Chapter V: Part 5

Two divisions of the French army having retired to _Aire_, after the action of the 27th of February, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill moved upon that town to dislodge them. Upon the 2d of March the French were found strongly posted upon a ridge of hills, extending across the great road in front of the town, having their right on the Adour. The second division attacked them along the road, seconded by a Portuguese brigade, and drove them from their position, in gallant style. Lieutenant James Anderson and seventeen rank and file were killed; Lieutenant Henry Frederick Lockyer, one serjeant, and nineteen rank and file, were wounded.

A detachment from the second battalion, consisting of one captain, four subalterns, and a hundred and thirty-four rank and file, under the command of Major Arthur Jones, joined at Aire.

On the 25th of March part of the battalion was engaged in an affair at _Tarbes_, in which Lieutenant Robert Law was wounded, and upon the 10th of April was in position at _Toulouse_, where some of the companies were employed skirmishing, and sustained a loss of one serjeant and three rank and file killed; six rank and file were wounded.

During the night of the 11th of April the French troops evacuated _Toulouse_, and a white flag was hoisted. On the following day the Marquis of Wellington entered the city, amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. In the course of the afternoon of the 12th of April intelligence was received of the abdication of Napoleon, and had not the express been delayed on the journey by the French police the sacrifice of many valuable lives would have been prevented.

A disbelief in the truth of this intelligence occasioned much unnecessary bloodshed at _Bayonne_, the garrison of which made a desperate _sortie_ on the 14th of April, and Lieutenant Sir John Hope (afterwards Earl of Hopetoun) was taken prisoner. Major-General Andrew Hay was killed, and Major-General Stopford was wounded.

A treaty of peace was established between Great Britain and France; Louis XVIII. was restored to the throne of France; and Napoleon Bonaparte was permitted to reside at Elba, the sovereignty of that island having been conceded to him by the allied powers.

The war being ended, the first battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment marched from Toulouse to Blanchfort, where it was encamped for sixteen days, and afterwards proceeded to Pouillac, where it embarked on the 15th of July for England, on board of His Majesty’s ship “Sultan,” of seventy-four guns.

Prior to the breaking up of the Peninsular army, the Duke of Wellington issued the following General Order:--

“_Bordeaux, 14th June 1814._

“GENERAL ORDER.

“The Commander of the Forces, being upon the point of returning
to England, again takes this opportunity of congratulating the
army upon the recent events which have restored peace to their
country and to the world.

“The share which the British army have had in producing those
events, and the high character with which the army will quit
this country, must be equally satisfactory to every individual
belonging to it, as they are to the Commander of the Forces, and
he trusts that the troops will continue the same good conduct to
the last.

“The Commander of the Forces once more requests the army to
accept his thanks.

“Although circumstances may alter the relations in which he has
stood towards them for some years so much to his satisfaction, he
assures them he will never cease to feel the warmest interest in
their welfare and honor, and that he will be at all times happy
to be of any service to those to whose conduct, discipline, and
gallantry their country is so much indebted.”

In addition to the other distinctions acquired during the war in Spain, Portugal, and the south of France, the SEVENTY-FIRST subsequently received the Royal authority to bear the word “PENINSULA” on the regimental colour and appointments.

The first battalion arrived at Cork on the 28th of July, and marched to Mallow, where it remained for a few days. On the 4th of August the battalion marched to Limerick, where Colonel Reynell assumed the command of it in December, and in which city it continued to be quartered during the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 2d bat.]

The second battalion remained stationed in North Britain.

[Sidenote: 1815.]

[Sidenote: 1st bat.]

In January 1815, the first battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment marched from Limerick to Cork, and embarked as part of an expedition under orders for North America. Peace having been concluded with the United States, and contrary winds having prevented the sailing of the vessels, the destination of the battalion was changed, and subsequent events occasioned its being employed against its former opponents. The tranquillity which Europe appeared to have gained by the splendid successes over the French in the Peninsula was again to be disturbed. Napoleon, who had been accustomed to imperial sway, was naturally discontented with his small sovereignty of Elba. Besides, the correspondence kept up by him with his adherents in France gave him hopes of regaining his former power, which were, for a short time, fully realized. Napoleon Bonaparte landed at Cannes, in Provence, on the 1st of March 1815, with a small body of men, and on the 20th of that month entered Paris at the head of an army which had joined him on the road. This could not be matter of wonder, for the officers and soldiers had won their fame under his command, and gladly welcomed their former leader, under whom they probably expected to acquire fresh honors, which might cancel the memory of the defeats sustained in the Peninsula.

Louis XVIII., unable to stem the torrent, withdrew from Paris to Ghent, and Napoleon resumed his former dignity of Emperor of the French. This assumption the allied powers determined not to acknowledge, and resolved to deprive him of his sovereignty, and again restore the ancient dynasty.

The first battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST, in consequence of these occurrences, proceeded to the Downs, and was there transhipped into small craft, which conveyed it to Ostend, where it disembarked on the 22d of April.

The battalion next proceeded to Ghent, and, after remaining there a week, marched to Leuze, between Ath and Tournay, and was subsequently placed in the light brigade with the first battalion of the fifty-second, six companies of the second and two companies of the third battalion of the ninety-fifth regiment (Rifles), under the command of Major-General Frederick Adam, in the division of Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton.[31]

The strength of the brigade was as follows:--

Rank and File.
52d regt. 1st bat. 997
71st do. do. 788
95th do. 2d bat. Rifles 571
95th do. 3d do. do. 185
------
Total 2,541
======

Brevet Colonel Reynell, afterwards Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Reynell, commanded the battalion at this period.

Napoleon resolved on attacking the Allies before their forces had been fully collected, and by well-masked and admirably combined movements, a portion of his army was concentrated on the 14th of June between the Sambre and the Meuse.

