Chapter I: Part 1

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}. For example, iv^s (four
shillings), or Esq^{re}.

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.

More detail can be found at the end of the book.

BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IV^{TH}.
_and under the Patronage of_
Her Majesty the Queen.

HISTORICAL RECORDS,
_OF THE_
British Army

_Comprising the
History of every Regiment
IN HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE._

_By Richard Cannon Esq^{re}._

_Adjutant Generals Office, Horse Guards._

London

_Printed by Authority_:]

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE FOURTEENTH,

OR,

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT:

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1685,

AND OF

ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO 1845.

_ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES._

LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,
_MILITARY LIBRARY, WHITEHALL_.

M.DCCC.XLV.

LONDON:
HARRISON AND CO., PRINTERS,
ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

THE FOURTEENTH,

OR

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

REGIMENT OF FOOT,

BEARS ON ITS REGIMENTAL COLOUR,

"TOURNAY"--"CORUNNA"--"WATERLOO"--"JAVA"--"BHURTPORE,"

AND

THE ROYAL TIGER SUPERSCRIBED "INDIA,"

IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS DISTINGUISHED SERVICES ON THE
CONTINENT OF EUROPE, AND IN THE EAST INDIES.

The Regiment also bears on the Caps of the Grenadiers and Drummers,
THE WHITE HORSE, with the motto _Nec aspera terrent_.

CONTENTS.

Year Page

1685 Formation of the Regiment 9

---- Names of the Officers 10

1689 Proceeds to Scotland 13

1692 Embarks for Flanders --

---- Returns to England --

---- Forms part of an expedition against the coast of
France --

---- Proceeds to Ostend 14

1693 Battle of Landen --

1694 Forms part of the covering army during the
siege of Huy 16

1695 Operations against the Fortress of Kenoque --

---- Siege of the Fortress of Namur 17

1696 Returns to England 20

1698 Embarks for Ireland --

1715 Proceeds to Scotland 22

---- Battle of Sheriffmuir 23

1719 Action at Glenshiel 24

---- Returns to England 25

1727 Defence of Gibraltar 26

1742 Returns to England --

1745 Embarks for Flanders 27

---- Returns to England 28

---- Marches to Scotland --

1746 Battle of Falkirk --

---- -------- Culloden 29

1751 Uniform and Colours of the Regiment 31

1752 Returns to England 31

---- Embarks for Gibraltar --

1759 Returns to England 32

1765 Alterations in the Clothing 33

1766 Embarks for North America 34

1771 Proceeds to the West Indies --

---- Employed against the Caribbees --

1773 Returns to North America --

1775 Detachment employed against the entrenchments
at Great Bridge 35

1777 Returns to England 36

1782 Embarks for Jamaica --

---- Styled the Bedfordshire Regiment 37

1791 Returns to England 38

1793 Embarks for Holland 39

---- Engaged at Famars --

---- Siege of Valenciennes 40

---- Siege of Dunkirk 42

1794 Attack on the village of Prêmont 43

---- Siege of Landrécies 44

---- Battle of Tournay 47

---- Forms part of the garrison of Nimeguen 50

1795 Action at Gueldermalsen 51

---- Returns to England 53

---- Embarks for the West Indies, but returns to port 54

1796 Resumes the voyage to the West Indies --

---- Capture of the Islands of St. Lucia and St.
Vincent 55 & 57

1797 Capture of Trinidad --

---- Forms part of the Force destined to act against
Porto Rico --

1803 Returns to England 60

1804 A Second Battalion added 61

1805 The First Battalion embarks for Hanover --

1806 Returns to England --

1806 Proceeds to Ireland 62

1807 The First Battalion embarks for India --

1808 Expedition against Tranquebar --

---- The Second Battalion embarks for Spain 63

1809 Battle of Corunna 64

---- The Second Battalion returns to England 65

---- County Title changed from "Bedfordshire" to
"Buckinghamshire" --

---- The Second Battalion proceeds to Walcheren --

---- Siege of Flushing --

---- Battalion returns to England 66

1810 The Second Battalion embarks for Malta --

---- Capture of the Isle of France 67

1811 Capture of Java 70

1813 Attack on the piratical state of Sambas on the
western coast of Borneo 72

---- A Third Battalion added --

1814 The Second Battalion forms part of an expedition
against the north-west coast of Italy 73

---- The Second Battalion stationed at Genoa --

1815 The Third Battalion embarks for Flanders 74

---- Battle of Waterloo --

---- Attack on the Citadel of Cambray 77

---- The Second Battalion leaves Genoa and proceeds
to France --

---- The Second Battalion proceeds to Malta 78

---- The Third Battalion returns to England --

1816 The Third Battalion disbanded --

---- The Second Battalion embarks from Malta for
the Ionian Islands --

1817 Capture of the fortified town of Hatrass 79

---- The Second Battalion proceeds to Malta 80

---- -------------------- returns to England --

---- -------------------- disbanded --

---- Employed against the Pindarees --

1825 Capture of Bhurtpore 83

1830 Returns to England 87

1832 Proceeds to Ireland 88

1836 Embarks for the West Indies --

1841 Proceeds to Canada 89

1845 The Conclusion 90

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

1685 Sir Edward Hales, Bart. 91

1688 William Beveridge 93

1692 John Tidcomb --

1713 Jasper Clayton --

1743 Joseph Price 95

1747 The Honorable William Herbert --

1753 Edward Braddock 96

1755 Thomas Fowke --

1756 Charles Jefferies 97

1765 The Honorable William Keppel 98

1775 Robert Cunninghame --

1787 John Douglas 99

1789 George Earl Waldegrave --

---- George Hotham 100

1806 Sir Harry Calvert, Bart., G.C.B. --

1826 Thomas Lord Lynedoch 105

1834 The Honorable Sir Charles Colville, G.C.B. --

1835 The Honorable Sir Alexander Hope, G.C.B. --

1837 Sir James Watson, K.C.B. 106

PLATES.

