Chapter I: Part 1

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have been
placed at the end of each major section.

A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}, for example S^t or 4^{th}.

The tables in this book are best viewed using a monospace font.

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

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT:

CONTAINING

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT

FROM THE PERIOD OF ITS BEING RAISED

AS THE SECOND BATTALION

OF THE

FORTY-SECOND ROYAL HIGHLANDERS,

IN 1780
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1851.

COMPILED BY

RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL’S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING CROSS.

M DCCC LI.

GENERAL ORDERS.

_HORSE-GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.

His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the 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 Honorable
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 honorable 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 everything 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.

INTRODUCTION

TO

THE INFANTRY.

The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is INTREPIDITY. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and, although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar’s favourite tenth legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar’s legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full development of the national character followed, and it shone forth in all its native brilliancy.

The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins.

The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of the military force; and this _arme_ has since acquired, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period.

The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it was almost impossible to slay them.

The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries; and, owing to the inconvenient construction and imperfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century.

During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in every hundred men forty were “_men-at-arms_,” and sixty “_shot_;” the “men-at-arms” were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and thirty pikemen; and the “shot” were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his principal weapon, a sword and dagger.

Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150 to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe) in 1590 was:--the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on each flank of the halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes; half the archers on each flank of the musketeers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the company for skirmishing.[1] It was customary to unite a number of companies into one body, called a REGIMENT, which frequently amounted to three thousand men: but each company continued to carry a colour. Numerous improvements were eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seventeenth century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and the infantry were reduced to two classes, viz.: _musketeers_, armed with matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and _pikemen_, armed with pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.

In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of forming four regiments into a brigade; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English, French, and other European states; but so great was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not adopted until near a century afterwards.

In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled the Admiral’s regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks. In this year the King added a company of men armed with hand grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was designated the “grenadier company.” Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets, similar to those at present in use, were adopted about twenty years afterwards.

An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes.

King William III. incorporated the Admiral’s regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans; ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]

During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand grenades; and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour: the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this reign.

About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the Seven Years’ War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been limited to the musket and bayonet.

The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior numbers.

Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any arms. At _Crecy_, King Edward III., at the head of about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men; here British valour encountered veterans of renown:--the King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black Prince, defeated, at _Poictiers_, with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of France, and his son Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness, defeated, at _Agincourt_, the Constable of France, at the head of the flower of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men, and gained a complete victory.

During the seventy years’ war between the United Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and firmness;[3] and in the thirty years’ war between the Protestant Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army under the great MARLBOROUGH was spread throughout the world; and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate that country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON; and the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British Government. These achievements, with others of recent dates, in the distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.

The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular frame,--intrepidity which no danger can appal,--unconquerable spirit and resolution,--patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities, united with an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command, whose presence inspires confidence,--have been the leading causes of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time.

The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the world where the calls of their Country and the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in active continental operations, or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.

The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances of service, are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time been introduced, to insure that simplicity and celerity by which the superiority of the national military character is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations of the world, have in a great measure been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country at heart, the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:--

__|
| |
|__|
|
20 20 20 30 2|0 30 20 20 20
|
Harquebuses. Muskets. Halberds. Muskets. Harquebuses.
Archers. Pikes. Pikes. Archers.

The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.

[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the siege of Barcelona in 1705.

[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed in 1590, observes:--“I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field, let them be chosen where they list.” Yet at this time the Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during the Seventy Years’ War, see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or Buffs.

[4] _Vide_ the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot.

[5] “Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty.”--_General Orders in 1801._

In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated:--“On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves: and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,--that no circumstances can appal,--and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means.”

THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT

BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR AND APPOINTMENTS

THE WORD “MANGALORE,”

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GALLANT DEFENCE OF THAT FORTRESS IN 1783;

ALSO,

THE WORD “SERINGAPATAM,”

FOR THE SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF THAT PLACE IN 1799;

AND,

THE WORD “WATERLOO,”

IN TESTIMONY OF THE GALLANTRY OF THE SECOND BATTALION
AT THAT BATTLE ON THE 18th OF JUNE, 1815.

THE

SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

CONTENTS

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD.

