Historical Record of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards

Chapter I: Part 1

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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

A superscript is denoted by ^x, for example und^r or iv^s.

Some minor changes are noted at the end of the book.

HISTORICAL RECORDS

OF THE

BRITISH ARMY.

PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
ADJUTANT-GENERAL.

THE FIFTH,

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT
OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

LONDON:

Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS,
14, Charing Cross.

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 civilised people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, "firm as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,--our brothers--our fellow-citizens in arms,--a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.

Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.

As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.

INTRODUCTION.

The ancient Armies of England were composed of Horse and Foot; but the feudal troops established by William the Conqueror in 1086, consisted almost entirely of Horse. Under the feudal system, every holder of land amounting to what was termed a "knight's fee," was required to provide a charger, a coat of mail, a helmet, a shield, and a lance, and to serve the Crown a period of forty days in each year at his own expense; and the great landholders had to provide armed men in proportion to the extent of their estates; consequently the ranks of the feudal Cavalry were completed with men of property, and the vassals and tenants of the great barons, who led their dependents to the field in person.

In the succeeding reigns the Cavalry of the Army was composed of Knights (or men at arms) and Hobiliers (or horsemen of inferior degree); and the Infantry of spear and battle-axe men, cross-bowmen, and archers. The Knights wore armour on every part of the body, and their weapons were a lance, a sword, and a small dagger. The Hobiliers were accoutred and armed for the light and less important services of war, and were not considered qualified for a charge in line. Mounted Archers[1] were also introduced, and the English nation eventually became pre-eminent in the use of the bow.

About the time of Queen Mary the appellation of "_Men at Arms_" was changed to that of "_Spears_ and _Launces_." The introduction of fire-arms ultimately occasioned the lance to fall into disuse, and the title of the Horsemen of the first degree was changed to "_Cuirassiers_." The Cuirassiers were armed _cap-à-pié_, and their weapons were a sword with a straight narrow blade and sharp point, and a pair of large pistols, called petrenels; and the Hobiliers carried carbines. The Infantry carried pikes, matchlocks, and swords. The introduction of fire-arms occasioned the formation of regiments armed and equipped as infantry, but mounted on small horses for the sake of expedition of movement, and these were styled "_Dragoons_;" a small portion of the military force of the kingdom, however, consisted of this description of troops.

The formation of the present Army commenced after the Restoration in 1660, with the establishment of regular corps of Horse and Foot; the Horsemen were cuirassiers, but only wore armour on the head and body; and the Foot were pike-men and musketeers. The arms which each description of force carried, are described in the following extract from the "Regulations of King Charles II.," dated 5th May, 1663:--

"Each Horseman to have for his defensive armes, back, breast,
and pot; and for his offensive armes, a sword, and a case of
pistolls, the barrels whereof are not to be und^r. foorteen
inches in length; and each Trooper of Our Guards to have a
carbine, besides the aforesaid armes. And the Foote to have
each souldier a sword, and each pikeman a pike of 16 foote long
and not und^r.; and each musqueteer a musquet, with a collar of
bandaliers, the barrels of which musquet to be about foor foote
long, and to conteine a bullet, foorteen of which shall weigh a
pound weight[2]."

The ranks of the Troops of Horse were at this period composed of men of some property--generally the sons of substantial yeomen: the young men received as recruits provided their own horses, and they were placed on a rate of pay sufficient to give them a respectable station in society.

On the breaking out of the war with Holland, in the spring of 1672, a Regiment of Dragoons was raised[3]; the Dragoons were placed on a lower rate of pay than the Horse; and the Regiment was armed similar to the Infantry, excepting that a limited number of the men carried halberds instead of pikes, and the others muskets and bayonets; and a few men in each Troop had pistols; as appears by a warrant dated the 2nd of April, 1672, of which the following is an extract:--

"CHARLES R.

"Our will and pleasure is, that a Regiment of Dragoones which
we have established and ordered to be raised, in twelve Troopes
of fourscore in each beside officers, who are to be under the
command of Our most deare and most intirely beloved Cousin Prince
Rupert, shall be armed out of Our stoares remaining within Our
office of the Ordinance, as followeth; that is to say, three
corporalls, two serjeants, the gentlemen at armes, and twelve
souldiers of each of the said twelve Troopes, are to have and
carry each of them one halbard, and one case of pistolls with
holsters; and the rest of the souldiers of the several Troopes
aforesaid, are to have and to carry each of them one match-locke
musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, and also to have and to
carry one bayonet[4], or great knife. That each lieutenant have
and carry one partizan; and that two drums be delivered out for
each Troope of the said Regiment[5]."

Several regiments of Horse and Dragoons were raised in the first year of the reign of King James II.; and the horsemen carried a short carbine[6] in addition to the sword and pair of pistols: and in a Regulation dated the 21st of February, 1687, the arms of the Dragoons at that period are commanded to be as follow:--

"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, strapt, with bright
barrels of three foote eight inches long, cartouch-boxes,
bayonetts, granado pouches, bucketts, and hammer-hatchetts."