On the morning of the 16th of June, as the battalion was proceeding to the usual exercising ground of the brigade at Leuze, it received orders for an immediate advance upon _Nivelles_, where it arrived late that night. On the same day Prince Blucher had been attacked at _Ligny_, and was forced to retreat to Wavre. The Duke of Wellington and a portion of his army had been also attacked at _Quatre Bras_ by Marshal Ney, who, however, made no impression upon the British position.

In the course of the morning of the 17th of June, the Duke of Wellington made a retrograde movement upon _Waterloo_, in order to keep up his communication with the Prussians. At day-break on the same morning, the first battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST retired, and broke up its position, with the rest of the allied army, on the plains in the neighbourhood of _Waterloo_, being situated to the left and rear of _Hougomont_.

The SEVENTY-FIRST, with the rest of the army, bivouacked in position during the night of the 17th of June, drenched by the rain, which fell heavily. Upon the morning of the memorable 18th of June, the battalion stood in open column, and in this situation was exposed for some time to a heavy fire of artillery, but a judicious movement to a short distance alleviated in a great measure this annoyance. Line was next formed, and about two o’clock the battalion, with the rest of the brigade, advanced, met their opponents in position, charged, and instantly overthrew them.

A heavy fire now commenced upon the retreating enemy, but the _alignement_ having been completely deranged by the impetuosity of the advance, Colonel Reynell, with his usual coolness, proceeded to restore order, and had just completed the dressing of the line when the French cavalry were seen advancing. Square was instantly formed, and the SEVENTY-FIRST, with the rest of the brigade, sustained a charge from three regiments of French cavalry, namely, one of _cuirassiers_, one of _grenadiers-à-cheval_, and one of lancers.

The charge was made with the most obstinate bravery, but nothing could overcome the steadiness of the British infantry, and after a destructive loss, the French were forced to retire.

Previously to this advance, the square of the SEVENTY-FIRST was struck by a round-shot, which killed or wounded an officer and eighteen men of the eighth company.

About seven o’clock in the evening the left wing of the battalion was formed in rear of the right, and, while thus placed, was, with the rest of the division, attacked by a column of the Imperial Guard. These troops were fresh, having been kept in reserve during the day. They were allowed to approach close without molestation, and the regiments throwing in a close and well-directed fire, they could not deploy, but broke, and retired in confusion.

The enemy having now exhausted all his efforts, the British, in their turn, advanced. The SEVENTY-FIRST, in the first instance, suffered much from the fire of some guns that raked their front; these were soon silenced, and the battalion was afterwards left unmolested. In this advance the light brigade captured several guns. Night closed in fast, and the corps rested after this lengthened and sanguinary encounter, the pursuit of the discomfited enemy being committed to the Prussians, under Marshal Blucher, who had arrived on the field of battle.

The SEVENTY-FIRST had Brevet Major Edmund L’Estrange (Aide-de-Camp to Major-General Sir Denis Pack, K.C.B.), and Ensign John Todd, killed. The following officers were wounded: the Lieut.-Colonel commanding the battalion, Colonel Thomas Reynell; Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Jones; Captains Samuel Reed, Donald Campbell, William Alexander Grant, James Henderson, and Brevet-Major Charles Johnstone; Lieutenants Joseph Barrallier, Robert Lind, John Roberts, James Coates, Robert Law, Carique Lewin, and Lieutenant and Adjutant William Anderson.

The number of serjeants, buglers, and rank and file killed amounted to twenty-nine; one hundred and sixty-six were wounded, and thirty-six died of their wounds.

Both Houses of Parliament, with the greatest enthusiasm, voted their thanks to the army “for its distinguished valour at Waterloo.”

For the share which the battalion had in this glorious victory, the SEVENTY-FIRST were permitted to bear, in common with the rest of the army engaged upon the 18th of June, the word “WATERLOO” on the regimental colour and appointments.

The officers and men engaged were presented with silver medals by His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and were allowed to reckon two years additional service.

The battalion, with the rest of the army, afterwards marched towards Paris, and entered that city on the 7th of July. The brigade encamped that day in the _Champs Elysées_, near the Place Louis Quinze, being the only British troops quartered within the barriers, and continued there until the beginning of November, when it proceeded to Versailles, and to Viarmes in December.

Meanwhile Louis XVIII. had entered Paris, and was again reinstated on the throne of his ancestors. Napoleon Bonaparte had surrendered to Captain Maitland, commanding the “Bellerophon” British ship of war, and the island of St. Helena having been fixed for his residence, he was conveyed thither with a few of his devoted followers.

[Sidenote: 2d bat.]

On the 24th of December 1815, the second battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST was disbanded at Glasgow, the effective officers and men being transferred to the first battalion.

[Sidenote: 1816.]

In January 1816, the SEVENTY-FIRST marched to the Pas-de-Calais, in which part of France the regiment was cantoned in several villages, having its head-quarters at Norrent Fonte, a village on the high road from Calais to Douay.

On the 21st of June 1816, the regiment assembled upon the _bruyère_ of Rombly, between the villages of Lingham and Rombly on the one side, and Viterness and Leitre on the other, for the purpose of receiving the medals which had been granted by His Royal Highness the Prince Regent to the officers, non-commissioned officers, buglers, and privates, for their services at the battle of Waterloo.

A hollow square upon the centre was formed on this occasion; the ranks were opened, and the boxes containing the medals were placed within the square. Colonel Reynell then addressed the regiment in the following manner:

“SEVENTY-FIRST!!

“The deep interest, which you will all give me credit for
feeling, in everything that affects the corps cannot fail to be
awakened upon an occasion such as the present, when holding in
my hands, to transfer to yours, these honorable rewards bestowed
by your Sovereign for your share in the great and glorious
exertions of the army of His Grace the Duke of Wellington upon
the field of Waterloo, when the utmost efforts of the army of
France, directed by Napoleon, reputed to be the first captain
of the age, were not only paralyzed at the moment, but blasted
beyond the power of even a second struggle.

