Chapter I: Part 1

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HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE SIXTH, OR INNISKILLING REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS:

Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1689, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846.

Compiled by

RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.

Adjutant General's Office, Horse-Guards.

Illustrated with Plates of the Guidons, and of the Uniform in 1742, 1825, and 1843.

London: Parker, Furnivall, & Parker, 30, Charing Cross.

M DCCC XLVII.

London:--Printed by W. Clowes & Sons, Duke Street, Stamford Street, for Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

GENERAL ORDERS.

_HORSE GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.

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

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

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

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

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

And,

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

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

JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.

PREFACE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"CHARLES R.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOOTNOTES:

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

[2] Military Papers, State Paper Office.

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

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

[5] State Paper Office.

[6] The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appears to have taken place in 1684; the Life Guards, however, carried carbines from their formation in 1660.--_Vide_ the 'Historical Record of the Life Guards.'

THE SIXTH,

OR

THE INNISKILLING DRAGOONS,

BEAR, AS A REGIMENTAL BADGE,

THE CASTLE OF INNISKILLING;

WITH THE WORD "_INNISKILLING_" UNDERNEATH,
COMMEMORATIVE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE
REGIMENT WAS FORMED IN 1689;

ALSO THE WORD

"WATERLOO,"

AS A TESTIMONY OF THEIR DISTINGUISHED GALLANTRY
AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO,
ON THE 18th OF JUNE,

1815.

CONTENTS.

Year Page

The circumstances which gave rise to the Formation
of the Regiment 1

1688 The Revolution 3

---- The people of Inniskilling and Londonderry oppose
the proceedings of King James II., and refuse
admittance to his troops 4

1689 Various Skirmishes--the Siege of Londonderry 6

---- Battle of Newton Butler 12

---- The Sixth, or Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons,
embodied 13

---- Siege of Londonderry raised --

---- The Regiment joins the Army under Duke Schomberg 14

1690 Placed on the establishment of the Regular Army 16

---- Capture of Belturbet--Action at Cavan 17

---- Action at Butler's Bridge 19

---- Capture of the Castles of Killeshandra and Ballingargy 20

---- Battle of the Boyne 21

---- Detached against Athlone--Siege of Limerick 25

1691 Capture of Ballymore and Athlone 26

---- Battle of Aghrim --

---- Capture of Galway 27

---- Services before Sligo 28

---- Surprised at Coloony 29

---- Termination of the War in Ireland 31

1708 The Regiment embarks for England 33

1709 Marches to Scotland --

1713 Returns to England --

1714 Stationed in Scotland --

1715 Battle of Dumblain 34

1728 Marches to England 37

1729 Returns to Scotland --

1733 Stationed in England --

1742 Embarks for Flanders 39

1743 Battle of Dettingen 40

1745 ---- ---- Fontenoy 43

1746 ---- ---- Roucoux 45

1747 ---- ---- Val 46

1748 Returns to England 48

1751 Description of the Uniform and Guidons 49

1755 A Light Troop added 51

1758 Expedition to St. Maloes 53

---- ---- ---- Cherbourg 54

---- Embarks for Germany --

1759 Battle of Minden 56

---- Action at Wetter 57

1760 Battle of Warbourg 58

---- Skirmish near Zierenberg 60

---- Surprise at Zierenberg --

---- Battle of Campen 61

1761 ---- ---- Kirch-Denkern 62

1762 ---- ---- Groebenstien 63

1763 Returns to England 64

---- Light troop disbanded, and eight men per troop, of
the heavy troops, equipped as Light Dragoons --

