Chapter II: Part 2

The evening before this attack, there was an order that the great coats and kits of the regiment should be left in the house which the commanding officer had occupied, under the charge of the Quartermaster; or, in his absence, of a subaltern officer, with the sick or lame men who could not march, as a guard for this baggage. The Quartermaster was employed on the general staff as an assistant engineer, and the tour of duty fell upon Lieutenant Michael Barry, of the grenadier company; but this high-spirited young man earnestly solicited, and obtained permission, to accompany his regiment, and was the first officer who fell the next day. No other subaltern being found willing to remain behind, the charge was entrusted to Quartermaster-Serjeant William Grady. He was the first man who joined the corps on its formation, and had been distinguished for his bravery, intelligence, and trustworthiness; his guard, inefficient as it must be, mustered somewhat more than twenty men. In front of the house there was a thick orchard, with a narrow path leading to it; upon this he placed double sentries during the night, and a piquet of half his force in the day-time. It appeared that at the further end of this orchard a mounted body of the enemy was concealed; these men had been posted in advance of the town, but being unable to return, in consequence of the British troops having got between it and their position, they determined to get into the country by this narrow pass; but when they rushed out of the orchard, they were fired upon by Serjeant Grady’s sentries, and, their leader falling, they retreated into their cover, and after several ineffectual attempts to escape in that direction, the party, consisting of two officers and seventy men, well mounted and armed, surrendered to the Quartermaster-Serjeant’s small force. Having secured their arms and ammunition, he marched the prisoners to head-quarters, and delivered them up to Major-General Gower. Two hours after he received written orders from Lieut.-General Whitelocke to return the arms, &c. to the prisoners, who were released, and not to fire upon or stop any party, whether armed or not, going into or coming out of the town. At nine o’clock the next night, upwards of five hundred mounted men came out of the town and surrounded the house, the owner of which was an officer of the party, who, in addition to national hostility, was in a state of great irritation at his house having been taken from him, and, as he stated, plundered by the advanced guard of the British army. They surrounded and made prisoners Serjeant Grady and his party, who had orders not to fire upon any armed body. They were marched into the town, and thrust into loathsome dungeons. The Serjeant was a peculiar object of revenge, because he refused to accept a commission in their service, and to drill their troops. This brave and excellent soldier was subsequently rewarded for his exemplary conduct by being appointed Quartermaster to the second battalion of the regiment. After the capture of Serjeant Grady and his party, the stores were plundered, and the baggage carried off or destroyed.

Notwithstanding the intrepidity displayed by the troops, the enterprise failed. On the morning of the 6th of July the Governor-General Liniers sent a letter to Lieut.-General Whitelocke, offering to restore the prisoners taken in the action of the preceding day, and also those made with Brigadier-General Beresford, on condition that the whole of the British forces should be withdrawn from South America, which proposals were accepted. The Lieutenant-General’s conduct subsequently became the subject of inquiry by a court-martial, and he was cashiered.

During the attack upon Buenos Ayres, a number of the Spanish and native soldiers were seen in the uniform of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment; this was accounted for by a ship with the clothing for that regiment, which had been sent out from England to Monte Video, having been captured and carried into Buenos Ayres by a Spanish privateer, and the clothing had thus been distributed to the armed populace.

Subsequently to the assault on _Buenos Ayres_, the Commander of the Forces issued the following general order:—

“_Buenos Ayres, 8th July 1807._
“GENERAL ORDER.

“Volunteer Peter Benson Husband, of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, is
appointed Ensign in that corps, in consequence of his very gallant
behaviour on the morning of the 5th instant.
(Signed) “T. BRADFORD,
“_Deputy-Adjutant-General_.”

The EIGHTY-SEVENTH returned to Monte Video, after the cessation of hostilities, and was completed by volunteers from the different corps returning to Europe. On the 2nd of August the regiment embarked for the Cape of Good Hope; and on the 4th of September following it landed at Simon’s Bay, and marched to Cape Town, where it formed part of the garrison.

[Sidenote: 1808.]

[Sidenote: 1809.]

During the years 1808 and 1809, the first battalion continued to be stationed at the Cape of Good Hope.

[Sidenote: 1810.]

On the 23rd of October 1810, the first battalion embarked from the Cape, having been selected to form part of an expedition designed to co-operate with troops from India, under the command of Lieut.-General John Abercromby, in the capture of the Mauritius. A landing of the troops from India had taken place a few days before the division from the Cape, under Major-General William Cockell, had arrived. Its appearance off the island was, however, particularly opportune, as the French governor had previously resolved to defend his lines before Port Louis; but when he saw the force from the Cape approach the island, he relinquished the hope of being able to make effectual resistance, and surrendered this valuable colony to the British. The battalion disembarked at Port Louis on the 1st of December, where it remained on duty, after the other regiments composing the expedition returned to their respective quarters. Captain Henry C. Streatfeild with two officers and one hundred men were embarked on board a ship of war, in advance of the expedition, and landed before the force from the Cape.

[Sidenote: 1811 to 1814.]

The first battalion continued to form part of the garrison of the island during the four following years.

[Sidenote: 1815.]

In May 1815, the first battalion at the Mauritius was directed to hold itself in readiness for active service in India, and embarked on board of transports on the 16th of June, and landed at Fort William, in Bengal, on the 3rd of August.

The light company embarked in an Arab ship, with the flank companies of the Twelfth and Twenty-second regiments, and were carried into the Gulf of Manaar; the ship being there weather-bound, the troops were landed, with the assistance of country-boats, at Calpenterre, in Ceylon, and having remained fourteen days at Point de Galle, embarked again in the Arab ship for Calcutta, where they arrived, and rejoined the regiment on the 25th of September.

On the 1st of October 1815, the first battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked in boats, and sailed for Berhampore, where it arrived on the 14th, and again embarked and sailed for Dinapore on the 13th of November, at which place it disembarked on the 18th of December.

[Sidenote: 1816.]