“To have participated in a contest crowned with victory so
decisive, and productive of consequences that have diffused
peace, security, and happiness throughout Europe, may be to each
of you a source of honorable pride, as well as of gratitude to
the Omnipotent Arbiter of all human contests, who preserved you
in such peril, and without whose protecting hand the battle
belongs not to the strong, nor the race to the swift.

“I acknowledge to feel an honest, and, I trust, an excusable,
exultation, in having had the honor to command you on that day;
and in dispensing these medals, destined to record in your
families the share you had in the ever memorable battle of
WATERLOO, it is a peculiar satisfaction to me that I can present
them to those by whom they have been fairly and honorably earned,
and that I can here solemnly declare, that in the course of that
eventful day I did not observe a soldier of this good regiment
whose conduct was not only creditable to the English nation, but
such as his dearest friends could desire.

“Under such agreeable reflections, I request you to accept
these medals, and to wear them with becoming pride, as they are
incontestable proofs of a faithful discharge of your duty to your
King and your Country. I trust that they will act as powerful
talismans, to keep you, in your future lives, in the paths of
honor, sobriety, and virtue.”

At the conclusion of the above address the arms were presented, “God save the King” was played, and the battalion, by signal, gave three cheers. Colonel Reynell then, from the lists of companies in succession, called over the names of those entitled to receive a medal, and with his own hand placed it in that of the soldier.

[Sidenote: 1817.]

New colours were presented to the regiment on the 13th of January 1817, by Major-General Sir Denis Pack, K.C.B., who made the following address on the occasion:--

“SEVENTY-FIRST REGIMENT!

“Officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, it affords
me the greatest satisfaction, at the request of your commanding
officer, Colonel Reynell, to have the honor of presenting these
colours to you.

“There are many who could perform the office with a better grace,
but there is no one, believe me, who is more sensible of the
merit of the corps, or who is more anxious for its honor and
welfare.

“I might justly pay to the valour and good conduct of those
present the compliments usual on such occasions, but I had
rather offer the expression of my regard and admiration of
that excellent _esprit-de-corps_ and real worth which a ten
years’ intimate knowledge of the regiment has taught me so
highly to appreciate. I shall always look back with pleasure
to that long period in which I had the good fortune to be your
commanding officer, and during which time I received from the
officers the most cordial and zealous assistance in support of
discipline; from the non-commissioned officers proofs of the most
disinterested regard for His Majesty’s service and the welfare of
their regiment, and I witnessed on the part of the privates and
the corps at large a fidelity to their colours in South America,
as remarkable under such trying circumstances as their valour
has at all times been conspicuous in the field. I am most happy
to think that there is no drawback to the pleasure all should
feel on this occasion. Your former colours were mislaid after
a fête given in London, to celebrate the Duke of Wellington’s
return after his glorious termination of the peninsular war, and
your colonel, General Francis Dundas, has sent you three very
handsome ones to replace them.

“On them are emblazoned some of His Grace’s victories, in which
the SEVENTY-FIRST bore a most distinguished part, and more might
be enumerated which the corps may well be proud of. There are
still in your ranks valuable officers who have witnessed the
early glories of the regiment in the East, and its splendid
career since is fresh in the memory of all. Never, indeed, did
the character of the corps stand higher; never was the fame
of the British arms or the glory of the British empire more
pre-eminent than at this moment, an enthusiastic recollection of
which the sight of these colours must always inspire.

“While you have your present commanding officer to lead you, it
is unnecessary for me to add anything to excite such a spirit;
but was I called upon to do so, I should have only to hold up the
example of those who have fallen in your ranks, and, above all,
point to the memory of that hero who so gloriously fell at your
head.”[32]

[Sidenote: 1818.]

The regiment formed part of the “Army of Occupation” in France until towards the end of October 1818, when it embarked at Calais for England, and arrived at Dover on the 29th of that month.

After landing, the regiment proceeded immediately to Chelmsford, where it remained for a short time. During its stay at this place the establishment was reduced from 810 to 650 rank and file.

On the 25th of November the regiment marched to Weedon, Derby, and Nottingham, having its head-quarters at the former place.

[Sidenote: 1819.]

The regiment was inspected at Weedon on the 1st of May 1819, by Major-General Sir John Byng, who reported most favourably to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief upon its appearance and discipline. In consequence of this report His Royal Highness was pleased to dispense with any further inspection of the regiment during the year.

On the 21st of June 1819, the regiment marched to Chester, having detachments at Liverpool and the Isle of Man.

[Sidenote: 1820.]

In June 1820, the regiment marched to Rochdale, Blackburn, and Burnley. In July following it proceeded to Hertford, Ware, Hoddesdon, and Hatfield; and on the 20th of November it was removed to Canterbury.

Previously to the departure of the regiment from Hertford, it was inspected by the Adjutant-General to the Forces, Major-General Sir Henry Torrens, K.C.B., who communicated to Colonel Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, K.C.B., commanding the SEVENTY-FIRST, the expression of the satisfaction experienced by His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief in perusing the report made on that occasion.

[Sidenote: 1821.]

In June 1821, the regiment marched to Chatham, having detachments at Sheerness, Tilbury Fort, and Harwich. Here a further reduction took place of two companies, making the establishment to consist of 576 rank and file.

[Sidenote: 1822.]

From Chatham the regiment marched to London, and proceeded by the canal to Liverpool, there to embark for Dublin, where it arrived on the 3d of May 1822; the regiment remained in that city until the beginning of October, when it marched to the south of Ireland. The head-quarters were stationed at Fermoy, and detachments proceeded to the villages of Ballahooly, Castletown Roche, Kilworth, Kildorrory, Wattstown, Glanworth, and Mitchelstown. A subaltern’s party was also encamped at Glennasheen in the county of Limerick, the disturbed state of that part of Ireland requiring detachments in the above posts, and the utmost exertions of every individual for their protection.

