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Title: The Historical Record of The Fifth or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards - Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in - 1685; with its Subsequent Services to 1838
Author: Cannon, Richard
Language: English
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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
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HISTORICAL RECORDS
OF THE
BRITISH ARMY.
PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE
ADJUTANT-GENERAL.
THE FIFTH,
OR
PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT
OF DRAGOON GUARDS.
LONDON:
Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS,
14, Charing Cross.
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 civilised 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 spear 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 petrenels; 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 pike-men 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 barrels 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 knife. 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 are commanded to be as follow:--
"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, strapt, with bright
barrels of three foote eight inches long, cartouch-boxes,
bayonetts, granado pouches, bucketts, 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 in 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 1678; the Life Guards, however, carried
carbines from their formation in 1660.--Vide the 'Historical Record
of the Life Guards.'
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE FIFTH,
OR
PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT
OF
DRAGOON GUARDS:
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685;
WITH ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1838.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, ORME, AND CO.,
PATERNOSTER ROW;
W. CLOWES AND SONS, 14, CHARING CROSS;
AND TO BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.
1839.
Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street.
CONTENTS.
Anno Page
1685 Formation of the Regiment 1
---- Equipped as Cuirassiers, and obtained rank as
_Seventh Horse_ 3
---- Reviewed by King James II. 4
1686 First Establishment 5
---- Names of Officers 6
---- Reviewed on Hounslow Heath --
1688 The Revolution 7
1689 Proceeds to Ireland 9
---- Siege of Carrickfergus --
1690 Battle of the Boyne 11
---- Siege of Limerick 12
1691 Skirmish near Brewsterfield --
---- Second Siege of Limerick 13
1692 Returns to England --
1693 Performs Court Duty 14
1694 Proceeds to the Netherlands --
1695 Covering the Siege of Namur --
1697 Skirmish near Enghien 15
1698 Returns to England 16
1700 Proceeds to Ireland --
1702 Three Troops return to England, and proceed to
Holland 17
---- Covering the Sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde,
Stevenswaert, and Liege --
1703 Skirmish near Haneff; and covering the Sieges of
Huy and Limburg 18
1704 Three Troops from Ireland to Holland --
---- Battle of Schellenberg 19
---- -------- Blenheim 20
---- Covering the Siege of Laudan 21
1705 Forcing the French Lines at Helixem and Neer-Hespen --
1706 Battle of Ramilies 24
---- Sieges of Antwerp and Dendermond 25
1708 Battle of Oudenarde 26
---- Siege of Lisle, and Action at Wynendale 27
1709 Covering the Siege of Tournay 28
---- Battle of Malplaquet --
---- Covering the Siege of Mons 29
1710 -------------------- Douay, Bethune, Aire, and
St. Venant --
1711 Forcing the French Lines at Arleux --
---- Covering the Siege of Bouchain 30
---- Skirmish near Wavrechin 31
1712 Covering the Siege of Quesnoy 33
1714 Proceeds to Ireland 34
1717 Facings changed from Buff to Full Green 35
1746 Styled the _Second Irish Horse_ 37
1751 Description of the Clothing and Standards --
1788 Title changed to _Fifth Dragoon Guards_ 40
1793 Proceeds to Flanders 42
1794 Action at Prêmont --
---- Covering the Siege of Landrécies --
---- Battle of Cateau 43
---- Action near Tournay 44
---- Retreat through Holland to Germany 45
1795 Embarks for England --
1796 Proceeds to Ireland --
1798 Rebellion in Ireland 46
---- Actions at Arklow, Ballycarnen, and Gorey --
---- ---------- Vinegar Hill and White Hills 47
---- Skirmish near Prosperous --
---- Action at Ballinamuck 48
1799 Returns to England 48
1804 Styled the _Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's
Regiment of Dragoon Guards_ --
1805 Proceeds to Ireland 49
1808 Returns to England --
1811 Reviewed by the Prince Regent --
---- Embarks for Portugal 50
1812 Covering the Siege of Badajoz 51
---- Action at Llerena --
---- Battle of Salamanca 56
---- Skirmish at Alba de Tormes 60
---- Advances to Madrid 62
---- Covering the Siege of Burgos --
---- Retreats to Portugal 63
1813 Advances into Spain 65
---- Battle of Vittoria --
1814 Advances through the Pyrenees into France 67
---- Action near Tarbes --
---- Battle of Toulouse 68
---- Returns to England 69
1816 Proceeds to Ireland 73
1817 Proceeds to Scotland, and from thence to England --
1821 Returns to Scotland, and embarks for Ireland 74