After several years' experience, little advantage was found to accrue from having Cavalry Regiments formed almost exclusively for engaging the enemy on foot; and, the Horse having laid aside their armour, the arms and equipment of Horse and Dragoons were so nearly assimilated, that there remained little distinction besides the name and rate of pay. The introduction of improvements into the mounting, arming, and equipment of Dragoons rendered them competent to the performance of every description of service required of Cavalry; and, while the long musket and bayonet were retained, to enable them to act as Infantry, if necessary, they were found to be equally efficient, and of equal value to the nation, as Cavalry, with the Regiments of Horse.

In the several augmentations made to the regular Army after the early part of the reign of Queen Anne, no new Regiments of Horse were raised for permanent service; and in 1746 King George II. reduced three of the old Regiments of Horse to the quality and pay of Dragoons; at the same time, His Majesty gave them the title of First, Second, and Third Regiments of _Dragoon Guards_: and in 1788 the same alteration was made in the remaining four Regiments of Horse, which then became the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Regiments of _Dragoon Guards_.

At present there are only three Regiments which are styled _Horse_ in the British Army, namely, the two Regiments of Life Guards, and the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, to whom cuirasses have recently been restored. The other Cavalry Regiments consist of Dragoon Guards, Heavy and Light Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers; and although the long musket and bayonet have been laid aside by the whole of the Cavalry, and the Regiments are armed and equipped on the principle of the old Horse (excepting the cuirass), they continue to be styled Dragoons.

The old Regiments of Horse formed a highly respectable and efficient portion of the Army, and it is found, on perusing the histories of the various campaigns in which they have been engaged, that they have, on all occasions, maintained a high character for steadiness and discipline, as well as for bravery in action. They were formerly mounted on horses of superior weight and physical power, and few troops could withstand a well-directed charge of the celebrated British Horse. The records of these corps embrace a period of 150 years--a period eventful in history, and abounding in instances of heroism displayed by the British troops when danger has threatened the nation,--a period in which these Regiments have numbered in their ranks men of loyalty, valour, and good conduct, worthy of imitation.

Since the Regiments of Horse were formed into Dragoon Guards, additional improvements have been introduced into the constitution of the several corps; and the superior description of horses now bred in the United Kingdom enables the commanding officers to remount their regiments with such excellent horses, that, whilst sufficient weight has been retained for a powerful charge in line, a lightness has been acquired which renders them available for every description of service incident to modern warfare.

The orderly conduct of these Regiments in quarters has gained the confidence and esteem of the respectable inhabitants of the various parts of the United Kingdom in which they have been stationed; their promptitude and alacrity in attending to the requisitions of the magistrates in periods of excitement, and the temper, patience, and forbearance which they have evinced when subjected to great provocation, insult, and violence from the misguided populace, prove the value of these troops to the Crown, and to the Government of the country, and justify the reliance which is reposed on them.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] In the 14th year of the reign of Edward IV. a small force was established in Ireland by Parliament, consisting of 120 Archers on horseback, 40 Horsemen, and 40 Pages.

[2] Military Papers, State Paper Office.

[3] This Regiment was disbanded after the Peace in 1674.

[4] This appears to be the first introduction of _bayonets_ into the English Army.

[5] State Paper Office.

[6] The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appears to have taken place in 1678; the Life Guards, however, carried carbines from their formation in 1660.--Vide the 'Historical Record of the Life Guards.'

HISTORICAL RECORD

THE FIFTH,

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT

DRAGOON GUARDS:

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685;

WITH ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1838.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, ORME, AND CO.,
PATERNOSTER ROW;
W. CLOWES AND SONS, 14, CHARING CROSS;

AND TO BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.

1839.

Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street.

CONTENTS.

Anno Page

1685 Formation of the Regiment 1

---- Equipped as Cuirassiers, and obtained rank as
_Seventh Horse_ 3

---- Reviewed by King James II. 4

1686 First Establishment 5

---- Names of Officers 6

---- Reviewed on Hounslow Heath --

1688 The Revolution 7

1689 Proceeds to Ireland 9

---- Siege of Carrickfergus --

1690 Battle of the Boyne 11

---- Siege of Limerick 12

1691 Skirmish near Brewsterfield --

---- Second Siege of Limerick 13

1692 Returns to England --

1693 Performs Court Duty 14

1694 Proceeds to the Netherlands --

1695 Covering the Siege of Namur --

1697 Skirmish near Enghien 15

1698 Returns to England 16

1700 Proceeds to Ireland --

1702 Three Troops return to England, and proceed to
Holland 17

---- Covering the Sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde,
Stevenswaert, and Liege --