[Sidenote: 1824.]

Lieut.-General Sir Gordon Drummond, G.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the eighty-eighth to that of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment on the 16th of January 1824, in succession to General Francis Dundas, deceased.

The regiment remained here for two winters, and in the beginning of May 1824 orders were received to march to the Cove of Cork, to embark for foreign service.

Before the SEVENTY-FIRST marched to the coast for embarkation, very gratifying addresses were presented to Colonel Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, commanding the regiment, from the magistrates and inhabitants of the district round Fermoy, conveying their approbation of the conduct of the corps, which had won the esteem of all classes.

A very gratifying order was also issued by Major-General Sir John Lambert, K.C.B., commanding the south-western district of Ireland, relative to the conduct of the regiment.

The regiment embarked for North America on the 14th, 16th, 17th, and 18th of May 1824, on board the Indian trader Prince of Orange, Cato and Fanny transports, and anchored at Quebec on the 23d, 24th, and 25th of June.

[Sidenote: 1825.]

In the year 1825, the establishment of the regiment was augmented from eight to ten companies, and formed into six _service_ and four _depôt_ companies, consisting of forty-two sergeants, fourteen buglers, and 740 rank and file.

In consequence of this arrangement, the officers and non-commissioned officers of two companies were sent to England to join the depôt companies at Chichester.

[Sidenote: 1826.]

The detachments stationed during the summer months at the posts of Sorel and Three Rivers rejoined the head-quarters of the regiment at Quebec on the 15th of October.

On the 25th of October and the 4th of November, the service companies were inspected by Lieut.-General the Earl of Dalhousie, the Commander of the Forces in British North America, who expressed his fullest approbation of their discipline and interior economy, as well as of their conduct and appearance.

[Sidenote: 1827.]

The head-quarter division of the SEVENTY-FIRST embarked at Quebec for Montreal on the 17th of May 1827, after having been stationed in that garrison nearly three years. Preparatory to this change of quarters, the service companies were again inspected by Lieut.-General the Earl of Dalhousie, who, in orders, assured Lieut.-Colonel Jones that he had never seen any regiment in more perfect order.

The service companies arrived at Montreal on the 19th of May, and detachments from them were stationed at Isle-aux-Noix, St. John’s, William Henry, La Chine, Coteau-du-Lac, and Rideau.

[Sidenote: 1828.]

On the 8th of May 1828, the SEVENTY-FIRST embarked for Kingston in batteaux, and arrived there on the 16th of that month.

The SEVENTY-FIRST remained stationed here for twelve months. During the summer and part of the autumn they suffered much from fever and ague, having had at one period nearly a third of the men in hospital.

[Sidenote: 1829.]

Upon the 1st of June 1829, the head-quarters embarked in a steam-boat for York, now called Toronto, the capital of the Upper Province, and arrived there on the following morning.[33]

One company was detached to Niagara, another to Amherstburg, and a third to Penetanguishene on Lake Huron. A small number of men occupied the naval post at Grand River on Lake Erie. The SEVENTY-FIRST occupied these posts for a period of two years.

On the 10th of August 1829, the depôt companies embarked at Gravesend for Berwick-on-Tweed.

Major-General Sir Colin Halkett, K.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the ninety-fifth to that of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment, on the 21st of September 1829, in succession to General Sir Gordon Drummond, G.C.B., who was appointed to the forty-ninth regiment.

[Sidenote: 1830.]

In June, 1830, the depôt companies were removed from Berwick-on-Tweed to Edinburgh Castle.

[Sidenote: 1831.]

In May 1831, the service companies moved down to Quebec, where the whole were assembled on the 16th of June. After a stay of nearly five months in that city, orders arrived for the SEVENTY-FIRST to proceed to Bermuda. The service companies embarked on the 20th of October 1831 in the transports Layton and Manlius, and arrived off St. George’s, Bermuda, upon the 11th of November, when they immediately disembarked, sending a detachment of one captain, two subalterns, and a hundred and twenty men to Ireland Island.

The head-quarters were subsequently moved to Hamilton, and small parties were detached to the signal posts at Gibbs Hill and Mount Langton.

[Sidenote: 1833.]

During the years 1832 and 1833, the service companies continued at Bermuda, and the depôt remained in North Britain.

On the 30th of August 1833, Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Charles Grey exchanged from the half-pay to the SEVENTY-FIRST Regiment with Lieut.-Colonel Joseph Thomas Pidgeon.

[Sidenote: 1834.]

The tartan plaid scarf was restored to the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment by an authority (under the King’s Sign Manual) dated 17th of February 1834.

On the 11th of September 1834, the service companies embarked at Bermuda for Great Britain, and arrived at Leith on the 19th of October following. The regiment was afterwards stationed at Edinburgh, where it remained during the year 1835.

[Sidenote: 1836.]

The regiment embarked at Glasgow on the 11th of May 1836 for Ireland, and was stationed at Dublin during the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 1837.]

In June 1837, the regiment proceeded from Dublin to Kilkenny.

[Sidenote: 1838.]

Major-General Sir Samuel Ford Whittingham, K.C.B., was appointed Colonel of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment on the 28th of March 1838, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir Colin Halkett, K.C.B., appointed to the thirty-first regiment.

Meanwhile orders had been received for the regiment to proceed on foreign service, and on the 20th of April 1838 the six service companies embarked at Cork for Canada. The four depôt companies remained in Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1839.]

On the 2d of June 1839 the depôt companies embarked at Cork for North Britain, and were afterwards stationed at Stirling.

The establishment of the regiment was augmented on the 12th of August 1839, from seven hundred and forty to eight hundred rank and file.