1764 Alterations in the equipment --

1765 Stationed in Scotland --

1766 ---- ---- England --

1767 Reviewed by King George III. 65

1711 Stationed in Scotland 65

1772 ---- ---- England --

1776 ---- ---- Scotland 66

1777 ---- ---- England --

1779 Men equipped as Light Dragoons incorporated in the
Twentieth Regiment of Light Dragoons 67

1793 Embarks for Flanders 68

---- Covering the Siege of Valenciennes 69

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Dunkirk --

---- Action at Menin 70

1794 ---- ---- Vaux 71

---- Covering the Siege of Landrécies --

---- Battle of Cateau --

---- ---- ---- Tournay 72

---- Action at Bauvines 73

---- Retreat through Holland to Germany 74

1795 Returns to England 77

1798 Reviewed by King George III. 78

1808 Stationed in Scotland 79

1809 Embarks for Ireland --

1814 Returns to England --

1815 Embarks for Flanders 80

---- Battle of Waterloo 83

---- Advances to Paris 89

1816 Returns to England 90

1818 Stationed in Scotland --

1819 Embarks for Ireland --

1821 Stationed at Dublin, on the occasion of the Visit
of King George IV. to Ireland --

1823 Embarks for Scotland 91

1824 Stationed in England --

1829 Embarks for Ireland --

1833 Stationed in Scotland 92

1834 ---- ---- England --

1838 Stationed in Ireland 92

1841 ---- ---- England 93

1842 ---- ---- Scotland, and furnishes the Royal Escorts
on the Visit of Queen Victoria to Edinburgh, &c --

1843 Marches to England --

1846 Embarks for Ireland 95

The Conclusion --

Succession of Lieutenant-Colonels 96

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

1689 Sir Albert Cunningham 97

1691 Robert Echlin 98

1715 John Earl of Stair, K.T. --

1734 Charles Lord Cadogan 100

1743 John Earl of Stair, K.T. 101

1745 John Earl of Rothes --

1750 The Honourable James Cholmondeley 102

1775 Edward Harvey 103

1778 James Johnston 104

1797 George A. Earl of Pembroke, K.G. 106

1827 The Honourable Sir William Lumley, G.C.B. 107

1840 Sir Joseph Stratton, K.C.H --

---- Sir George Pownall Adams, K.C.H. 108

PLATES.

Guidons of the Regiment to face 1

Uniform of 1742 " 39

Uniform of 1815 " 80

Uniform of 1843 " 95

[To face page 1.]

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SIXTH,

OR,

THE INNISKILLING REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOONS.

The circumstances under which the formation of the SIXTH, OR THE INNISKILLING REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS, took place, derived their origin from the political events of the reign of King James II., and from the diversity of religious sentiments entertained by His Majesty's subjects in Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1172]

[Sidenote: 1370]

[Sidenote: 1534]

[Sidenote: 1660]

[Sidenote: 1684]

In the twelfth century (1172) Ireland, which had been divided into a number of independent states, of which Munster, Leinster, Meath, Ulster, and Connaught were principal sovereignties, submitted to the authority of the English monarch Henry II. The religion of the people was the Roman Catholic, the same as generally prevailed in other parts of Europe; but two centuries afterwards, the introduction of the reformed religion commenced (1370), and was completed in England in 1534, in the reign of Henry VIII.; it, however, made little progress in Ireland, where the majority of the inhabitants continued Roman Catholics. The English, having embraced the Protestant religion, extended their reformed ecclesiastical institutions to Ireland, where many Protestant families fixed their residence and obtained possessions. The differences in religion, unfortunately, created hostile feelings between the English and Irish; commotions occurred, and a military establishment was found necessary. This consisted of various numbers at different periods: after the Restoration in 1660, the Army of Ireland was composed of twenty troops of horse, a regiment of foot guards, and seventy companies of foot; which were formed into three regiments of cavalry and eight of infantry, including the (Irish) foot guards[7], in 1684. In the following year King James II. ascended the throne, and instead of overlooking the nominal distinctions among his subjects, and seeking to promote the welfare of all, he commenced his endeavours to re-establish the Roman Catholic religion in the three kingdoms, by the most arbitrary proceedings in Ireland. Opposite views and interests were thus brought into collision; evil passions were called forth, which produced effects contrary to those designed, and the results embroiled Ireland in intestine war, and involved many families in misery. The King also commenced arbitrary proceedings in England, where a number of noblemen and gentlemen of property and influence, united in soliciting the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army to aid them in opposing the measures of the Court.