Colours of the Regiment _to face_ 9

Uniform of the Regiment " 90

HISTORICAL RECORDS

OF

THE BRITISH ARMY.

GENERAL ORDERS.

_HORSE-GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.

His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following particulars, viz.,

---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations,
in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any
Achievement it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies,
&c., it may have captured from the Enemy.

---- The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying
the Place and Date of the Action.

---- The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other
Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.

---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers
and Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in
Action.

And,

---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.

By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.

JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.

PREFACE.

The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.

Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication.

The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the "London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.

It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services.

This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.

From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the _presence of war_, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.

In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on their sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.

The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers.

In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.

These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.

There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great,--the valiant,--the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, "firm as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,--our brothers,--our fellow-citizens in arms,--a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.

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

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

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE FOURTEENTH,

OR

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REGIMENT

OF

FOOT.

[Sidenote: 1685]

In the summer of 1685 England was in a state of tranquillity; the minds of men were not, however, at ease respecting the religion of their king, James II., but they put the best construction on his conduct, and manufactures and commerce were flourishing; when suddenly James Duke of Monmouth invaded the western shores with a few followers, and asserted his claim to the sovereignty of the realm. The din of hostile preparation instantly resounded throughout the kingdom, and thousands of His Majesty's subjects laid aside the pursuits of industry, and arrayed themselves under the royal standard, to oppose the invader and his adherents. At this juncture SIR EDWARD HALES, Baronet, of Woodchurch, in the county of Kent, stood forward in the support of the Crown, and raised a company of one hundred musketeers and pikemen, for the king's service, at Canterbury and in its vicinity. Companies were also raised by the following loyal gentlemen:-- ---- Boynton, Esq., Robert Middleton, Henry Vaughan, Richard Brewer[1], William Broom, John Gifford, Thomas Gifford, Mark Talbot, John Chappell, and Rowland Watson, and these companies were constituted a regiment, of which SIR EDWARD HALES was appointed colonel, ---- Boynton lieutenant-colonel, and Robert Middleton major, by commissions dated the 22nd of June, 1685; and the corps thus formed now bears the title of the FOURTEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT. The general rendezvous of the regiment was at Canterbury; two companies had their rendezvous at Rochester and Chatham, and others at Sittingbourne and Feversham.

While the formation of the regiment was in progress, the rebel army was defeated at Sedgemoor, and the Duke of Monmouth was captured and beheaded. SIR EDWARD HALES'S regiment was, however, one of the corps which the King resolved to retain in his service; the establishment was fixed at ten companies of sixty men each, and in the middle of August the regiment was encamped on Hounslow-heath, where it was reviewed by His Majesty; it afterwards marched to Gravesend and Tilbury, detaching two companies to Jersey, one to Guernsey, and two to Windsor.

[Sidenote: 1686]

On the 1st of January, 1686, the establishment was estimated at the following numbers and rates of pay, viz.:--

SIR EDWARD HALES'S REGIMENT.

Pay per Day.
STAFF. £ _s_ _d._
The Colonel, _as Colonel_ 0 12 0
Lieut.-Colonel, _as Lieut.-Colonel_ 0 7 0
Major, _as Major_ 0 5 0
Chaplain 0 6 8
Chirurgeon, iv^s., one mate ii^s. vi^d. 0 6 6
Adjutant 0 4 0
Quarter Master and Marshal 0 4 0
------------
2 5 2
------------

THE COLONEL'S COMPANY.
Pay per Day.
£ _s_ _d._
The Colonel, as Captain 0 8 0
Lieutenant 0 4 0
Ensign 0 3 0
2 Serjeants, xviii^d. each 0 3 0
3 Corporals, xii^d. each 0 3 0
1 Drummer 0 1 0
50 Soldiers, at viii^d. each 1 13 4
------------
Total for 1 Company 2 15 4
------------
Nine Companies more at the same rate 24 18 0
------------
Total per day 29 18 6
------------
Per annum £10,922 12_s._ 6_d._

[Sidenote: 1687]

The regiment was again encamped on Hounslow-heath in the summer of 1687, and a grenadier company was added to its establishment. At this period the following officers were holding commissions in the regiment, viz.:--

_Captains._ _Lieutenants._ _Ensigns._
Sir Edw. Hales, (_Col._) Thomas Butler Dudley Van Burgh
G. Barclay, (_Lt.-Col._) Robert Seaton Austin Belson
John Gifford, (_Major_) Richard Boucher Thomas Heyward
John Chappell Gaven Talbot Philip Overton
Rowland Watson James Nicholson Dudley Van Colster
Thomas Weld Bryce Blair Clifford Brexton
George Latton William Carew George Blathwayt
Richard Brewer Nicholas Morgan Edward Hales
Thomas Gifford Edward Gifford Edward Pope
George Aylmer Augustin Gifford Cæsar Gage
{William Fielding }
Peter Shackerly {Francis Sanderson } Grenadier Company

_Chaplain_, Nicholas Trapps.--_Adjutant_, James Nicholson.
_Chirurgeon_, John Ridley.--_Quarter-Master_, Edward Syng.

