Chapter III: Part 3

Meanwhile, the troubles in France were increasing. The Duke of Orleans and the Prince of Condé were opposed to the court; the latter was at the head of an army; and DOUGLAS' REGIMENT was employed in operations against the insurgents.

[Sidenote: 1652]

After several marches and manœuvres, the opposing armies came in contact in the summer of 1652, in the vicinity of _Paris_; the royal army was commanded by Marshal Turenne; and the rebel army by the Prince of Condé, who erected barricades in the Fauxbourg of St. Antoine, where he was attacked on the 2nd of July, 1652.[46] The fighting had been continued for some time with great resolution on both sides, when DOUGLAS' and three other regiments attacked a barricade across one of the streets near the river, which they carried sword in hand, and, having dislodged the enemy from the houses, established themselves on this spot. Immediately afterwards a troop of royal horse, attempting to pass the barricade, was repulsed by the insurgent horsemen, who were driven back in their turn by the fire of DOUGLAS' and another regiment from the houses. Scarcely had the horse quitted the street, when two bodies of insurgent foot came rushing forward with great fury to retake the barricade, but DOUGLAS' and another regiment opened so destructive a fire from the houses, and the regiments which guarded the barricade made so resolute a defence, that the rebels were repulsed with great loss. A general attack was afterwards made on the other posts occupied by the rebels in the suburbs of Paris, and the rebellion would probably have been crushed at once, but the Parisians opened their gates and admitted the insurgents into the city, and thus protected them from the fury of the royal army. The city of Paris having thus manifested a determination to take part with the insurgents, DOUGLAS' Regiment, with the remainder of the royal army, retreated on the same day to St. Denis, where his Majesty and the court had retired.

While the Prince of Condé held possession of Paris, and the royal army lay at St. Denis, a large Spanish army prepared to penetrate from the Netherlands into France, to act in concert with the French insurgents; when the court of Louis XIV. removed to Pontoise, and the army marched to Compeigne, and encamped under the walls of the town. The Spanish army entered France, but after a short stay it retired to the Netherlands, when the army of Louis XIV. advanced towards Paris, and encamped near Gonesse. This movement was followed by the return of the Spanish forces under the Duke of Lorraine, when the army under Marshal Turenne attempted to intercept the enemy, and a sharp skirmish occurred at _Villeneuve St. Georges_, nine miles from Paris, and the designs of the Duke of Lorraine were frustrated. But the Prince of Condé marched out of Paris, and succeeded in forming a junction with the Spaniards at Ablon; and the united armies were double the number of the forces under Marshal Turenne, who constructed two temporary bridges over the Seine, threw up entrenchments, and maintained his post for several weeks. While the two armies confronted each other, frequent skirmishes occurred in the fields and vineyards, in which DOUGLAS' Scots took a conspicuous part. On one of these occasions a captain of the regiment was taken prisoner, who escaped from the enemy a few days afterwards, and brought information that the Prince of Condé had left the Spanish army in consequence of indisposition. The enemy not being so watchful as before, and the King's army being in want of provisions, it retired with great secrecy during the night of the 4th of October, and continued its march to Courteuil, when the enemy quitted the vicinity of Paris, and marched into winter quarters in Champagne and other parts of France.

When the absence of the united rebel and Spanish army from Paris was ascertained, the royal family of France proceeded with a strong guard to the capital, and obtained possession of the city; and DOUGLAS' Regiment, with the remainder of the King's army, marched for Champagne, to attack the enemy in his quarters.

During the winter DOUGLAS' Regiment was engaged in the siege of _Bar le Duc_; the lower town was taken by storm, and, about the middle of December, when two practicable breaches were made, the upper town and castle surrendered; when an Irish regiment in the Spanish service was made prisoners. The Irish finding that the Duke of York was with the French army, in command of the Scots gendarmes and a regiment of foot called the Regiment of York, they obtained permission to enter the French service, and were incorporated into the Duke's regiment.

From Bar le Duc, DOUGLAS' Regiment marched a distance of nine miles, to _Ligny_, a town situate on the river Ornain, and was engaged in the siege of the castle. A mine being ready, on the 21st of December, "Marshal Turenne commanded the regiments of York and DOUGLAS to prepare for the attack at the springing of the mine, and ordered his own regiment to be in readiness to second them. All things being prepared in this manner, fire was given to the mine, and in the midst of the smoke, before it could be discerned what effect the mine had produced, the Count d'Estrées, who commanded the attack, ordered it to be instantly made. Accordingly, they fell on, passing over the ditch, which was very broad, upon the ice. But when they came to the ditch, they perceived that the mine had failed their expectation, and there was no possibility of mounting the breach. Upon this there was a necessity of making a retreat; the ice broke under the men, and most of them fell into the ditch, which gave leisure to the enemy to do execution on them. Thus, for want of a little patience to see what effect the mine had wrought; the regiment of York lost four captains, some lieutenants and ensigns, and about a hundred men, slain outright, and the regiment of DOUGLAS two captains and near fifty private soldiers; besides many officers and soldiers hurt."[47] Immediately after this failure another mine was commenced, and the garrison surrendered on the 22nd of December.

[Sidenote: 1653]

A garrison having been placed in Ligny, the army proceeded to _Château Portien_, a small town of the Ardennes, situate on the right bank of the river Aisne; and while on this march the weather was so severe, that several of the soldiers were frozen to death on the road. The siege of this place was commenced in the beginning of January, 1653, and the town was delivered up in less than ten days.

Having completed this conquest, the troops proceeded through a difficult tract of country, and besieged _Vervins_. The weather continued inclement, the men were suffering from the want of food, and great difficulties had to be overcome; yet the attacks were made with such spirit and determination, that possession was gained of this town on the 28th of January.