[Sidenote: 1688]

In the autumn of 1688 the Prince of Orange prepared an armament for England, when the army in Ireland was augmented with men of the Roman Catholic religion, who, not obtaining regular pay, were permitted to seize on the property of Protestants for subsistence: persecutions were also commenced against the latter, and a report was circulated of a design to massacre all persons of the reformed religion, on a named day, when many families fled to England, and others prepared to defend themselves.

Appearing on the western coast of England, as the supporter of civil and religious liberty, the Prince of Orange landed his army on the 5th of November; he was welcomed by the people,--joined by many noblemen,--by officers of rank and distinction, and by a number of soldiers, and he advanced by triumphant marches to the capital, where his arrival was celebrated with public rejoicings: King James vacated the throne, and escaped to France.

These events afforded the strongest encouragement to the Protestants of Ireland to make a bold resistance to the proceedings of their opponents, and to join in the same REVOLUTION which had secured the blessings of a constitutional monarchy, and of religious liberty, for England. The principles of self-defence stimulated them to make a daring effort for the preservation of their liberties, in the hope of being aided from England; and from the opposition thus made to illegal aggression, the SIXTH, OR THE INNISKILLING, REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS, derived its origin.

The city of LONDONDERRY, so called in consequence of a number of Londoners having settled there in the reign of James I., was garrisoned by Lord Montjoy's regiment, which had many Protestants in it: this corps was ordered to march towards Dublin, and the Earl of Antrim's newly-raised corps, all Catholics, was expected to be ready to take charge of the garrison; but some delay occurring, a town guard was organised; and when the Earl of Antrim's regiment approached, it was refused admittance: the gates of the city were closed on the 7th of December, and the most determined resistance evinced by the inhabitants, who were encouraged by David Cairnes, Esq., of Knockmany, and other zealous gentlemen.

About the same period the inhabitants of INNISKILLING refused to allow two companies of Sir Thomas Newcomen's regiment to enter their town. Thus two important places were preserved from the power of the adherents of King James, and a military force was organised for their protection. Gustavus Hamilton, Esq., was elected governor of Inniskilling, and colonel of the troops of horse and companies of foot formed there, and Thomas Lloyd, Esq., lieutenant-colonel. Colonel Lundy was governor of Londonderry, situate about fifty-five English miles from Inniskilling. The Protestant inhabitants of the north of Ireland enrolled themselves for their mutual defence; but those who fell into the power of the adherents of King James were deprived of their arms and property, and treated with great severity.

[Sidenote: 1689]

The early part of the year 1689 was spent in active preparations for defence: a corps of horse, another of dragoons, and eight battalions of foot were formed, and applications were forwarded to England for military stores.

In February, the Prince and Princess of Orange were elevated to the throne, by the title of King William and Queen Mary, and their accession was proclaimed at Inniskilling on the 11th of March. On the following day King James landed at Kinsale from France; he was accompanied by five thousand French troops, and made his public entry into Dublin on the 24th of March, three days after the accession of William and Mary had been proclaimed at Londonderry.

In the mean time several encounters had taken place between the forces of King James and the newly-raised Protestant corps in the north of Ireland, in which many of the latter were overpowered; but the Inniskilling men were conspicuous for personal bravery, which they evinced on several occasions, and by their valour they preserved themselves from many of the calamities which befel others. On the approach of Lord Galmoy with a detachment of King James's army, the country people, fearing a general massacre, fled with their cattle and effects to Inniskilling. King James's troops besieged _Crom Castle_; but were driven from before the place with loss; and a party of his dragoons was seized at Armagh; a most gallant action was performed by two troops of horse and three companies of foot, under Mr. Matthew Anketill, by which _Monaghan Castle_ was preserved; and on the 12th of March Lord Blayney defeated a body of the Irish at _Ardtray bridge_. The success was, however, not always on one side: Captain Henry Hunter and a band of armed Protestants were surprised and destroyed, near Comber; and a party of Inniskilling men were slaughtered on the banks of the _Aughaclane_.

The army of King James advanced against _Londonderry_, to which city the Protestants of that part of the country fled as to their last refuge, and they defended the place with heroic gallantry against the numerous army by which it was besieged.