The Rajah of Nepaul having broken the terms of treaty made by him with the Honorable East India Company, the battalion marched for his territories on the 15th of January 1816, and arrived at Bullvee Camp on the 24th, where it joined the army under the command of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony, K.C.B., who commanded the forces assembled on the frontiers of Nepaul; on the 3rd of February the brigades advanced by their respective routes into Nepaul, Sir David Ochterlony remaining in company with the third and fourth brigades (to the former of which the EIGHTY-SEVENTH belonged), and marched through the forest at the foot of the Nepaul Hills on the 9th. The light company of the battalion with those of the native infantry of the brigade with two guns under the command of Lieut. John Fenton, formed the advanced guard, and had a very arduous duty to perform, in carrying the guns through the forest, which was accomplished by the personal exertions of each individual. On the 10th, the third brigade arrived at Semul Cassa Pass, and at nine o’clock A. M. the light company of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, commanded by Lieutenant Fenton, accompanied by Sir David Ochterlony, was drawn up the pass, a height of thirty feet, by the officers’ sashes, the brigade then about five miles from the pass; on the 19th it reached the village of Etoundah on the banks of the Rapti. The advanced guard again exerted themselves in opening a communication between the third and fourth brigades through the Cheria Ghanty Pass.

On the 27th of February it arrived at Muckwanpore, and on the 28th the brigade was ordered to take possession of the heights of _Sierapore_, and reconnoitre the position of the enemy. Lieutenant Thomas Lee, with a piquet of forty men of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, and strong piquets of native infantry, under their own officers, was directed to take possession of the deserted height of Sierapore. Captain Pickersgill, acting Quartermaster-General, conducted them to their ground, where having planted them, Lieutenant Lee and twenty men of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH proceeded to reconnoitre the ground in advance: the enemy advanced to recover his position; the piquet retired, and the reconnoitering party, in danger of being cut off; had to descend a hill covered with jungle, pursued by a strong party (nearly four hundred) of the enemy, and would not have escaped but for the gallantry of two soldiers of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, Corporal James Orr of No. 5. company, and Private Patrick Boyle of the Grenadier company, who seeing the danger of the officers, placed themselves on the pathway, and by their steadiness and fire, checked the advance of the enemy. On the officers making good their retreat, these gallant fellows retired uninjured: the corporal was promoted to the rank of serjeant at the particular desire of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony; the unfortunate habit of drinking alone prevented the promotion of the private. An action afterwards took place, in which the light company, under the command of Captain Fenton, suffered considerably. The action commenced about noon, and ceased at six o’clock P. M., leaving the British in possession of the heights for a considerable distance from Sierapore, and of one field-piece.

In this affair Lieut.-Colonel Francis Miller commanding the battalion, and Lieutenant Fenton[8] in the command of the light company (detached in the advance), particularly distinguished themselves, and received the public thanks of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony, and also of the Marquis of Hastings, the Commander-in-chief and Governor-General of India. The regiment had ten men killed, and above thirty wounded, many of whom died; the loss of the enemy was very considerable.

The Rajah, perceiving that resistance was unavailing, sued for peace, and a treaty was concluded on the 4th of March; on the 9th of that month the battalion commenced its return to Bengal, and arrived at Amowah on the 22nd of March, where it was cantoned until the 30th of June, on which day it commenced its march to Govingunge on the river Gonduck, and embarked in boats in progress to Cawnpore; on the 17th of August, the battalion arrived at Jangemowe, within a few miles of Cawnpore, but did not disembark at the latter station, until the 10th of September. About this period the battalion became very sickly from being so long confined in boats; the hospital list amounted to about four hundred and eighty, exclusive of numbers who could not be admitted for want of room. Not less than one hundred and fifty men died in this and the following month, when the cold weather coming on, in a great measure, renovated the corps.

[Sidenote: 1817.]

On the 6th of February 1817, the regiment marched from Cawnpore towards Hattrass, which fortress the Commander-in-chief had given instructions to Major-General Marshall to besiege: the division from Cawnpore arrived before Hattrass, and joined the field army, on the 20th of February.

The pettah of the fort of Hattrass having been breached, it was resolved to storm on the evening of the 25th of February, and accordingly his Majesty’s Fourteenth regiment was appointed for that duty, and the EIGHTY-SEVENTH to cover; however, the breach being found impracticable, the troops returned to their lines, but the pettah was evacuated during the night, and taken possession of on the following morning by the British troops; batteries were immediately erected against the fort, which was heavily bombarded with shells and rockets: at length the principal magazine blew up on the 2nd of March, the explosion of which was said to be distinctly heard at Meerut, nearly two hundred miles distant.

Dya Ram, Rajah of the fortress, having determined on abandoning it, most gallantly cut his way through some of the piquets of the besieging army, and effected his escape. On the morning of the 3rd of March, the right wing of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH marched into and took possession of the fortress of Hattrass, which was reduced to a mass of ruins. On the 8th of March the regiment commenced its return to Cawnpore.

In July and August the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, in Bengal, was increased by a detachment of thirteen serjeants, three drummers, and two hundred and sixty-nine rank and file, men who had been transferred on the second battalion being disbanded on the 1st of February 1817.

The regiment remained at Cawnpore until the 15th of October, when it received orders to march to Secundra, where the grand army was formed under the command of the Marquis of Hastings, against the Pindaree hordes, and having remained there until a bridge of boats was completed over the Jumna, it crossed that river on the 27th, and marched to the banks of the Sind, opposite Gualior; but the grand army being, about this time, attacked by that fatal disease, the cholera morbus, compelled the Marquis, with his troops, to retire to Erich on the Bettwah: the mortality for four or five days was very great, particularly among the natives, who died in vast numbers on the road and in the villages through which the army passed. The EIGHTY-SEVENTH lost one subaltern (Lieutenant John Coghlan), three serjeants, and forty rank and file; total, forty-four, in three days. The army having in some measure recovered, his Lordship returned to the banks of the Sind, and took up a position at Lonaree, within twenty-one miles of Gualior, where Scindiah, with a powerful force, was ready to take the field, to support the Mahratta States, which had revolted.