1703 Skirmish near Haneff; and covering the Sieges of
Huy and Limburg 18

1704 Three Troops from Ireland to Holland --

---- Battle of Schellenberg 19

---- -------- Blenheim 20

---- Covering the Siege of Laudan 21

1705 Forcing the French Lines at Helixem and Neer-Hespen --

1706 Battle of Ramilies 24

---- Sieges of Antwerp and Dendermond 25

1708 Battle of Oudenarde 26

---- Siege of Lisle, and Action at Wynendale 27

1709 Covering the Siege of Tournay 28

---- Battle of Malplaquet --

---- Covering the Siege of Mons 29

1710 -------------------- Douay, Bethune, Aire, and
St. Venant --

1711 Forcing the French Lines at Arleux --

---- Covering the Siege of Bouchain 30

---- Skirmish near Wavrechin 31

1712 Covering the Siege of Quesnoy 33

1714 Proceeds to Ireland 34

1717 Facings changed from Buff to Full Green 35

1746 Styled the _Second Irish Horse_ 37

1751 Description of the Clothing and Standards --

1788 Title changed to _Fifth Dragoon Guards_ 40

1793 Proceeds to Flanders 42

1794 Action at Prêmont --

---- Covering the Siege of Landrécies --

---- Battle of Cateau 43

---- Action near Tournay 44

---- Retreat through Holland to Germany 45

1795 Embarks for England --

1796 Proceeds to Ireland --

1798 Rebellion in Ireland 46

---- Actions at Arklow, Ballycarnen, and Gorey --

---- ---------- Vinegar Hill and White Hills 47

---- Skirmish near Prosperous --

---- Action at Ballinamuck 48

1799 Returns to England 48

1804 Styled the _Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's
Regiment of Dragoon Guards_ --

1805 Proceeds to Ireland 49

1808 Returns to England --

1811 Reviewed by the Prince Regent --

---- Embarks for Portugal 50

1812 Covering the Siege of Badajoz 51

---- Action at Llerena --

---- Battle of Salamanca 56

---- Skirmish at Alba de Tormes 60

---- Advances to Madrid 62

---- Covering the Siege of Burgos --

---- Retreats to Portugal 63

1813 Advances into Spain 65

---- Battle of Vittoria --

1814 Advances through the Pyrenees into France 67

---- Action near Tarbes --

---- Battle of Toulouse 68

---- Returns to England 69

1816 Proceeds to Ireland 73

1817 Proceeds to Scotland, and from thence to England --

1821 Returns to Scotland, and embarks for Ireland 74

1825 Embarks for Scotland 75

1826 Proceeds to England --

1830 Reviewed by King William IV. at Windsor 76

1831 Embarks for Ireland 77

1834 Returns to England --

1835 Proceeds to Scotland --

1836 Returns to England --

1838 The Conclusion 78

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

Anno Page

1685 Charles Earl of Shrewsbury 79

1687 Marmaduke Lord Langdale 81

---- Richard Hamilton 82

1688 John Coy 83

1697 Charles Earl of Arran 84

1703 William Cadogan 85

1712 George Kellum 87

1717 Robert Napier 88

1740 Charles Neville 89

1744 Richard Viscount Cobham --

1745 Thomas Wentworth 90

1747 Thomas Bligh 91

1758 Hon. John Waldegrave 92

1760 Hon. John Fitz-William --

1789 John Douglas 93

1790 Thomas Bland --

1816 Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg 94

1831 Sir John Slade, Bart. 99

PLATES.

The Standard of the Regiment to precede 1

The Capture of the Bavarian Standards at the forcing of
the French Lines in 1705 to face 24

The Fifth Dragoon Guards at the Battle of Salamanca to face 60

THE FIFTH,

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT

DRAGOON GUARDS,

BEARS UPON ITS STANDARDS

THE MOTTO

"_VESTIGIA NULLA RETRORSUM_;"

AND THE FOLLOWING INSCRIPTIONS:

"SALAMANCA," "VITTORIA," "TOULOUSE," "PENINSULA."

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

FIFTH,

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT

DRAGOON GUARDS.

[Sidenote: 1685]

In the early periods of the history of this country a standing army was unknown; but as the kingdom increased in arts, sciences, and manufactures, and as national institutions, established upon sound principles, assumed an important character, a regularly organized military force was found necessary to protect the interests of society, and to guard colonial possessions; and when the other nations of Europe have from time to time augmented their standing armies, it has been found necessary to make similar additions to the regular force of Great Britain. After the Restoration in 1660, the army of the Commonwealth was disbanded, and a body of household troops, with a few garrison companies, were considered sufficient; but the acquisition of additional possessions, the ambitious designs of foreign potentates, and internal commotions in the kingdom, have occasioned numerous additions to be made to the regular army. It was one of the last mentioned causes, which, in the year 1685, gave rise to the formation of the corps which is the subject of this memoir, and which now bears the title of the FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

A difference in religious views and opinions has often occasioned long and sanguinary wars; and the accession of a Roman Catholic Prince (James II.) to the throne of Great Britain, was an event so little congenial to the feelings of a Protestant people, that James Duke of Monmouth (natural son of King Charles II.) was induced, by the persuasions of men who were disaffected to the existing government, to make a daring attempt to dethrone his uncle, and to gain the sovereignty of the kingdom.