Colonels Thomas Cunningham and Solomon Richards arrived at Lough Foyle in the middle of April, with their regiments, the ninth and seventeenth foot, for the support of Derry; but in consequence of the misrepresentations of the governor, Colonel Lundy, who stated that there was not provision in the town for more than ten days, and that an army of 25,000 men was near the gates, they returned to England. The governor and town-council were desirous of surrendering; but when King James approached the town with his army, the garrison broke through all restraint--fired on the besieging force, killed several men, threatened to hang the governor and council for tampering with the enemy, and declared their resolution to defend the place to the last extremity. The governor escaped in disguise; a new council was chosen; and the Reverend George Walker and Major Thomas Baker were nominated joint-governors during the siege.

The attack made by the army of King James having been repulsed, the town was invested on the 20th of April. The garrison of LONDONDERRY consisted of seven thousand untrained countrymen, without engineers; the town was not well fortified; twenty guns only were on the walls, and not one of them well mounted; yet the city was successfully defended, for more than three months, against a formidable army, which proves how much depends on bravery and resolution. The garrison made several gallant sorties, and inflicted severe loss on the besieging troops.

Meanwhile the INNISKILLING men under Gustavus Hamilton were not inactive. Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd made a successful incursion into the enemy's quarters, took and burnt the fortifications of _Augher_, and returned to Inniskilling with an immense number of cattle. The same officer routed a body of King James's troops at _Belleek_, killing a hundred soldiers, taking thirty prisoners, and capturing two guns; and he threw a relief into Ballyshannon on the 8th of May, without the loss of a man, which proved a brilliant commencement of aggressive warfare: he also captured the enemy's garrison at Redhill, and the castle of _Ballynecarreg_, in the county of Cavan; and Captains Francis Gore and Arnold Crosbie brought off two hundred troop horses from a pasture at _Omagh_, which mounted three troops of Inniskilling men.

The garrison of Londonderry becoming distressed for want of provisions, the INNISKILLING men advanced to its relief; but the approach of a body of troops, under Major-General Sarsfield, to besiege Ballyshannon, and of another, under Colonel Sutherland, to Belturbet, with the view of besieging the town of INNISKILLING, obliged them to return and defend their own quarters. The gallant Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd was detached against _Belturbet_, from whence Colonel Sutherland fled, on the 15th of June, leaving a detachment of dragoons to defend the church, who surrendered, and the INNISKILLING men gained possession of a supply of ammunition and provisions, eighty troop horses with accoutrements, and seven hundred muskets, which enabled them to equip themselves better than before, and to add several new companies to their levies.

Meanwhile the garrison of Londonderry continued to defend that fortress with sanguinary perseverance, and few days passed without King James's army sustaining severe loss from the sallies of the resolute defenders of the place. The want of provisions occasioned the loss of many men from dysentery; and Governor Baker dying on the 30th of June, Colonel Mitchelburne was elected joint-governor with the Reverend Mr. Walker. The cruelties exercised on the inhabitants of the neighbouring towns and villages, to induce the garrison to surrender, stimulated the men to resistance. Major-General Kirke arrived on the 30th of June with two regiments of foot (the second and eleventh), and a supply of arms, ammunition and provisions, but was prevented from approaching the town by forts on the banks, and a boom across the river. After waiting a few days, he landed on the island of Inch, where he threw up entrenchments, and being joined by a number of countrymen, he formed the design of assembling a sufficient force for relieving the town by land. On the 12th of July he was visited on board his vessel by the Reverend Andrew Hamilton, and Mr. John Rider, who represented to him the state of affairs at INNISKILLING, and obtained a supply of arms, ammunition, and eight field-pieces; also commissions for a regiment of horse to be commanded by Colonel William Wolseley,--a regiment of dragoons of twelve troops, commanded by Colonel James Wynne (afterwards the fifth, or Royal Irish dragoons), and three regiments of foot, commanded by Colonels Zachariah Tiffin (now twenty-seventh), Gustavus Hamilton, and Thomas Lloyd, with a troop of cavalry to be attached to each battalion of infantry.