Year Page

INTRODUCTION 1

1780 Formation of the second battalion of the forty-second,
afterwards the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment 5

1781 Embarked for India 6

1782 Campaign against Hyder Ali, and Tippoo Saib --

---- Operations before _Paniané_ 7

---- Defeat of Tippoo’s army 8

---- Decease of Hyder Ali, and succession of Tippoo to the
throne of Mysore --

1783 Siege and capture of _Onore_ 9

---- Action at the Hussanghurry Ghaut --

---- Occupation of _Mangalore_ by the British --

---- _Mangalore_ invested by Tippoo Sultan --

---- Defence of _Mangalore_ 10

---- The Royal authority granted for bearing the word
“_Mangalore_” on the regimental colour and
appointments --

---- Armistice between the British and Tippoo --

---- Renewal of hostilities --

---- Second siege of Mangalore 10

---- Termination of hostilities --

---- Embarkation of the battalion for Calcutta --

---- Employed on service in the Upper Provinces --

1786 The second battalion of the forty-second numbered
the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment 11

---- Major-General Sir George Osborn, Bart. appointed
colonel of the regiment --

---- Alteration of the facings from _blue_ to _dark green_ --

---- Establishment of the regiment --

---- Major-General Medows appointed colonel of the regiment --

1789 Hostilities renewed by Tippoo --

1790 The SEVENTY-THIRD regiment removed to the seat of war 12

---- And ordered to compose part of the force under
Major-General Abercromby --

1791 Action with the Sultan, and the siege of _Seringapatam_
deferred by the British --

1792 Operations of the troops under Major-General Abercromby --

---- Preparations for the siege of _Seringapatam_ 13

---- Cessation of hostilities --

---- Effects of the French revolution on the affairs of
India --

1793 Expedition against the French settlement of
_Pondicherry_ --

1795 Capture of the Dutch settlements in _Ceylon_ 15

1796 The regiment stationed in that island, and employed
in completing its conquest --

---- Major-General Lake appointed colonel of the regiment --

1797 The regiment embarked for Madras --

1798 Removed to Poonamallee --

1798 Alliances formed by Tippoo for renewing hostilities 15

1799 The regiment ordered to take the field 16

---- Action at _Mallavelly_ --

---- Siege and capture of Seringapatam 17

---- Death of Tippoo, and termination of the campaign 18

---- Casualties of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment 19

---- Authorised to bear the word “SERINGAPATAM” on the
regimental colour and appointments --

---- General Orders issued on the occasion of the above
victory --

---- Partition of the late Sultan’s territory 20

1800 Major-General George Harris appointed colonel of the
regiment --

---- The regiment employed against the Polygars 21

1801 Removed to Gooty --

1802 Proceeded to Bellary --

1803 Returned to Gooty --

---- Proceeded to Pondicherry --

1804 Removed to Madras --

1805 Embarked for England --

1806 Disembarked at Greenwich --

---- Proceeded to Scotland --

1807 New colours received by the regiment 22

1808 Formation of the second battalion 23

1809 Discontinuance of the _Highland_ dress by the
SEVENTY-THIRD and five other regiments --

---- The first battalion embarked for New South Wales 24

1810 Arrival at Sydney --

1812 Augmentation of establishment 25

1814 The first battalion embarked for Ceylon --

1814 Complimentary General Order issued on the occasion 25

---- Aspect of affairs in Ceylon 27

1816 Invasion of the kingdom of Candy by the British 28

---- Deposition of the king of Candy, and annexation of
his territory to the British Crown --

1817 Disbandment of the second battalion 30

---- Reduction of the refractory Candian chiefs --

1818 Casualties sustained on this service 31

---- Medals struck for acts of individual gallantry 32

1821 The regiment embarked for England --

---- Landed at Gravesend, and proceeded to Weedon --

---- Reduction of establishment --

1823 The regiment proceeded to Scotland 33

---- Removed to Ireland --

1825 Augmentation of establishment --

---- Riots in Lancashire and Yorkshire --

1826 Embarked for England --

---- Tranquillity restored, and return of the regiment
to Ireland 34

1827 Formed into service and depôt companies --

---- Service companies embarked for Gibraltar --

1829 Casualties from fever at Gibraltar --

---- Major-General Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B. appointed
colonel of the regiment 35

---- Service companies proceeded to Malta, and
complimentary order prior to embarkation from
Gibraltar --

1830 Depôt companies removed from Ireland to Great
Britain 36

---- Address from Major-General Maurice O’Connell on his
promotion from the regiment --

