Chapter VI: Introduction (4)

The head-quarters and two squadrons of the regiment, under Major Lockwood, formed part of the force which was detached under Major-General McCaskill (Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninth Foot), for the purpose of dispersing the enemy collected in the vicinity of _Charekar_, and took part in the operations against the strong and populous town of _Istalif_, which was considered by the Affghans as totally inaccessible, but which was captured on the 29th September 1842; the numerous levies collected for its defence were totally defeated, and property of every description (much of it plundered from the army in 1841) was recovered; two brass field-pieces were captured, one of which was seized with such promptitude, that its captor, Lieutenant Elmhirst, of Her Majesty's Ninth Foot, turned its fire upon the fugitives with some effect[48].

Among the gratifying results of these successes was the release of several ladies and officers who had been detained prisoners by Akbar-Khan.

The regiment, having been present during the whole of the operations west of the Indus, leading to the occupation of Cabool, has received the Royal permission to bear on its appointments the word '_Cabool 1842_.'

[Sidenote: 1843]

[Sidenote: 1844]

The regiment left Cabool on the 12th October, 1842, and arrived at Ferozepore on the 18th December, from whence it marched to Kurnaul, where it arrived on the 27th January 1843; it remained at Kurnaul until November, when it marched for Umballa, and continued at that station during the year 1844, and until the end of the following year.

[Sidenote: 1845]

On the 11th December, 1845, the regiment, consisting of 518 men, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Michael White, marched from cantonments at Umballa, and formed a part of the leading division of the _Army of the Sutlej_, hastily assembled, under the personal command of General Sir Hugh Gough, G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief in India, for the purpose of repelling an invasion by the _Sikhs_.[49]

On arriving at the village of _Moodkee_, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, on the 18th December, the army had just taken up its encampments, when intelligence was received, that the enemy's forces, consisting of twenty thousand cavalry, and about the same number of infantry and artillery, were close at hand, and intended to surprise the British camps. The cavalry were immediately turned out, and advanced to cover the formation of the infantry, and the distinguished part which the _Third, or King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons_, took in the sanguinary and memorable battle of the evening of that day may be best judged from the words of His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief in his despatch of the 19th December 1845:--'I directed the cavalry, under Brigadiers White and Gough (of the KING'S OWN), to make a flank movement on the enemy's left, with a view of threatening and turning that flank, if possible.

'With praiseworthy gallantry, the THIRD LIGHT DRAGOONS, and the second brigade of cavalry, consisting of the body-guard and Fifth Light cavalry, with a portion of the Fourth Lancers, turned the left of the Sikh army, and sweeping along the whole rear of its infantry and guns, silenced for a time the latter, and put their numerous cavalry to flight.'

In this action the regiment suffered severely, owing to the nature of the ground, and the immense body of cavalry opposed to it. The loss, out of four hundred and ninety-four men, on this occasion, was as follows:--killed, 3 officers, 58 men; 5 officers' chargers, and 100 troop horses; wounded, 3 officers, 34 men; 2 officers' chargers, and 21 troop horses.

Brevet Major W. R. Herries, Captain G. Newton, and Cornet E. Worley, were killed.

Lieutenant S. Fisher (Acting Major of Brigade), E. G. Swinton, and E. B. Cureton, were severely wounded.

On the 21st December, the army again advanced; the Third Light Dragoons had about four hundred men; and came up with the enemy, said to consist of 70,000 men, who were strongly posted in and around the village of "FEROZESHAH" their camp intrenched, and defended by a numerous and powerful artillery.

At about four o'clock in the afternoon the action became general. The _Third Light Dragoons_ were ordered to attack the enemy's position at a point defended by some of the heaviest batteries, most of the guns being of battering calibre: as the regiment advanced, it was assailed with round shot and shell from several batteries. On arriving within about two hundred and fifty yards of the guns, the regiment moved on at top speed, under a most destructive fire of grape and musketry, whilst their infantry held the trenches at the point of the bayonet. Nothing dismayed, but determined on victory, the regiment pressed forward, and never for a moment was checked in its career until it finally entered the enemy's camp, and captured the whole of the batteries opposed to it; many of the Sikh artillerymen remaining to be cut down at their guns. Night having fallen, while the conflict was everywhere raging, and several mines having been sprung, together with the exploding of their field magazines, by which several men and horses were destroyed, the regiment was withdrawn a short distance from the burning camp, where it bivouacked for the night.

The enemy having held a portion of his position, and being strongly reinforced in the night, the battle was renewed the next morning, and the _Third Light Dragoons_ at daybreak joined the remainder of the cavalry, and participated in the action of the 22nd of December, when about three o'clock, P. M., the _Third Light Dragoons_ were again ordered to charge the enemy, which he did not wait to receive, and he was finally driven from the field, and the army bivouacked on the ground they had won. The men and horses of the _Third Light Dragoons_ were upwards of forty hours without food or water, nearly the whole of the time exposed to, and in conflict with, a powerful enemy; the days were hot and the nights intensely cold.

In this great battle the regiment lost as follows:--killed, 2 officers and 53 men; wounded, 7 officers and 86 men; total, 9 officers and 139 men: killed, 9 officers' chargers and 98 troop horses: wounded, 60 troop horses; total killed and wounded, 9 officers' chargers and 158 troop horses.

The officers killed, were Captain J. E. Codd and Cornet H. Ellis; wounded, Colonel M. White, slightly: Major C. W. M. Balders, slightly: Lieutenants, H. C. Morgan, severely; J. G. A. Beeston, slightly: Cornets, W. H. Orme, severely; J. D. White and J. Rathwell, slightly.