This event occurring at a time when the first feelings of alarm at the appearance of a Papist on the throne had subsided, and before the King had made any serious attack on the constitution or established religion, the people were not prepared to throw off their allegiance to their sovereign; consequently, while a few thousands of disaffected persons joined the standard of rebellion, much greater numbers arrayed themselves under the banners of royalty. Many noblemen and gentlemen exerted themselves in raising forces for the King; and it is stated in the public records, that a number of the respectable yeomen and others who volunteered their services in the royal cause, were incorporated into a troop of horse by Charles Earl of Shrewsbury, at Litchfield; another troop of horse was raised by Francis Lord Brudenel, at Kingston upon Thames; a third by Sir Thomas Grosvenor, at Chester; a fourth by Roger Pope, Esq., in the vicinity of Bridgnorth; a fifth by Mr. Francis Spalding, at Bristol; and a sixth by the Honourable John D'Arcy, (guidon of the second troop, now second regiment of Life Guards,) in London. These formed part of an extensive body of troops raised in a few weeks; but the rebellion was suppressed by the old corps which the King had in his service, without the aid of the new levies. His Majesty, however, looking forward to the commotions which would probably follow the execution of the attacks he was urged by his jesuitical councillors to make on the established religion and laws, resolved to retain a considerable portion of the newly-raised forces in his service; and these six troops of horse were, on the 29th of July, 1685, constituted a regiment of CUIRASSIERS, of which the EARL OF SHREWSBURY was appointed Colonel, the Honourable John D'Arcy Lieutenant-Colonel, and John Skelton, Esq., Major. This regiment ranked at that period as SEVENTH HORSE; and is now the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS.

The uniform and equipment of this corps, like that of the other regiments of horse, were hats, long scarlet coats, jacked-leather boots, cuirasses, iron head pieces, swords, pair of pistols, and short carbines. Each corps had a distinguishing colour, then called its regimental _livery_, and now styled its _facing_, and the distinguishing colour of SHREWSBURY'S CUIRASSIERS was _buff_; the men had their coats lined with buff shalloon, and their waistcoats, breeches, ribands in their hats, and horse furniture, were of the same colour.

Soon after its formation the regiment marched into quarters near Hounslow, and experienced officers were appointed to teach the men the established military exercises; they formed two squadrons, three troops in a squadron; but each troop had a standard of buff-silk damask; and these loyal cavaliers, being mounted on strong horses, had not only a warlike appearance, but they were well calculated for a charge in line where weight and physical power were necessary. The Cuirassiers had succeeded the ancient Lancers (or Launces), formerly the highest class of military force in Europe, and celebrated for valour, prowess, and feats of chivalry. The Lancers were armed _cap à pié_, but the lance having, to a great extent, been laid aside before the middle of the seventeenth century, helmets, and armour on the limbs, were also discontinued soon afterwards. The regiments of Horse, having succeeded the ancient Lancers, were held in high estimation; and in the succeeding reigns they acquired great celebrity.

After having been twice reviewed by King James II. on Hounslow Heath, the regiment marched into quarters in Warwickshire, where it passed several months.

The King, having acquired some practical knowledge of military service in the civil war in France, and in the Netherlands, under Marshals Turenne and the Prince of Condé, established several useful regulations for the preservation of order and discipline in his army; two experienced officers, Sir John Lanier and Sir John Fenwick, were appointed Inspecting Generals of Cavalry; and the first half-yearly inspection of this regiment was made by Brigadier-General Sir John Fenwick, of the Life Guards, in its quarters in Warwickshire.

[Sidenote: 1686]

While in these quarters, its establishment was fixed, by a royal warrant dated the 1st of January, 1686, at the following numbers:--

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY'S REGIMENT OF HORSE. |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---------------+
| FIELD AND STAFF-OFFICERS. | Per Diem. |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---------------+
| | £.| _s._| _d._|
| | | | |
|The Colonel, _as Colonel_ | 0 | 12 | 0 |
|Lieutenant-Colonel, _as Lieut.-Colonel_ | 0 | 8 | 0 |
|The Major (_who has no troop_), for himself, } | | | |
| horses, and servants. } | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|Adjutant | 0 | 5 | 0 |
|Chaplaine | 0 | 6 | 8 |
|Chirurgeon iv^s per day, and j horse to carry } | | | |
| his chest, ij^s per day } | 0 | 6 | 0 |
|A Kettle-Drummer to the Colonel's troop. | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| THE COLONEL'S TROOP. | | | |
| | | | |
|The Colonel, _as Captaine_, x^s per day, and } | | | |
| ij horses each at ij^s per day } | 0 | 14 | 0 |
|Lievtenant vi^s, and ij horses, each at ij^s | 0 | 10 | 0 |
|Cornett v^s, and ij horses, each at ij^s | 0 | 9 | 0 |
|Quarter-Master iv^s, and i horse, at ij^s | 0 | 6 | 0 |
|Three Corporals, each at iij^s per day | 0 | 9 | 0 |
|Two Trumpeters, each at ij^s viii^d | 0 | 5 | 4 |
|Forty Private Soldiers, each at ij^s vi^d per day. | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| | 7 | 13 | 4 |
|FIVE TROOPS MORE, of the same numbers, and at } | | | |
| the same rates of pay as the Colonel's troop } |38 | 6 | 8 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| TOTAL FOR THIS REGIMENT PER DIEM |49 | 0 | 8 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| PER ANNUM £17,897. 3_s._ 4_d._ | | | |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---+-----+-----+