[Sidenote: 1818.]

On the 14th of February 1818, the different divisions of the army were broken up, in consequence of peace being concluded, and the EIGHTY-SEVENTH returned to Cawnpore, at which station it arrived on the 26th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1820.]

On the 21st of October 1820, the regiment marched from Cawnpore for Fort William, by the new road, and arrived in that garrison on the 21st of December, a distance of six hundred and sixty miles.

[Sidenote: 1821.]

On the night of the 6th of September 1821, a very alarming fire broke out in the Honorable Company’s Dispensary, situated in Calcutta, and surrounded by many valuable houses. As soon as intelligence reached the fort, two captains and ten subalterns, with about three hundred men, immediately marched to the spot, and, by the greatest exertions, prevented the fire from spreading to the neighbouring houses. The strictness with which the armed party protected the property of the inhabitants, called forth their admiration, which was followed by the annexed letter from the Governor-General, the Marquis of Hastings.

“_Council Chamber, 17th Sept. 1821._
“MY DEAR SIR,

“It was a great satisfaction to me, though no surprise, to learn
the zealous and meritorious conduct of the detachment of the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH, employed in the endeavour to stop the fire last
night. As some of the men have suffered in articles of dress, to
repair that damage, as well as to reward the activity of the party,
the Council has directed that five hundred rupees be paid to you,
which you will please to distribute according to your opinion of
claims.
“I have, &c.,
(Signed) “HASTINGS.
“_Lieut.-Colonel Miller,
Eighty-seventh regiment._”

This mark of approbation from the Governor-General in Council, towards the party in general, was followed by one to the officers employed, each being presented with a piece of plate, accompanied by the following letter:

“_Council Chamber, 18th December 1821._
“SIR,

“The Most Noble the Governor-General in Council, being desirous
to evince the sense which Government entertains of the laudable
exertions of those officers of his Majesty’s EIGHTY-SEVENTH
regiment, who were present with the detachment sent from Fort
William on the occasion of the fire at the Honorable Company’s
dispensary, has commanded me to transmit to you the accompanying
silver cups, with a request that you will, on the part of his
Lordship in Council, present one to each of the several officers
named below, who are understood to have accompanied the troops on
the night of the 6th of September last.”

_Captain_—George Rodney Bell.
” W. G. Cavanagh.
_Lieutenant and Adjutant_—James Bowes.
_Lieutenant_—John G. Baylee.
” Richard Irvine.
” Henry Gough Baylee.
” Alexander Irwin.
” George Tolfrey.
” Edmund Cox.
” John Shipp.
” Henry Spaight.
_Ensign_—Lawrence Halstead.

A very handsome piece of plate, which is now in the mess, was likewise presented to the above officers by Doctor M^cWhirter, whose house adjoined the Dispensary, and which was saved by great exertion.

[Sidenote: 1822.]

In April 1822, another alarming fire occurred in Calcutta, at the cotton stores of Mr. Laprimaudage, in which a detachment of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH exerted itself in a very laudable manner, and a letter of thanks was received by Lieut.-Colonel Miller, from that gentleman, for the service rendered by the officers and men on this occasion.

In 1822 the arrival of regiments from Europe, caused the EIGHTY-SEVENTH to embark (by wings) in boats for the Upper Provinces, and on the 11th of July the right wing sailed for Dinapore, the left following on the 22nd of that month.

The right wing experienced bad weather and lost a number of boats, by which one serjeant, two drummers, five women, and four children were drowned. On the 19th of August the right wing landed at Dinapore, and the left on the 25th, having made a very prosperous voyage, not meeting with a single accident in the passage: on the 1st of November, the regiment marched to Ghazeepore.

[Sidenote: 1823.]

On the 17th of May 1823, Lieut.-Colonel Francis M. Miller, C.B., died, after having served his Majesty upwards of thirty-four years, during which he had commanded the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment at different periods for sixteen years. He was deeply and most deservedly regretted by every officer and soldier who had served with him, and had invariably received the marked approbation of every general officer under whom he had been placed. The command of the regiment subsequently devolved on Lieut.-Colonel Matthew Shawe, C.B.

[Sidenote: 1824.]

Serjeant Stephen Carr was appointed quartermaster on the 24th of June 1824, as a reward for his distinguished gallantry and honorable trustworthy conduct: he was present in every action in which the second battalion was employed during the Peninsular war.

In consequence of the Forty-seventh regiment having embarked at Calcutta for Ava, the EIGHTY-SEVENTH left Ghazeepore in boats oh the 9th of June 1824, and reached Berhampore on the 29th of the same month.

[Sidenote: 1825.]

On the 14th of January 1825, the regiment proceeded towards Calcutta to replace the second battalion of the Royals on its departure for Ava; the left wing moved by land, the right by water, and were reunited on the 29th in Fort William, of which garrison Lieut.-Colonel Shawe became commandant.

On the 6th of June, the regiment performed the melancholy duty of attending to the grave the remains of its beloved and lamented commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Henry Browne. He had entered the regiment in 1800 as an ensign, when sixteen years of age, and had never belonged to any other: his qualities as a man and a soldier endeared him to all. In the meantime hostilities had commenced between the British and the Burmese, and on the 5th of October the regiment embarked for Ava, to reinforce the army in that country, in four divisions, which landed at Rangoon between the 3rd and 10th of November, and immediately proceeded in boats towards Prome, the head-quarters of the army. During the passage, Major William Slade Gully’s division was attacked from the bank of the river, on the 25th of November, by a strong party of Burmese, which was immediately repulsed on the troops being landed. Lieutenant and Adjutant James Bowes, in command of the advanced guard, was wounded, and two privates killed.