1825 Embarks for Scotland 75
1826 Proceeds to England --
1830 Reviewed by King William IV. at Windsor 76
1831 Embarks for Ireland 77
1834 Returns to England --
1835 Proceeds to Scotland --
1836 Returns to England --
1838 The Conclusion 78
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
Anno Page
1685 Charles Earl of Shrewsbury 79
1687 Marmaduke Lord Langdale 81
---- Richard Hamilton 82
1688 John Coy 83
1697 Charles Earl of Arran 84
1703 William Cadogan 85
1712 George Kellum 87
1717 Robert Napier 88
1740 Charles Neville 89
1744 Richard Viscount Cobham --
1745 Thomas Wentworth 90
1747 Thomas Bligh 91
1758 Hon. John Waldegrave 92
1760 Hon. John Fitz-William --
1789 John Douglas 93
1790 Thomas Bland --
1816 Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg 94
1831 Sir John Slade, Bart. 99
PLATES.
The Standard of the Regiment to precede 1
The Capture of the Bavarian Standards at the forcing of
the French Lines in 1705 to face 24
The Fifth Dragoon Guards at the Battle of Salamanca to face 60
THE FIFTH,
OR
PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT
OF
DRAGOON GUARDS,
BEARS UPON ITS STANDARDS
THE MOTTO
"_VESTIGIA NULLA RETRORSUM_;"
AND THE FOLLOWING INSCRIPTIONS:
"SALAMANCA," "VITTORIA," "TOULOUSE," "PENINSULA."
[Illustration: FIFTH (THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S) REGIMENT
OF DRAGOON GUARDS.]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
FIFTH,
OR
PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT
OF
DRAGOON GUARDS.
[Sidenote: 1685]
In the early periods of the history of this country a standing army
was unknown; but as the kingdom increased in arts, sciences, and
manufactures, and as national institutions, established upon sound
principles, assumed an important character, a regularly organized
military force was found necessary to protect the interests of
society, and to guard colonial possessions; and when the other
nations of Europe have from time to time augmented their standing
armies, it has been found necessary to make similar additions
to the regular force of Great Britain. After the Restoration in
1660, the army of the Commonwealth was disbanded, and a body of
household troops, with a few garrison companies, were considered
sufficient; but the acquisition of additional possessions, the
ambitious designs of foreign potentates, and internal commotions in
the kingdom, have occasioned numerous additions to be made to the
regular army. It was one of the last mentioned causes, which, in
the year 1685, gave rise to the formation of the corps which is the
subject of this memoir, and which now bears the title of the FIFTH,
OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.
A difference in religious views and opinions has often occasioned
long and sanguinary wars; and the accession of a Roman Catholic
Prince (James II.) to the throne of Great Britain, was an event so
little congenial to the feelings of a Protestant people, that James
Duke of Monmouth (natural son of King Charles II.) was induced,
by the persuasions of men who were disaffected to the existing
government, to make a daring attempt to dethrone his uncle, and to
gain the sovereignty of the kingdom.
This event occurring at a time when the first feelings of alarm
at the appearance of a Papist on the throne had subsided, and
before the King had made any serious attack on the constitution or
established religion, the people were not prepared to throw off
their allegiance to their sovereign; consequently, while a few
thousands of disaffected persons joined the standard of rebellion,
much greater numbers arrayed themselves under the banners of
royalty. Many noblemen and gentlemen exerted themselves in raising
forces for the King; and it is stated in the public records, that
a number of the respectable yeomen and others who volunteered
their services in the royal cause, were incorporated into a troop
of horse by Charles Earl of Shrewsbury, at Litchfield; another
troop of horse was raised by Francis Lord Brudenel, at Kingston
upon Thames; a third by Sir Thomas Grosvenor, at Chester; a fourth
by Roger Pope, Esq., in the vicinity of Bridgnorth; a fifth by
Mr. Francis Spalding, at Bristol; and a sixth by the Honourable
John D'Arcy, (guidon of the second troop, now second regiment of
Life Guards,) in London. These formed part of an extensive body
of troops raised in a few weeks; but the rebellion was suppressed
by the old corps which the King had in his service, without the
aid of the new levies. His Majesty, however, looking forward to
the commotions which would probably follow the execution of the
attacks he was urged by his jesuitical councillors to make on the
established religion and laws, resolved to retain a considerable
portion of the newly-raised forces in his service; and these six
troops of horse were, on the 29th of July, 1685, constituted a
regiment of CUIRASSIERS, of which the EARL OF SHREWSBURY was
appointed Colonel, the Honourable John D'Arcy Lieutenant-Colonel,
and John Skelton, Esq., Major. This regiment ranked at that period
as SEVENTH HORSE; and is now the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS.