[Sidenote: 1840.]

During the year 1840 the service companies were stationed at St. John’s, Lower Canada. The depôt companies proceeded from Stirling to Dundee in April.

[Sidenote: 1841.]

Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the eighty-seventh Royal Irish fusiliers to that of the SEVENTY-FIRST or HIGHLAND regiment on the 15th of March 1841, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir Samuel Ford Whittingham, K.C.B. and K.C.H., deceased.

In May 1841 the depôt companies proceeded from Dundee to Aberdeen.

Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Charles Grey exchanged to half-pay with Lieut.-Colonel James England on the 8th of April 1842.

[Sidenote: 1842.]

The service companies proceeded from St. John’s to Montreal, in two divisions, on the 27th and 28th of April 1842.

In consequence of the augmentation which took place in the army at this period, the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment was ordered to be divided into two battalions, the six service companies being termed the first battalion, and the depôt, augmented by two new companies, being styled the reserve battalion. The depôt was accordingly moved from Stirling to Chichester in 1842, and after receiving one hundred and eighty volunteers from other corps, was there organised into a battalion for foreign service.

The reserve battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel James England, embarked at Portsmouth in Her Majesty’s troop-ship “Resistance,” which sailed for Canada on the 13th of August 1842, and the battalion landed at Montreal on the 23d of September, where the first battalion was likewise stationed, under the command of Major William Denny, who, upon the arrival of Lieut.-Colonel England, took charge of the reserve battalion.

[Sidenote: 1843.]

The reserve battalion marched from Montreal to Chambly on the 5th of May 1843, and arrived there on the same day.

The first battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel England, embarked at Quebec for the West Indies in the “Java” transport, on the 20th of October 1843. The head-quarters disembarked at Grenada on the 15th of December following.

[Sidenote: 1844.]

The head-quarters of the first battalion embarked on the 25th of December 1844, at Grenada, for Antigua.

[Sidenote: 1845.]

During the year 1845 the head-quarters of the first battalion continued at Antigua.

The head-quarters and three companies of the reserve battalion marched from Chambly on the 11th of May 1845, and arrived at Kingston, in Canada, on the 14th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1846.]

On the 18th of April 1846, the head-quarters and four companies of the first battalion embarked at Antigua on board the transport “Princess Royal,” and landed at Barbadoes on the 24th of the same month.

The first battalion, under the command of Captain Nathaniel Massey Stack, embarked for England at Barbadoes on the 29th and 30th of December, on board of Her Majesty’s ship “Belleisle.”

On the 6th of October 1846, the reserve battalion left Kingston, in Canada West, and the head-quarters arrived at La Prairie on the 8th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1847.]

The ship “Belleisle,” having the first battalion on board, sailed for Portsmouth on the 1st of January 1847, and arrived at Spithead on the 25th of that month. After disembarking at Portsmouth, the battalion proceeded to Winchester, where it was stationed until the 19th of July, when it was conveyed in three divisions by railway to Glasgow, and on the 21st of December it was removed to Edinburgh.

In September 1847, the head-quarters of the reserve battalion were removed from La Prairie to Chambly, and in October proceeded to St. John’s, in Canada East.

[Sidenote: 1848.]

Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, K.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the ninth foot to that of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment on the 18th of February 1848, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart. and K.C.B., deceased.

Three companies of the first battalion proceeded from Edinburgh to Dublin on the 27th of April 1848; and the head-quarters, with the three remaining companies, were removed to Dublin on the 1st of May. In June, the head-quarters were removed to Naas.

During the year 1848, the head-quarters of the reserve battalion remained at St. John’s, in Canada East.

[Sidenote: 1849.]

Lieut.-General Sir James Macdonell, K.C.B. and K.C.H., was appointed from the seventy-ninth to be colonel of the SEVENTY-FIRST or Highland regiment, on the 8th of February 1849, upon the decease of Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot, K.C.B.

In compliance with instructions received upon the occasion of Her Majesty’s visit to Dublin, the head-quarters of the first battalion, with the effectives of three companies, proceeded from Naas to that garrison on the 28th of July, and were encamped in the Phœnix Park. The three detached companies also joined at the encampment on the same day. On the 13th of August the head-quarters and three companies returned to Naas.

The head-quarters and two companies of the reserve battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Sir Hew Dalrymple, Bart., proceeded from St. John’s to Montreal, in aid of the civil power, on the 28th of April 1849. The head-quarters and three companies quitted Montreal and encamped on the Island of St. Helen’s on the 30th of June, but returned to St. John’s on the 16th of July. On the 17th of August 1849, the head-quarters and two companies proceeded from St. John’s to Montreal, in aid of the civil power, and returned to St. John’s on the 6th of September.

[Sidenote: 1850.]

In April 1850, the first battalion proceeded from Naas to Dublin.

The head-quarters and two companies of the reserve battalion quitted St. John’s and Chambly on the 21st of May 1850, and arrived at Toronto on the 23d of that month, where the battalion was joined by the other companies, and it continued there during the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 1851.]

In April 1851, the first battalion proceeded from Dublin to Mullingar, and in July following was removed to Newry.

During the year 1851 the reserve battalion continued to be stationed at Toronto.

[Sidenote: 1852.]

In May 1852, the reserve battalion proceeded from Toronto to Kingston. On the 8th of June following, Lieut.-Colonel Sir Hew Dalrymple, Bart., retired from the service by the sale of his commission, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel Nathaniel Massey Stack.

On the 1st of July 1852, the date to which this Record has been brought, the first battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment was stationed at Newry, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel William Denny; the reserve battalion continued at Kingston, in Canada.

1852.

_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand_

SEVENTY FIRST HIGHLANDERS.

LIGHT INFANTRY.