1831 Depôt companies proceeded to Jersey 38

1834 Service companies embarked for the Ionian Islands --

1835 Depôt companies removed to Ireland 38

---- Major-General William George Lord Harris, K.C.H.
appointed colonel of the regiment --

1838 Embarkation of the service companies for Nova Scotia 39

---- Service companies removed to Canada --

1839 Depôt companies proceeded to Great Britain --

1841 Return of the service companies to England --

---- Consolidation of the regiment at Gosport --

1842 Stationed at Woolwich, subsequently at Bradford, and
afterwards at Newport, in Monmouthshire --

1844 Embarked for Ireland --

1845 Major-General Sir Robert Henry Dick, K.C.B., appointed
colonel of the regiment --

---- Formed into service and depôt companies --

---- Embarkation of the former for the Cape of Good Hope --

---- Detained at Monte Video --

1846 Major-General Sir John Grey, K.C.B., appointed colonel
of the regiment --

---- The service companies employed in the protection of
Monte Video 40

---- Re-embarkation of the service companies for the Cape
of Good Hope --

---- Employed against the Kaffirs --

1847 Casualties on this service --

1848 Removed to Cape Town --

1849 Major-General Richard Goddard Hare Clarges appointed
colonel of the regiment --

1850 Removal of the service companies to the frontier 41

1851 Employed against the Kaffirs --

CONTENTS

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SECOND BATTALION

OF

THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

Year Page

INTRODUCTION 43

1808 Formation of the Second Battalion 44

1809 Received volunteers from the Militia --

1810 Removed from Ashborne to Derby, and subsequently to
Ashford --

1811 Augmentation of establishment --

1812 Removed to Deal, and afterwards to the Tower --

1813 Augmentation of establishment --

---- Embarked for Swedish Pomerania 45

---- Joined the allied forces under Lieut.-General Count
Wallmoden --

---- Action at _Gorde_ --

---- The second battalion proceeded to the north of
Germany --

---- Proceeded to England, but embarked, without landing,
for Holland 46

1814 Bombardment of Antwerp --

---- Action at _Merxem_ --

---- March of the British troops to Breda 47

1814 Bombardment of a detachment of the battalion in Fort
Frederick by a French gun-ship 47

---- Conclusion of peace --

1815 Return of Napoleon from Elba to Paris 48

---- Renewal of hostilities --

---- Rapid advance of Napoleon --

---- The British proceeded to Charleroi 49

---- Action at _Quatre Bras_ 50

---- Casualties of the battalion --

---- Battle of WATERLOO 51

---- Casualties of the battalion 52

---- Honors conferred for the victory 53

---- Authorised to bear the word “WATERLOO” on the colour
and appointments --

---- Return of Louis XVIII. to Paris --

---- Surrender of Napoleon, and his conveyance to St.
Helena --

---- Embarkation of the battalion for England 54

1816 Stationed at Nottingham --

1817 The second battalion disbanded --

1851 CONCLUSION 55

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF

THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

Year Page

1786 Sir George Osborn, Bart. 57

---- Sir William Medows 58

1796 Gerard, afterward Viscount Lake 59

1800 George Lord Harris, G.C.B. 61

1829 The Right Honorable Sir Frederick Adam, G.C.B. 63

1835 William George Lord Harris, C.B. and K.C.H. 64

1845 Sir Robert Henry Dick, K.C.B. and K.C.H. 66

1846 Sir John Grey, K.C.B. 68

1849 Richard Goddard Hare Clarges, C.B. --

APPENDIX.

Memoir of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie 69

Memoir of Lieutenant-General Sir Maurice Charles
O’Connell, K.C.H. 70

British and Hanoverian army at Waterloo on the 18th
of June 1815 73

PLATES.

Colours of the Regiment _to face_ 1

Storming of Seringapatam, 4th May, 1799 ” 18

Costume of the Regiment ” 56

_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t Strand_

_For Cannon’s Military Records_]

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT.

During the last century several corps, at successive periods, have been borne on the establishment of the army, and numbered the SEVENTY-THIRD; the following details are therefore prefixed to the historical record of the services of the regiment which now bears that number, in order to prevent its being connected with those corps which have been designated by the same numerical title, but whose services have been totally distinct.