Before these corps were embodied, King James's generals, designing to crush the intrepid _Inniskilling_ bands at once, sent three bodies of troops against them. Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd, by a forced march of twenty miles, surprised one division, under Major-General Sarsfield, in their camp by night, and although his opponents were five times more numerous than his own party he routed them with a dreadful slaughter. The Duke of Berwick, advancing with the second body of King James's army, destroyed two companies of Inniskilling foot sent forward to secure a pass, but when he came to the defences made to cover the approach to the town, he did not venture to attack them, but withdrew, and was soon afterwards ordered to join the army before Londonderry: he subsequently skirmished with a body of men which Major-General Kirke had landed at Rathmetan, but failed to dislodge them.

The third division of King James's army advancing against INNISKILLING was commanded by Major-General Justin M'Carthy, who had been created Viscount Mountcashel, and it was more formidable than the other two; but the INNISKILLING men had become emboldened by success, and they fearlessly advanced to meet their more numerous antagonists. Their leading column encountered and routed the Viscount Mountcashel's advance-guard, between Linaskea and Inniskilling on the 30th of July, slew two hundred men, and took thirty prisoners. In the afternoon of the same day, the INNISKILLING forces, amounting to about two thousand men, under Colonel Wolseley, attacked the opposing army, of very superior numbers, in a formidable position at _Newton Butler_. By forcing their way over numerous difficulties, and traversing a dangerous bog, the INNISKILLING men were enabled to assail the front of the adverse host, and their attack was made with so much audacity and heroic ardour, that the opposing ranks were panic-stricken, and fled in dismay. The gallant INNISKILLING men pursued at speed, and overtaking their adversaries among the bogs and loughs, slaughtered two thousand fugitives; about five hundred were drowned in attempting to escape across the deep waters, and nearly five hundred more were taken prisoners, including Viscount Mountcashel, and Colonel Anthony Hamilton. This surprising victory was gained with the loss of twenty men killed, and fifty wounded. Among the trophies of the day were one iron and seven brass guns, a number of standards and colours, a quantity of military stores, and the whole of the enemy's baggage.

Many of the INNISKILLING men, who had evinced great personal bravery, had not been regimented, and SIR ALBERT CUNNINGHAM, a gentleman highly esteemed in the county, and who had been deprived of the appointment of Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance in Ireland, by King James, for his adherence to the reformed religion, was authorized to embody six hundred men, into a regiment of dragoons of twelve troops, of which he was appointed colonel; and the corps, thus formed of the distinguished champions for the institutions of their country, having been retained in the service of the Crown to the present period, now bears the title of the SIXTH, OR THE INNISKILLING, REGIMENT OF DRAGOONS.

While the most signal success attended the gallant INNISKILLING men, the garrison of Londonderry was distressed for want of provisions, and on the day that the battle of Newton Butler was fought, the ships Montjoy of Londonderry, and Phœnix of Coleraine, convoyed by the Dartmouth frigate, forced the boom under a heavy fire from the banks of the river, and, after encountering many difficulties, anchored at the ship-quay, to the great joy and relief of the brave defenders of the town. King James's generals were so dispirited by this success, and the loss at Newton Butler, that on the night of the 31st of July they raised the siege, which had occupied one hundred and five days, and retired, having lost from eight to nine thousand men, and many officers, in their fruitless attempt to reduce the city.

Thus terminated the siege of LONDONDERRY, which from the circumstances of its commencement, the sufferings endured during its progress, and the determined conduct of its brave defenders, ranks among the glorious achievements recorded in the annals of war. Governor Walker proceeded to England with an address, on the occasion, to King William and Queen Mary, and was received at Court with all the honour due to his distinguished services.

In the mean time an army was raising in England to aid in rescuing Ireland from the power of King James, and was placed under the orders of the veteran Marshal Frederick Duke Schomberg, who arrived in Ireland in August, with ten thousand men, and besieged Carrickfergus, which surrendered before the end of the month.