The troops were now exhausted, and DOUGLAS' Regiment was sent into quarters of refreshment. It again took the field in June following; but the enemy had so great a superiority of numbers, that the greater part of the year was passed in defensive operations.

[Sidenote: 1654]

[Sidenote: 1655]

The regiment appears to have passed the year 1654 in garrison. In 1655 it was employed in the Netherlands; its Colonel, Lieutenant-General Lord James Douglas, commanded a flying camp between Douay and Arras; several skirmishes occurred, and on one occasion LORD JAMES DOUGLAS was killed; he was succeeded in the Colonelcy by his brother, LORD GEORGE DOUGLAS, afterwards EARL OF DUMBARTON. This change in its Colonel did not alter the title of the corps, as it continued to be distinguished by the title of DOUGLAS' REGIMENT.

This year (1655) the King of France concluded a treaty with Cromwell, who was at the head of the British nation with the title of Lord Protector; and it was stipulated that a body of Cromwell's forces should proceed to Flanders to co-operate with the French against the Spaniards.

[Sidenote: 1656]

[Sidenote: 1657]

[Sidenote: 1658]

This treaty occasioned King Charles II. to unite his interests with those of Spain; the Duke of York quitted France, and obtained a command in the Spanish army; and a great part of the Royal British troops, which had escaped from England and entered the French army, transferred their services from the crown of France to that of Spain. The cavalier gentlemen, who thus transferred their services to the crown of Spain, were formed into a troop of Horse Guards, of which Charles Berkeley (afterwards Earl of Falmouth) was appointed Captain and Colonel; and the remainder were formed into six regiments of foot--one English, one Scots, and four Irish.[48] The determination thus manifested, by the British troops in the service of France to preserve their loyalty to King Charles II., appears to have occasioned measures to be adopted by the French commanders to prevent DOUGLAS', and the other old Scots regiments, from following this example; and these corps appear to have been placed in remote garrisons, as they are not mentioned in the histories of the military transactions in the Netherlands in 1657 and 1658, in which years the French army and Cromwell's forces captured St. Venant and Mardyk, defeated the Spanish army, and afterwards took Dunkirk, Ypres, Bruges, Dixmude, Furnes, Gravelines, Oudenarde, and Menin; and Dunkirk was occupied by the English.

[Sidenote: 1659]

In September, 1658, Cromwell died; and in 1659 the Prince of Condé disbanded his forces, and having tendered his submission to the crown of France, he was received into the favour of Louis XIV. At the same time a treaty of peace, called the Peace of the Pyrenees, was concluded between France and Spain, and Dunkirk was ceded to England.

[Sidenote: 1660]

After this treaty was concluded the strength of the French army was decreased, and DOUGLAS' Regiment was reduced to eight companies. These events were followed by the restoration of King Charles II. to the throne of Great Britain; when the British troops which had been in the service of Spain were placed in garrison at Dunkirk; and DOUGLAS' Regiment, in the French service, was in garrison at Avennes.

[Sidenote: 1661]

Soon after the restoration, King Charles II. disbanded the army of the Commonwealth, which he found in England at his return. It was, however, deemed necessary to have a regular force established, for in January, 1661, a number of religious fanatics, called millenarians, or fifth monarchy-men, took arms against the government, and, although this insurrection was suppressed in a few days, yet it was deemed necessary to send for the Duke of York's troop of Guards from Dunkirk, and afterwards for DOUGLAS' veteran Scots regiment from Flanders.

The regiment having arrived in England in the spring of 1661, it obtained rank in the British army from that date. It appears, however, to have had rank in the Swedish army from about the year 1625, and in the French army from 1633. No instance has been met with of its having been distinguished by any other title than the name of its Colonel, except during part of the time it was in the Swedish service, when it was designated, together with three other Scots regiments of which it is now the representative, the GREEN BRIGADE.

Soon after its arrival in England the establishment of the regiment was augmented, and its presence at this particular period was of great service to King Charles II.[49] But his Majesty having (after disbanding the whole of the army of the Commonwealth) established three troops of Life Guards, a regiment of Horse Guards, and two regiments of Foot Guards, in England; and a troop of Life Guards, and a regiment of Foot Guards in Scotland; it was not deemed necessary to detain DOUGLAS' veteran corps in England, and it was, accordingly, sent back to France in 1662.

[Sidenote: 1662]

At the same time, General Andrew Rutherford, who commanded the battalion of Scots Guards in the French service, having been appointed Governor of Dunkirk by King Charles II., his battalion was incorporated in DOUGLAS' Regiment. There was also another battalion of Scots Foot in the service of France, commanded by Lord James Douglas, and this battalion was likewise incorporated into DOUGLAS' veteran regiment, which now consisted of twenty-three companies of one hundred men each, and its established numbers, including officers and non-commissioned officers, were upwards of 2500.

[Sidenote: 1663]

The King of France having, after the treaty of the Pyrenees, placed his army upon a peace establishment, the strength of DOUGLAS' Regiment was reduced to eight companies of one hundred men each.

[Sidenote: 1665]

[Sidenote: 1666]

Three years after its return to France, a war broke out between England and Holland; and in the succeeding year Louis XIV. took part with the Dutch against England, when DOUGLAS' regiment was again ordered to quit the French service, and to return to England: it accordingly landed at Rye, in Sussex, on the 12th of June, 1666, and mustered eight hundred men.[50]

The Roman Catholics in several counties in Ireland were, at this period, in a state of insurrection; and in a short time after the arrival of the regiment from France, it was ordered to proceed to Ireland, where it appears to have remained upwards of twelve months.