_For Cannon’s Military Records._]

FOOTNOTES:

[6] Regiments raised in the spring of 1778:--

72d regiment, or Royal _Manchester_ Volunteers disbanded in 1783. 73d _Highland_ regiment numbered the 71st regiment in 1786. 74th _Highland_ regiment disbanded in 1784. 75th Prince of Wales’s regiment disbanded in 1783. 76th _Highland_ regiment disbanded in 1784. 77th regiment, or _Atholl Highlanders_ disbanded in 1783. 78th _Highland_ regiment numbered the 72d regiment in 1786. 79th regiment, or Royal _Liverpool_ volunteers disbanded in 1784. 80th regiment, or Royal _Edinburgh_ volunteers disbanded in 1784. 81st _Highland_ regiment disbanded in 1783. 82d regiment disbanded in 1784. 83d regiment, or Royal _Glasgow_ volunteers disbanded in 1783.

Two of these twelve regiments have been retained on the establishment of the Army, namely, the _seventy-third_ and _seventy-eighth_, which are the present SEVENTY-FIRST and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments.

[7] A memoir of General the Right Honorable Sir David Baird, Bart., G.C.B., is inserted in the _Appendix_, page 144.

[8] See memoir of Captain Philip Melvill in the _Appendix_, page 143.

[9] The following allusion to Captain Gilchrist is made by Captain _Munro_, in his _Narrative_:--

“Here our regiment had the misfortune of burying Captain Gilchrist, a brave and experienced officer, whose loss the SEVENTY-THIRD had much cause to lament, he having always acted as a mentor to the young and inexperienced gentlemen of his corps. This veteran had the honor, when a subaltern, of witnessing the exploits of General Wolfe upon the plains of Quebec, and was now at the head of our grenadier company; but, having exerted himself too much upon the march to Conjeveran, he was seized at that place with a fever, which disabling him from conducting the grenadiers upon the detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Fletcher, affected his mind so deeply, particularly when he heard of their dismal fate, that a delirium came on during this march, of which he died, regretted and justly lamented by all.”

[10] Lieut.-Colonel James Craufurd, of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, was promoted to the local rank of Colonel in the East Indies on the 22d March 1780.

[11] The value of a pagoda is seven shillings and sixpence.

[12] A Narrative of the Military Operations on the Coromandel Coast, against the combined forces of the French, Dutch, and Hyder Ali, from 1780 to 1784, by Captain Innes Munro, of the _Seventy-third_ or Lord Macleod’s Regiment of Highlanders.

[13] The following is extracted from a letter, dated 28th January 1782, from Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote, K.B., then at Fort George, Madras, addressed to the Earl of Shelburne, one of His Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State:--

“Colonel Craufurd, of His Majesty’s SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, having had my leave to return to Europe, will have the honor of delivering your lordship this letter.

“I should do injustice to the high sense I entertain of Colonel Craufurd’s merit as an officer, did I omit on this occasion mentioning how much he has acquitted himself to my satisfaction, and with honor and credit to himself, in the whole course of a most trying campaign. He was next in command to me at the battle of Sholingur, on which occasion his conduct was deserving of the highest applause.”

[14] Major John Elphinston, of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment, was promoted to the local rank of lieutenant-colonel in the East Indies on the 23d of May 1781.

[15] _Droog_ signifies a fortified hill or rock.

[16] In 1794 Tippoo received back his sons, and immediately commenced secret negotiations with the French, who were then at war with Great Britain, in order to renew measures for “utterly destroying the English in India.” This animosity ended only with the death of the Sultan, which took place on the 4th of May 1799, while defending Seringapatam against his former opponents. His body was found amidst heaps of slain, and was interred in the mausoleum which he had erected over the tomb of his father, Hyder Ali, a portion of the victorious troops attending the ceremony.

[17] On the 23d of May 1821, His Majesty King George the Fourth was graciously pleased to authorise the SEVENTY-FIRST to bear on the regimental colour and appointments the word “HINDOOSTAN,” in commemoration of its distinguished services in the several actions in which it had been engaged, while in India, between the years 1780 and 1797.

[18] In consequence of the renewal of the war with France, in May 1803, the British Government introduced the “Army of Reserve Act,” which was passed in July following, for raising men for home service by ballot, and thus caused certain regiments to be augmented to two battalions. Volunteer and yeomanry corps were also formed in every part of the kingdom, in order to preserve Great Britain from the threatened invasion.

[19] Number of men which arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in January 1806, under Major General Sir David Baird.

----------------------+------------------------------+-----------------
| | Number landed,
BRIGADES. | REGIMENTS. | including
| | Recruits for
| | India, attached.
----------------------+------------------------------+-----------------
1st. Commanded by { | Twenty-fourth | 600
Brigadier-General { | Thirty-eighth | 900
Beresford. { | Eighty-third | 800
| |
2d. Under Brigadier { | SEVENTY-FIRST, 1st battalion | 800
General Ferguson. { | Seventy-second | 600
{ | Ninety-third | 800
| Fifty-ninth | 900
| Company’s recruits | 200
| Seamen and marines | 1,100
| Artillery | 200
| Twentieth light dragoons | 300
| +-----------------
| Total | 7,200
----------------------+------------------------------+-----------------

[20] The lofty promontory of Southern Africa received the name of “_Cabo da Boa Esperança_” (_Cape of Good Hope_), from King John II. of Portugal, upon its discovery, in 1487, by Bartholomew Diaz, in consequence of a _good hope_ being entertained of discovering the long-wished for passage to India, which ten years afterwards was realised by Vasco de Gama, who doubled the Cape, and continued the voyage to the Malabar coast. For more than a century the Cape continued as a temporary rendezvous for European mariners. In July 1620, Humphrey Fitzherbert and Andrew Shillinge, two of the East India Company’s commanders, took formal possession of the place, in the name of King James I., but no settlement was formed. In 1650 the government of the Netherlands resolved to colonize the Cape, which remained in possession of the Dutch until July 1795, when it was taken by the British for the Prince of Orange, but was restored to its former possessors by the Peace of Amiens, concluded in 1802. It was again captured by the British in 1806, in whose possession it has since remained.