The following officers were at this period holding commissions in the regiment:--

The EARL OF SHREWSBURY'S CUIRASSIERS were withdrawn from their country quarters in the summer of this year, and were encamped with other forces on Hounslow Heath; where they were practised in military evolutions, under the direction of Lieutenant-Generals the Earls of Craven, Feversham, and Dumbarton; and were several times reviewed by King James II.: in August they struck their tents and marched to Buckingham and Wendover.

[Sidenote: 1687]

The King, being surrounded by Roman Catholic priests, soon gave indication of his designs against the reformed religion; the Earl of Shrewsbury, who was a stanch Protestant, resigned his commission, and afterwards proceeded to Holland and joined the Prince of Orange, to whom the nation began to look for deliverance from popish tyranny. His Majesty appointed, in January, 1687, Marmaduke Lord Langdale, to the Colonelcy of the regiment, who was succeeded in the following month by the HONOURABLE RICHARD HAMILTON, a Roman Catholic officer, from the Colonelcy of a regiment of dragoons in Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1688]

From this period until that great national event, the Revolution in 1688, few circumstances occurred, in which Hamilton's regiment was particularly concerned, worthy of being recorded in this memoir. It was encamped on Hounslow Heath in the summer of 1687, and also in that of 1688; and its Colonel being a Papist, the attempt made by the King to introduce officers and soldiers of that religion into the army, would, doubtless, meet with no obstruction in this corps. The majority of the officers and men were, however, firmly attached to the Protestant cause.

The King had raised and equipped a fine army for the purpose of making it subservient to his insidious designs; but the troops proved faithful to the interests of their country and religion, and an association of officers was secretly formed at the camp on Hounslow Heath, in favour of the Prince of Orange, who was preparing an army to invade England and to rescue the kingdom from the power of the Papists.

Information having been received of the designs of the Prince of Orange, HAMILTON'S CUIRASSIERS were ordered to Ipswich, where the Earl of Arran's regiment (now Fourth Dragoon Guards), and the Queen's (now Third) Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Alexander Cannon, were assembled under the orders of Major-General Sir John Lanier, to preserve Landguard Fort, and to prevent the Prince landing there; and two regiments of horse and one of dragoons were stationed at Colchester to support this force, if necessary. Sir John Lanier is stated by King James, in his memoirs, to have been one of the associated officers, and to have resolved to seize on the Earl of Arran, and Colonels Hamilton and Cannon, and to have joined the Prince with the three regiments; but this arrangement, in which King James states, in his memoirs, most of the officers had agreed to co-operate, was rendered void by his Highness landing at Torbay.

HAMILTON'S CUIRASSIERS were afterwards ordered to march to the metropolis, and from thence to Salisbury; but a general defection appearing in the army, the King fled to France; the Prince of Orange ordered the regiment to march to Fenny Stratford, and its Colonel, the Honourable Richard Hamilton, was confined in the Tower of London, for holding a commission for which he was disqualified by law, he being a Papist.

On the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on the Lieutenant-Colonel, John Coy; and during the eight succeeding years it bore the title of COY'S HORSE, or CUIRASSIERS.

All the Papists having been dismissed, the regiment received a draft of one hundred men and horses from the Marquis of Miremont's regiment of horse,--a corps which had been recently raised, and was now disbanded.

[Sidenote: 1689]

These events were followed by the accession of William and Mary, the Prince and Princess of Orange, to the throne; and the first duty in which the regiment was called upon to engage under the new dynasty, was the patrolling of the public roads to prevent highway robberies, which, owing to the commotions recently experienced in society, had become very frequent. It also furnished a detachment to protect the King's herd of deer in the Forest of Dean against the depredations of organized bands of deer-stealers.

From these duties COY'S HORSE were soon relieved to engage in military operations in Ireland, which country had become the theatre of intestine war. The Papists were in arms in favour of King James, who had arrived in Ireland with a body of troops from France; and, following that system of cruelty which has invariably been practised when religion has been the subject of contention, the hapless Protestants, being the weaker party, had been made to feel the full weight of Catholic vengeance. Many of the Protestants, particularly in Inniskilling and Londonderry, had taken arms. King William sent a body of troops under Duke Schomberg to their aid, and COY'S HORSE embarked at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the middle of August, 1689, for the same service.