* * * * *

In the spring of 1758, the second battalions of fifteen regiments of infantry, from the 3rd to the 37th, were directed to be formed into distinct regiments, and to be numbered from the 61st to the 75th successively, as follows:--

_Second Battalion_ _Constituted_
3rd Foot the 61st regiment.
4th ” ” 62nd ”
8th ” ” 63rd ”
11th ” ” 64th ”
12th ” ” 65th ”
19th ” ” 66th ”
20th ” ” 67th ”
23rd ” the 68th regiment.
24th ” ” 69th ”
31st ” ” 70th ”
32nd ” ” 71st ”
33rd ” ” 72nd ”
34th ” ” 73rd ”
36th ” ” 74th ”
37th ” ” 75th ”

The 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments, thus formed, were disbanded in 1763, after the peace of Fontainebleau.

Several other corps were likewise disbanded at this period, which occasioned a change in the numerical titles of the following regiments of Invalids.

The 81st regiment (Invalids) was numbered the 71st regiment.
” 82nd ” ” ” 72nd ”
” 116th ” ” ” 73rd ”
” 117th ” ” ” 74th ”
” 118th ” ” ” 75th ”

The 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments, thus numbered, were formed into independent companies of Invalids in the year 1769, which increased the number of Invalid Companies from eight to twenty; they were appropriated to the following garrisons, namely four companies at Guernsey, four at Jersey, three at Hull, two at Chester, two at Tilbury Fort, two at Sheerness, one at Landguard Fort, one at Pendennis, and one in the Scilly Islands.

These numerical titles became thus extinct until October, 1775, when the seventy-first regiment was raised. In December, 1777, further augmentations were made to the army, and the regiments which were directed to be raised, were numbered from the seventy-second to the eighty-third regiment.

The army was subsequently increased to one hundred and five regular regiments of infantry, exclusive of eleven unnumbered regiments, and thirty-six independent companies of Invalids.

The conclusion of the general peace in 1783, occasioned the disbandment of several regiments (commencing with the seventy-first regiment), and thus changed the numerical titles of certain regiments retained on the reduced establishment of the army.

In 1786 the SEVENTY-THIRD was directed to be numbered the seventy-first regiment; the seventy-eighth to be numbered the seventy-second; and the second battalion of the forty-second to be constituted the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment. These corps had been directed to be raised in Scotland in 1777 and 1779, and were denominated Highland regiments.

The details of the services of the present SEVENTY-THIRD regiment are contained in the following pages; the histories of the seventy-first and seventy-second regiments are given in distinct numbers.

1851

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SEVENTY-THIRD REGIMENT;

ORIGINALLY RAISED AS

THE SECOND BATTALION OF THE FORTY-SECOND ROYAL HIGHLAND REGIMENT.

[Sidenote: 1779]

[Sidenote: 1780]

The present SEVENTY-THIRD regiment was authorised, on the 30th of July 1779, to be raised as the _Second Battalion of the Forty-second Royal Highlanders_, and was embodied at Perth, on the 21st of March 1780. Its establishment consisted of one lieut.-colonel (and captain), one major (and captain), eight captains, twelve lieutenants, eight ensigns, one chaplain, one adjutant, one quarter-master, one surgeon, one mate, thirty serjeants, forty corporals, twenty drummers, two pipers, and seven hundred private men. Soon after its formation, the battalion marched to Fort George to be drilled and disciplined, and in the course of the year was ordered to proceed to England for embarkation for India, where events had occurred which occasioned reinforcements to be sent to that country.

[Sidenote: 1781]

Hyder Ali, a soldier of fortune, had risen to the chief command of the army of the Ruler of Mysore, and when the Rajah died, leaving his eldest son a minor, Hyder Ali assumed the guardianship of the youthful prince, whom he placed under restraint, and seized on the reins of government. Having a considerable territory under his control, he maintained a formidable military establishment, which he endeavoured to bring into a high state of discipline and efficiency. He soon evinced decided hostility to the British interests in India, and formed a league with the French. Hostilities had also commenced between Great Britain and Holland, and the British troops were employed in dispossessing the Dutch of their settlements in Bengal, and on the coast of Coromandel. Thus three powers were opposed to the British interests in India, and the _Second Battalion of the Forty-second Royal Highland_ regiment was ordered to proceed to that country.

About the end of the previous year the battalion had arrived at Gravesend from North Britain, and on the 21st of January 1781, embarked at Portsmouth for India, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Norman Macleod.