The uniform and equipment of this corps, like that of the other
regiments of horse, were hats, long scarlet coats, jacked-leather
boots, cuirasses, iron head pieces, swords, pair of pistols, and
short carbines. Each corps had a distinguishing colour, then called
its regimental _livery_, and now styled its _facing_, and the
distinguishing colour of SHREWSBURY'S CUIRASSIERS was _buff_; the
men had their coats lined with buff shalloon, and their waistcoats,
breeches, ribands in their hats, and horse furniture, were of the
same colour.
Soon after its formation the regiment marched into quarters near
Hounslow, and experienced officers were appointed to teach the men
the established military exercises; they formed two squadrons,
three troops in a squadron; but each troop had a standard of
buff-silk damask; and these loyal cavaliers, being mounted on
strong horses, had not only a warlike appearance, but they were
well calculated for a charge in line where weight and physical
power were necessary. The Cuirassiers had succeeded the ancient
Lancers (or Launces), formerly the highest class of military
force in Europe, and celebrated for valour, prowess, and feats
of chivalry. The Lancers were armed _cap à pié_, but the lance
having, to a great extent, been laid aside before the middle of
the seventeenth century, helmets, and armour on the limbs, were
also discontinued soon afterwards. The regiments of Horse, having
succeeded the ancient Lancers, were held in high estimation; and in
the succeeding reigns they acquired great celebrity.
After having been twice reviewed by King James II. on Hounslow
Heath, the regiment marched into quarters in Warwickshire, where it
passed several months.
The King, having acquired some practical knowledge of military
service in the civil war in France, and in the Netherlands, under
Marshals Turenne and the Prince of Condé, established several
useful regulations for the preservation of order and discipline
in his army; two experienced officers, Sir John Lanier and Sir
John Fenwick, were appointed Inspecting Generals of Cavalry; and
the first half-yearly inspection of this regiment was made by
Brigadier-General Sir John Fenwick, of the Life Guards, in its
quarters in Warwickshire.
[Sidenote: 1686]
While in these quarters, its establishment was fixed, by a royal
warrant dated the 1st of January, 1686, at the following numbers:--
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY'S REGIMENT OF HORSE. |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---------------+
| FIELD AND STAFF-OFFICERS. | Per Diem. |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---------------+
| | £.| _s._| _d._|
| | | | |
|The Colonel, _as Colonel_ | 0 | 12 | 0 |
|Lieutenant-Colonel, _as Lieut.-Colonel_ | 0 | 8 | 0 |
|The Major (_who has no troop_), for himself, } | | | |
| horses, and servants. } | 1 | 0 | 0 |
|Adjutant | 0 | 5 | 0 |
|Chaplaine | 0 | 6 | 8 |
|Chirurgeon iv^s per day, and j horse to carry } | | | |
| his chest, ij^s per day } | 0 | 6 | 0 |
|A Kettle-Drummer to the Colonel's troop. | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| THE COLONEL'S TROOP. | | | |
| | | | |
|The Colonel, _as Captaine_, x^s per day, and } | | | |
| ij horses each at ij^s per day } | 0 | 14 | 0 |
|Lievtenant vi^s, and ij horses, each at ij^s | 0 | 10 | 0 |
|Cornett v^s, and ij horses, each at ij^s | 0 | 9 | 0 |
|Quarter-Master iv^s, and i horse, at ij^s | 0 | 6 | 0 |
|Three Corporals, each at iij^s per day | 0 | 9 | 0 |
|Two Trumpeters, each at ij^s viii^d | 0 | 5 | 4 |
|Forty Private Soldiers, each at ij^s vi^d per day. | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| | 7 | 13 | 4 |
|FIVE TROOPS MORE, of the same numbers, and at } | | | |
| the same rates of pay as the Colonel's troop } |38 | 6 | 8 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| TOTAL FOR THIS REGIMENT PER DIEM |49 | 0 | 8 |
| +---+-----+-----+
| PER ANNUM £17,897. 3_s._ 4_d._ | | | |