After passing in review before the King and Queen, and other members of the royal family, the regiment struck its tents and marched to Plymouth, where it was stationed during the winter.

[Sidenote: 1688]

From Plymouth the regiment marched to London in June, 1688, and took the duty at the Tower until the middle of August, when it was relieved by the Royal Fusiliers, and marched to Canterbury, and in September to Salisbury.

In the mean time the measures adopted by King James II. to establish Papacy and arbitrary government had filled the country with alarm. Among other proceedings the King claimed the power of dispensing with the oaths, required by law, on appointment to office; the colonel of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, SIR EDWARD HALES, had espoused the Roman Catholic religion; he, therefore, could not take the oaths, and was not eligible for his commission; he was prosecuted and convicted at Rochester assizes; but he moved the case into the Court of the King's Bench, and had judgment in his behalf; eleven of the twelve judges taking part with the King against the law. Many of the nobility solicited the Prince of Orange to aid them in opposing the measures of the court, and when the Prince arrived with a Dutch army, the King assembled his forces at Salisbury. The result may be told in a few words:--the English army refused to fight in the cause of Papacy and arbitrary government; the King, accompanied by Colonel Sir Edward Hales, and Quarter-Master Edward Syng, of this regiment, attempted to escape to France in disguise; but they were apprehended on board of a Custom-house vessel at Feversham, and Sir Edward Hales was afterwards confined in the Tower of London. The King made a second attempt, and arrived in France in safety. The Prince of Orange issued orders for the regiment to occupy quarters at Waltham, in Hampshire, and conferred the colonelcy on William Beveridge, an officer of the English brigade in the Dutch service, by commission dated the 31st of December, 1688.

[Sidenote: 1689]

The accession of William Prince of Orange and his consort to the throne was opposed in Scotland, and in the spring of 1689 the regiment was ordered to march towards the north; it was stationed a short time at Berwick, where it was inspected on the 14th of June by the commissioners for re-modelling the army: in August it received orders to march to Edinburgh.

[Sidenote: 1690]

[Sidenote: 1691]

The regiment was employed in various services in Scotland and the north of England until the insurgent clans had lost all hope of success, and in 1691 they tendered their submission to the government of King William III.

[Sidenote: 1692]

In the spring of 1692, the regiment embarked for Flanders, to take part in the war in which the British monarch was engaged, to preserve the liberties of Europe against the ambitious projects of the court of France. Scarcely had it arrived at the seat of war, and taken post in one of the fortified towns of West Flanders, when the French monarch assembled his army near La Hogue, and prepared a fleet to convey the troops to England, for the purpose of replacing King James on the throne. The regiment was immediately ordered to return, and having landed at Greenwich in the early part of May, it was held in readiness to repel the invaders, should they venture to land on the British shores; but while the menace of invasion was producing considerable alarm in England, the French fleet sustained a decisive defeat off La Hogue, and the danger instantly vanished: the hopes of the Jacobites were frustrated, and the ascendancy of Protestant principles insured. The regiment was afterwards encamped near Portsmouth, and it formed part of an expedition under the Duke of Leinster, afterwards Duke Schomberg, against the coast of France; but the French naval force having been nearly annihilated at the sea-fight off La Hogue, Louis XIV. expected a descent, and had drawn so many troops from the interior to the coast, that the Duke of Leinster did not venture to land. After menacing the French shores at several points, to produce a diversion in favour of the confederate army in the Netherlands, the fleet sailed to the Downs, from whence it proceeded to Ostend, where the troops landed: they took possession of and fortified the towns of Furnes and Dixmude, and several regiments afterwards returned to England.

On the 14th of November Colonel William Beveridge was killed in a duel with one of the captains; and King William afterwards conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel John Tidcomb, from the Thirteenth Foot.

[Sidenote: 1693]

The FOURTEENTH was one of the regiments which remained in Flanders, and it took the field in May, 1693, to serve the campaign of that year with the confederate army, commanded by King William in person, who took possession of the camp at Parck, near Louvain, to prevent the designs of Louis XIV. on Brabant.

After taking part in several movements, the regiment was in position at _Landen_, on the morning of the 19th of July, when the French army, of very superior numbers, commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, advanced to attack the forces under King William. On this occasion the FOURTEENTH Regiment had its first opportunity of proving its prowess in action with the enemy, and it gave presage of that gallantry for which it afterwards became distinguished. The French commenced the action with great spirit, but were repulsed several times; their superior numbers enabled them to bring forward fresh troops, and they eventually carried the village of Neer-Winden. The King ordered a retreat, which was executed with difficulty, and was attended with serious loss.

The FOURTEENTH Regiment had Captains Van Burgh, Cassin, and Henriosa, and Lieutenant Worley, killed; Lieutenant Nicholson died of his wounds; Captains Devaux and Stanwix, Lieutenants Campbell, Forbes, and Pettitpiere, Ensigns Revison and Perrott, wounded; Lieutenant-Colonel Graham taken prisoner: the number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the regiment, killed and wounded, has not been ascertained.