One division of the regiment landed at Madras on the 18th of May: but the other divisions, consisting of seven companies and a half, had a voyage of thirteen months and thirteen days; they ultimately landed at Bombay in February 1782.

[Sidenote: 1782]

These divisions, soon after landing, took the field, and the battalion was subsequently united under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Macleod, when it shared in the campaign against Hyder Ali and his son Tippoo Saib.

The situation of Colonel Thomas Frederick Mackenzie Humberston (Lieut.-Colonel Commandant of the seventy-eighth, now seventy-second regiment) who had been despatched with troops to the Malabar coast, having become very perilous, the second battalion of the _Forty-second_ regiment, with other troops, proceeded to his relief at Mungarry Cottah. In the meantime Tippoo Saib, with his usual activity, suddenly collected a body of troops, and proceeded to cut off the force at that station. Notwithstanding the secrecy of the expedition, Colonel Humberston received some vague intelligence of its arrival on the northern banks of the Coleroon, and suspecting at once the design of the enemy, destroyed the fortifications at Mungarry Cottah, and retreated to Ramgaree; where receiving certain information that Tippoo was approaching with the utmost rapidity, he withdrew to _Paniané_, fighting every step of the march. Upon arriving at the river Paniané, a deep ford, after a search of two hours, was found, and the troops passed over, up to the chin in water, with the loss of only two camp followers. He gained the Fort of _Paniané_ on the 20th of November, much to the surprise of Tippoo, who had expected an easy conquest.

Colonel Macleod, of the second battalion of the _Forty-second_ regiment, having arrived at _Paniané_ from Madras, the command of the forces devolved upon him, and the place was immediately invested by Tippoo Saib and Monsieur Lally, with an army amounting to eight thousand infantry, including some hundreds of French and Europeans; ten thousand cavalry, and above six thousand polygars. The enemy kept up a considerable but ineffectual cannonade for some days; the British commander at length endeavoured to surprise the enemy’s camp, but after forcing an outpost or two, and taking a few prisoners, the colonel found it necessary to relinquish the design.

This sally was returned by Tippoo in a few days, who made a vigorous attack with his combined army on the 28th of November, being led by Monsieur Lally at the head of his Europeans. Tippoo’s forces were everywhere repulsed with the greatest gallantry, and the victors profited by their success as much as their disparity in numbers would admit. About two hundred of the dead of the enemy, whom he was not able to carry off, were buried by the British; and a French officer, who led one of the columns to the attack, was taken prisoner. Colonel Macleod and the troops under his command acquired great praise for their gallantry at _Paniané_.

Tippoo acknowledged his defeat by repassing the river Paniané, and placing it as a barrier against the British. A state of inaction succeeded on both sides for several days: but in the night between the 11th and 12th of December, Tippoo suddenly broke up his camp, and returned by rapid marches to Palacatcherry, from whence he proceeded directly back to the Carnatic.

In December 1782, occurred the decease of Hyder Ali, and he left a kingdom of his own acquisition to his son Tippoo Saib, who now became one of the most powerful princes in India.

[Sidenote: 1783]

Brigadier-General Mathews having determined to besiege the city of _Onore_, situated midway between Paniané and Bombay, Colonel Macleod embarked as many troops as the ships were capable of receiving, but the place was taken in January 1783, before their arrival.

The President and Council of Bombay had despatched orders to Brigadier-General Mathews, that he should penetrate through the Ghauts, (as the passes in the mountains on both sides of the Indian Peninsula are termed,) into the Bednore or Canara country, and particularly to gain possession of the capital, which along with a strong fort on a small mountain that joins the city, were the great depositories of the treasures collected by the late Hyder Ali, as well as the grand magazines of his arms and military stores.

After the capture of _Onore_, Brigadier-General Mathews, in pursuance of his orders, proceeded further down the coast, and took the towm of Cundapore with little loss. He subsequently forced a passage through the Ghauts, and the rich Canara kingdom, with its capital, now lay open to the invaders. The city of Bednore had recently changed its name to Hyder Nagur, or the Royal City of Hyder.

The government and command of the city and country were lodged in the hands of Hyat Saib, who surrendered the place to the British, after an action had taken place at the Hussanghurry Ghaut. This occurred early in February 1783; and on the 9th of March _Mangalore_ fell into the hands of the British.

