D'Auvergne amongst the killed and wounded
are--Captain Young died of his wounds, with Captain Sir James Cockburn,
Lieutenants Brown and Blake, and Ensign White wounded. In October the
regiment marched to Bruges, and parties were again sent to Scotland to
procure recruits to replace the loss sustained during this campaign.
[Sidenote: 1694]
On the 18th of May, 1694, the first battalion marched out of its winter
quarters, and on the following day encamped near Ghent; and, resuming
its march on the 21st, proceeded to the general rendezvous of the army
near Louvaine, where it arrived on the 28th of that month.
Meanwhile, the second battalion remained in garrison at Bruges, and in
June it marched out of the town and encamped along the banks of the
canal towards Ghent, where a small army of observation was assembled
under the orders of the Spanish general, Count de Merode Thian.
The first battalion marched with the army commanded by King William in
person, from the vicinity of Louvaine, on the 13th of July, and was
afterwards encamped at Mont St. André. In the middle of August the King
attempted by a forced march to cross the enemy's lines and penetrate
into French Flanders; but the French, by extraordinary exertions,
gained the pass first, and thus preserved their country from an
invasion.
Towards the end of August the second battalion quitted its post on the
Bruges Canal, and joined the first battalion at the camp at Rousselaér;
and both battalions formed part of the covering army during the period
the Prussians and Dutch were engaged in the siege of Huy, and the men,
having to remain in the fields in wet weather, erected huts of wood and
straw. Huy surrendered on the 17th of September, and in October the
ROYAL Regiment returned to its former station at Bruges.
[Sidenote: 1695]
Having passed the winter and spring in convenient quarters, the ROYAL
Regiment again took the field on the 26th of May, 1695; and on the 21st
of June the first battalion, commanded by Colonel Lord George Hamilton,
was detached to engage in the siege of the strong fortress of _Namur_;
at the same time, the second battalion remained with the covering army,
commanded by the Prince of Vaudemont, encamped near the river Lys.
Namur was, at this period, deemed almost impregnable, and the
garrison, consisting of twenty battalions of infantry, and twenty-four
squadrons of dragoons, was commanded by Marshal Boufflers, an officer
celebrated for bravery and perseverance; a vigorous defence was
consequently anticipated.
The first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment was stationed for several
days at Templeux, a post about five miles from Namur, and on the 8th
of July it took its station in the lines of circumvallation, and was
ordered to take part in an assault upon the covered-way near the hill
of Bouge, on the same evening. The signal for the attack was given
about seven o'clock, when the Foot Guards advanced boldly up to the
enemy's palisades, and placed the muzzles of their muskets between
the staves, fired a volley which put the French into some confusion.
The palisades were afterwards broken, and the troops rushed forward
to attack the second covered-way. During the first attack the ROYALS
supported the Dutch Foot Guards, but when the first palisades were
broken down, the Scots rushed furiously forward with the Foot Guards,
the second covered-way was carried, the French were overpowered,
driven from their works, and chased amongst the batteries on the
brow of the hill, and many of them sought a refuge from the fury of
their assailants in the stone pits. The ROYALS gained great credit
for their conduct on this occasion; and had Captains Sanderson and
Dixon, Lieutenant Penefather, and Ensign Cockburn, killed; and Colonel
Lord George Hamilton, Captain Hamilton, and Ensigns Carre and Vernal,
wounded.
On the 10th of July the battalion was on duty in the trenches, and as
it marched out on the following day Major Macilivan was killed by a
cannon-ball from the castle of Namur: on the same day its Colonel was
promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. The battalion was again
on duty in the trenches on the 13th of July; and on the evening of
the 17th it was engaged in storming the counterscarp. The attack was
commenced by the grenadiers, who rushed to the glacis, cast their
grenades over the palisades into the covered-way, and, following up
this attack with spirit, the troops carried the counterscarp in gallant
style.
An assault was made on the 23rd of July, on the covered-way and
traverses between the bastion of St. Roche and the Porte de Fer, and
the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment formed part of the storming
party. The attack was made a little before sunset, and, after a sharp
contest, a lodgment was effected. The only loss sustained by the
battalion in this service appears to have been Lieutenant Archibald
Hamilton and a few private men wounded. The Dutch and Brandenburgers
were also successful at their points of attack, and on the 24th of
July, when preparations were making for another assault, the garrison
hoisted a white flag, and agreed to surrender the town, which was
delivered up on the following day, when the garrison retired into the
castle, where they resolved to defend themselves to the last extremity.
After the surrender of the town of Namur the first battalion of the
ROYAL Regiment marched from the lines of circumvallation to Genappe,
where a small force was assembled under the Earl of Athlone to
co-operate with the covering army; Captain Burgh and Lieutenant Wallis
of the ROYALS, however, remained with the forces engaged in the siege
of the castle, in the capacity of engineers. From Genappe the first
battalion marched to the village of Waterloo, and there pitched its
tents. Meanwhile, the second battalion had been engaged in several
movements for the preservation of Ghent, Bruges, and the maritime
towns of Flanders, and was, at this period, encamped near Brussels.
The confederate army being thus divided, part carrying on the siege
of the castle of Namur, and the remainder stationed in various places
in the Netherlands, the French commander, Marshal Villeroy, having
assembled an immense army, advanced to Brussels and bombarded the city;
he afterwards marched towards Namur, with the design of raising the
siege of the castle; when both battalions of the ROYAL Regiment, with
the remainder of the covering army, proceeded to the vicinity of Namur,
and took up a position to cover the siege. This position the French
commander did not venture to attack, and the siege of the castle was
prosecuted with vigour. On the 20th of August, the grenadier companies
of the ROYAL Regiment quitted the covering army to take part in an
assault upon the castle, and were engaged in storming the counterscarp
and breach of the Terra Nova, under the orders of Lord Cutts. This
proved a severe and sanguinary service; the assailants and defenders
fought with distinguished bravery, and, although the castle was not
carried, yet several lodgments were effected. The ROYALS had Lieutenant
William Hamilton and several men killed, and others wounded; Lieutenant
Archibald Hamilton, who was wounded in the third attack on the town,
was again wounded on this occasion. Preparations were afterwards made
for a second assault, when the garrison surrendered, and marched
out on the 26th of August (O.S.) Thus this important conquest was
effected, and the military reputation of King William was elevated; at
the same time, new lustre was reflected on the confederate arms. The
summer having been spent in making this capture, after the works were
repaired, the ROYALS marched back to Bruges.
[Sidenote: 1696]
In this city they passed the winter, and the losses of the preceding
campaign were replaced. On the 9th of May, 1696, they marched out of
Bruges, and pitch
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