In the autumn, when the army separated for winter quarters, the regiment marched into garrison at Bruges; at the same time parties were sent to England to procure recruits, to replace the losses sustained during this campaign.

[Sidenote: 1694]

When the army took the field in the spring of 1694, the regiment was left, with several other corps, under Brigadier-General Sir David Collier, encamped near Ghent, to form a guard for the artillery, which was conveyed by water to Malines. The regiment joined the army at the camp near Louvain, on the 4th of June, and on the 6th it was reviewed by His Majesty, who was pleased to express to Colonel Tidcomb his high approbation of its appearance. The regiment was afterwards employed in several movements, and it formed part of the splendid body of troops encamped at Mont St. André, near the village of Ramilies, where the forces of the confederate states were assembled under King William III., and presented a magnificent spectacle of war.

The FOURTEENTH was one of the corps which attempted, by a forced march, to pass the enemy's fortified lines, and penetrate French Flanders; but by extraordinary exertions the French gained the pass first, and thus preserved their country from an invasion. The regiment was subsequently encamped near _Rousselaer_, forming part of the covering army during the siege of _Huy_. The vicinity of the camp was infested by detachments of the enemy, and on one occasion the waggons conveying the bread to the army were attacked, when a detachment of the FOURTEENTH, forming part of the guard, was engaged, and the regiment had Captain Sacheverel mortally wounded, who was the only British officer killed by the enemy during this campaign.

Having to remain in the field during cold and wet weather, the soldiers erected huts of wood and straw, and on the 1st of October the huts of the FOURTEENTH Regiment were accidentally set on fire, and destroyed: the Second Foot Guards had experienced the same misfortune a few days previously. The fortress of Huy having surrendered, the army separated for winter quarters, and the regiment returned to Bruges in the second week in October.

[Sidenote: 1695]

From Bruges, the regiment marched, in May, 1695, to Dixmude, where it pitched its tents, and remained several days. The Duke of Wirtemberg took the command of the troops assembled at this point, and advancing to the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, encamped before the fortress of _Kenoque_, upon which an attack was made for the purpose of drawing the French army that way, for the protection of their lines in West Flanders. The FOURTEENTH Regiment took part in this service; its grenadier company was engaged in driving the French from the intrenchments and houses near the Loo canal, and in repulsing the attempts of the enemy to regain possession of them. A redoubt was afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected in the works at the bridge, in which services the regiment had several men killed and wounded. This demonstration having produced the desired effect, the strong fortress of _Namur_ was exposed to an attack from the main army, and it was accordingly invested, and the siege commenced.

The attack on Kenoque was then desisted in; the FOURTEENTH Regiment was one of the corps withdrawn from West Flanders, and joined the covering army, under the Prince of Vaudemont, at Wouterghem.

From Wouterghem, the regiment marched towards Namur, to take part in the siege of that important fortress, which was deemed nearly impregnable, and was defended by a numerous garrison, under the celebrated Marshal Boufflers. On arriving before Namur the regiment pitched its tents at Templeux, from whence it advanced and took its turn of duty in the trenches.

On the 8th of July, the regiment was on duty before Namur, and it was ordered to support the attacks to be made that evening on the covered-way near the hill of _Bouge_: the storming party was commanded by Major-General Ramsay. About seven o'clock in the evening, the signal for the attack was given, and the storming party rushed forward with the most distinguished heroism. The FOURTEENTH moved forward to support the attack, and mingling with the combatants evinced signal intrepidity. The soldiers rushed up to the enemy's palisades, and placing the muzzles of their muskets between the staves, fired a volley, which put the French into some confusion. The palisades were afterwards broken;--the supporting corps joined in the assault,--the second covered-way was carried, and the French overpowered, driven from their works, pursued among the batteries on the brow of the hill, and many of them were killed in the stone pits in which they took refuge. This post having been thus captured, the FOURTEENTH Regiment retired, and being relieved from duty in the trenches, it returned to its camp at Templeux, a league and a half from Namur. Its loss was severe:--Lieutenant Ravisson was killed; Captain Carew and Ensign Perott died of their wounds; Captains Pope, Jackson, and Forbes, and Ensign Cormach, were wounded, but afterwards recovered.

The regiment quitted its post at Templeux, took its station in the lines of circumvallation, and mounted guard in the trenches, on the 10th of July; it was again on duty in the trenches on the 16th of July, when it had Captain Forbes and several private soldiers killed.

A detachment of the grenadiers of the regiment was engaged, on the 17th of July, in an attack upon the counterscarp; the assault was made about five o'clock in the evening; the French disputed the post with great bravery, defending the glacis for some time; but they could not withstand the prowess of the British grenadiers, who effected a lodgment, and obliged the enemy to abandon the counterscarp. Lieutenant Williams of the grenadier company of the regiment was killed, and Captain Devaux was wounded with the working party.

The regiment was again on duty in the trenches on the 19th and 24th of July. On the following day the town surrendered, the garrison retiring to the castle.