Tippoo Saib, who had now succeeded to the title of Sultan, determined to use every effort for the recovery of these favorite possessions. Having recovered Bednore, which surrendered on the 28th of April, the Sultan, in defiance of the terms of the capitulation, ordered Brigadier-General Mathews and his officers into close confinement, from which they never returned, being afterwards put to a violent death.

Tippoo next proceeded to invest _Mangalore_, on the Malabar coast, and it required all the abilities of Lieut.-Colonel John Campbell, major of the _Forty-second_, seconded by the well-tried valour of the second battalion of that regiment, and other corps, to supply the defects of the fortifications. The place was invested on the 18th of May by the whole of the enemy’s forces, commanded by Tippoo in person. The garrison under Lieut.-Colonel Campbell (Colonel Macleod being employed as a Brigadier-General), made a most gallant and successful defence, subject to hardships and wants which have seldom been exceeded in the annals of sieges.

In consequence of the General Peace which had been entered into with the European Powers, Tippoo became deprived of his French allies, and the Sultan entered into negociations for terminating the war between Mysore and the British, when an armistice took place.

This event terminated the siege of _Mangalore_ about the end of September, at a time when all the works which defended the garrison were nearly shattered to pieces; all the provisions exhausted, and numbers of the brave soldiers were dying daily, victims of want and disease.[6]

The contest was, however, again renewed, and the garrison was a second time invested by Tippoo.

[Sidenote: 1784]

The fortress of _Mangalore_ was defended until the 25th of February 1784, when sickness, and the want of provisions, compelled Lieut.-Colonel Campbell to evacuate the place, after obtaining the most honorable terms from the enemy. Peace was afterwards concluded with the Sultan of Mysore on the 11th of March following.

The battalion embarked in this year for Calcutta, and was employed on active service in the Upper Provinces of Bengal.

[Sidenote: 1786]

The _Seventy-third_ Highland Regiment, having in the year 1786 been directed to be numbered the _Seventy-first_ Regiment, the _Second Battalion_ of the _Forty-second_ Royal Highland Regiment was constituted a distinct corps, and numbered the SEVENTY-THIRD Highland Regiment, the colonelcy being conferred upon Major-General Sir George Osborn, Bart., (Lieut.-Colonel of the Third Foot Guards), from the 18th of April 1786. The facings were at the same time altered from _blue_ to _dark green_.

The establishment of the regiment for the ten companies serving in India, was fixed as follows:--One colonel, with an allowance in lieu of a company; one lieut.-colonel and captain, one major and captain; eight captains, twelve lieutenants, eight ensigns, one chaplain, one adjutant, one quarter-master, one surgeon, one surgeon’s mate, thirty serjeants, forty corporals, twenty drummers, two fifers, and seven hundred private men. The company kept at home for recruiting consisted of one captain, one lieutenant, one ensign, six serjeants, eight corporals, four drummers, and seventy private men: in all nine hundred and nineteen.

On the 11th of August 1786, Major-General William Medows was appointed to be colonel of the SEVENTY-THIRD, in succession to Major-General Sir George Osborn, Bart., who was removed to the fortieth regiment.

[Sidenote: 1789]

The insatiable ambition of Tippoo Sultan, the powerful ruler of the Mysore, soon involved the British Government in India in another war; he appeared near the confines of Travancore, at the head of a powerful army, made unreasonable demands on the Rajah, a British ally, and commenced hostilities towards the end of December 1789.

[Sidenote: 1790]

This caused the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment to be removed from the Presidency of Bengal, and it joined the troops under Major-General Robert Abercromby, which consisted of His Majesty’s seventy-fifth and seventy-seventh regiments, in addition to other corps belonging to the East India Company.

[Sidenote: 1791]

The Mahratta armies having advanced to Seringapatam in May 1791, later than the appointed period, their delay, and other unforeseen circumstances, compelled General Charles Earl Cornwallis, K.G., to destroy his battering train, after having defeated Tippoo on the 15th of May, in a pitched battle, and obliged his lordship to lead back his army, leaving the siege of the enemy’s capital to be the object of another campaign.

The Bombay army, of which the SEVENTY-THIRD formed part, commanded by Major-General Abercromby, had, with infinite labour, formed roads, and brought a battering train, with a large supply of provisions and stores, over fifty miles of woody mountains called Ghauts, that immense barrier separating the Mysore country from the Malabar coast. This army, after surmounting all its difficulties, had therefore to retrace its steps, worn down by sickness and fatigue, and exposed to the incessant rains which then deluged the western coast of India.