The Commander-in-Chief, in his despatch of the 22nd December, 1845, observes as follows: 'Although I brought up Major-General Sir Harry Smith's division, and he captured and long retained another point of the position, and Her Majesty's Third Light Dragoons charged and took some of the most formidable batteries, yet the enemy remained in possession of a considerable portion of the great quadrangle, whilst our troops, intermingled with theirs, kept possession of the remainder, and finally bivouacked upon it, exhausted by their gallant efforts, greatly reduced in numbers, and suffering extremely from thirst, yet animated by an indomitable spirit. In this state of things, the long night wore away!'

The Right Honourable the Governor-General, (Lord Hardinge), who personally witnessed the prowess of the regiment on the battle-field, makes honorable mention thereof in his Orders, dated 30th December, 1845.

'The Governor-General offers his thanks more especially to Her Majesty's Third Light Dragoons, who, on all these occasions, sought opportunities of useful conflict with the enemy, and fought with that superiority over their opponents which skill and discipline impart to brave and determined men.'

The regiment was detached from the army at Sultan-Khan-Wallah, and sent to _Ferozepore_, where it arrived on the 31st December 1845.

[Sidenote: 1846]

It remained at Ferozepore until the 18th January, 1846, and again proceeded to, and joined, the head quarters of the army at Jelliwallah, on the 20th of January.

The glorious action at _Aliwal_ took place on the 28th of January, 'when the enemy's camp was carried by storm; the whole of his cannon and munitions of war were captured, and his army driven headlong across the Sutlej; even on the right bank of which he found no refuge from the fire of our artillery.'

The Third Light Dragoons were assembled on parade on the morning of the 29th of January to celebrate the victory of _Aliwal_, when the Right Honourable the Governor-General, in the presence of the whole army, was pleased to make use of the following words, most gratifying to the feelings of every soldier:--'Colonel White, your regiment is an honour to the British army; and I wish you to make known these my sentiments, as head of this Government, to your officers and men.'

On the 10th of February, 1846, the regiment had the proud satisfaction of sharing and taking a conspicuous part in that glorious and mighty combat, _the Battle of Sobraon_, when the Sikhs were driven from their stronghold, and precipitated in masses into the Sutlej, and those proud invaders were expelled the soil of British India.

The Right Honourable the Governor-General, in his Order of Thanks to the Army, was pleased to pass the following high encomium on the conduct of the regiment in this fight:--

'Her Majesty's Third Light Dragoons, as usual, were in the foremost ranks, and distinguished themselves under their commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel White.'

His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, in his despatch, dated 13th February, 1846, thus expresses his unqualified approbation of the conduct of the regiment on this occasion:--'The Sikhs, even when at particular points their intrenchments were mastered by the bayonet, strove to regain them by the fiercest conflict sword in hand; nor was it until the cavalry of the left, under the command of Major-General Sir Joseph Thackwell,[50] had moved forward and ridden through the openings in the intrenchments made by our Sappers, in single files, and reformed as they passed them, and the Third Light Dragoons, whom no obstacle usually held formidable by horse, appears to check, had on this day, _as at Ferozeshah_, galloped over, and cut down the obstinate defenders of batteries and field-works, and until the full weight of three divisions of infantry with every field artillery gun which could be sent to their aid, had been cast into the scale, that victory finally declared for the British.[51]

'The fire of the Sikhs first slackened, and then nearly ceased; and the victors then pressing them on every side, precipitated them in masses over their bridge, and into the Sutlej, which a sudden rise of seven inches had rendered hardly fordable. In their efforts to reach the right bank through the deepened water, they suffered from our horse-artillery a terrible carnage: hundreds fell under this cannonade; hundreds upon hundreds were drowned in attempting the perilous passage. Their awful slaughter, confusion, and dismay, were such as would have excited compassion in the hearts of their generous conquerors, if the Khalsa troops had not, in the earlier part of the action, sullied their gallantry by slaughtering and barbarously mangling every wounded soldier, whom, in the vicissitudes of attack, the fortune of war left at their mercy.

'I must pause in this narrative to notice, especially, the determined hardihood and bravery with which our two battalions of Ghoorkhas, the Sirmoor and Nusseeree, met the Sikhs, wherever they were opposed to them: soldiers, of small stature but indomitable spirit, they vied in ardent courage in the charge with the grenadiers of our own nation; and armed with the short weapon of their mountains, were a terror to the Sikhs throughout this great combat.

'Sixty-seven pieces of cannon, upwards of two hundred camel-swivels (zumbooruks), numerous standards, and vast munitions of war, captured by our troops, are the pledges and trophies of our victory.

'The battle was over by eleven in the morning; and in the forenoon I caused our engineers to burn a part, and to sink a part, of the vaunted bridge of the Khalsa army, across which they had boastfully come once more to defy us, and to threaten India with ruin and devastation.

'The consequences of this great action have yet to be fully developed. It has at least, in God's providence, once more expelled the Sikhs from our territory, and planted our standards on the soil of the Punjaub. After occupying their entrenched position for nearly a month, the Khalsa army had perhaps mistaken the _caution_, which had induced us to wait for the necessary materiel, for _timidity_: but they must now deeply feel, that the blow, which has fallen on them from the British arm, has only been the heavier for being long delayed.'

The following are the losses sustained by the Third Light Dragoons in the action of _Sobraon_: killed, 5 men, 1 troop horse; wounded, 4 officers and 22 men, 2 officers' chargers and 13 troop horses.

The officers wounded were, Lieutenant-Colonel J. B. Gough (Acting Quarter-Master General), very severely; Lieutenant J. B. Hawkes, slightly; Cornet Kauntze, severely; and Quarter-Master A. Crabtree, slightly.