[Sidenote: 1668]

[Sidenote: 1670]

After the conclusion of the peace of Breda in 1668, the insurrections in Ireland having been suppressed, the regiment was again sent to France; and in an order issued by Louis XIV. in 1670, respecting the rank of regiments, it appears one of the first.[51]

[Sidenote: 1672]

A war commenced in 1672 between the French monarch and the States General of Holland; King Charles II. of England also declared war against the Dutch; and a British force, commanded by the Duke of Monmouth, was sent to France to co-operate with the army of Louis XIV. in an attack upon Holland. DOUGLAS' Regiment had, in the meantime, been augmented to sixteen companies, and when the army took the field, it formed two battalions; and was in the division of the army commanded by Marshal Turenne. Several fortified towns were captured by the main army; and in June, DOUGLAS' Regiment, being encamped in the vicinity of Nimeguen, was detached with several other corps under the Comte de Chamilly to besiege _Grave_. The attack on the town commenced towards the end of June, and in the early part of July the governor surrendered. A number of the subjects of the British crown, who had entered the service of Holland, being found in garrison, they were permitted to engage in the service of Louis XIV., and were received as recruits in DOUGLAS' Regiment.[52] In August the regiment was withdrawn from the vicinity of Grave, and ordered to join the forces under Marshal Turenne.

[Sidenote: 1673]

In 1673 eight thousand British troops served with the French army, and were engaged in the siege of _Maestricht_, in which service they evinced signal gallantly; and in repulsing a sally of part of the garrison, the Duke of Monmouth, Captain Churchill (afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough), and twelve private men of the English Life Guards (a squadron of which corps was serving with the French army), highly distinguished themselves.[53] The town surrendered on the 2nd of July.

[Sidenote: 1674]

Before the following year King Charles II. concluded a treaty of peace with the Dutch Republic; but his Majesty did not withdraw the whole of his troops from France; and during the campaign of 1674 DOUGLAS' Regiment, with the Scots regiment of Hamilton, and the English regiments of Monmouth and Churchill, served with the French army on the Rhine, commanded by Marshal Turenne. In the early part of June, DOUGLAS' Regiment was encamped near Philipsburg,[54] a town in the west of Germany about half a mile from the Rhine, and was formed in brigade with the French regiments of Plessis and La Ferté, with a battalion of detachments, commanded by Brigadier-General the Marquis of Douglas.[55]

The opposing armies having taken the field, DOUGLAS' Regiment was suddenly withdrawn from the vicinity of Philipsburg, and, after crossing the Rhine, advanced towards the ancient city of _Heidelberg_, to prevent the junction of the forces under the Duke of Lorraine and the army commanded by the Duke of Bournonville. This movement brought on several skirmishes, in which the regiment took part; it was also engaged in a sharp action on the 16th of June, when the Imperialists were defeated; and in the accounts of this action published at the time, the conduct of the regiment is spoken of in terms of commendation.

After chasing the enemy out of the Palatinate, the regiment retired with the army across the Rhine, to join the reinforcements from Alsace and other places; and after the arrival of these troops, the army re-passed the Rhine, and DOUGLAS' and two other regiments were detached to the vicinity of Landau, and ordered to encamp within a league of the town. The regiment was subsequently detached towards Manheim, and, after taking part in several operations, in the beginning of October it was encamped at Lavantzenaw, in Alsace.

Information having been received that the Germans had passed the Rhine and advanced to _Molsheim_, the French and British troops quitted their camp about an hour after midnight on the 3rd of October, and after a march of several hours, arrived at the enemy's camp, and attacked them with great spirit. The conflict took place amongst woods and broken grounds, and the British troops displayed signal gallantry, fighting with a spirit and resolution which the enemy could not withstand. Many officers and men fell, yet the conflict was continued, and Lord Duras (afterwards Earl of Feversham) had three horses killed under him. Eventually the enemy were driven from the field, with the loss of ten pieces of cannon, thirty standards and colours, and several prisoners.[56]

The Germans were subsequently reinforced by a number of fresh troops, when Marshal Turenne retired with the French and British forces, and took up a position near Saverne in Alsace, by which he prevented the Imperialists deriving much advantage from their superiority of numbers.

[Sidenote: 1675]

During the depth of the winter, when the Germans had retreated, DOUGLAS' Regiment[57] was placed, with several other corps, under the orders of the Marquis of Vaubrun, and engaged in the siege of _Dachstein_, a town in the department of the Lower Rhine. The trenches were opened during the night of the 25th of January, 1675; and during the night of the 28th, DOUGLAS' veterans were engaged in storming the works, and lost several officers and men. Amongst the killed was the Major of the regiment, who is stated by the French historians to have been an officer of great merit. On the following day the governor surrendered the town, when the regiment was sent into quarters.

It again took the field in the month of May, and was encamped for a short time near Strasburg; at the same time the Germans, under the Count de Montecuculi, menaced the city of Philipsburg with a siege; but the French and British forces passed the Rhine on the 7th of June, when the Germans changed their position, and the two armies confronted each other, and manœuvred for several days in the territory bordering on the Rhine. DOUGLAS' Regiment, having been on a detached service for some time, was suddenly ordered to join the main army, from whence it was afterwards sent to _Treves_ to reinforce the garrison. Several sharp skirmishes occurred; and on the 27th of July, as Marshal Turenne was reconnoitring the enemy, he was killed by a cannon-ball. After the death of this celebrated veteran, the army was commanded _ad interim_ by the Count de Lorge, who retreated across the _Rhine_. The Germans attacked their adversaries while making this retrograde movement, when the gallant conduct of two battalions of veteran Scots saved the main army from a severe loss. _Treves_ was afterwards besieged by the Germans, and DOUGLAS' Regiment highly distinguished itself in the defence of this ancient city, under the command of Marshal de Crequi. The French troops mutinied, and endeavoured to compel the governor to surrender, but DOUGLAS' Scots stood by the Marshal in the desperate defence of the town, and were thanked for their conduct by Louis XIV. Treves was surrendered on the 5th of September, and the regiment was bound by the articles not to serve for three months, either in the field or in the defence of any town.