Six companies of the regiment, with Major Gully, Captains Charles Lucas and George Rodney Bell, and John Day; Lieutenants John Baylee, William Bateman, Robert Joseph Kerr, William Lenox Stafford, with Assistant Surgeons William Brown, M.D., and William Peter Birmingham, reached Prome in time to share in the operations of the 1st and 2nd of December, which terminated in the entire discomfiture of the enemy. On this occasion the regiment maintained its unvarying reputation for cool and distinguished gallantry: Lieutenant Baylee and two men were killed; Major Gully and twenty-one men were wounded.

[Sidenote: 1826.]

On the 8th of January 1826, Lieut.-Colonel Hunter Blair joined the regiment, and was appointed a Brigadier, the EIGHTY-SEVENTH being in his brigade.

On the 19th of January Brigadier Thomas Hunter Blair, Lieut.-Colonel of the regiment, commanded the right column of attack at the capture of _Melloone_, consisting of the Eighty-ninth regiment and the flank companies of the Forty-seventh and EIGHTY-SEVENTH with Captain James Moore (major of brigade), Brevet Captain James Kennelly, Lieutenants Henry Gough Baylee, Edmund Cox, George Mainwaring, William Lenox Stafford, and Joseph Thomas, and Assistant Surgeon Birmingham. No loss was sustained.

The day after the fall of _Melloone_, the Bengal division, under Brigadier Shawe, made a flank movement from the river Irrawaddy, and entered a well-cultivated country abounding in cattle, eight hundred head of which were secured, and they proved a most seasonable supply to the army.

On the 28th of January the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, with the flank companies of the Twenty-eighth native infantry, and detachments of the Governor-General’s body-guard and artillery, under Brigadier Hunter Blair, were sent from Tongwyn, to attack the position of _Moulmein_, eleven miles distant. The flank companies of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH had one man killed and five wounded in forcing a piquet half way to Moulmein, which had been in part evacuated the preceding day. The position, being a great annoyance to the surrounding country, was destroyed, and the troops returned to camp the same evening.

On the 21st of February, the Bengal division rejoined head-quarters at Yandaboo; and on the 24th of February a royal salute announced the termination of the Burmese war.

The constancy and valour of the British troops had thus forced the monarch of an Eastern empire, with its myriads of inhabitants, to sue for peace; and their conduct is thus alluded to in the order issued by the Governor-General of India.

“While the Governor-General in Council enumerates, with sentiments
of unfeigned admiration, the achievements of the First or
Royals, the Thirteenth, Thirty-eighth, Forty-first, Forty-fifth,
Forty-seventh, EIGHTY-SEVENTH, and Eighty-ninth regiments, the
Honorable Company’s Madras European regiment, and the Bengal and
Madras European artillery, as the European troops which have had
the honor of establishing the renown of the British arms in a new
and distant region, his Lordship in Council feels that higher and
more justly-merited praise cannot be bestowed on those brave troops
than that, amidst the barbarous hosts which they have fought and
conquered, they have eminently displayed the virtues and sustained
the character of the British soldier.”

In commemoration of the meritorious conduct of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH and other corps, the royal authority was subsequently granted for the word “AVA” to be borne on the regimental colour and appointments.

Brigadier Shawe, on the 1st of March, was compelled to proceed to Rangoon, in consequence of ill health.

On the 8th of March, the portion of the army that was ordered to return by land, marched from Yandaboo, under the command of Brigadier Hunter Blair. It consisted of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, the Governor-General’s body-guard, the Horse artillery, the Twenty-eighth, Thirty-eighth, and Forty-third Madras native infantry, and a battalion of the Madras pioneers. The column reached Prome, a distance of two hundred and ninety miles, on the 3rd of April, having had only one halting day, which was St. Patrick’s.

The EIGHTY-SEVENTH remained at Prome, as the rear-guard of the army, until the arrangements for the final evacuation of the province was completed; on the 15th of April it embarked in the flotilla, and reached Rangoon on the 21st of that month.

On the 27th of April was received the melancholy intelligence of the death of Lieut.-Colonel Matthew Shawe, C.B., which lamented event took place on board His Majesty’s sloop, “Slany,” Captain Thornton, on the 10th of that month, within one day’s sail of Penang, where he was buried with all military honors. He was much regretted as an excellent man, and an officer of conspicuous gallantry. His life was sacrificed to his zeal for active service, for such was the state of his health, on leaving Calcutta, that his medical advisers used every endeavour to dissuade him from proceeding to Ava.[9]

Lieut.-Colonel Hunter Blair, became senior Lieut.-Colonel of the regiment, of which he assumed the command on the 1st of June, on the reduction of the staff in Ava.

On the 1st of September, Lieutenant Edmund Cox, with twenty-eight flankers, proceeded to Ava, as escort to the envoy, they being the first British soldiers who had visited that capital.

An order was received at Rangoon, on the 16th of October, directing that in consequence of the intended return of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH to England, the men should be permitted to volunteer for the Forty-fifth regiment, also in garrison: one hundred and twenty-three men availed themselves of this offer.

On the 22nd of October, the head-quarters embarked for Calcutta, which they reached on the 16th of November, and were joined by the rest of the regiment on the 24th of that month.

Besides those already named, the regiment had to regret the death (in Ava) of two old and much valued officers, Captain Peter Benson Husband and Surgeon Alexander Leslie; and of Lieutenant Nicholas Milley Doyle, and Ensign Richard Loveday, two most promising young men, who were drowned in the Irrawaddy, and of above one hundred and eighty non-commissioned officers and soldiers, chiefly from dysentery.

After the return of the regiment from Ava, it had the honor of being reviewed at Calcutta by General Lord Combermere, G.C.B., Commander-in-chief in India, and inspected by Major-General Robert Alexander Dalzell, afterwards the Earl of Carnwath.

On the 13th of November, the volunteering re-commenced, and continued, with intervals, to the 27th of December, during which two hundred and fifty-nine men turned out, for the Sixteenth lancers, Thirteenth, Thirty-first, Thirty-eighth, and Forty-fourth regiments and East India Company’s service, reducing the regiment in India to two hundred and eighty men.