Twelve troops of Wolseley's horse, six troops of Wynne's (late fifth Royal Irish), and six of CUNNINGHAM'S (now SIXTH) dragoons, Tiffin's (now twenty-seventh) Inniskilling foot, and Mitchelburne's Londonderry regiment (afterwards disbanded), joined the army commanded by the Duke Schomberg, and were employed in the operations of the campaign. The INNISKILLING troopers had made their name a terror to their opponents, and were highly esteemed in the English army. Story, the historian of these wars, states, 'I went three miles beyond the camp, where I met the _Inniskilling_ horse and dragoons, whom the Duke had ordered to be an advance-guard to his army. I wondered much to see their horses and equipage, hearing before what feats had been done by them. They were three regiments in all, and most of the troopers and dragoons had their waiting-men mounted upon garrons (small horses); some of them had holsters, and others their pistols hung at their sword-belts.'

The same author adds, 'If these men had been permitted to go on in their old forward way, it is probable they would have saved the town of Newry being burnt.'

The INNISKILLING cavalry performed several feats of gallantry, on detached services, during the period the army was at the unhealthy camp at Dundalk; and subsequently returned to their own country for winter quarters.

[Sidenote: 1690]

Previous to the 1st of January, 1690, the Inniskilling cavalry had been considered more as corps of mounted militia, or of yeomanry cavalry, than as regular troops; but at that period the Inniskilling and Londonderry forces were placed on the establishment of the regular army. The following is an extract from King William's warrant on the occasion:--

'WILLIAM R.

'WHEREAS we have thought fit to forme a regiment of horse,
together with two regiments of dragoons, and three regiments of
foot, out of Our INNISKILLING forces, and to take them into our
pay and entertainment, we do hereby pass this Our establishment
of the said forces, to commence on the 1st day of January,
1689-90, in the first year of our reign[8].'

INNISKILLING FORCES.

Officers and Amount
Soldiers. per Annum.

A regiment of horse, of twelve troops 714 40,207 15 10

Two regiments of dragoons, of eight
troops each 1162 41,415 6 8

Three regiments of foot, of thirteen
companies each 2781 48,435 10 0

LONDONDERRY FORCES.

Two regiments of foot, of thirteen
companies each 1854 32,290 6 8
---- ---------------
Total 6511 162,348 19 2
==== ===============

CUNNINGHAM'S INNISKILLING dragoons formed part of the force with which Colonel Wolseley captured the town of _Belturbet_, which was occupied as a frontier garrison. The colonel having afterwards learnt that his opponents were about to assemble at _Cavan_, to attack his quarters, left Belturbet on the evening of the 10th of February, 1690, with three troops of horse, two of the INNISKILLING dragoons, and seven hundred foot of Kirke's (now second), Wharton's (now twelfth), Tiffin's (now twenty-seventh), and proceeded by a circuitous route towards Cavan, with the intention of surprising his opponents in their quarters, before the arrival of their expected reinforcements. Having passed the river at midnight, at a ford two miles above Ballyhaise,--the infantry on horseback behind the troopers,--he moved quietly towards Cavan, but met with obstructions which delayed his march, and the day had dawned when he drew near the town, when, to his great astonishment, he saw upwards of three thousand men, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, formed on a rising ground to oppose him. The disparity of numbers was great; but trusting to the innate valour of his soldiers, he sent forward a hundred INNISKILLING dragoons to commence the action. As they advanced along a narrow lane, they were galled by the fire of musketry from behind the hedges, charged by a body of cavalry, and driven back; but a volley from the musketeers checked the enemy, and the troops continued their march. After deploying in front of the enemy, a reserve was ordered to halt, and Colonel Wolseley advanced with the remainder in order of battle. As he ascended the position, the enemy raised a loud shout and fired a volley; but the balls passed over the heads of Wolseley's men, who continued to advance until they arrived within forty paces of their opponents, and then opened a sharp fire with good effect. The infantry, slinging their muskets, were about to charge sword in hand, when, the smoke clearing away, they discovered King James's infantry flying to the fort in a panic, and the cavalry galloping towards the town. Wolseley's men rushed forward, and entering the town, found stores of provisions, shoes, ammunition, and brass money; the temptation being great, they commenced plundering, when the enemy's infantry sallied out of the fort, and resumed the fight. Wolseley attacked them with his reserve, and the soldiers hurrying out of the town, and joining in the contest, their opponents were driven back with the loss of three hundred men killed, and about two hundred taken prisoners; the Duke of Berwick narrowly escaped, having had his horse killed under him.