+-----------------------------------------------------+---+-----+-----+
The following officers were at this period holding commissions in
the regiment:--
+------+--------------------------+-----------------+------------------+
|Troop.| Captains. | Lieutenants. | Cornets. |
+------+--------------------------+-----------------+------------------+
| 1st. | Earl of Shrewsbury (Col.)| John Grosvenor | George Kellum. |
| 2d. | John Coy, (Lieut.-Col.) | James Bringfield| Hon. W. Brudenel.|
| 3d. | Sir Thomas Grosvenor | Henry Grosvenor | James Williamson.|
| 4th. | Roger Pope | Thomas Griffiths| Guy Forster. |
| 5th. | Francis Spalding | Thomas Doughty | William Rowley. |
| 6th. | Charles Orme | Thomas Manning | Ralph Pope. |
+------+--------------------------+-----------------+------------------+
| John Skelton Major. |
| Samuel Bowles Chaplain. |
| James Arden Surgeon. |
| George Briscoe Adjutant. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
The EARL OF SHREWSBURY'S CUIRASSIERS were withdrawn from their
country quarters in the summer of this year, and were encamped
with other forces on Hounslow Heath; where they were practised in
military evolutions, under the direction of Lieutenant-Generals the
Earls of Craven, Feversham, and Dumbarton; and were several times
reviewed by King James II.: in August they struck their tents and
marched to Buckingham and Wendover.
[Sidenote: 1687]
The King, being surrounded by Roman Catholic priests, soon gave
indication of his designs against the reformed religion; the
Earl of Shrewsbury, who was a stanch Protestant, resigned his
commission, and afterwards proceeded to Holland and joined the
Prince of Orange, to whom the nation began to look for deliverance
from popish tyranny. His Majesty appointed, in January, 1687,
Marmaduke Lord Langdale, to the Colonelcy of the regiment, who
was succeeded in the following month by the HONOURABLE RICHARD
HAMILTON, a Roman Catholic officer, from the Colonelcy of a
regiment of dragoons in Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1688]
From this period until that great national event, the Revolution in
1688, few circumstances occurred, in which Hamilton's regiment was
particularly concerned, worthy of being recorded in this memoir. It
was encamped on Hounslow Heath in the summer of 1687, and also in
that of 1688; and its Colonel being a Papist, the attempt made by
the King to introduce officers and soldiers of that religion into
the army, would, doubtless, meet with no obstruction in this corps.
The majority of the officers and men were, however, firmly attached
to the Protestant cause.
The King had raised and equipped a fine army for the purpose of
making it subservient to his insidious designs; but the troops
proved faithful to the interests of their country and religion,
and an association of officers was secretly formed at the camp
on Hounslow Heath, in favour of the Prince of Orange, who was
preparing an army to invade England and to rescue the kingdom from
the power of the Papists.
Information having been received of the designs of the Prince of
Orange, HAMILTON'S CUIRASSIERS were ordered to Ipswich, where
the Earl of Arran's regiment (now Fourth Dragoon Guards), and
the Queen's (now Third) Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Alexander
Cannon, were assembled under the orders of Major-General Sir John
Lanier, to preserve Landguard Fort, and to prevent the Prince
landing there; and two regiments of horse and one of dragoons were
stationed at Colchester to support this force, if necessary. Sir
John Lanier is stated by King James, in his memoirs, to have been
one of the associated officers, and to have resolved to seize on
the Earl of Arran, and Colonels Hamilton and Cannon, and to have
joined the Prince with the three regiments; but this arrangement,
in which King James states, in his memoirs, most of the officers
had agreed to co-operate, was rendered void by his Highness landing
at Torbay.