[Sidenote: 1827.]

On the 1st of February the head-quarters, with nine companies, sailed from Calcutta in the free trader “Lord Lynedoch,” leaving the remainder of the regiment to follow in the “Cornwall.”

It may be remarked, as a singular circumstance, that the regiment should return to England in a ship bearing the name of the hero under whom it gained the decoration of the eagle at Barrosa, and still more remarkable, that its actual commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Hunter Blair, had proceeded to India in the “Barrosa.”

The following general order, dated the 29th of January, was published by his Excellency General Lord Combermere, on the embarkation of the regiment.

“The Commander-in-Chief having directed the embarkation of the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, on its return home, his Lordship cannot
allow the corps to leave India, without expressing his high
approbation of its services. Of the conduct of this corps, during
its services in Ava, his Lordship has had the most favourable
reports; and he has every confidence that, wherever its future
destinies may lead it, the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment will always add
to its spirited and distinguished military reputation.”

On the 27th of April the head-quarters reached St. Helena, and remained there four days.

On the 23rd of June 1827 the EIGHTY-SEVENTH landed in England, and was placed on the British establishment from that day inclusive, and marched into Chatham Barracks; from thence, after being inspected, and the invalids discharged, the regiment was moved by water on the 7th of July to Albany Barracks, Isle of Wight, the effective strength at head-quarters being two hundred and eighty rank and file.

In consequence of the continued career of brilliant services which has distinguished the regiment from its first taking the field, to its return to England, a period of thirty-three years, General Sir John Doyle felt it an imperative duty, as its Colonel, to bring those services under the notice of its revered and beloved Sovereign, and humbly to solicit for the corps some mark of His Majesty’s royal favour.

The gracious manner in which the King had condescended to view the conduct of his EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, and the encouraging expressions with which His Majesty has been pleased to convey his approbation of its services, must be so cheering to the hearts of every member of the corps, that the circumstance naturally claims a place in the records of the regiment.

On the 20th of June 1827, the Colonel addressed the following letter to the Adjutant-General of the Forces, Major-General Sir Henry Torrens, K.C.B.:

“_4. Somerset Street, Portman Square,
“20th June 1827._
“SIR,

“I have the honor to represent to you that the EIGHTY-SEVENTH
regiment, under my command, has arrived in England, after a service
of twenty-one years in tropical climates.

“It has just returned from the Burmese campaign, where it has
obtained additional honors to those it had formerly won.

“To you, Sir, who so well know the character of every corps
in the army, it is unnecessary to detail the services of the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH. It is now thirty-three years since I had the honor
to raise it, thirty-one years of which period it has been upon
foreign service; on the continent of Europe, the Peninsula, South
America, and the East and West Indies. In all the well-fought
actions where it bore a part in both hemispheres, it has been
distinguished in general orders. My authority is the Government
Gazette.

“Under these circumstances, may I be permitted to hope that you
will do me the favour to lay at His Majesty’s feet my humble
petition that the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment may be appointed a
light infantry corps, which, as being a mark of His Majesty’s
approbation, would be most gratifying to those brave men, who
have so freely bled, and would lay down their lives, to manifest
their devoted attachment to their gracious and beloved Sovereign.
Perhaps, Sir, you will have the less difficulty in complying with
my request, when I mention that, immediately after the action of
Barrosa, I received the following note from Lord Lynedoch, written
from the field of battle:

“MY DEAR DOYLE,

“Your regiment has covered itself with glory. Recommend it and
its commander to the notice of its illustrious patron, the Prince
Regent. Too much cannot be done for the corps.”

“I presented it to his Royal Highness, who graciously said, ‘It is
very true, and I will do any thing you wish for the regiment; will
you have it made _Royal_?’ I respectfully declined the honor, for
reasons his Royal Highness did not disapprove.

“For the correctness of this statement I humbly appeal to His
Majesty, who never forgets any circumstance relating to those who
have faithfully and zealously served him.
“I have, &c.,
(Signed) “I. DOYLE,
“_Colonel of the_ EIGHTY-SEVENTH,
_or Prince of Wales’s Own Irish
Regiment, and General_.

“_Major-General Sir Henry Torrens, K.C.B., Adjutant-General
of the Forces, Horse Guards._”

To which letter the following answer was returned:

“_Horse Guards,
“6th July 1827._
“SIR,

“I have had the honor to lay before the King your letter of the
20th instant, requesting that the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, or Prince of
Wales’s Own Irish regiment, of which you are colonel, may be made a
corps of Light Infantry.

“On this occasion His Majesty has commanded me to express to
you the perfect sense he entertains of the high and meritorious
character of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, and of the long course of
brilliant services which have distinguished its career,—services
which, the King has condescended to observe, have been impressed
upon his memory by the recollection of more than one trophy
captured from the enemy, and by the interest His Majesty must
always take in a regiment which possesses, from its title, an early
and peculiar claim to his protection.

“But with every disposition to accede to your wishes, the King
laments that it is out of his power to grant your request without
inconvenience to the public service, as well as a deviation from
the principle that has guided His Majesty’s refusal on similar
occasions. I am at the same time instructed to accompany this
expression of the King’s regret, with the assurance of the
gracious sense which His Majesty entertains of the services of the
Prince of Wales’s Own Irish regiment, and of the personal interest
he must always take in its welfare and honor.
“I have, &c.,
(Signed) “H. TORRENS,
“_Adjutant-General_.

“_General Sir John Doyle, Bart., G.C.B., Colonel
of the_ EIGHTY-SEVENTH _Regiment_.”

In his reply to the above communication, in a letter dated the 11th of July 1827, General Sir John Doyle preferred a request, that the EIGHTY-SEVENTH might be styled the “_Prince of Wales’s Own Irish Regiment of Fusiliers_,” in the following terms:—

“England, Scotland, and Wales, have each their national fusilier
regiments; Ireland alone is without one. The prayer of my petition
is, that the blank may be filled up by the Prince of Wales’s Own
Irish regiment, to be honored by the title of the _Prince of
Wales’s Own Irish Fusiliers_. Thus _shall we preserve the endearing
title we so highly prize_; _retain the national colours under which
we have so long fought_; and avoid collision with any regiment that
might have been honored with the name of Royal.”