The Third Light Dragoons crossed the Sutlej on the 13th February, 1846, and marched on _Lahore_, where the British army arrived on the 20th, and encamped on that soil held sacred by the Khalsa troops, the 'Plains of Myan Meer,' where it remained until the 24th March. The object for which the army was assembled having been attained, the Third Light Dragoons returned to their former quarters at Umballa on the 7th April, having, in less than four months, marched upwards of six hundred miles, and taken a conspicuous part in _three_ of the greatest actions recorded in the annals of British India.

On the 22nd of February, 1846, the Right Honourable the Governor-General made the following announcement in General Orders:--

'The British Army has this day occupied the gateway of the _Citadel of Lahore_, the Badshahee Mosque, and the Huzzooree Bagh.

'The _Army of the Sutlej_ has now brought its operations in the field to a close, by the dispersion of the Sikh army, and the military occupation of _Lahore_, preceded by a series of the most triumphant successes ever recorded in the military history of India.

'The British government, trusting to the faith of treaties, and to the long subsisting friendship between the two states, had limited military preparations to the defence of its own frontier. Compelled suddenly to assume the offensive, by the unprovoked invasion of its territories, the British Army, under the command of its distinguished leader, has, in sixty days, defeated the Sikh forces in _four general actions_; has captured _two hundred and twenty pieces_ of field artillery; and is now at the _Capital_ dictating to the _Lahore Durbar_ the terms of a treaty, the conditions of which will tend to secure the British Provinces from the repetition of a similar outrage.'

On the 4th March, 1846, the Governor-General made the following further announcement:--

'Early on the morning of the 22nd February, a brigade of British troops took formal possession of the _Citadel of Lahore_, the Badshahee Musjed, and the Huzzooree Bagh.

'I considered the occupation of Lahore, and the close of active operations in the field, a proper opportunity for marking, by substantial reward, the gratitude of the British Government to its faithful and brave army, which had fought so gloriously, and so successfully; and I was glad at being able thus to bring into prominent contrast, the just reward of discipline and obedience, with the certain penalty of insubordination and violence, as exemplified in the fate of the two armies, which had been so long the objects of mutual observation; the one, victorious in the field, and honoured and bountifully rewarded by its Government; the other, in spite of its exceeding numbers and advantageous positions, vanquished in every battle, abandoned by a government it had coerced, and, with its shattered remains, left, but for the intercession of its conquerors, to disperse with no provision of any kind, and to seek a precarious subsistence by rapine and crime.'

[To face page 106.]

The following Regular Regiments formed part of the Anglo-Indian Army engaged in the Punjaub in 1845 and 1846:--

+------------------+----------------------------------------------+-------+
| | Actions at which each Regiment was | |
| | engaged. | |
| +----------+-------------+----------+----------+ |
| | Moodkee, | Ferozeshah, | Aliwal, | Sobraon, | Total.|
| | 18th Dec.| 21st & 22nd | 28th Jan.| 10th Feb.| |
| | 1845. | Dec. 1845. | 1846. | 1846. | |
| +----------+-------------+----------+----------+-------+
|3rd Light Dragoons| 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
|9th Lancers | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 |
|16th " | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|9th Foot | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
|10th " | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 |
|29th " | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 |
|31st " | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|50th " | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
|53rd " | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
|62nd " | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 |
|80th " | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 3 |
+------------------+----------+-------------+----------+----------+-------+

* * * * *

THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS, from the period of its formation in 1685, to the present time, has performed upwards of one hundred and sixty years' faithful and meritorious service in the reign of nine successive monarchs. It was employed in the several wars on the continent of Europe during the reigns of King William III.,--of Queen Anne,--and of King George II. It was again employed in Portugal, Spain, and France, from 1811 to 1818. It has been since engaged in most arduous duties in _Affghanistan_, and on the banks of the _Sutlej_, where it has acquired additional honours by its bravery; it continues to be employed in guarding the possessions of the British Crown in the distant clime of India.

Whether confronting a foreign enemy in the field, or performing duties of a painful character at home, its conduct has, on all occasions, been such as to procure the acknowledgments of the Civil Authorities by whom its assistance was required;--the commendations of the General Officers under whose immediate command it has served;--the thanks of Parliament; and the approbation of its Sovereign.

* * * * *

The compiler of the Records of the Army feels it his duty to
acknowledge, that his labours have been greatly assisted by a
memoir of the services of the Third, or the King's Own, Light
Dragoons, which was printed, in 1833, by Lieutenant Colonel Charles
Stisted, then lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. King William
IV. expressed himself much satisfied with the manner in which
the Colonel had executed a task, to which His Majesty attached
great importance, and gave him credit for the zeal and industry
with which he had undertaken and prosecuted it; a notification
to the above effect was made to Lieutenant-Colonel Stisted by
Lieutenant-General Sir Herbert Taylor, G.C.H. Lieutenant Colonel
Stisted entered the Army in May, 1794, as an ensign in the 39th
Regiment.--He was appointed to a lieutenancy in the 13th Light
Dragoons in January, 1803, and was promoted to be captain of a
troop in February, 1804: he exchanged to the Third Light Dragoons
on the 7th of February, 1811; and was promoted to a majority on
the 14th of October, 1819, and to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the
Regiment on the 22nd of July, 1830: he continued in command of the
Regiment until the 19th of May, 1837, when he exchanged to the
half-pay: he was reappointed to the full pay in September, 1841,
and retired from the service by the sale of his commission; he died
at Torquay on the 24th of July, 1842.

FOOTNOTES:

[10] The Third, ranked as Second Dragoons; the Fourth as Third; and the Second as Fourth; until the peace of Utrecht, when the claim of the Greys to precedence was submitted to a board of general officers and admitted.--_See the Historical Record of the Scots Greys._

[11] Major Wood rose to the rank of lieut.-general. See a memoir of this distinguished officer in the record of the third dragoon guards.