After the surrender of the town of Namur, the regiment quitted the lines of circumvallation, and joined the covering army under the Prince of Vaudemont, which encamped, on the 8th of August, near the village of Waterloo, and afterwards took up a position near _Namur_. A numerous French army commanded by Marshal Villeroy advanced to raise the siege of the castle, but the covering army occupied a position which was deemed too formidable to be attacked, and the French Marshal withdrew without hazarding an engagement.

A detachment from the grenadier company of the regiment quitted the covering army, and was engaged, on the 20th of August, in assaulting the breaches of the Terra Nova and Coharne, under the command of Lord Cutts. This proved a desperate service, particularly the assault of the Terra Nova, where the British grenadiers were engaged, and a serious loss was sustained in consequence of the regiments ordered to support the attack not advancing in time. The FOURTEENTH Foot had several men killed and wounded, and Lieutenant Sewell, who commanded the detachment from the grenadier company, was also wounded.

Preparations were made for a second assault, when Marshal Boufflers agreed to surrender on honorable terms, which were granted. Thus was captured this important fortress, which the French had boasted might be restored, but could not be taken; and the achievement reflected great credit on the confederate arms; it was the most important event of the war.

After the surrender of the castle of _Namur_, the regiment remained a short time in the field, and subsequently marched into cantonments in the villages near the Bruges canal.

[Sidenote: 1696]

The French monarch not only found his career of conquest arrested, by the efforts of the sovereign of Great Britain, but the towns he had captured were also being re-taken, and it became a point of great importance to him to detach England from the confederacy, which could only be accomplished by re-placing King James on the throne. For this purpose measures were privately concerted for exciting a rebellion in England; the Duke of Berwick, and several other English officers in the French service, were sent across the Channel in disguise, and through their persuasions a number of men were prepared to rise at a moment's notice; at the same time a conspiracy was formed in London to assassinate King William, and fifty men were engaged and prepared with arms to commit the diabolical act: a French naval and land force was also held in readiness for a descent on the English coast, and King James was at Calais prepared to embark. At this juncture, the FOURTEENTH, and a number of other regiments, received orders to return to England, and they arrived at Gravesend in March, 1696. The conspiracy was, however, discovered; a British fleet was sent to blockade the French ports, and the designs of the King of France being thus defeated, King William was left at liberty to prosecute the war for the security of the civil and religious liberties of the nations of Europe. Several of the corps which had arrived from Flanders returned to the seat of war immediately; but the FOURTEENTH was one of the regiments selected to remain on home service; it landed at Gravesend on the 22nd of March, and proceeded to Canterbury and Feversham, from whence it was removed to London in November, and took the duty at the Tower.

[Sidenote: 1697]

In 1697, King William saw his efforts for the preservation of national independence attended with success; the French monarch was humbled, and the treaty of Ryswick fixed the balance of power in Europe.

[Sidenote: 1698]

Soon after the restoration of peace, the regiment received orders to proceed to Ireland, and it landed at Belfast and Cork in March, 1698; at the same time it was placed upon a peace establishment.

[Sidenote: 1701]

[Sidenote: 1702]

King James died in France in 1701, when Louis XIV. proclaimed the Pretender King of Great Britain by the title of James III.; this event, with the elevation of the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., to the throne of Spain, in violation of solemn engagements, was followed by a sanguinary war with France and Spain, during which the continent of Europe, and the peninsula of Portugal and Spain, became theatres for the display of British valour, but the FOURTEENTH Regiment was selected to remain in Ireland. The proclamation of the Pretender, and the death of King William III., in March, 1702, revived the hopes of the partisans of the Stuart family, who were conspiring to elevate the Pretender to the throne, and Queen Anne deemed it expedient to detain a few trusty corps, of approved devotion to the Protestant interest, in Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1703]

Although the honorable distinction of being selected to remain in Ireland, prevented the regiment acquiring laurels in the field, yet it sent several drafts of men on foreign service, who had opportunities of distinguishing themselves. In the autumn of 1703 it furnished a draft of fifty men to complete Lord Montjoy's, and another draft of the same strength for Colonel Brudenel's regiments, (afterwards disbanded,) on their embarkation to accompany the Archduke Charles of Austria to Portugal. The regiment was in garrison at Dublin from the 7th of August to the 31st of December, 1703.

[Sidenote: 1705]

In the autumn of 1704, and the spring of 1705, additional detachments were sent to Portugal, to serve under General the Earl of Galway; they were conducted thither by Captain Laffit, Ensigns Schackford and Blount, and three serjeants, whose expenses, amounting to 70_l._ 19_s._ 4½_d._, were directed to be paid by a warrant dated the 5th of July, 1705. In August of the same year the regiment furnished a captain, lieutenant, ensign, two serjeants, and fifty rank and file towards completing the regiments of Charlemont, George, and Caulfield, (afterwards disbanded,) on their embarkation with the expedition under General the Earl of Peterborough, who captured Barcelona, and had astonishing success in Catalonia and Valentia.

[Sidenote: 1706]

The regiment was quartered at Dublin from March to November, 1706, and the private soldiers received a penny a day in addition to their pay, granted by King William III. in 1699, to all regiments employed on duty at Dublin. The FOURTEENTH had, however performed the duty of two regiments for some time, and the allowance was extended to all detachments, in consideration of the good conduct of the corps.