[Sidenote: 1676]

The French monarch having employed the greater part of his forces in making conquests in the Netherlands, a small army, of which DOUGLAS' and Hamilton's Scots regiments formed part, was employed on the Rhine during the campaign of 1676, under the orders of Marshal Luxembourg. The imperial army, commanded by the Duke of Lorraine, had great superiority of numbers. In the beginning of June, the two armies were manœuvring and skirmishing in Alsace; and on the 5th of that month, while the French were retiring through the mountains near _Saverne_, the Germans attacked the rear-guard with great fury, and, having forced a defile, put several French squadrons into confusion. But as the German horsemen galloped between the mountains in pursuit, two battalions of Scots foot having taken post on some high ground beyond the defile, the musketeers opened so tremendous a fire that the pursuing squadrons were checked and forced to retire, when a regiment of German horse, and several squadrons of Lorraine dragoons, were nearly destroyed. In this rencontre Sir George Hamilton and several other officers of distinction were killed. The French army subsequently formed an entrenched camp near Saverne; and the Germans besieged Philipsburg, which was surrendered on the 15th of September.

[Sidenote: 1677]

During the campaign of 1677, the French army on the Rhine was commanded by Marshal de Crequi. The British troops with this army consisted this year of two squadrons of Royal English horse, and two battalions of DOUGLAS' and a battalion of Monmouth's regiments.[58] The opposing armies took the field, and after much manœuvring and skirmishing, the Prince of Saxe-Eysenach, who commanded a division of Germans, having been driven into an island on the Rhine, was forced to capitulate. A sharp skirmish afterwards took place at _Kochersberg_, in Alsace, when the Imperialists were defeated, and sustained great loss. _Fribourg_ was subsequently besieged by a detachment from the French army, and the garrison surrendered on the 16th of November, when DOUGLAS' regiment proceeded into winter quarters.

[Sidenote: 1678]

At length the conquests effected by France occasioned the English Court and Parliament to become sensible of the necessity of restraining the ambition of Louis XIV.; and King Charles II., having concluded a treaty with the Dutch, gave orders for the British troops in the French service to return to England; at the same time, his Majesty issued commissions for an augmentation of about twenty thousand men to the English army, and declared his determination of engaging in the war with France. DUMBARTON'S Regiment, as it was now designated, accordingly received orders in the early part of the year 1678 to quit the service of the French monarch, and from this period it has been permanently on the British establishment.

Soon after the arrival of the regiment from France, a number of men, who each carried a large pouch filled with HAND-GRENADES, were added to the establishment, and formed into a company, under the command of Captain Robert Hodges. These men were instructed to ignite the fuses, and to cast the grenades into forts, trenches, or amidst the ranks of their enemies, where the explosion was calculated to produce much execution; and the men, deriving their designation from the combustibles with which they were armed, were styled GRENADIERS. Their duties were considered more arduous than those of the pikemen or musketeers; and the strongest and most active men were selected for the grenadier company. And although the hand-grenades have long been laid aside, yet one company, which is designated the "Grenadier Company," continues to form part of every battalion.

[Sidenote: 1679]

In 1679, DUMBARTON'S Regiment, which consisted at this period of twenty-one companies, was stationed in Ireland. In the autumn of this year, Tangier, in Africa (which had been ceded by Portugal to Charles II., in 1662, as part of the marriage-portion of his consort, Donna Catherina, Infanta of Portugal), was besieged by the Moors, who destroyed two forts at a short distance from the town, and then retired.

[Sidenote: 1680]

They, however, again appeared before the town in the spring of 1680, when four companies of DUMBARTON'S Regiment were ordered to reinforce the garrison; and these companies having embarked at Kinsale in the James and Swan frigates, landed at Tangier on the 4th of April.

Fort Henrietta, which stood at a short distance from the town, was at this time besieged by the Moors, and two breaches having been made, and the works undermined, the garrison could not maintain the place; consequently a sally from the city was resolved upon, to give the garrison an opportunity of blowing up the fort, and of cutting their passage through the Moorish army to the town; and Captain Hume, Lieutenant Pierson, Lieutenant Bayley, four serjeants, and 80 private men, of DUMBARTON'S Regiment, were selected to form the forlorn-hope in the sally. Accordingly, at eight o'clock on the morning of the 12th of May, DUMBARTON'S veterans issued from the town, and made a gallant attack on the Moorish army; at the same time the garrison in the fort blew up the building, and rushed forward, sword in hand, to cut their passage through the barbarians. The conflict was sharp: the Moors came running forward in crowds to cut off this devoted band; yet these resolute Britons forced the first trench, and gained the second. This was, however, twelve feet deep; and while struggling to overcome the difficulty, Captain Trelawny and 120 men were killed by the Moors; and only forty-four officers and men succeeded in joining Captain Hume and his party of veteran Scots. This party was also attacked by several bodies of Moorish horsemen, who were all expert lancers; but the barbarians were repulsed. One Moorish chieftain rode over Captain Hume; but his horse fell, and the barbarian was immediately killed. The men continued skirmishing, and retiring in good order until they arrived under the protection of the guns of the fortress. The companies of DUMBARTON'S Regiment lost on this occasion fifteen men killed, and Captain Hume[59] and several men wounded.