The troops under Major-General Abercromby were again ordered to act from the same quarter as in the former campaign; they marched on the 5th of December towards the Poodicherrim Ghaut, and took possession of the pass on the 15th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1792]

On the 5th of February 1792, General the Earl Cornwallis directed Major-General Abercromby to march from his encampment near Periapatam, and on the 11th of that month he crossed the Cavery, at Eratore, a ford about thirty miles above Seringapatam, and joined the army under Earl Cornwallis on the 16th of February.

Meanwhile the army under General the Earl Cornwallis had attacked the forces of the Sultan on the night of the 6th of February, near _Seringapatam_, and gained a decisive victory.

The power of the Sultan being greatly reduced, and preparations for the siege of his capital having been commenced, he sued for peace, and a treaty was concluded, by which half of his dominions were ceded to the allies. A large sum of money was also to be paid by the Sultan, all the prisoners in his power were released, and two of his sons were delivered as hostages.

[Sidenote: 1793]

The French Revolution, which had commenced a few years previously, had at this period assumed a character which called forth the efforts of other countries to arrest the progress of its destructive principles, and on the 1st of February 1793, shortly after the decapitation of Louis XVI., war was declared by the National Convention of France against Great Britain and Holland.

News of this event arrived in India in May 1793; in June the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment was ordered to prepare to take the field; it marched soon afterwards against the French settlement of _Pondicherry_, on the coast of Coromandel, and arrived before the fortress in July,--being formed in brigade, with the seventy-second and seventy-fourth regiments, and the third East India Company’s European regiment, under Lieut.-Colonel David Baird of the seventy-first regiment; the troops employed on this service were commanded by Colonel John Brathwaite.

The siege of _Pondicherry_ was commenced in the early part of August, the army encamping in a thick wood where tigers were so numerous, that the natives durst not travel in the night. On the 22nd of August a white flag was displayed by the garrison, with a request for permission to surrender. The French soldiers in the fortress had embraced democratical principles, and were particularly insubordinate; they insisted that the governor should surrender, but after the white flag was displayed, they fired two shells, which killed several men. During the night they were guilty of every species of outrage, breaking into houses and becoming intoxicated. On the following morning, a number of them environed the house of the Governor, General Charmont, and threatened to hang him before the door, when application was made to the British for protection. The English soldiers rushed into the town, overpowered the insurgents, rescued the governor, and preserved the inhabitants from further violence.

[Sidenote: 1795]

In the early part of the year 1795, Holland became united to France, and was styled the Batavian republic. When information of this event arrived in India, an expedition was immediately fitted out against the large and mountainous island of _Ceylon_, where the Dutch had several settlements, and the SEVENTY-THIRD Highlanders were selected to take part in the enterprise; the troops employed on this service were commanded by Colonel James Stuart, of the seventy-second, who was promoted to the rank of Major-General at this period. The fleet arrived on the coast of Ceylon on the 1st of August, and two days afterwards they landed four miles north of the Fort of _Trincomalee_; the siege of the place was commenced as soon as the artillery and stores could be landed, and removed sufficiently near to the place. On the 26th of August a practicable breach was effected, and the garrison surrendered. The fort of _Batticaloe_ surrendered on the 18th of September, and the fort and island of _Manaar_ capitulated on the 5th of October.

[Sidenote: 1796]

The regiment continued to be actively employed until the whole of the Dutch settlements in Ceylon were reduced, which was accomplished in February, 1796, when the governor, John Geraud Van Angelbeck, surrendered the fortress of _Colombo_ to the British arms. The people in the interior of the island had not been deprived of their independence by the Dutch, and they were not interfered with by the British so long as they preserved a peaceful demeanour.

Major-General Gerard Lake was removed from the colonelcy of the fifty-third to that of the SEVENTY-THIRD regiment on the 2nd of November, 1796, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir William Medows, K.B., who was appointed colonel of the seventh dragoon guards.

[Sidenote: 1797]

In April 1797, the regiment proceeded from Colombo to Point Pedro, in Ceylon, and shortly afterwards embarked for Madras. It was removed from Fort St. George to Wallajahbad in October, but returned to Fort St. George in January, 1798.

[Sidenote: 1798]

The regiment proceeded from Fort St. George to Poonamallee in September, 1798, and continued at that station during the remainder of the year.