This request was complied with, and the result was communicated to General Sir John Doyle in the following letter from the Adjutant-General:

“_Horse Guards,
“16th July, 1827._
“SIR,

“In reply to your letter of the 11th instant, I have the honor to
acquaint you, that the King has been graciously pleased to approve
of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, of which you are Colonel, receiving
the title of the Prince of Wales’s Own Irish Fusiliers, as a mark
of His Majesty’s most gracious favour, and in consideration of the
_extraordinary distinction_ that has marked the career of the corps
on all occasions.
“I have, &c.
(Signed) “H. TORRENS,
“_Adjutant-General_.

“_General Sir John Doyle, Bart. G.C.B.,
Colonel of the Eighty-seventh Regiment, &c. &c._”

It was directed that the EIGHTY-SEVENTH should wear _blue_ facings, instead of green, in order to render it uniform with the other fusilier regiments.

A further communication was made by the Adjutant-General to General Sir John Doyle, of which the following is an extract:—

“_Horse Guards,
“17th November 1827._
“SIR,

“I have the honor to acquaint you, that the King has been pleased
to approve of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment assuming the title
“Royal,” and its being in future styled the EIGHTY-SEVENTH or
Royal Irish Fusiliers, instead of the Prince of Wales’s Own Irish
Fusiliers.

“His Majesty has further been pleased to approve the patterns
of facings and lace proposed by you for the uniform of the
officers, non-commissioned officers, drummers, and privates of the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH or Royal Irish Fusiliers, and to command that the
same be adopted from the 25th of December 1829, when the clothing
now in possession of the regiment shall be worn out.
“I have, &c.
(Signed) “H. TORRENS,
“_Adjutant-General_.

“_General Sir John Doyle, Bart., G.C.B., Colonel
of the Eighty-seventh, or Royal Irish Fusiliers._”

The regiment was inspected on the 2nd of November by Major-General Sir James Lyon, K.C.B. and G.C.H., who was pleased to express his unqualified approbation of the progress made during four months in the formation of a corps nearly composed of recruits, and which he declared to have surpassed his most sanguine expectation.

[Sidenote: 1828.]

On the 19th of May 1828 the regiment was reviewed by General Lord Hill, commanding in chief, who expressed himself highly pleased with its evolutions and general appearance; and his Lordship also alluded to the favorable opinion entertained of the corps by the inhabitants of the Isle of Wight, in consequence of its quiet and orderly conduct in quarters.

The regiment was inspected on the 5th of June by Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, K.C.B., and had the gratification of obtaining his approbation.

The regiment, which, upon its arrival at Albany Barracks eleven months previously, had only two hundred and eighty rank and file present, was now within thirty-four of its establishment (seven hundred and forty), the recruits having been chiefly enlisted in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Carrick-on-Shannon, and Galway.

The regiment quitted Albany Barracks on the 7th of July, where it had been stationed one year, and marched by Portsmouth and Maidstone to Chatham, which it reached on the 15th of that month.

On the 24th July, a route was received directing the regiment to march immediately for London, thence to proceed by the Paddington Canal to such destination as might be ordered. It was mustered, and marched in three hours after the receipt of the route, and arrived in Lambeth on the third day.

The regiment was reviewed on the 28th of July by General Sir John Doyle, Bart., attended by Major-General Sir Henry Torrens, K.C.B., Adjutant-General of the forces, and numerous other officers, when its appearance elicited unqualified approbation.

On the 29th of July the regiment embarked in seventeen boats on the Paddington Canal, landed at Northwich and Middlewich on the 2nd, and marched into Chester Castle on the 4th of August.

Towards the end of September two alarming fires broke out in the city of Chester: the very serious consequences that threatened were chiefly counteracted by the bold and active intrepidity displayed by the soldiers of the regiment in extinguishing the conflagration, and by the exertions of the officers to secure the property of the inhabitants.

These services were acknowledged in a vote of thanks from the Commissioners of Police to Lieut.-Colonel Blair, the officers, and soldiers of the regiment.

Various letters of thanks to the regiment also appeared in the Chester newspapers, from those inhabitants whose property was chiefly endangered.

On the 11th of October the regiment was inspected by Major-General Sir Henry Bouverie, K.C.B., who was pleased to express himself much pleased with its appearance, movements, and interior economy.

A circular from the Horse Guards, dated the 5th of December, was received, which directed regiments not to recruit beyond six hundred and ninety rank and file, being fifty short of the nominal establishment of seven hundred and forty rank and file.

[Sidenote: 1829.]

On the 19th of April 1829, under instruction from the Secretary of State, three companies, commanded by Major Gully, marched towards Abergelly, in Denbighshire, forty miles distant, in order to prevent a riot, expected on the ejection by the high sheriff, at the suit of the Bishop of St. Asaph, of a body of miners, from an extensive lime quarry, of which they refused to give up possession, in consequence of having enjoyed the privilege of working it for many years. The miners having submitted, the detachment rejoined head-quarters in four days, and fortunately without its interference being required.

On the 14th of May the regiment was again inspected by Major-General Sir Henry Bouverie, and received his entire approbation.

The regiment moved from Chester on the 19th of May, where it had been quartered between nine and ten months. Previously to its departure, the following letter was received from the mayor of Chester.

“_Town Clerk’s Office,
“Chester, 16th May 1829._
“SIR,

“Understanding that the EIGHTY-SEVENTH Royal Irish Fusiliers are
about to quit Chester, the mayor and magistrates of this city
cannot allow you to leave without expressing the very high sense
entertained of the general urbanity of yourself and brother
officers; and the prompt exertions of the officers, and good
conduct of the privates upon several trying occasions, when the
safety and property of the city were threatened by fire.
“_For the Magistrates of the City_,
(Signed) “ROBERT MORRIS,
“_Mayor_.
“_Lieut.-Colonel Hunter Blair, &c._”

On the 20th of May the regiment occupied the following stations: head-quarters and four companies at Stockport; two companies at Macclesfield; two at Oldham; one company at Hyde, and one at Ashton-under-Lyne.