In a few days after this action a cessation of hostilities was agreed upon with the Moors for four months; and during the summer twelve additional companies of DUMBARTON'S Regiment arrived at Tangier, from Ireland, under the command of Major Sir James Hackett. The arrival of these celebrated veterans is thus announced in one of the publications of that period:--"After this landed the valorous Major Hackett with the renowned regiment of the Earl of Dumbarton; all of them men of approved valour, fame having echoed the sound of their glorious actions and achievements in France and other nations; having left behind them a report of their glorious victories wherever they came; every place witnessing and giving large testimony of their renown: so that the arrival of this illustrious regiment more and more increased the resolutions and united the courage of the inhabitants, and added confidence to their valour."[60]

Hostilities again commenced in September, when the garrison quitted the town, and encamped under the walls; and the Lieut.-Governor, Sir Palmes Fairborne, is reported to have made the following speech to DUMBARTON's Scots:--"Countrymen and fellow-soldiers, let not your approved valour and fame in foreign nations be derogated at this time, neither degenerate from your ancient and former glory abroad; and as you are looked upon here to be brave and experienced soldiers (constant and successive victories having attended your conquering swords hitherto), do not come short of the great hopes we have in you, and the propitious procedures we expect from you at this time. For the glory of your nation, if you cannot surpass, you may imitate the bravest, and be emulous of their praises and renown."[61]

The expectations of the Lieutenant-Governor, with regard to these celebrated Scots, appear to have been realised; and in the various skirmishes and actions which followed, they always signalised themselves. In the account of a sharp action fought on the 20th of September, it is reported that "The grenadiers under Captain Hodges behaved themselves very bravely." On the 22nd of the same month, "Some of the Moorish horse advanced resolutely to the very line where our men were lodged, but were repulsed, and several of them killed. Several of the Scots grenadiers, who were very active and daring, advancing a little too far, were killed, and others, advancing to their relief, were likewise hard put to it." A sharp skirmish was afterwards kept up throughout the day, and "The Scots and the seamen from the fleet were hotly engaged, having beat the Moors out of several trenches." While retiring, Captain Fitzpatrick was attacked by a Moorish chieftain, but was delivered by a shot which brought the barbarian down at the moment he was about to spear the captain. A Scots grenadier, of undaunted bravery, being desirous of possessing the Moor's charger, leaped over the trenches and seized the horse; but this brave man was immediately afterwards cut to pieces by a party of Moors, who came galloping forward at the moment he was about to retire with the horse. On the same day it was resolved, in consequence of a newly-erected fort being completed, to retire within the walls, when Sir James Hackett, at the head of DUMBARTON'S Scots, covered the retrograde movement, and repulsed several charges made by the Moorish lancers.

A sally was made from the town on the 24th of September, when the Scots again distinguished themselves, and had Captain Forbes and eight men killed. The Lieut.-Governor, Sir Palmes Fairborne, also received a mortal wound, and was succeeded in the command of the garrison by Lieut.-Colonel Sackville of the Foot Guards.

On the 27th of September, a general sally of the garrison was made on the Moorish lines, where between fourteen and fifteen thousand barbarians were encamped. About three in the morning, the troops issued in silence from the town, and formed in order of battle. Soon afterwards the signal for the attack was given, when DUMBARTON'S[62] company of Scots grenadiers, led by Captain Hodges, and followed by the remaining companies of the regiment, rushed towards the Moorish lines with the velocity of lightning. The Moors, who were reposing beyond their trenches, were suddenly aroused by the sound of a trampling multitude rushing to battle; and the next moment a shower of hand-grenades bursting amongst them put them in some confusion; yet they sprang to their arms, and, standing firm to receive the charge, disputed the ground with firmness. Soon the action became general, and "Nothing was heard but the roaring of cannon, the firing of muskets, and the loud acclamations of the Christians, who, ever and anon, when they gained any trench of the enemy, raised a shout which pierced the clouds, and echoed in the sky.[63]" DUMBARTON'S veterans quickly carried the first trench, then mixing in fierce combat with the Moors, soon proved that a valiant Scot was more than a match for one of the dusky sons of Africa. The first trench having been won, a portion of it was levelled for the cavalry, and the British and Spanish horsemen charged the Moors, and plunging amidst the dark masses, trampled and cut down the astonished Africans. At the same time the British grenadiers were seen using their hatchets with dreadful execution on one side, the pikemen were bearing down all before them on another, and, the musketeers, having slung their muskets, were fighting, sword in hand, with an impetuosity which the Moors could not withstand. The waving masses of barbarians were broken, and they fled like a scattered swarm over the land; the British troops pursued, and a number of single combats followed, for the Moors were more expert in personal conflicts than in fighting in large bodies. These combats, however, generally terminated in favour of the British; and the Scots, particularly Captain Hodges and his grenadier company, were distinguished for the number they slew. Thus the siege of Tangier was raised, and DUMBARTON'S veteran Scots captured a splendid colour[64] from the Moors. The regiment lost[65] in this action, Lieutenants Scott and St. Leger; Ensigns Farrell, Murray, Bell, and Rhue; six serjeants, and thirty private soldiers killed; Captains Lockart, Lundy, Hume, Douglas, and Percy; Lieutenants Glascock, Murray, Ennis, Corson, Bainesman, Macrohen, Stuart, Aukmooty, and Butler; with Ensign Mowast, and one hundred serjeants and private men wounded.

In a few days after this engagement a truce was concluded with the Moors for six months; and in the early part of December a regiment of foot (now the Fourth, or King's own), with 200 recruits for DUMBARTON'S Regiment, arrived from England.

[Sidenote: 1681]

During the winter, Lieut.-Colonel Kirk was sent on an embassy to Muley-Ismael, Emperor of Morocco. In the spring of 1681, a treaty of peace for four years was concluded and sent to England by Captain Thomas Langston.

[Sidenote: 1682]

[Sidenote: 1683]

King Charles II., however, found the maintenance of a sufficient garrison at Tangier too expensive to be continued without the aid of a grant from parliament. At the same time the nation was more alarmed at the prospect of a popish successor to the throne than at the apprehension of losing this fortress, which they feared would become a nursery for popish soldiers. The advantage derived from the Levant trade, and other arguments, were brought forward in favour of maintaining Tangier; but the parliament refused the necessary supply; and towards the end of 1683, Admiral Lord Dartmouth was sent with a fleet to demolish the fortress, and to bring away the garrison and British inhabitants.