[12] The account of the services of the regiment in Ireland has been taken from the Official Records--London Gazettes--Accounts published by authority in 1690, and 1691--State of Europe--Story's History of the War in Ireland--Harris' Life of King William III.--and Boyer's Life of King William III.

[13] D'Auvergne's History of the Campaign in Flanders.

[14] Colonel Lloyd being sick at Brussels and the Lieutenant-Colonel on leave of absence.

[15] The original embarkation return, signed by the Colonel of the regiment, is among the Harleian manuscripts in the British Museum, No. 7025.

[16] Annals of Queen Anne, page 93.

[17] Bibl. Harl. 7025.

[18] In Lodge's Peerage of Ireland it is stated that Brigadier-General Carpenter gave 1800 guineas for the colonelcy of the QUEEN'S dragoons.

[19] Annals of Queen Anne.

[20] Two engravings were published of this brave man; one representing him in the act of preserving the standard, and the other a half figure. He recovered from his wounds in about six weeks, and as a reward for his gallantry he was promoted to the post of a private gentleman in the life guards; an appointment which, at that time, was usually obtained by purchase.

[21] Major Honeywood received five wounds; he was thought dead, and stripped, and in that state lay six hours on the field of battle. He was, with Captain Brown, and Lieutenant Robinson, reported dead; but all three recovered. We learn from a private letter from General Bland, published in the Gentleman's Magazine, that all his officers were wounded except two, but they gallantly refused to be reported so, and remained with the regiment.

[22] The loss of the THIRD DRAGOONS was equal to that of the whole of the other cavalry regiments, excepting Ligonier's horse, now seventh dragoon guards.

[23] It is said that when the King reviewed his army, previous to leaving them in 1743, he noticed the deficiency in the ranks of the THIRD, by sharply asking whose regiment it was, and what had become of the remainder of it. 'Please your Majesty,' was the reply of General Bland, 'it is my regiment, and I believe the remainder of it is at _Dettingen_.'

[24] The sword of Lieutenant-Colonel Honeywood, of the King's Own dragoons, who led the attack at the affair of Clifton Moor, (December 19, 1746,) was, on that officer's being cut down, taken possession of by the chief of the Macphersons, which clan formed part of the rear-guard of the rebel army. It is still in existence.

[25] 'Lord George Murray, who always commanded the rear-guard of the rebels, took possession of a village called Clifton, two miles short of Penrith, and ordered Colonels John Stuart and Clunie Macpherson, with their regiments, supported by the Macdonalds of Keppock, to take post at the bottom of the moor, where they were covered by the hedges and ditches. There were also some hussars in the village, who had just come from Lowther Hall.

'About an hour after sunset the King's troops appeared upon the moor, and three hundred of Colonel Honeywood's dragoons dismounted and marched forward to attack the rebels, who fired from behind the hedges. After a few volleys the dragoons were ordered to retire a few paces, when the highlanders, mistaking this for a flight, rushed forward with sword and pistol; but were well received by the dragoons, who had drawn their swords. Now the shouts began, the clashing of swords is heard, the pistols are fired, and the event seems doubtful. Some of the rebel's swords broke upon the steel caps of the dragoons, whereupon they draw their daggers and fight with great obstinacy.

'Thus they continued for about an hour, when the rebels, observing the resolution of the dragoons, retired across the ditch with precipitation, and carried consternation to Penrith. Such was the skirmish at Clifton, in which twelve of the dragoons were slain and twenty-four wounded. On the side of the rebels were slain twenty, and seventy taken prisoners.'--_History of the Rebellion._

[26] In April, 1760, Lieut.-Colonel Dalrymple, of the KING'S OWN DRAGOONS, published an essay dedicated to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (afterwards George III.) on the raising, arming, clothing, and disciplining of the British cavalry and infantry, in which the re-introduction of _cuirassiers_ and _lancers_ was recommended.

[27] The regiment was originally mounted on long-tailed horses; the fashion of the short dock was introduced a few years after the Revolution in 1688, but the practice did not become general until about 1709.

[28] On his appointment his Lady presented to the regiment a silver collar engraved with military devices to be worn by the kettle drummer. This ornament is still preserved.

[29]

'To the Right Honourable Lord Viscount Barrington His
Majesty's Secretary at War, &c. &c. &c.

'The memorial of Lieut.-General Charles
Fitzroy, Colonel of the Third, King's Own,
Regiment of Dragoons.

'REPRESENTS

'That the sixth trumpeter, being a kettle drummer, is a great inconveniency, one troop always remaining without a trumpeter: the kettle drums being a mark of distinction allowed by royal favour, as it is reported, for having taken them from the enemy at the battle of Aghrim; your memorialist humbly prays that you will represent it to His Majesty, that an additional trumpeter may be allowed, as in the Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoons, and other regiments having kettle drums.'

N.B. Notwithstanding this document, there is every reason for believing that the kettle drums were taken at Dettingen, and not at Aghrim. Every endeavour has been made to discover positive information on the subject, without success. It appears from official documents that four pair of kettle drums were captured at Dettingen: but there is no mention of any kettle drums at Aghrim taken.

[30] This officer entered the service July 26th, 1768.

[31] Lieut.-Colonel (now General) Godfrey Basil Mundy, who had been promoted in 1795, to a lieutenancy in the Third Dragoons, was advanced to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment on the 2nd July, 1803, and continued in the command of it until the 2nd July, 1812, when ill-health obliged him to relinquish the cavalry service, and to exchange to the infantry. In the year 1804 a collection of standing orders for the Third King's Own Dragoons was compiled and issued by Lieutenant Colonel Mundy, in which the duties of every rank of officer, and non-commissioned officer, as well as private soldier, in all situations of service, whether at home or abroad, are ably and minutely defined, and in which the officers and soldiers are urgently recommended to devote their hours of leisure to the study of the duties of their profession. This code of discipline was uniformly acted upon until the departure of the regiment for India in the year 1837, and is probably maintained in this gallant corps at the present time.