The following highly gratifying letter was received on the 14th of June:—

“_Head Quarters, Rotherham,
“11th June 1829._
“SIR,

“It is with great pleasure that I obey the orders of the General
Commanding in chief, to express to you the satisfaction he
has felt at the favorable report which I was enabled to make
in my half-yearly confidential report upon the state of the
EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment under your command; and it is his
Lordship’s desire that you make this expression of his sentiments
known to the regiment.
(Signed) “H. F. BOUVERIE,
“_Major-General_.
“_Lieut.-Colonel Hunter Blair,
Commanding Eighty-seventh Regiment._”

On the 7th of July, the regiment left Salford Barracks, Manchester, and occupied the following stations. Head-quarters and four companies at Bolton in Lancashire; four companies at Blackburn, and two companies at Oldham. Prior to quitting Manchester a letter was received from Robert Sharpe, Esq., constable of Manchester, expressive of the regret of his colleagues, the inhabitants of the place, and himself, at the sudden departure of the regiment, and in which a marked tribute was paid by the authorities to its “_exemplary conduct_” while stationed in that town.

[Sidenote: 1830.]

On the 25th of December 1830, the regiment commenced wearing the royal uniform and appointments, in compliance with the Adjutant-General’s letter of the 15th of October 1827: also Oxford-mixture pantaloons, which were introduced into the army by circular, dated 10th of February 1829.

By circular letter from the Adjutant-General, dated the 18th of March, a red fatigue jacket was substituted for the infantry of the army, in lieu of the white jacket formerly in wear.

By a circular letter from the Adjutant-General, dated the 22nd of April, regiments were directed not to recruit beyond six hundred and sixty rank and file, being eighty under the nominal establishment of seven hundred and forty.

The regiment was twice inspected at Manchester by Major-General Sir Henry Bouverie, on the 21st of November 1829, and the 28th of May 1830, on which last occasion the Major-General declared that it had gained, in all respects, his most unqualified approbation.

The regiment remained at Manchester until July 1830, when it was removed to Bolton-le-Moors: it embarked for Ireland in September following, and was stationed at Newry until November, when it returned to England, and was quartered at Plymouth.

[Sidenote: 1831.]

On the 1st of January 1831, an orderly-room clerk was authorised to be borne on the establishment.

In the early part of the year 1831, directions were given for the formation of the regiment into six service and four depôt companies, and on the 23rd of February the service companies embarked for the Mauritius, where they arrived in June following: the depôt companies were left at Devonport.

[Sidenote: 1833.]

[Sidenote: 1834.]

The depôt companies remained at Devonport until October 1833, when they proceeded to Fort Cumberland; from thence to Gosport in December following, and to Portsmouth in February 1834.

On the 15th of August 1834, Major-General Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the Ninety-ninth to that of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, in succession to General Sir John Doyle, Bart., G.C.B., deceased.

[Sidenote: 1835.]

[Sidenote: 1839.]

The depôt companies remained at Portsmouth until August 1835, when they were moved to Chatham: they embarked for Ireland in August 1836, and were stationed at Nenagh; proceeded to Birr in September 1837, to Longford in December, and Castlebar in May following, where they remained until April 1839, when they were removed to Boyle: they proceeded to Virginia in July, to Drogheda in August, and to Dublin in September 1839.

On the 12th of August 1839, the establishment of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH Royal Irish Fusiliers was increased to forty-seven serjeants, fourteen drummers, forty corporals, and seven hundred and sixty privates.

[Sidenote: 1840.]

[Sidenote: 1841.]

[Sidenote: 1842.]

The depôt companies of the regiment returned to England in June 1840, and were stationed at Carlisle: they were removed to Tynemouth in May, and to Hull in June 1841: they remained at the latter station until August 1842, when they proceeded to Airdrie, and in the following month they marched to Paisley.

On the 15th of March 1841, Major-General Sir Hugh (now Viscount) Gough, K.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the Ninety-ninth to that of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B., appointed to the Seventy-first light infantry.

[Sidenote: 1843.]

The number of drummers on the establishment of the regiment was increased from fourteen to seventeen, on the 1st of April 1843.

The service companies had continued at the Mauritius from June 1831 to the 20th of June 1843, when they embarked for the United Kingdom on board Her Majesty’s ship “Thunderer,” and disembarked at Devonport on the 30th of September 1843.

On the 29th of September 1843, the depôt companies marched from Paisley _en route_ to Fort George.

The head-quarters of the regiment were embarked for Scotland on the 2nd, and arrived at Glasgow on the 4th of October 1843; and on the 29th the depôt companies were taken on the strength, and amalgamated with the regiment.

[Sidenote: 1844 to 1847.]

The regiment remained at Glasgow until August 1844, when it marched for Edinburgh, and in July 1845 it moved to Aberdeen: in September 1846 the regiment proceeded to Newport in Monmouthshire, and in September 1847 it marched for Weedon.

[Sidenote: 1848.]

On the 1st of April 1848, the regiment was augmented to fifty-seven serjeants, twenty-one drummers, fifty corporals, and nine hundred and fifty privates, and another serjeant was added in the following year, to raise it to the India establishment.

[Sidenote: 1849.]

The regiment proceeded to Gravesend in April 1849, and on the 20th of that month it embarked for the East Indies, and arrived at Calcutta on the 31st of July 1849, and is at present serving in the Bengal presidency.

[Sidenote: 1853.]

The depôt company was moved, in March 1849, from Weedon to Chatham, where it now continues a part of the provisional battalion.

1853.