[Sidenote: 1684]

One company of DUMBARTON'S Regiment arrived from Tangier, in November, 1683, and landed at Gravesend; and the remainder arrived in the river Thames in February, 1684, and, having landed at Rochester, were quartered--eight companies at Rochester and Chatham, six at Winchester, and two at Southampton. At the same time directions were sent to the Duke of Ormond, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, to send the five companies of the regiment in that country to England.

In June of this year four companies attended the Duchess of York (afterwards Queen of England) at Tunbridge Wells; and in the autumn King Charles II. conferred upon this celebrated regiment the title of THE ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT.[66]

On the 1st of October, sixteen companies of the Royal Regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir James Hackett, were reviewed, with a number of other corps, by King Charles II., on Putney Heath. "The Coldstream, my Lord DUMBARTON'S, and the Admiral's Battalions, successively exercised all three by beat of drum, the military postures of pike, sword, and musket, every man dexterously discharging his duties with an exact and general readiness, to the great delight of their Majesties and Royal Highnesses, who vouchsafed, all the time of exercise, to grace the arms with their presence. The other two battalions of the Royal Regiment[67] had not fallen short of the like performance, if illness of weather, when they just intended it, had not prevented: the day proving wet and showery was a general impediment from proceeding at that time to any other motions customary upon the like reviews; and all decamped sooner than otherwise they would have done." In the Army List, published by Nathan Brooks, in October, 1684, the ROYAL, or DUMBARTON'S Regiment, is stated to "consist of twenty-one companies, two lieutenants to each company, three serjeants, three corporals, and two drums, established; distinguished by red coats lined with white; sashes white, with a white fringe; breeches and stockings light grey; grenadiers distinguished by caps lined white, the lion's face, proper, crowned; flys St. Andrew's cross, with thistle and crown, circumscribed in the centre, '_Nemo me impunè lacessit_.'"

[Sidenote: 1685]

After the review, the regiment was stationed in extensive cantonments in the county of Kent, where it remained until the death of King Charles II., on the 6th February, 1685, when it was suddenly ordered to march into quarters in London and the adjacent villages.[68] Although King James II. was known to be a papist, yet no opposition was made to his accession to the throne; and in March four companies proceeded to Yarmouth, and four to Rochester, leaving thirteen companies in quarters in the metropolis.

The tranquillity of the kingdom was, however, suddenly disturbed in June, 1685, by the rebellion of James, Duke of Monmouth, who appeared on the western coast with a band of followers, and asserted his pretensions to the throne, when orders were issued for the ROYAL Regiment to be augmented to one hundred men per company, and five companies were sent from London to Portsmouth, to increase the strength of that garrison.

Shortly afterwards, Brigadier-General Lord Churchill (afterwards the Great Duke of Marlborough) was sent to the west of England with a body of troops to oppose the rebels; and another division of the army followed under the direction of Lieut.-General the Earl of Feversham, who was appointed to the command of the royal forces. At the same time five companies of the ROYAL Regiment of foot, under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Douglas, and a troop of the Royal Horse Guards, commanded by Sir Francis Compton, were sent from London with the train of artillery to be employed on this service. The four companies of the ROYAL Regiment at Yarmouth were at the same time ordered to march to London; so that during Monmouth's rebellion the regiment was employed as follows:--Five companies with the army; five in garrison at Portsmouth; seven attending the court in London; and four at Rochester.[69]

The five companies of the ROYAL Regiment, under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Douglas, with nine field-pieces,[70] having joined the army under the Earl of Feversham, the rebels found it necessary to move to Bridgewater. The King's forces advanced to the village of Weston, where they arrived on the 5th of July, and the cavalry having been quartered in the village, the infantry encamped on _Sedgemoor_. The ROYALS, being formed in one small battalion, took the right of the line, and were posted behind a deep ditch; a squadron of horse and fifty dragoons were sent forward as an advanced guard, and one hundred of the ROYALS were kept under arms in readiness to support the cavalry out-guards. During the night the rebels marched out of Bridgewater, with the design of surprising the King's forces; but the guard having given an alarm, the five companies of the ROYAL Regiment were formed in order of battle in a few moments, and opening their fire upon the advancing rebels with good effect, held them in check, and gave time to the other battalions to form, and for the cavalry to draw out of the village.[71] The rebel cavalry, under Lord Grey, first attempted to charge the ROYALS, but being unable to cross the ditch, they were driven back by the steady fire of the veteran Scots. The rebel infantry, headed by the Duke of Monmouth, directing their march by the fire, first attacked the ROYALS, and extending along the moor, a sharp combat of musketry ensued in the dark. The rebel foot, consisting principally of miners, fought with desperation; but their cavalry was soon chased out of the field by the King's horsemen; and when daylight appeared, the Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, and Royal Dragoons, charged the right flank of the rebel infantry, and put Monmouth's untrained battalions into disorder. A complete rout ensued; the insurgents fled from the moor; and numbers were slain and made prisoners in the adjoining fields. The companies of the ROYAL Regiment were foremost in the pursuit, and captured the Duke of Monmouth's standard with his motto in gold letters,--"_Fear none But God._"[72]

The Duke of Monmouth was taken prisoner soon afterwards, and was beheaded on the 15th of July on Tower-Hill, London.

Thus the rebellion was suppressed; and the sum of 397_l._ was paid to the officers and soldiers of the ROYAL Regiment of foot who were wounded in this service, as is set forth in the following warrant, copied from the public accounts of that period:--

"JAMES R.