[21] Lieut.-Colonel Pack’s narrative of his escape is inserted in the Appendix, page 158.

[22] Lieut.-General Sir Harry Burrard landed during the action, but did not assume the command. Lieut.-General Sir Hew Dalrymple landed on the following day, and took command of the army. The force under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore was also disembarked during the negotiation, which subsequently took place, making the British army amount to thirty-two thousand men.

[23] _Vide_ page 14.

[24] _Vide_ general orders of the 18th of January and 1st of February 1809; also a list of regiments employed under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore at Corunna, inserted in pages 161, &c. of the _Appendix_.

[25] The bonnet _cocked_ is the pattern cap to which allusion is made in the above letter. This was in accordance with Lieut.-Colonel Pack’s application; and with respect to retaining the pipes, and dressing the pipers in the Highland garb, he added, “It cannot be forgotten how these pipes were obtained, and how constantly the regiment has upheld its title to them. These are the honorable characteristics which must preserve to future times the precious remains of the old corps, and of which I feel confident His Majesty will never have reason to deprive the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment.”

[26] The remaining four companies of the first battalion of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment arrived in the Peninsula in the course of the year 1811, namely, two companies in March, and two in July 1811.

[27] Major General William Carr Beresford, marshal in the Portuguese service, was appointed a Knight of the Bath on the 16th of October 1810.

[28] Lieut.-General Rowland Hill was appointed a Knight of the Order of the Bath on the 22d of February 1812.

[29] When Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill was created a Peer in May 1814, his title was connected with the gallant affair above recorded, as he was styled Baron Hill of Almaraz, and of Hawkstone, in the county of Salop.

[30] The officers of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment, to mark their admiration and esteem for this distinguished officer, had a monument erected to his memory.

[31] A list of the British and Hanoverian army at Waterloo, as formed in divisions and brigades, is inserted in the _Appendix_, page 166.

[32] Colonel the Honorable Henry Cadogan, who was mortally wounded at Vittoria on the 21st of June 1813.--_Vide page 94._

[33] During the period the SEVENTY-FIRST were stationed at York, they had the satisfaction of removing to consecrated ground the mortal remains of the brave grenadiers of the eighth regiment, who fell upon the 27th of April, 1813, in action with the Americans. These gallant soldiers had fallen, and were buried at a considerable distance from the shores of Lake Ontario; but as its waters had since encroached upon the land in this direction, they at length succeeded in breaking open their honorable grave, and the beach became strewed with their remains. This coming to the knowledge of the SEVENTY-FIRST, they had them removed to the military burying ground in the vicinity of the garrison.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

SEVENTY-FIRST REGIMENT,

HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY.

JOHN LORD MACLEOD,

_Appointed 19th December 1777_.

Lord John Macleod was the eldest son of the Earl of Cromartie, and, with his father, was engaged in the attempt made in 1745 by Prince Charles Edward, the young pretender, to recover the throne of his ancestors. After the battle of Culloden, in 1746, the Earl of Cromartie was brought to trial, and pleaded guilty; but his life was spared on consideration of the remorse expressed by him for having been seduced in an unguarded moment from that loyalty which he had always, previously to the breaking out of the rebellion, evinced to the existing establishment, both in Church and State. Lord Macleod also received the royal mercy on account of his youth, and his regard for his parent, which had been the cause of his being concerned in the rebellion. The young lord also promised, that, should the royal clemency be extended to him, that his future life and fortune should be entirely devoted to His Majesty’s service, which promise was amply fulfilled in after years. Lord Macleod subsequently entered into the Swedish army, where he served for several years with great reputation, and was made a Commandant of the Order of the Sword in the kingdom of Sweden. While the American war of independence was being carried on, his Lordship returned to Great Britain, and in December 1777 received authority to raise a regiment of Highlanders, which was, on its formation, numbered the seventy-third, and subsequently the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment, under the circumstances detailed in the Historical Record. His Lordship was appointed colonel of the newly raised regiment, to which a second battalion was added in September 1778, and embarked with the first battalion for India in January 1779, arriving at Madras in January 1780. The war with Hyder Ali, the powerful Sultan of the Mysore territory, commenced in that year, and his Lordship served under Major-General Sir Hector Munro in the first instance, and afterwards under Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote. On the 1st of June 1781, Colonel Lord Macleod was promoted to the local rank of major-general in the East Indies, in which year he returned to England, some misunderstanding having arisen between his Lordship and Major-General Stuart concerning priority of rank. His Lordship was promoted to the rank of major-general on the 20th of November 1782. On the forfeited estates being restored, in 1784, Major-General Lord Macleod obtained the family estate of Cromartie. His decease occurred on the 2d of April 1789, at Edinburgh.

THE HONORABLE WILLIAM GORDON,

_Appointed 9th April 1789_.

The Honorable William Gordon was appointed captain in the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, when that corps was raised in the year 1759. In October 1762, he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the 105th regiment, and in 1777, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the eighty-first regiment, which was afterwards disbanded. In 1781 he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in April 1789 was nominated colonel of the SEVENTY-FIRST Highlanders. He was advanced to the rank of lieut.-general in 1793, to that of general in 1798, and was removed to the Twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers in 1803. He died in 1816.

SIR JOHN FRANCIS CRADOCK, G.C.B. AND K.C.,

afterwards

LORD HOWDEN,

_Appointed 6th August 1803_.