[Sidenote: 1707]

[Sidenote: 1712]

The FOURTEENTH Regiment remained in Ireland during the whole of the war, continuing to send detachments abroad from time to time, particularly to Portugal and Spain, and its excellent conduct on home service occasioned it to be held in high estimation by the Government.

[Sidenote: 1713]

On the 14th of June, 1713, Lieutenant-General Tidcomb died at Bath; and Queen Anne conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Colonel Jasper Clayton, from the half-pay of a newly-raised corps which was disbanded a short time previously.

[Sidenote: 1714]

[Sidenote: 1715]

The decease of Queen Anne, and the accession of King George I., in 1714, was followed by renewed efforts on the part of the partisans of the Pretender to procure his elevation to the throne; these exertions began to assume an alarming appearance in the summer of 1715, when the well-known attachment of the FOURTEENTH Regiment to the Protestant succession, occasioned it to be recalled from Ireland, and ordered to Scotland, where the Jacobites were numerous, and it landed at Saltcoats in Ayrshire early in the summer.

In the autumn the Earl of Mar assembled his vassals, erected the standard of the Pretender in the Highlands, and summoned the clans to take arms. The royal forces in Scotland were encamped at Stirling under Major-General Wightman; the FOURTEENTH Regiment joined the camp in October, and the Duke of Argyle assumed the command; but his Grace had not four thousand men to confront ten thousand under the Earl of Mar.

When the rebel army advanced towards the Firth, the King's troops quitted the camp at Stirling and proceeded towards _Dumblain_; and on the morning of the 13th of November the hostile forces confronted each other on Sheriffmuir: the FOURTEENTH foot were posted in the left wing of the royal army. The rebels advanced to commence the engagement, and at that moment it was deemed necessary to make some alteration in the position of the royal forces; as the left wing was taking up the new alignment, it was attacked by a body of the clans of very superior numbers, and put into some confusion: at the same time the right wing of the royal army overpowered the left wing of the rebel host, and drove it from the field; each commander having one wing triumphant and one wing defeated. The FOURTEENTH, and several other corps on the left, resisted the charge of the clans a short time, but being attacked in the act of forming, and engaged by very superior numbers, they fell back a short distance; they thus became separated from the remainder of the army, and retiring beyond Dumblain, took possession of the passes to prevent the clans penetrating towards Stirling. Both armies retained their position during the day, and the rebels, being defeated in their design of penetrating southward, afterwards retired; when the King's troops returned to their camp at Stirling.

The FOURTEENTH Foot had one lieutenant and six rank and file killed; fourteen rank and file wounded; Captain Barlow, Lieutenant Griffin, and several private soldiers were made prisoners.

The Pretender arrived in Scotland soon afterwards, and his presence appeared to give new life to his adherents.

[Sidenote: 1716]

Additional forces joined the army under the Duke of Argyle: the FOURTEENTH was formed in brigade with the Third, Twenty-first, and Thirty-sixth regiments, under Brigadier-General Morrison; and in January, 1716, the royal troops advanced, marching through snow, over ice, and exposed to severe weather, when the Pretender retreated, and losing all hope of success he escaped, with the leaders of the rebellion, to France: the Highlanders, finding themselves deserted by their commanders, dispersed. After pursuing the insurgents some distance, the FOURTEENTH was quartered a short time at Dunkeld.

[Sidenote: 1717]

[Sidenote: 1718]

The rebellion being suppressed, the regiment was stationed in garrison at Fort William, which was built in the reign of King William III., in a plain, on a navigable arm of the sea called Loch Eil, near the influx of the Lochy and Nevis, in the shire of Inverness. At this place the regiment was stationed during the year 1717, and in 1718 it marched from thence to Perth, and afterwards to Inverness, where it remained until June of the following year.

[Sidenote: 1719]

In the mean time Scotland had not enjoyed a state of tranquillity; but the minds of the people had been constantly agitated by the projects of the friends of the Pretender. When the Earl of Mar's rebellion was suppressed, the King of Sweden made preparations for a descent in favour of the Pretender; and when that project failed, the King of Spain fitted out an armament to place the Pretender on the throne. The Spanish fleet was dispersed by a storm; but two ships arrived on the coast of Scotland, in April, 1719, and four hundred Spaniards, with about a hundred Scots and English gentlemen, landed at Kintail, on the main within Skye, and encamped opposite the castle of Donan, where they were joined by about fifteen hundred men of the clans. To oppose this force the FOURTEENTH left Inverness on the 5th of June, and being united with three troops of the Scots Greys, the Eleventh and Fifteenth Regiments, under Major-General Wightman, arrived about four o'clock on the afternoon of the 10th of June at _Glenshiel_, when the Spaniards and Highlanders retreated and formed for battle on the romantic mountain scenery of the pass of Straichell. The King's troops advanced, and at five o'clock the signal for battle was given, when the infantry climbed the rocky crags and opened a sharp fire of musketry, which was re-echoed in the hollows beneath; at the same time the Greys charged along the road to force the pass. The enemy returned the fire, but soon gave way, and were chased from rock to rock for some time; on gaining the top of the hill they made a momentary stand, but the King's infantry sent forward a shower of bullets and advanced at a running pace to charge with bayonets, when the Spaniards and Highlanders fled in every direction. The soldiers passed the night in the hills; the Spaniards surrendered on the following day; the Highlanders dispersed; and the Marquis of Tullibardine, the Earl of Seaforth, and other rebel leaders, fled to the continent.