"WHEREAS by the establishment of our forces, we have been graciously pleased to direct that an allowance be made to such officers and soldiers as should be wounded or hurt in our service; our will and pleasure is, that out of such monies as are or shall come to your hands for the contingent use of our guards, &c., you cause the sums following to be paid to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, of our ROYAL Regiment of Foot, hereunder mentioned, viz.:--

£. _s._ _d._
Capt. Jas. Moncrief 40 0 0
Lieut. Jno. Stirling 20 0 0
" Rob. Dury 20 0 0
" Thos. Bruce 20 0 0
" Jno. Livingston 35 0 0
" Jno. M'Kullock 25 0 0
" Jas. Law. 15 0 0
----------------
£175 0 0
----------------

Serjeants.
Murdo Mackenzie 8 0 0
John Henderson 2 0 0
James Ferchardson 2 0 0
Will. Conn 8 0 0

Corporals.
Andrew Kennedy 8 0 0
Andrew Duncomb 4 0 0

Drummer.
William Murray 5 0 0

Privates.
Thomas Powell 4 0 0
John Mackintosh 4 0 0
David Campbell 3 0 0
David M'Cloud 4 0 0
Allan M'Cullough 3 0 0
Edwd. Correll, jun. 8 0 0
Duncomb Grant 4 0 0
John Mackenzie, jun. 2 0 0
Alex. Mackintosh 2 0 0
Alex. M'Dowgall 4 0 0
John Pendrick 3 0 0
John Brown 4 0 0
John Shepheard 2 0 0
John Chambers 7 0 0
James Hall 7 0 0
Thomas Shepheard 2 0 0
John Lowry 2 0 0
David Jekenbur 4 0 0
John Richy 3 0 0
James Ratt 2 0 0
James Cormagh 2 0 0
Thomas Gouthar 2 0 0
James Johnston 3 0 0
John Adams, jun. 8 0 0
James Johnston. 2 0 0
John Mackiver 4 0 0
James Mosey 5 0 0
John Gorden 4 0 0
James Factor 5 0 0
Thomas Baker 2 0 0
James Contie 3 0 0
Robert Miller 4 0 0
Dunie Ferguson 2 0 0
Dune Mackenzie 2 0 0
John Young 4 0 0
Nicholas Farland 3 0 0
John Clark 2 0 0
Alex. Wilson 2 0 0
Andrew Singleton 2 0 0
William Symins 2 0 0
George Robinson 4 0 0
David Arrott 4 0 0
Thomas Mackgowne 2 0 0
John M'Garth 2 0 0
John Mackenzie 3 0 0
John Burne 3 0 0
Jno. Robinson 2 0 0
Jas. Ramskin 3 0 0
Will. Lowder 3 0 0
John Davison 2 0 0
Charles Johnson 3 0 0
Charles Gelly 3 0 0
Willm. Bayon 2 0 0
James Watson 2 0 0
Charles Jolley 5 0 0
Peter Constable 5 0 0
----------------
222 0 0
Officers 175 0 0
----------------
£397 0 0
----------------

"Which sums, amounting to three hundred and ninety-seven pounds, are to be paid to the said persons, in satisfaction for their wounds received in our service during the late rebellion; provided none of them be already admitted to the allowance appointed for our Royal Hospital, near Chelsea. And for so doing, this, together with the acquittances of the said persons, or their assigns, shall be your discharge.

"Given at our Court at Whitehall this 16th day of May, 1686.

"By his Majesty's command,

"WILLIAM BLATHWAYTE.

"_To our trusty and well-beloved Cousin and Councillor Richard,
Earl of Ranelagh, our Paymaster-General, &c. &c. &c._"

The following men of the ROYAL Regiment, who were admitted into the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, received the sums set down against their names:--

£. _s._ _d._
J. Batchelor, 10 marks 6 13 4
Martin Bryer 6 13 4
Jas. Bennerman 6 13 4
John Dannine 6 13 4
Arch. Eastwood 6 13 4
John Murray 6 13 4
Angus Macleod 6 13 4
Arch. Nicholson 6 13 4
Thomas Jarvis 6 13 4
Robert Thomas 6 13 4
John Harris 6 13 4
Godfrey Twiddy 6 13 4

Serjeant Weems of the ROYAL Regiment particularly distinguished himself; and a warrant of James II. directs that he should be paid "Forty pounds for good service in the action at Sedgemoor, in firing the great guns against the rebels."

A few days after the battle, the establishment of the ROYAL Regiment was reduced from 100 to 50 private men per company; and in August eleven companies were encamped on Hounslow Heath, where they were reviewed by the King. In September, thirteen companies marched to Winchester, to attend the court at that city; and the regiment passed the winter at Portsmouth and Exeter, with one company detached to Lynn.

[Sidenote: 1686]

At this period the establishment of the regiment consisted of 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant-colonel, 1 major, 18 captains, 1 captain-lieutenant, 41 lieutenants, 21 ensigns, 1 adjutant, 1 chaplain, 1 quarter-master and marshal, 1 chirurgeon, 1 chirurgeon's mate, 1 drum-major, 1 piper, 42 drummers, 63 serjeants, 63 corporals, and 1050 private soldiers. The privilege of having two lieutenants and three serjeants to each company appears to have been peculiar to this regiment; and a warrant of King James II., dated the 1st of January, 1686, directs that "As any of the lieutenants of the ROYAL Regiment shall die, or be displaced, their number be reduced to one lieutenant only in each company of this regiment; and that as the serjeants shall die, or be displaced, they be in the same manner reduced to two in each company."[73]

On the 1st of March, 1686, a second adjutant and a second surgeon's mate were added to the establishment, and the regiment was again divided into two battalions; the first battalion consisting of eleven, and the second of ten companies; and in April the second battalion embarked at Gravesend for Scotland. At the same time the whole of the first battalion was placed in garrison at Portsmouth, from whence it marched in June following to the vicinity of Hounslow, and on the 24th of that month erected its tents on the heath, where about twelve thousand men were encamped, under the orders of Lieut.-Generals the Earls of Feversham and Dumbarton, and were frequently exercised in presence of the royal family. In July, four companies marched from Hounslow Heath, and encamped near Tunbridge Wells, to attend the Princess Anne (afterwards Queen Anne) during her residence at that place; and in August the battalion struck its tents, and marched to Yarmouth and Bungay, with a detachment at Landguard-Fort, where it passed the winter.