After landing at Belfast, the regiment was employed in covering the siege of _Carrickfergus_, and had its post in the lines before the town. This place having surrendered on the 28th of August, a detachment of the regiment, commanded by Captain Sir William Russel, escorted the garrison, consisting of two regiments of foot, "all stout fellows, but ill clothed," the first stage from the town; and such cruelties had been practised by the Papists, that, according to Story, who was an eye-witness, the troopers experienced some difficulty in preserving the Catholic soldiers from being torn to pieces by the country people, who were stimulated to revenge by the remembrance of past injuries.

The regiment afterwards advanced with the army towards Newry, where a party of the enemy was assembled, who, on the approach of the English, set fire to the town, and retreated over the mountains to Dundalk. The English passed the mountains on the following day, when the enemy quitted Dundalk and retired to Atherdee, where the main body of King James's army was assembled.

Marshal Duke Schomberg, finding Dundalk to be a strong situation, with a convenient harbour for obtaining supplies from England, and knowing that the enemy's army was more than double his own in numbers, formed an intrenched camp, where he resolved to continue during the remainder of the campaign; but the ground where the troops were encamped being low, and the weather proving wet, this injudicious choice of situation proved so fatal to his army, that the infantry corps lost half their men from disease. COY'S HORSE remained at Dundalk upwards of a month, and afterwards proceeded to Carlingford for the convenience of forage. During the winter, detached parties had frequent encounters with the bands of armed Papists who prowled the country, committing every description of outrage; and an out-guard of the regiment, posted in the pass of Newry, was sharply engaged with a party of the enemy, who attempted to force the pass, but were repulsed with loss, the gallant English Cuirassiers proving more than a match for their antagonists.

[Sidenote: 1690]

In June, 1690, King William arrived in Ireland to command the army in person, and the regiment was now called upon to serve under the eye of its sovereign. This circumstance is said to have given rise to a laudable feeling of emulation in all ranks of the army, and the troopers longed for an opportunity to distinguish themselves in presence of their King. The desired opportunity soon occurred; the King, advancing up to the banks of the _Boyne_, found the enemy in position on the opposite side of the river, and the troops prepared for battle. This regiment was with His Majesty on the evening preceding the battle, while reconnoitring the enemy's position, and was exposed to a cannonade, on which occasion the King was wounded in the shoulder, and the regiment had three men and nine horses killed.

Early on the 1st of July, as the rays of morning-light shed their lustre on the camp, the English and Dutch troops appeared in motion, every man displaying a green branch in his hat; and soon the columns were seen advancing towards the Boyne, their glittering arms, waving plumes, and floating banners, exhibiting all the pomp of war: the French and Irish stood to their arms and prepared to defend their post. COY'S HORSE, forming part of the cavalry of the right wing, were in the column which forded the river near Slane Bridge; some opposition was made by a regiment of Irish dragoons, which was attacked, and its commanding officer and about 70 men killed. After passing the river, the troops advanced through large corn-fields, crossed several deep ditches, and overcoming every obstacle with an ardour which bespoke the valour and confidence which glowed in every breast, the enemy's left wing was dismayed and retreated towards Duleck. COY'S HORSE were amongst the squadrons which galloped forward in pursuit, and charging the Irish foot, cut them down with a great slaughter. While these events were transpiring on the right, King William passed the river with the main body of his forces: the enemy was overpowered at every point, and His Majesty stood triumphant on the field of battle. King James fled to Dublin, and afterwards to France, and was followed by the French troops; but the Irish Papists resolved to maintain his cause to the last extremity.

COY'S HORSE advanced with King William to Dublin, and were afterwards with the army before _Limerick_, during the unsuccessful siege of that place, when His Majesty returned to England, the regiment went into quarters near Cork.

[Sidenote: 1691]

In the depth of the winter an incursion into the enemy's cantonments was resolved upon; and the regiment having joined the forces selected for that service, advanced, on the 31st of December, into the county of Kerry. On arriving near Brewsterfield, the van-guard, consisting of a troop of this regiment and one of Eppinger's Dragoons, encountered a party of 160 of the enemy's cavalry. COY'S HORSE and the dragoons instantly drew their swords, and advanced to charge their opponents, who fled in a panic. Continuing its route, the detachment took a number of prisoners, also drove seven troops of Irish horse and twenty-one of dragoons from Tralee, and afterwards returned to its quarters.

When the army took the field in the summer of 1691, COY'S HORSE were left in dispersed quarters in the county of Cork to overawe the disaffected, and to check the depredations of the bands of Papists, whose proceedings were very injurious to the Protestants; the regiment was, consequently, not at the battle of Aghrim, but it afterwards joined the army near _Limerick_, and was employed in the siege of that place.