REGIMENTAL COLOR

THE 87^{TH} REGIMENT
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS

FOR CANNONS MILITARY RECORDS

_Madeley lith 3, Wellington S^t. Strand_]

FOOTNOTES:

[6] A list of the battalions formed from men raised under the “_Army of Reserve_” and “_Additional Force Acts_” is inserted in pages 97, &c. of the Appendix.

[7] In June 1806, _Buenos Ayres_ had been captured by the British under Brigadier-General William Carr Beresford, afterwards General Viscount Beresford; the place was, however, recovered by the Spaniards in August following, and the troops became prisoners.

In the autumn of 1806, an armament, consisting of the Ninth and Seventeenth light dragoons, detachment of the Twenty-first light dragoons, Royal artillery and engineers, Fortieth, first battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, and Ninety-fifth (rifle corps) regiments, proceeded to share in the contest in South America. In October the Thirty-eighth regiment commanded by Colonel Vassal, and the Forty-seventh, under Colonel Backhouse, proceeded from the Cape of Good Hope to the Rio de la Plata, and on finding that Buenos Ayres had been recaptured by the Spaniards, the troops under the command of Colonel Backhouse, in conjunction with the naval squadron under Commodore Sir Home Popham, took possession of the town of Maldonado, and the island of Gorreti, on the left bank of the river Plate. In the summer of 1807 an expedition for a second attempt on Buenos Ayres proceeded to that part of the world, under the command of Lieut.-General Whitelocke, who assumed the command of the troops in South America. Other corps had also proceeded to South America, of which a list is inserted in the Appendix, page 91.

[8] Lieutenant Fenton was promoted to the rank of Captain in the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment on the 22nd of April 1817.

[9] A Memoir of the services of Lieut.-Colonel Shawe, is inserted in the Appendix, page 95.

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

SECOND BATTALION

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR THE

ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.

[Sidenote: 1804.]

The British Government continued to adopt the most vigorous measures for the defence of the kingdom, and for the prosecution of the war. In addition to the acts of Parliament passed in July 1803 for raising “_The Army of Reserve_,” further Acts were passed in June and July 1804 for levying a larger number of men in the several counties of Great Britain and Ireland, which were termed the “_Additional Force Acts_.”

The EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment was augmented by a second battalion, which, with seven other regiments, was appointed to receive men raised in _Ireland_ under the act of the 14th of July 1804; the men raised in the counties of _Tipperary_, _Galway_, and _Clare_, were allotted to the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment; the assembling quarter of the second battalion was appointed at Frome in Somersetshire, and the battalion was placed on the establishment of the army, from the 25th of December 1804, at six hundred rank and file, which was augmented in the following year to eight hundred, and in the year 1807 to one thousand rank and file, and continued at that number to December 1814, when it was reduced to eight hundred, and from December 1815 to six hundred rank and file.

[Sidenote: 1805.]

The second battalion marched from Frome to Bristol in March 1805, and embarked for Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1806.]

On the 27th of October 1806 the battalion, consisting of twenty-nine serjeants, nine drummers, and five hundred and sixty-eight rank and file, embarked from Ireland for England.

[Sidenote: 1807.]

On the 27th of April 1807 the battalion embarked at Plymouth, and proceeded to Guernsey.

The following report was made to Lieut.-General Sir John Doyle, Bart., commanding the troops at Guernsey, by Brigadier-General John Fraser, after his inspection of the second battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment.

“_Guernsey, 30th June 1807._
“SIR,

“I have the honor to report, that when I minutely inspected the
second battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment two months after
their arrival in this island, I found every thing in a state of
perfection that would have done credit to an old established
regiment, and which could not have been expected in a battalion
so lately formed. The flank companies are uncommonly fine. The
battalion men are in general of good size, young and stout, and
the whole appear healthy and well fed: they march well, are
steady under arms, and perfect in their discipline. The interior
regulations are excellent, barracks and hospital clean, books
regular, women and children decent in their appearance, _and every
thing to be commended_. The appointments are in good order, the
clothing is very good and well fitted, gaiters, shoes, &c. good
without exception. There have been very few courts martial, very
few non-commissioned officers reduced, and _not one punished man in
the battalion_.

“The officers are well dressed and very attentive to their duty.
Since their arrival here, the EIGHTY-SEVENTH have occupied the town
district, where I have had daily opportunities of seeing them, and
I have always found them attentive on duty, well dressed in the
streets, quiet and regular, no complaints, no drunkenness, even at
the monthly settlements.

“I am of opinion that the second battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH
is fit for any service, and very likely to be distinguished,
especially while commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Doyle, who appears
one of the best and most attentive officers I have ever seen, and
who is to be particularly commended for keeping up very strict
discipline without the least appearance of severity.
“I have, &c.,
(Signed) “JOHN FRASER,
“_Brigadier-General_.

“_To Lieut.-General Sir John Doyle, Bart., commanding
His Majesty’s Forces in Guernsey and Alderney._”

The above report of Brigadier-General Fraser was highly gratifying to His Royal Highness the Duke of York, Commander-in-Chief, whose approbation thereof was signified to Lieut.-Colonel Doyle, and to the second battalion, through Lieut.-General Sir John Doyle, by the Adjutant-General on the 10th of July 1807.

[Sidenote: 1808.]

Important events had in the meantime occurred on the continent of Europe. Napoleon having reduced Germany to submission to his will, and forced Russia to accede to his decrees, next attempted the subjugation of Spain and Portugal. The Spaniards and Portuguese rose in arms to assert their national rights, the French emperor having conferred the crown of Spain on his brother Joseph, who relinquished the throne of Naples in favour of Marshal Murat. In the summer of 1808 Portugal was delivered by a British army under Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, and in the autumn Lieut.-General Sir John Moore received orders to advance with a body of British troops from Portugal into the heart of Spain; several regiments were embarked from the United Kingdom to co-operate in the enterprise.

On the 4th of June 1808, the battalion embarked from Guernsey, proceeded to Harwich, and from thence to Ramsgate, having previously occupied Weely Barracks and Danbury Camp.