[Sidenote: 1687]

From these quarters the first battalion was removed in the spring of 1637 to the vicinity of London, where it halted a few days, and afterwards proceeded to Portsmouth, and passed the summer months in that garrison. In the autumn it marched into Yorkshire; and the men were employed dining the winter in working on the fortifications at Hull.

[Sidenote: 1688]

In April, 1688, the first battalion was recalled from Yorkshire, and was stationed at Greenwich, Woolwich, and Deptford, until the 26th of June, when it encamped on Hounslow Heath.

In the meantime the second battalion had marched from Scotland to York. In August it proceeded to Hertford and Ware; and in September to Gravesend, where the first battalion had previously arrived from Hounslow Heath; and the two battalions being again united, occupied Gravesend, Tilbury-Fort, Sheerness, and other places along the banks of the Thames and the coast of Kent.

At this period the nation was violently agitated by political events. The King, being a roman catholic, and being guided by jesuitical councils, and countenanced and encouraged by a few families of the same persuasion, was attempting to effect the subversion of the established religion and laws. At the same time many noblemen and gentlemen who felt the greatest concern for the welfare of their country had invited the Prince of Orange to come to England with a Dutch army to aid them in resisting the proceedings of the court. Thus the kingdom was divided against itself, and men were looking forward, with a mixed feeling of hope, terror, and consternation, to the great convulsion which threatened the State. The King made preparations to avert the danger, and augmented his army, when the ROYAL Regiment was increased to 26 companies, and the total strength to 1858 officers and soldiers, each battalion having now a grenadier company.

In the early part of November, the Dutch fleet having sailed past Dover, the ROYAL Regiment was ordered to the west; and when the Prince of Orange had landed at Torbay and advanced to Exeter, it proceeded to Warminster, which was the most advanced post of the royal army. The head-quarters were at Salisbury, and King James reviewed his army on Salisbury Plain on the 21st of November. But his Majesty found that his conduct had alienated the affections not only of his subjects in general, but of the officers and soldiers of his army, many of whom forsook his camp and joined the Prince of Orange. Yet, while many of the nobility and gentry, with officers and soldiers from almost every regiment in the army, were quitting the King's standard daily, the ROYAL Regiment of Foot was an exception; it preserved its ranks entire, and stood with an unshaken loyalty amidst the general defection which prevailed in the kingdom.

When the King ordered his forces to retire towards London, the ROYAL Regiment marched, first to Devizes, and afterwards to Windsor, where it arrived on the 29th of November. The desertions continuing, the King sent orders to Lieut.-General the Earl of Feversham to make no further resistance to the Prince of Orange, and his Majesty afterwards attempted to effect his escape to France. These orders produced much confusion. Several corps were disbanded; and the men spreading themselves in parties over the country, committed many disorders. The ROYAL Regiment, however, appears to have been equally conspicuous for good order as for loyalty, and continued at its post of duty until directed by the Prince of Orange to march to Oxford.

Although the King failed in his first attempt to escape to France, yet he afterwards succeeded, and having been followed by the Earl of Dumbarton, the Colonel of the ROYAL Regiment, the Prince of Orange conferred the Colonelcy on one of his most distinguished officers, Marshal Frederick De Schomberg, afterwards Duke Schomberg.

[Sidenote: 1689]

After these events had transpired, a convention was assembled, which declared the throne abdicated and vacant, and conferred the sovereignty on William and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange. Many of the officers and men of the ROYAL Regiment were, however, not satisfied with the new arrangements. Their regiment had been King James's favourite corps, on account of its antiquity, valour, and good conduct, and its having served with his Majesty in France, when he was an exile. Having preserved their loyalty to the last, the officers and men did not expect much favour from the new king. At the same time they were not pleased that a foreigner, Marshal Schomberg, though an officer of distinguished merit, should be placed at the head of a national Scots corps. While these feelings were prevalent in the breasts of the officers and men, the regiment received orders to embark for the Netherlands to replace the Dutch troops which were in England. This order was considered premature: the national assembly in Scotland had not declared for King William, and the Scots officers and soldiers did not consider themselves bound to obey the commands of a king who had not been acknowledged in Scotland. Under this impression a number of officers and men mutinied, and, seizing the money appointed for their pay, marched with four pieces of cannon towards Scotland. At the same time the Royal Regiment of Scots Horse, commanded by Major-General Viscount Dundee, deserted from its quarters at Abingdon, and proceeded in the same direction.[74] The King sent Major-General Sir John Lanier with his own (now the First Dragoon Guards), and Colonel Langston's regiment of horse, and Lieut.-General De Ginkell (afterwards Earl of Athlone) with three regiments of Dutch dragoons, in pursuit of the mutineers; and these troops having overtaken the men of the ROYAL Regiment in Lincolnshire, about twenty officers and five hundred men, who had previously become convinced of their error, laid down their arms and submitted themselves to the King's clemency. King William III. is reported to have repeatedly expressed his admiration of the firm loyalty and attachment evinced by the officers and soldiers of the ROYAL Regiment to their former sovereign, when he was forsaken by almost every other person; and the King, after dismissing three or four officers, pardoned the remainder of the regiment, and ordered the first battalion to be completed to its establishment from the second, and to proceed to its original destination.