[Sidenote: 1721]

After this service the regiment marched to the castle of Bran, near Kainloch-Benchven, Inverness-shire; and in 1721 it proceeded to Edinburgh.

[Sidenote: 1722]

The regiment quitted Scotland in May, 1722, and marched to Hungerford: in the summer it was encamped, with several other corps, on Salisbury-plain, where it was reviewed by King George I. on the 30th of August, and afterwards returned to Hungerford.

[Sidenote: 1723]

Early in 1723 the regiment marched to Reading and Windsor; it was subsequently encamped in Hyde-park, and in the autumn marched to Bristol.

[Sidenote: 1725]

[Sidenote: 1726]

[Sidenote: 1727]

In May, 1725, the regiment commenced its march for Berwick; in July, 1726, it was removed to Lancashire; and in January, 1727, it marched to Canterbury, from whence four companies were detached to Dover, Ashford, Sandwich, and Feversham.

At this period the Spaniards had commenced the siege of _Gibraltar_, which fortress had been captured by a British and Dutch armament in 1704, and had been ceded to Great Britain at the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713. The colonel of the FOURTEENTH, Jasper Clayton, was Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar; he proceeded thither in January, 1727, and took the command of the garrison, which opened its fire on the Spanish troops on the 21st of February; and in March the regiment embarked to take part in the defence of that important fortress, where it arrived on the 21st of April, together with a battalion of Foot Guards, and the Governor, General the Earl of Portmore. The regiment landed immediately, and it had the honor to take an active share in the successful defence of this valuable entrepôt to the Mediterranean. The Spaniards continued the siege until many men had perished in the attempt, and the tremendous fire of their artillery had produced little effect besides the bursting and damaging of their own cannon. In the early part of June the fire slackened, and on the 18th of that month hostilities ceased.

[Sidenote: 1729]

The regiment was afterwards selected to form part of the garrison of Gibraltar, where it was stationed during the following fifteen years. Previously to quitting England, two companies were added to its establishment; these companies remained on home service; they were stationed in the south of England until 1729, when they were disbanded.

[Sidenote: 1739]

[Sidenote: 1740]

[Sidenote: 1742]

War between Great Britain and Spain was resumed in 1739; and the claims of the Elector of Bavaria on the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, which were attempted to be enforced after the death of the Emperor, Charles VI., in 1740, involved Great Britain in hostilities with France and Bavaria. King George II. resolved to support the House of Austria; the garrison of Gibraltar was reinforced, and the FOURTEENTH Regiment, having been relieved from duty at that fortress, arrived at Portsmouth in September, 1742. After reposing a few days in barracks at Portsmouth, the regiment marched into quarters in Yorkshire, the head-quarters being at York.

[Sidenote: 1743]

In the summer of this year, His Majesty sent an army to Flanders to support the House of Austria, and on the 16th of June, 1743, the colonel of the FOURTEENTH Foot, Lieutenant-General JASPER CLAYTON, who was employed on the staff of the British army in Flanders, was killed at the battle of Dettingen; he was an officer of distinguished merit; his fall was regretted by the King and the whole army, and his remains were interred, with great solemnity, in the Chapel of Prince George of Hesse. The King conferred the command of the regiment on Colonel JOSEPH PRICE, from the Fifty-seventh, now Forty-sixth Foot, by commission dated the 22nd of June, 1743.

[Sidenote: 1744]

From Yorkshire the regiment marched into Northumberland, and was stationed at Berwick; in 1744, it marched to Dunstable and afterwards to Colchester.

[Sidenote: 1745]

Immediately on the receipt of the news of the loss of the battle of Fontenoy, on the 30th of April, 1745, the regiment received orders to proceed to Flanders, to join the allied army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland; it embarked at Tilbury, on the 15th of May, landed in West Flanders, and joined the camp on the plain of Lessines, before the end of the month. The regiment took part in several operations; it was encamped at Grammont, and afterwards on the Brussels' canal, in order to cover Dutch Brabant; but the French had so great a superiority of numbers, that it was found impossible to prevent their capturing several fortified towns.

In the mean time, Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, had arrived in Scotland, and being guided by desperate and designing men, and joined by a number of the clans, he resolved on the romantic enterprise of attempting to dethrone a beloved monarch, to overturn the constitution of a brave and free people, and to establish the authority of a dynasty which had been removed for arbitrary attacks on the established religion and laws. The FOURTEENTH was one of the regiments ordered home on this occasion; it arrived in the north of England, and formed part of the army assembled by Field-Marshal Wade, at Newcastle, to prevent the rebels penetrating into South Britain; and, in the second week of November, it was detached to Berwick, where it arrived in time to prevent the rebels capturing that town. The regiment afterwards marched to Scotland, and when the clans made a precipitate retreat from Derby, back to Scotland, it took up its quarters in the city of Edinburgh.

[Sidenote: 1746]

The young Pretender was joined by some new levies, and he procured a supply of artillery and ammunition, which enabled him to commence the siege of Stirling Castle: and Lieutenant-General Hawley, who commanded the King's troops at Edinburgh, resolved to attempt to raise the siege. For this purpose, the FOURTEENTH, and several other corps, advanced from Edinburgh on the 13th of January, 1746, under Major-General Huske, and drove a body of the rebels out of Linlithgow; on the following day another division marched to Borrowstounness; and on the 16th of January, the army encamped near _Falkirk_.