Colonel Wolseley had about thirty men killed. He observed, in his public despatch, 'Our men showed on this, as on former occasions, a very great forwardness to engage the enemy, notwithstanding the inequality of their numbers, and gave new proofs of their courage and bravery, particularly Major-General Kirke's men[9].' After destroying the stores and ammunition which they were unable to remove, the detachment returned to its quarters; and the enemy, having discovered the resolute character of the troops in Belturbet, laid aside the design of attacking them.

On the night of the 4th of March, a detachment of INNISKILLING cavalry, with fifty men of Colonel Erle's regiment, scoured the country to the vicinity of Cavan; and on the following morning attacked and carried a fortified post at _Butler's bridge_, killing twenty men and taking sixteen prisoners; then joining another detachment, drove a body of the enemy from the houses of Cavan, and completed the destruction of the town.

Provisions becoming scarce at Belturbet, Colonel Wolseley sent out two hundred INNISKILLING horse and dragoons, who scoured the country beyond Cavan and captured a thousand head of cattle. Returning with their booty, they found four hundred of the enemy formed up at the river to oppose their passage; undaunted by superior numbers, the INNISKILLING troopers rushed, sword in hand, upon their antagonists, and a few moments' conflict decided the fortune of the day; forty of King James's soldiers lay dead on the field, eight were taken prisoners, and the remainder escaped; the INNISKILLING men proceeded with their booty to Belturbet.

On the 6th of April another detachment of seven hundred men, from the regiments of Kirke, Erle, and Groven's Danes, with a party of INNISKILLING horse and dragoons, advanced from Belturbet to the castle of _Killeshandra_, which they besieged and captured after a slight resistance; and in May a detachment of CUNNINGHAM'S INNISKILLING dragoons was engaged in the capture of the castle of _Ballinacargy_. Thus these gallant horsemen succeeded in every enterprise in which they were engaged, their fame spread to distant parts, and they were a terror to their adversaries. They ventured on the most dangerous undertakings, and a detachment scoured the country to _Kells_, within twenty-seven miles of Dublin, and returned with a supply of cattle and provisions.

In June, King William arrived in Ireland, accompanied by Prince George of Denmark, and a number of noblemen; the eyes of all Europe were fixed on that country, where two kings were to contend for a crown on a public theatre, and the singular spectacle was exhibited of two princes (the Prince of Orange and the Prince of Denmark) fighting against the father of their wives (King James), and of a nephew at the head of an army against his uncle; it was, however, a contest between liberty and slavery,--between constitutional freedom and despotism. King William headed his army of English, Dutch, Brandenburgers, Danes, and French; and King James took up a position behind the river _Boyne_, with his own forces, and six thousand French and Swiss troops, furnished by Louis XIV.

On the 1st of July a general engagement took place, when the INNISKILLING dragoons had the honour of distinguishing themselves under the eye of their sovereign. On this occasion, the right wing of the English army, under the Count de Schomberg, and the centre under the Duke Schomberg, had forced the passage of the river, and were engaged, when King William drew his sword, and placing himself at the head of four troops of the INNISKILLING cavalry, told them, that having heard a great deal of their bravery, he had no doubt of witnessing it, and he led them towards the river, followed by several other corps of cavalry and infantry. The four captains requested His Majesty not to expose his person by crossing the river within shot of the enemy, but his reply was, "I will see you over." When in the middle of the stream, a volley from a regiment of the enemy's dragoons brought down one man, killed Captain Blashford's horse, and one bullet struck one of His Majesty's pistols[10]. Arriving on the opposite bank, the King threw off the bandage from his shoulder, which had been wounded on the preceding day, and brandishing his sword, led the INNISKILLING men, and other troops which had passed the river with him, against a body of King James's soldiers, three times more numerous than themselves, who were advancing towards him with fury. Intimidated by the dauntless bearing of the soldiers with King William, the enemy halted, faced about, and fled towards Donore; and the INNISKILLING cavalry rushed forward, sword in hand, with great intrepidity. The other corps which had followed His Majesty, pursued the enemy as far as Donore, where they were charged by superior numbers, and forced back. The King again placed himself at the head of the brave INNISKILLING soldiers, and while leading them forward, sustained a volley of musketry, from which several men and horses fell; he then turned to his left to enable his men to charge; this was mistaken for a signal for them also to wheel to the left, and they fell back a short distance; but quickly discovering their error, they confronted their adversaries, and dashing forward with distinguished gallantry, overthrew the opposing ranks. The battle exhibited all the horrors of civil war; English fought with English, Irish with Irish, and French against French; at the same time Dutch, Danes, Swiss, and Brandenburgers were mingled in the fray,--the colours and standards of various nations floating over the scene of combat. The Duke of Berwick's horse was killed, and he was trampled upon by the combatants. King William was in the hottest of the fight, encouraging his men, and the INNISKILLING dragoons were seen bravely contending for the victory.