On the 16th of September, a squadron of the regiment, with a strong party of dragoons and infantry, crossed the Shannon by a pontoon bridge before break of day, surprised and defeated a body of the enemy, and captured a standard; also surprised the troops in the camp near the town, and forced them to make a precipitate flight to the mountains. On the 24th of the same month, a cessation of hostilities took place, which ended in a treaty, and the authority of King James was extinguished in Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1692]

[Sidenote: 1693]

The regiment, having thus performed its part in reducing Ireland to submission to the authority of King William, embarked at Belfast in the beginning of 1692, and after its arrival in England it was quartered at Huntingdon, Chester, and St. Ives; from whence it proceeded to the vicinity of London, and, for a short time, assisted the Life Guards in performing the escort duty for the royal family. It was, however, allowed but a short period of home service before it was called upon to take the field against a foreign enemy.

King William was engaged in a war to restrain the ambitious designs of Louis XIV. of France, who sought to become the dictator of Europe and the destroyer of the reformed religion. After the severe loss sustained by the confederates at the battle of Landen, in 1693, the British monarch gave orders for Colonel Coy to proceed with his regiment of horse to the Netherlands, and to join the army in that country.

[Sidenote: 1694]

On its arrival in Flanders, the regiment was placed in quarters at Ghent; from whence it marched to Tirlemont, and, joining the army commanded by King William in person, took part in the operations of the long and toilsome campaign of 1694, but was not engaged in any action of importance.

[Sidenote: 1695]

In the following year the regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege of the strong and important fortress of _Namur_, which was superintended by King William in person. Two magnificent armies confronted each other, and manœuvred, the one to prevent, and the other to ensure, the capture of this strong fortress; and it was eventually taken by the forces commanded by His Britannic Majesty. About a month after the surrender of the castle of Namur, the regiment marched into quarters at Ghent.

[Sidenote: 1696]

King William reviewed the regiment near Ghent, in May, 1696, and expressed his approbation of its appearance. During this summer it formed part of the army of Flanders, under the orders of the veteran Prince of Vaudemont, and was encamped for several months on the canal between Ghent and Bruges, and its services were limited to defensive measures for the preservation of these two places, and the maritime towns of Flanders from the attacks of the enemy. On the 4th of October, the regiment returned to its former station at Ghent.

[Sidenote: 1697]

From Ghent the regiment marched in May, 1697, to join the army of Brabant, and was encamped a short time at St. Quintin Linneck. The French besieged the town of Aeth; and a body of troops was sent out, under Brigadier-General Lumley, to make a reconnoissance towards _Enghien_, with the view of attacking the French army and raising the siege. A detachment of COY'S HORSE, commanded by Sir William Russel, formed the advance-guard on this occasion; and when on the march, he encountered a party of French hussars, carabiniers, and dragoons. Upon notice of the approach of the enemy, the main body of the British force concealed itself in the wood, and formed an ambush; and the advance-guard retiring, the French advanced boldly forward, and were nearly every man killed or taken prisoner.

The design of relieving Aeth was afterwards laid aside; King William retired, and subsequently took up a position before Brussels.

Colonel John Coy having obtained His Majesty's permission to dispose of the Colonelcy of the regiment to CHARLES EARL OF ARRAN,[7] brother of the Duke of Ormond, his lordship was appointed to the regiment on the 1st of July, 1697; and during the succeeding five years it was styled ARRAN'S HORSE.

King William, after waging war for the good of Europe a period of nine years, had the satisfaction of seeing his endeavours succeeded by a treaty of peace, which was signed at Ryswick in September of this year.

[Sidenote: 1698]

Shortly after this event, ARRAN'S HORSE were ordered to return to England, where they arrived in January, 1698, and were quartered at Coventry, Daventry, and Towcester.

[Sidenote: 1699]

[Sidenote: 1700]

The army in England having been reduced by the House of Commons to the low establishment of seven thousand men, King William was under the necessity of disbanding several corps, and of sending others to Ireland. This regiment was one of the corps selected to proceed to Ireland, where it arrived in the summer of 1700, and its numbers were reduced to thirty-six private men per troop.

[Sidenote: 1701]

The repose granted to Europe by the treaty of Ryswick was, however, of short duration. Louis XIV. of France, procured the accession of his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain; this virtual union of two powerful states, rekindled the flame of war; and the EARL OF ARRAN'S regiment was one of the cavalry corps ordered to be augmented to fifty-seven private men per troop, and held in readiness to proceed on foreign service; but so great was the difficulty experienced in raising an army of sufficient numbers to meet the exigence of the nation on this sudden emergency, that only three troops of the regiment could, in the first instance, be spared from Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1702]

These three troops landed at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the beginning of March, 1702, and marching to London, embarked in transports on the river Thames in the beginning of April, and sailed for Holland.