[32] This is the first instance in which the King's Own took horses of any colour, but black or brown; even the brown horses had been transferred.

[33] The attack was made under the direction of Marshal Soult in person, who himself endeavoured to gain information from the prisoners.

[34] Lieut.-Colonel G. B. Mundy was removed to the Second Regiment of Foot on the 7th July, 1812, and was succeeded in the Third Dragoons by Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles Manners from the Twenty-third Light Dragoons: Lieut.-Colonel Lord Charles Manners immediately assumed the command of the Regiment in Spain.

[35] Colonel Napier's History of the Peninsular War.

[36] 'The cavalry, under Sir Stapleton Cotton, made a most gallant and successful charge upon a body of French infantry, which they overthrew and cut to pieces. In this charge Major-General Le Marchant was unfortunately killed at the head of his brigade, and I have to regret the loss of a most able officer.'--_Lord Wellington's Despatch._

[37] The loss of the King's Own was small; 1 horse killed, 1 private and 2 horses wounded.

[38] Extract of a brigade order issued by General Ponsonby.

'Boulogne, July 19th, 1814.

'Major-General Ponsonby takes this opportunity of expressing to the brigade the high sense he entertains of their uniformly excellent conduct, both in quarters and in the field. It is a circumstance as gratifying to him, as it is creditable to themselves, that, during the whole period of their service, they have, in no one instance, collectively or individually, incurred animadversion in general orders, and that no individual of the brigade has been brought to a general court-martial. With equal truth the major-general can assert, that upon every occasion which has presented itself of acting against the enemy, either regimentally, or in brigade, they have nobly sustained the superiority of the British cavalry, and fully justified the high opinion repeatedly expressed of them by His Grace the Duke of Wellington. The three regiments[52] will ever have to congratulate themselves on its having fallen to their lot to be in the brigade employed on the 22nd of July, 1812 (battle of Salamanca), in that glorious and effectual charge which contributed in so eminent a degree to decide the fate of the day, and to secure the signal and complete defeat of the French army.'

'The major-general concludes by stating, that he has applied to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent for permission for the three regiments to bear the word "SALAMANCA" on their standards and appointments, and to be styled "Salamanca Regiments."'

[39] At York the regiment received the distinction before alluded to in the following letter:--

'Horse Guards, Nov. 16th, 1814.

'My Lord,--I have the honour to acquaint you, that His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name, and on the behalf of His Majesty, has been pleased to approve of the Third, or King's Own Dragoons being permitted to bear on their standards and appointments (in addition to any other badges or devices which have heretofore been permitted to be borne by that regiment) the word "SALAMANCA," in commemoration of the distinguished gallantry displayed by that regiment in the battle fought on the plains of Salamanca on the 22nd of July, 1812. I have the honour to be, &c.

'HENRY CALVERT, Adjt.-General.

'To Lieut.-Col. Lord Charles Manners, }
Commanding the Third (King's Own) Dragoons.' }

[40] In this year, the regiment received the following letter:--

'Sir,
Horse Guards, 20th September, 1821.

'I have the honour to acquaint you, by direction of the Commander-in-Chief, that His Majesty has been pleased to approve of the Third (or King's Own) regiment of Light Dragoons, bearing on its standards and appointments, in addition to any badges or devices which may have heretofore been granted to the regiment, the words "VITTORIA" and "TOULOUSE," in commemoration of the conduct of the regiment at the battle of Vittoria, on the 21st of June, 1813, and in the attack of the position, covering Toulouse, on the 10th of April, 1814.

'I have the honour, &c.
'JOHN MACDONALD, D.A.G.

'Officer Commanding the }
3rd King's Own Light Dragoons.' }

[41] March 31, 1824.

'The 3rd Light Dragoons, being about to leave their present quarters at Hampton Court, His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence takes this opportunity of expressing to Major Stisted his approbation of the uniform and steady good conduct of the regiment, since it has been in these quarters, and of assuring the King's Own, that they will ever possess His Royal Highness's best and sincerest wishes for their honour and welfare.'

[42] Extract of a letter, dated

'My Lord,
'Pontefract, Aug. 14, 1825.

'I am directed by Major-General the Honourable W. G. Harris to announce to your Lordship, that H. R. H. the Commander-in-Chief, and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, have expressed their approbation of the conduct of Lieutenant Jebb, and the men composing the party under his command, when employed in aid of the civil power at Sunderland, on the 3rd instant.

'I have the honour, &c.
'P. HAY, A.D.C.

'Colonel Lord R. Manners.'

Extract from a letter dated

'Sunderland, Aug. 26, 1825.

'I beg to have the honour of expressing my unqualified approbation and thanks to the officers and men of the party, for their essential services in the late riotous and melancholy events, and I derive great consolation from having received the perfect concurrence of Government, in the conduct of the military and magistrates, and particularly on the 3rd of August, when it became necessary to fire on the mob, by which some lives were lost.

'I have the honour, &c.
'T. ROBERTSON, J. P.'

A most handsome letter was likewise received from the Shipowner's Society, which, after particularizing the cool and steady conduct of the embarked party, proceeds to state that "they are confident that every other individual of the regiment would have acted in a similar manner." The thanks of the town are also offered to the non-commissioned officers and privates for their exemplary conduct during the time of their stay.