About mid-day on the 17th of January, the rebel army was seen moving towards some high ground on Falkirk-moor, and the King's troops quitted their camp-ground to engage the clans. Passing some rugged grounds, the soldiers diverged on the moor, and formed two lines; the Fourth and FOURTEENTH Regiments constituted Brigadier-General Cholmondeley's brigade, and were posted in the first line. As the King's troops advanced to battle a tremendous hurricane, with a heavy shower of rain, beat violently in their faces, and nearly blinded them; at the same time it beat on the backs of the clans, and caused them little annoyance; the soldiers could not see to take aim, very few muskets would give fire, and, under these circumstances, some confusion took place, and several regiments quitted the field; but the Fourth and FOURTEENTH Regiments under Brigadier-General Cholmondeley made a determined stand, and they withstood the fury of the charging Highland host with astonishing firmness, evincing the most heroic valour under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty. They were joined by the second battalion of the Royals, the Third and Forty-eighth Regiments; Major-General Huske assumed the command; and these five corps repulsed one wing of the rebel army, and maintained their post, on the field of battle, until night, when no enemy could be seen, and the soldiers being wet, and the night cold and stormy, they retired.

The King's troops retreated to Edinburgh, where His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland arrived, and assumed the command, and on the 31st of January the army again advanced, when the rebels raised the siege of Stirling Castle, and made a precipitate retreat towards Inverness. The royal army pursued the rebels as far as Perth, where it halted in consequence of severe weather; the march was resumed on the 20th of February; but heavy rains occasioned the army to make another halt at Aberdeen. The troops were again in motion in the early part of April, and on the 16th of that month, as they advanced in three columns towards Inverness, the rebel army was discovered in order of battle on _Culloden_-moor, when the royal forces formed three lines, the FOURTEENTH Foot taking post in the centre of the first line, under Lieut.-General the Earl of Albemarle. After a sharp cannonade, several clans rushed forward, with loud shouts, to attack the King's troops sword in hand; but they were assailed by a destructive fire of musketry, received on the point of the bayonet, and driven back with severe loss. The royal cavalry galloped forward, completed the rout and discomfiture of the clans, and pursued them with great slaughter several miles. This victory transformed the young Pretender from an imaginary monarch to an humble fugitive, and after wandering for some time in disguise in the isles, and among the mountains, he escaped to the continent.

The loss of the regiment at the battle of _Culloden_ was limited to Captain Grosette, and one private soldier killed; Captain Simpson and nine rank and file wounded[2].

After returning from the pursuit of the rebels, the troops encamped near Inverness, from whence they advanced in May, and pitched their tents in a valley, surrounded by lofty mountains, near Fort Augustus. The FOURTEENTH Regiment was employed in guarding prisoners taken after the battle, and was afterwards stationed at Stirling, from whence it was removed to Glasgow.

[Sidenote: 1747]

In June, 1747 the regiment marched from Glasgow to Perth, and in September to Inverness.

The colonel of the regiment, Brigadier-General Price, commanded a brigade in the Netherlands, and highly distinguished himself at the battle of Val, on the 2nd of July, 1747; he died at Breda in November of the same year; when King George II. conferred the colonelcy on the Honourable William Herbert, fifth son of Thomas, eighth Earl of Pembroke, from captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot Guards.

[Sidenote: 1749]

[Sidenote: 1750]

The regiment remained in Scotland; in 1749 it was stationed at Fort William; and in 1750 at Glasgow, from whence it marched to Carlisle and Newcastle.

[Sidenote: 1751]

In 1751 a royal warrant was issued regulating the clothing, colours, and standards of the several regiments of the army. In this warrant the first, or King's colour, of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, is directed to be the great union: the second, or regimental colour, to be of _buff_ silk, with the union in the upper canton; in the centre of the colours XIV. in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk.

The uniform of the regiment at this period, was black three-cornered cocked hats, bound with white lace; scarlet coats faced with yellow, yellow cuffs and white lace; scarlet waistcoats and breeches; white gaiters, and white cravats; buff belts, and buff pouches. The drummers wore buff coats faced with scarlet. The grenadiers wore cloth caps with the king's cipher and crown in front; the "_white horse_," with the motto "_Nec aspera terrent_," on the flap; and the number of the regiment behind.

In August of this year orders were issued for the regiment to march to the south of England, and to furnish detachments on the coast of Sussex, to assist the officers of the revenue in the prevention of smuggling.

[Sidenote: 1752]

The regiment called in its detachments in the beginning of April, 1752, and marching to Portsmouth, embarked for Gibraltar, where it was stationed during the following seven years.

[Sidenote: 1753]

Colonel the Honorable William Herbert was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards in 1753, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Regiment by Colonel Edward Braddock, from lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot Guards.

[Sidenote: 1755]

In 1755, some disputes occurred between England and France, respecting the extent of the British dominions in America, and Major-General Braddock was mortally wounded at Fort du Quesne: he was succeeded by Lieutenant-General Fowke, governor of Gibraltar, from the Second Foot, by commission dated the 12th of November, 1755.

[Sidenote: 1756]