This officer entered the army on the 15th of December 1777, as a cornet in the fourth regiment of horse, now the seventh dragoon guards; and on the 9th of July 1779, he exchanged to an ensigncy in the Coldstream guards, in which he was promoted to a lieutenancy, with the rank of captain, on the 12th of December 1781. On the 25th of June 1785, he was advanced to the rank of major of the twelfth dragoons, and on the 16th of September 1786, exchanged into the thirteenth foot, of which regiment he was appointed lieut.-colonel on the 16th of June 1789. Lieut.-Colonel Cradock commanded the thirteenth regiment in the West Indies, and on his return, in 1792, was appointed quartermaster-general in Ireland, where he was specially employed by Government in many of the disturbed counties. He went a second time to the West Indies, in the command of the second battalion of grenadiers, under the orders of General Sir Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey, and was present at the reduction of Martinique (where he was wounded), St. Lucia, Guadaloupe, and at the siege of Fort Bourbon. Before the reduction of the second battalion of grenadiers in the West Indies he was appointed by Sir Charles Grey to be his aide-de-camp, and on his return to England he received the thanks of Parliament for his services.

On the 26th of February 1795, Lieut.-Colonel Cradock received the brevet rank of colonel, and on the 16th of April following was appointed colonel of the one hundred and twenty-seventh regiment, which was disbanded in 1798, when he was placed on half pay.

On the 1st of January 1798, Colonel Cradock was advanced to the rank of major-general, and served as quartermaster-general in Ireland during the rebellion of that year; was under the command of Lieut.-General Gerard (afterwards Viscount) Lake at the affair with the rebels at Vinegar Hill, and in the subsequent movements in the county of Wexford. Major-General Cradock accompanied Earl Cornwallis as quartermaster-general in his lordship’s march against the French forces that landed in Killala under General Humbert, and was severely wounded in the action at Ballynahinch, when the French and rebel force were defeated, and laid down their arms.

Major-General Cradock was afterwards appointed to the staff of the Mediterranean, under General Sir Ralph Abercromby, and proceeded on the expedition to Egypt, and was in the actions of the 8th, 13th, and 21st of March 1801. In that of the 13th, near Alexandria, he commanded the brigades which formed the advance against the enemy, and received the thanks of Sir Ralph Abercromby. He was second in command of the division of the army that proceeded to Cairo under the command of Lieut.-General Hutchinson (afterwards the Earl of Donoughmore), and was at the action of Rhamanie on the 9th of May 1801, and at the surrender of Cairo and Alexandria. The surrender of the latter place on the 2d of September following, terminated the campaign, after which he was appointed to the command of a force of 4,000 men, to proceed to Corfu; but the preliminaries of peace being signed on the 1st of October between Great Britain and France, put an end to the expedition, and he returned to England, when he was again honored with the thanks of Parliament. The Grand Seignior had also established the order of knighthood of the Crescent, of which the general officers who served in Egypt were made members.

On the 8th of May 1801, Major-General Cradock had been appointed colonel commandant of the fifty-fourth regiment, and upon the reduction of the army, in 1802, he was placed on half-pay. On the 6th of August 1803, he was appointed colonel of the SEVENTY-FIRST regiment.

On the 1st of January 1805, Major-General Sir John Cradock, K.B., was advanced to the rank of lieut.-general, and appointed to the command of the forces at Madras. Upon the departure from India of General Lord Lake, in 1806, Lieut.-General Sir John Cradock remained for nearly a year in the command of the forces in that country. In 1808 he was appointed to command the forces in Portugal, during the critical period preceding the arrival of Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, and was afterwards appointed Governor of Gibraltar, which in a short time he resigned. On the 6th of January 1809, he was removed from the SEVENTY-FIRST to the colonelcy of the forty-third regiment. In 1811 he was appointed governor of the Cape of Good Hope, and commander of the forces on that station, which he held until 1814, on the 4th of June of which year he was promoted to the rank of general.

General Sir John Cradock was nominated a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on the 2d of January 1815, and in 1819 was created a peer of Ireland, by the title of Baron Howden. At the coronation of His Majesty King William IV. he was advanced to the dignity of a Peer of the United Kingdom. By royal licence he afterwards altered his name to Caradoc, deeming that to be the ancient and veritable orthography. The decease of General the Right Honorable John Francis Caradoc, Baron Howden of Howden and Grimstone in the county of York, and of Cradockstown, county of Kildare, occurred on the 26th of July 1839, at the advanced age of eighty years.

FRANCIS DUNDAS,

_Appointed 7th January 1809._

The first commission of this officer was an ensigncy in the first foot guards, dated 4th of April 1775, and in May 1777 he joined the army in North America, was present at the battle of Brandywine on the 11th of September of that year, and in that of Germantown on the 4th of October following, also at the siege of ten forts on the river Delaware, and after their reduction in December the detachment of guards employed on that service rejoined the army, and went into winter quarters at Philadelphia. On the 23d of January 1778 he received a lieutenancy, with the rank of captain, in the first foot guards. Captain Dundas served the campaign of that year, and was present in the action of Monmouth Court-House on the 28th of June 1778, fought during the march of the British army from Philadelphia to New York, in which the second battalion of the first foot guards was principally engaged. Having soon after been appointed to the light company of that corps, he was employed on various detached services in 1778 and 1779, in the course of which the company to which he belonged sustained considerable losses.

The corps of guards being detached into South Carolina, joined the army under Lieut.-General the Earl Cornwallis, in 1780, and the light company forming his lordship’s advanced guard, it was almost every day engaged. Captain Dundas commanded it at the battle of Guildford and at York Town.

Captain Dundas was promoted to a company in the first foot guards, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, on the 11th of April 1783, and on the 6th of June following exchanged into the forty-fifth regiment, from which he was transferred to the first foot on the 31st of March 1787. With the first battalion of the latter regiment Lieut.-Colonel Dundas embarked for Jamaica in January 1790, and returned to England in July 1791. In October 1793 he was appointed aide-de-camp to King George III., and received the brevet rank of colonel.