[43] Extract of an order, dated York, May 21st, 1830:--

'Major-General Sir H. Bouverie desires Major Stisted will express to the officers his unqualified approbation of the regiment in every respect. The appearance of the men, the high condition of the horses, and the field movements, performed with so much precision and celerity, reflect the highest credit on every individual. The regiment having scarcely had an opportunity of assembling for the last three years, and never having had any good drill-ground, the Major-General desires Major Stisted to say, that the regiment performed the manœuvres this day as steady, as correct, and as near perfection as cavalry can be brought, notwithstanding all the disadvantages it has laboured under for such a length of time.'

[44] On the "_Army of the Indus_" being assembled in 1838, for the purpose of reinstating Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk in the sovereignty of Cabool, Colonel Thackwell, K.H. (Lieutenant-Colonel of the THIRD light dragoons), was selected to command the cavalry division, with the local rank of Major-General, and Cornet Edmund Roche, of that regiment, was appointed his aide-de-camp. Both served the arduous Affghanistan campaign, and were present at the capture of the strong and important fortress of Ghuznee, on the 23rd July, 1839.

[45] Major-General Pollock's Despatch.

[46] Major-General Pollock's Despatch.

[47] Lt.-Colonel Richmond's Despatch.

[48] Despatch of Major-General McCaskill.

[49] In narrating the services of the regiments which composed the _Army of the Sutlej_ in the years 1845 and 1846, it may be desirable that a brief account be given of the country of the Punjaub, particularly of the SIKHS, the most powerful of the population. The important results of the sanguinary and eventful conflicts in the Punjaub in 1846, following so rapidly on each other, excited the warmest interest throughout a great part of the world; and the heroic deeds of the several regiments employed, added another page to the records of the glorious achievements of the British Army.

The Punjaub, (Punj, five; aub, water,) deriving its name from the five rivers which intersect it, is an extensive country to the northwest of India. The chief of these rivers are the Indus and the Sutlej, by which and by the lofty Himalayas, the whole of this fine territory is bounded. At the period of the invasion of India by Alexander the Great, the Punjaub is stated to have been a wealthy and populous country, governed by numerous princes, whose subjects were characterised as brave and warlike. The Sikhs, originally a religious sect, were founded by Nanac, or Nanaïc, Shah, about four centuries ago; but, in after years, in order probably to defend their doctrines, they were induced by Govind, one of their high priests, to unite the warrior with the priestly character, thus forming a military as well as religious association, not dissimilar to the Templar Knights of the times of the Crusades. They, however, for a time almost disappeared; but profiting by the calamities of the Mogul empire during the last century, the Sikhs threw off the yoke of Mussulman despotism, their Sirdars or Chieftains spreading themselves over the country, ruling by might rather than right, and each acting independently of the other, until the death of Maha Singh in 1792. His son and successor Runjeet Singh contrived, however, to make several of the Sirdars acknowledge him as their leader, and by skilful management, in the course of a short period, obtained possession of _Lahore_, the principal city of the _Punjaub_, and eventually of Cashmere, Mooltan, and Peshawur. In the end all the chiefs submitted to him; thus bringing the whole country, from the Indus to the Sutlej, under his rule. He was greatly aided in his views of aggrandisement by the assistance of a few Italian and French officers, who trained his army upon the European model, and by their instructions it attained a high degree of discipline, proving one of the strongest enemies the British had ever contended with in India. Since the death of Runjeet in 1839, anarchy and confusion have prevailed; hatred of the English, which his influence checked, manifested itself, finally inducing the Sikh forces to invade the British territories, by crossing the Sutlej in great numbers in December, 1845, actuated as much by the hope of plunder, as by the desire of conquest.

[50] Lieutenant Francis, of the ninth lancers, acted as aide-de-camp to Major-General Sir Joseph Thackwell, commanding the cavalry division, in succession to Lieutenant Roche, of the THIRD light dragoons, who was appointed to act as Assistant Quarter-Master-General: Lieutenants Francis and Roche had their horses wounded at the battle of Sobraon.

[51] In the active movements performed in these severely contested battles, it was found that the men of the _Third Light Dragoons_ afforded an additional proof of their usefulness and bravery, by bringing up, and assisting in working, the Field-Artillery, in positions where the guns could be effectively used against the enemy; thus evincing, that the instruction they had previously received under the system introduced at the Cavalry Depôt at Maidstone, by Major-General Brotherton, in 1832, may be successfully applied on field service.

[52] _The brigade consisted of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, the Third, and Fourth Dragoons._

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

THIRD, OR THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT

OF

LIGHT DRAGOONS.

CHARLES, DUKE of SOMERSET, K.G.

_Appointed 2nd August, 1685._

This nobleman succeeded to the title of DUKE of SOMERSET on the decease of his brother, who was murdered at Lerice, in Italy, on the 20th of April, 1678. He was elected a Knight of the Garter in April, 1684, and was one of the privy councillors who signed the proclamation of the accession of King James II., on the 6th of February following. Being Lord-Lieutenant of Somersetshire at the time of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, he called out the militia of the county, and was rewarded for his fidelity to the Crown with the colonelcy of the QUEEN CONSORT'S Regiment of Dragoons, and the appointment of lord of the bed-chamber to His Majesty; but was removed from his regiment and court appointment for refusing to attend a nuncio from Pope Innocent XI. into the King's presence. At the Revolution in 1688, his grace joined the Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., during part of whose reign he presided at the council, and was one of the lords of the regency when His Majesty made his last visit to the Continent. The Duke of Somerset was also a privy councillor, and master of the horse during part of the reign of Queen Anne; and, after Her Majesty's demise, he was one of the guardians of the realm until the arrival of George I. from Hanover. He died on the 2nd of Dec., 1748, and was buried in Salisbury Cathedral: a fine marble monument of his grace was afterwards placed in the senate-house of the University of Cambridge.