The decease of King William, who might justly be styled the protector of the reformed religion, and the accession of Queen Anne, produced no alteration in the foreign policy of the British court. The war was prosecuted with vigour, and the three troops of ARRAN'S HORSE, forming one squadron, were attached to Brigadier-General Wood's regiment (now Third Dragoon Guards), and served the campaign of this year under the Earl of Marlborough. The British horse, had, however no opportunity of signalizing themselves in action this year; their services being limited to out-post duty, and covering the sieges of _Venloo_, _Ruremonde_, _Stevenswaert_, and the famous city of _Liege_, which fortresses were captured by the British commander.

[Sidenote: 1703]

The Earl of Arran having been promoted to the Colonelcy of the third troop of Life Guards, Queen Anne conferred the command of the regiment on BRIGADIER-GENERAL CADOGAN (afterwards EARL CADOGAN), from the Sixth, or Inniskilling Dragoons, by commission, dated the 2d of March, 1703.

The three troops of the regiment on foreign service, now bearing the title of CADOGAN'S HORSE, continued to serve throughout the campaign of this year with Brigadier-General Wood's regiment. In a slight skirmish near _Haneff_, in the beginning of June, a small detachment evinced the martial spirit and valour of British troopers; and in the various movements of the army before the enemy, the national character was fully sustained. The French commanders avoided an engagement, and after covering the sieges of _Huy_ and _Limburg_, CADOGAN'S HORSE went into quarters for the winter in Holland.

[Sidenote: 1704]

In the beginning of the following year the other three troops of the regiment were withdrawn from Ireland, and after occupying quarters a short time at Northampton, embarked (4th April, 1704) for Holland.

The six troops were thus united in time for the whole regiment to take part in the glorious exploits of the campaign of 1704, in which that noble ardour and chivalric spirit which has raised Britain to its present exalted station among the nations of Europe, were displayed by the army under the Duke of Marlborough in a signal manner. Confidence in the commander has always given additional life and vigour to innate valour, and the troops having already proved the military virtues of their leader, the great Marlborough was enabled to march his forces from the ocean to the Danube, and to gain new honours in the heart of Germany.

This enterprise was undertaken in consequence of the armies of France and Bavaria having united against the Emperor of Germany, and the British general advanced to the aid of the house of Austria, which was thus menaced by a force which it was unable to withstand. Quitting the territory of the Dutch republic the army crossed the Rhine, and traversed the various states of Germany with a degree of order and regularity which bespoke a high state of discipline, united with excellent arrangements, while the nations of Europe gazed with astonishment at the undertaking.

Having arrived at the theatre of war and joined the Imperial army, the first action of importance was the attack of a body of French and Bavarians commanded by the Count d'Arco, at their entrenched camp on the lofty heights of _Schellenberg_, on the 2d of July. On this occasion the cavalry supported the attacks of the infantry, and when the enemy was forced from the entrenchments, the brilliant charge of the English horse, and Royal Scots Dragoons (the Greys) completed the overthrow; the hostile army lost its colours, cannon, and baggage, and numbers of French and Bavarians fell beneath the conquering sabres of the British horsemen, who chased their adversaries to the banks of the Danube, and captured many prisoners. CADOGAN'S HORSE were commanded on this occasion by Lieutenant-Colonel George Kellum, and had Major Napier,[8] Lieutenant Tettefall, and several private men wounded; and sustained a serious loss in troop horses, from having been exposed to a heavy cannonade: their Colonel, Brigadier-General Cadogan, was also wounded.

This action was the precursor of a greater overthrow to the forces of the enemy, who made efforts to retrieve his affairs; new armies and new generals appeared; but these only served to augment the splendour of victory, and to enhance the value of the conquerors in the estimation of the world. The action was fought in the valley of the Danube, near the village of _Blenheim_, on the 13th of August, and the English horsemen, who during the two preceding campaigns had panted for an opportunity to signalize themselves, had a fair field in which to display their valour and prowess, and they gave undeniable proofs of their good qualities. The Gallo-Bavarian army was destroyed; its commander, Marshal Tallard, and many entire battalions and squadrons were made prisoners of war; and the field of battle was literally covered with trophies.

The victory was most complete and decisive, and it was not gained over new levies; but over an army of veterans fully instructed in the art of war,--select troops flushed with former successes, and commanded by generals of great bravery and experience.[9] This regiment had only one officer (Lieutenant Groubere) killed; its loss in non-commissioned officers and private men has not been recorded.

The regiment took part in the subsequent operations of the main army; and after covering the siege of _Laudan_, it marched back to Holland for winter quarters.

[Sidenote: 1705]

In the following summer the regiment marched with the army through the Duchy of Juliers, and crossed the Moselle and the Saar, in order to carry on the war in Alsace; but the Duke of Marlborough, being disappointed of the promised co-operation of the Imperialists, marched back to the Netherlands.

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Historical Record of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon GuardsChapter I: Part 1

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