Scarcely had SIR ALBERT CUNNINGHAM'S dragoons (now SIXTH) reformed their ranks after the charge, when General de Ginkell, and a party of Dutch dragoons, were seen retreating in disorder along a narrow lane, followed by crowds of the enemy, shouting and brandishing their swords; part of the INNISKILLING regiment instantly dismounted, also a detachment of Leveson's (now Third) dragoons, and throwing themselves into an old house, and lining the hedge of the lane, opened such a brisk fire, that the pursuing Irish faced about and fled. The cavalry returned to the charge; the adverse army sustained a decisive overthrow, and fled from the field. Story observes of this action, "Those of our English forces that were engaged, and had opportunity to show themselves, gave signal demonstrations of their courage and bravery; the INNISKILLINERS and French (protestants in King William's service), both horse and foot, did good service; and the Dutch guards deserve no small honour for their conduct on that day[11]."

No return of the loss of the regiment on this occasion has been met with; but at the muster at Finglas, seven days after the battle, it brought three hundred private dragoons into the field, which is nearly one hundred less than the establishment.

King James fled to Dublin, and immediately afterwards embarked for France; and King William, directing his march to the capital, gained possession of that city without loss. After this success, the SIXTH dragoons formed part of a body of troops detached under Lieutenant-General Douglas against _Athlone_. Arriving before the town, a summons to surrender was sent to the governor, the veteran Colonel Grace, who fired a pistol at the messenger and declared his determination to defend the place. Not having artillery and ammunition sufficient to prosecute the siege, the troops withdrew from before the town, and rejoined the army.

The regiment was subsequently employed before _Limerick_, which city was besieged by the English army. On the 11th of August, as the regiment lay encamped near Limerick, information arrived of the destruction of the battering train on its march to join the army by a numerous body of Irish cavalry under Brigadier-General Sarsfield (formerly an officer of the English life guards); SIR ALBERT CUNNINGHAM instantly issued from the camp with two squadrons of his dragoons, and dashing across the country, intercepted one of the enemy's detachments, which he charged with signal gallantry, slew one major, one captain, and twenty men; but their main body escaped.

When King William raised the siege of Limerick and returned to England, CUNNINGHAM'S dragoons were ordered into winter quarters; but were suddenly recalled in consequence of Brigadier-General Sarsfield having invested the castle of _Birr_, in the King's County:--after the flight of the enemy from before this post, they remained encamped near Birr, while additional fortifications were being raised, and subsequently went into quarters.

[Sidenote: 1691]

In the month of May, 1691, several ships arrived at Dublin from England with men and provisions, and great diligence was used in preparing for an early and vigorous campaign: the INNISKILLING dragoons took the field this summer, and joined the army commanded by Lieutenant-General de Ginkell, on the 6th of June, on its march towards _Ballymore_, which place was captured after a short resistance. _Athlone_ was also taken, and the army advanced against the French and Irish forces under General St. Ruth, in position near _Aghrim_, in the county of Galway, about three miles beyond Ballinasloe.