ALEXANDER CANNON.

_Appointed 2nd August, 1687._

ALEXANDER CANNON entered the service of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and held a commission in one of the English regiments in Holland, with which he served under the Prince of Orange (afterwards King William III.), and was promoted to the colonelcy of the corps. Having arrived in England with his regiment in the summer of 1685, to assist in suppressing the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, he quitted the Dutch service, and was appointed, by King James II., Lieutenant-Colonel of the QUEEN'S Dragoons. He was a stanch adherent to the Court, and was rewarded with the colonelcy of the regiment in 1687; but refusing to take the oath to the Prince of Orange, at the Revolution in 1688, he was removed from his command.

Colonel Cannon proceeded to Ireland in 1689, where he was promoted by King James to the rank of brigadier-general; he was sent with a small body of men to Scotland, to assist the highlanders in their opposition to the government of King William III. He was second in command at the Battle of Killicrankie, and after the fall of Viscount Dundee, he commanded the Highlanders and Irish. He was reinforced by another body of troops from Ireland under Brigadier-General Buchan, and remained in Scotland two years; but being harassed by the King's forces, and defeated in several skirmishes, the highlanders tendered their submission to King William, and their commanders followed King James to France.

RICHARD LEVESON.

_Appointed 31st December, 1688._

In the reign of King Charles II. RICHARD LEVESON served as a volunteer against the Moors at Tangier, in Africa; and on the breaking out of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth in June, 1685, he raised a troop of dragoons in the county of Middlesex, which troop was eventually incorporated in the QUEEN'S regiment, now THIRD, or KING'S OWN. In the summer of 1687, he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and having joined the standard of the Prince of Orange, in November, 1688, he was advanced, on the 31st of December following, to the colonelcy of the regiment. He served at the head of the QUEEN'S Dragoons in Ireland; evinced great personal bravery at the Battle of the Boyne, and on other occasions, as detailed in the record of the THIRD Light Dragoons; and acquired celebrity for his ability, activity, and gallantry on detached services. After the decease of Brigadier-General Villiers, King William rewarded the brave LEVESON with the command of a corps of cuirassiers, now second dragoon guards. He served under His Majesty in the Netherlands, and was promoted to the rank of major-general on the 11th of January, 1696. His decease occurred on the 3rd of March, 1699.

THOMAS, LORD FAIRFAX.

_Appointed 30th January, 1694._

LORD FAIRFAX having joined the Prince of Orange at the Revolution in 1688, was appointed lieutenant and lieutenant-colonel in the third troop of life guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of silver stick; he afterwards exchanged to the second troop (now second regiment) of life guards, from which he was promoted to the colonelcy of the QUEEN'S dragoons. He retired in the following year, and was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1702. He died in January, 1710.

WILLIAM LLOYD.

_Appointed 21st February, 1695._

This Officer served with distinction under King William III. in Ireland and the Netherlands, and was promoted to the colonelcy of the QUEEN'S Dragoons by purchase, in 1695. He served with his regiment in Flanders until the peace of Ryswick; was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in the spring of 1702; and, commanding a brigade of infantry under the Duke of Ormond, in the expedition to Spain, was engaged in the storming of the forts of Vigo. He was subsequently advanced to the rank of major-general; but obtained permission to dispose of the colonelcy of his regiment in 1703, to Colonel Carpenter.

GEORGE CARPENTER.

_Appointed 31st December, 1703._

GEORGE CARPENTER was born in February, 1657, and when fourteen years of age he was page to the Duke of Montague in his grace's embassy to France. In 1672, he entered the army as a private gentleman in the Duke of York's troop of life guards, which corps was, at that period, as a school where young gentlemen were qualified for commissions. In 1685 he was appointed troop quarter-master in a newly-raised corps of cuirassiers, now second dragoon guards; in which regiment he rose to the rank of cornet in 1687, and afterwards to that of lieutenant, captain, and lieutenant-colonel. He served with his regiment in Ireland, and in Flanders and Brabant, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army in 1702. In the following year he purchased the colonelcy of the QUEEN'S Dragoons and was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general on the 25th of December, 1705. He proceeded to Spain in 1706, and serving with the allied army, signalized himself at the unfortunate battle of _Almanza_ in 1707, where he repeatedly charged at the head of the British cavalry, and, commanding one of the last squadrons which left the field, saved the Earl of Galway, many wounded men, and much of the baggage from falling into the hands of the enemy. He continued with the army in Spain, acquiring additional honour by his excellent conduct on all occasions, was promoted to the rank of major-general in September, 1708, and to that of lieutenant-general in January, 1710. In the brilliant cavalry action on the plains of Almanara, on the 27th of July, 1710, he highly distinguished himself, and was wounded: his spirited conduct on this occasion, procured him the thanks of King Charles III. of Spain, afterwards Emperor of the Romans, who was with the army. He acquired fresh laurels at Saragossa and wrote an interesting account of that battle, which was published at the time. After advancing to Madrid, the army retreated to Valencia and Catalonia, and Lieutenant-General Carpenter was with the division under General Stanhope, which halted at the little walled town of Brihuega, in the mountains of Castile, and was there surrounded and made prisoners by the French army. On this occasion he was wounded by a musket-ball, which, having broken part of his jaw, lodged itself under the root of his tongue, where it remained several months before it could be extracted, during which time his life was in danger, and he suffered great pain.

In the spring of 1715, he was appointed envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the court of Vienna. During the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, he commanded a detached corps, prevented the insurgents obtaining possession of Newcastle-on-Tyne, and afterwards, joining Major-General Wills, took a division of the rebel army prisoners, at Preston, in Lancashire. He was rewarded with the appointment of governor of Minorca and Port Mahon, and commander of the forces in Scotland; and in May, 1719, he was advanced to the peerage of Ireland by the title of BARON CARPENTER of Killaghy in the county of Kilkenny.

LORD CARPENTER was many years a member of Parliament, first for Whitchurch in Hampshire, and afterwards for the city of Westminster. He published a highly useful work entitled 'A Dissertation on the Manœuvres of Cavalry.' After serving the Crown a period of nearly sixty years, in the reign of six successive sovereigns, he died, on the 10th of February, 1732, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and was buried at Ouselburg in Hampshire, where a monument was erected to his memory. He was ancestor of the Earls of Tyrconnel.

PHILIP HONEYWOOD.

_Appointed 29th May, 1732._

PHILIP HONEYWOOD entered the army in 1694, and served under King William III.; he subsequently served Her Majesty Queen Anne, and became an efficient officer under the celebrated JOHN, DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. Having attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the thirty-third foot, on the 27th of May, 1709, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the 92nd regiment, which was disbanded in 1712. In 1715 he was commissioned to raise, form, and discipline a regiment of dragoons, (now the eleventh light dragoons), which he executed with ability, and was afterwards instrumental in the suppression of the rebellion of the Earl of Mar. In 1719 he commanded a brigade under Lord Cobham at the capture of Vigo and Rondondella in Spain. On the 29th of May, 1732, he was removed to the command of the THIRD dragoons, which he retained until promoted to the King's Own regiment of horse in 1743. In 1742 a British force was sent to Flanders, under General Honeywood, who held the chief command of the troops, until the arrival of the Earl of Stair. At the battle of Dettingen one division of the army was commanded by this distinguished officer, and he led the royal horse guards and the King's horse to the charge with great gallantry. He served in the subsequent campaigns on the continent with distinction, and with the approbation of his sovereign, by whom he was advanced to the dignity of a Knight of the honourable order of the Bath. He died in 1752, and was interred with military honours at Portsmouth, of which place he was governor at the time of his decease.

HUMPHREY BLAND.

_Appointed 18th April, 1743._

HUMPHREY BLAND served several campaigns on the continent under the celebrated JOHN, DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH. He afterwards served as lieut.-colonel in Spain, and in 1710 was wounded at the battle of Almanara. In 1715 he was appointed lieut.-colonel to the eleventh dragoons, and was afterwards lieut.-colonel of the second horse, now first dragoon guards. In 1737 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the thirty-sixth foot, from which he was removed in 1741, to the thirteenth dragoons, and two years afterwards to the KING'S OWN dragoons. He had his horse shot under him at Dettingen; displayed great gallantry at Fontenoy, and highly distinguished himself at the battle of Culloden. In 1752 he was removed to the first dragoon guards; and died in the following year.

JAMES, LORD TYRAWLEY.

_Appointed 8th July, 1752._

THE HON. JAMES O'HARA was appointed lieutenant in the royal regiment of fusiliers, commanded by his father, on the 15th of March, 1703, and in 1706 he proceeded with his regiment to the relief of Barcelona. In the following year he was aide-de-camp to the Earl of Galway, whose life he is reported to have saved at the unfortunate battle of Almanza, by interposing between his lordship and a dragoon, whom he shot with his pistol, but was, himself, wounded by the dragoon. He served several years at Minorca, and in 1713 obtained the colonelcy of the royal fusiliers, in succession to his father, at whose decease, in 1733, he succeeded to the dignity of BARON TYRAWLEY. The rank of brigadier-general was conferred on his lordship on the 23rd of November, 1735; that of major-general on the 2nd of July, 1739; and in August, of the latter year, he was removed from the royal fusiliers to the fifth horse, now fourth dragoon guards. In March, 1743, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and in the following month obtained the colonelcy of the second troop of horse grenadier guards, from which he was removed in 1745 to the third troop of life guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of gold stick. In 1746, when King George II. had resolved to disband the third and fourth troops of life guards, his lordship was removed to the tenth foot: he was again removed, in 1749, to the fourteenth dragoons; in 1752, to the THIRD or KING'S OWN regiment of dragoons; and in 1755, to the second, or Coldstream regiment of foot guards. He was appointed governor of Portsmouth on the 1st of May, 1759, and was promoted to the rank of general on the 7th of March, 1761. He held the appointment of governor of Minorca for several years; was employed as envoy and ambassador to the courts of Portugal and Russia; and died at Twickenham on the 13th of July, 1773.

GEORGE, EARL OF ALBEMARLE.

_Appointed 8th April, 1755._

VISCOUNT BURY commenced his military service as ensign in the second foot guards in 1738; in 1741 he was captain-lieutenant in the royal dragoons; in 1743 he held the same rank in his former regiment; and on the 27th of May, 1745, he obtained the commission of captain and lieut.-colonel in the same corps. He was aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland at the battle of Fontenoy; also attended His Royal Highness at the battle of Culloden,--was sent with the news of that victory to London, and was immediately afterwards appointed aide-de-camp to the King with the rank of colonel. The colonelcy of the twentieth foot was conferred on his lordship on the 1st of November, 1749. In 1754 he succeeded to the title of EARL OF ALBEMARLE; and obtained the colonelcy of the KING'S OWN dragoons in the succeeding year. The rank of major-general was conferred on his lordship in 1756, and that of lieut.-general in 1759. In 1761 he was a member of the privy council and governor of the island of Jersey; and in 1762, he commanded the land forces employed in the reduction of the Havannah; in the performance of which service he acquired great reputation, and his conduct called forth the approbation of his sovereign and of the British nation. He was elected a Knight of the Garter in 1766; and died in 1772.

CHARLES, LORD SOUTHAMPTON.

_Appointed 20th October, 1772._