HAMILTON'S CUIRASSIERS were afterwards ordered to march to the
metropolis, and from thence to Salisbury; but a general defection
appearing in the army, the King fled to France; the Prince of
Orange ordered the regiment to march to Fenny Stratford, and its
Colonel, the Honourable Richard Hamilton, was confined in the Tower
of London, for holding a commission for which he was disqualified
by law, he being a Papist.
On the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange conferred the
Colonelcy of the regiment on the Lieutenant-Colonel, John Coy; and
during the eight succeeding years it bore the title of COY'S HORSE,
or CUIRASSIERS.
All the Papists having been dismissed, the regiment received a
draft of one hundred men and horses from the Marquis of Miremont's
regiment of horse,--a corps which had been recently raised, and was
now disbanded.
[Sidenote: 1689]
These events were followed by the accession of William and Mary,
the Prince and Princess of Orange, to the throne; and the first
duty in which the regiment was called upon to engage under the new
dynasty, was the patrolling of the public roads to prevent highway
robberies, which, owing to the commotions recently experienced in
society, had become very frequent. It also furnished a detachment
to protect the King's herd of deer in the Forest of Dean against
the depredations of organized bands of deer-stealers.
From these duties COY'S HORSE were soon relieved to engage in
military operations in Ireland, which country had become the
theatre of intestine war. The Papists were in arms in favour of
King James, who had arrived in Ireland with a body of troops
from France; and, following that system of cruelty which has
invariably been practised when religion has been the subject of
contention, the hapless Protestants, being the weaker party, had
been made to feel the full weight of Catholic vengeance. Many of
the Protestants, particularly in Inniskilling and Londonderry, had
taken arms. King William sent a body of troops under Duke Schomberg
to their aid, and COY'S HORSE embarked at Highlake, in Cheshire, in
the middle of August, 1689, for the same service.
After landing at Belfast, the regiment was employed in covering
the siege of _Carrickfergus_, and had its post in the lines before
the town. This place having surrendered on the 28th of August,
a detachment of the regiment, commanded by Captain Sir William
Russel, escorted the garrison, consisting of two regiments of
foot, "all stout fellows, but ill clothed," the first stage
from the town; and such cruelties had been practised by the
Papists, that, according to Story, who was an eye-witness, the
troopers experienced some difficulty in preserving the Catholic
soldiers from being torn to pieces by the country people, who were
stimulated to revenge by the remembrance of past injuries.
The regiment afterwards advanced with the army towards Newry, where
a party of the enemy was assembled, who, on the approach of the
English, set fire to the town, and retreated over the mountains to
Dundalk. The English passed the mountains on the following day,
when the enemy quitted Dundalk and retired to Atherdee, where the
main body of King James's army was assembled.
Marshal Duke Schomberg, finding Dundalk to be a strong situation,
with a convenient harbour for obtaining supplies from England,
and knowing that the enemy's army was more than double his own in
numbers, formed an intrenched camp, where he resolved to continue
during the remainder of the campaign; but the ground where the
troops were encamped being low, and the weather proving wet, this
injudicious choice of situation proved so fatal to his army, that
the infantry corps lost half their men from disease. COY'S HORSE
remained at Dundalk upwards of a month, and afterwards proceeded
to Carlingford for the convenience of forage. During the winter,
detached parties had frequent encounters with the bands of armed
Papists who prowled the country, committing every description of
outrage; and an out-guard of the regiment, posted in the pass of
Newry, was sharply engaged with a party of the enemy, who attempted
to force the pass, but were repulsed with loss, the gallant English
Cuirassiers proving more than a match for their antagonists.
[Sidenote: 1690]
In June, 1690, King William arrived in Ireland to command the army
in person, and the regiment was now called upon to serve under the
eye of its sovereign. This circumstance is said to have given rise
to a laudable feeling of emulation in all ranks of the army, and
the troopers longed for an opportunity to distinguish themselves in
presence of their King. The desired opportunity soon occurred; the
King, advancing up to the banks of the _Boyne_, found the enemy in
position on the opposite side of the river, and the troops prepared
for battle. This regiment was with His Majesty on the evening
preceding the battle, while reconnoitring the enemy's position, and
was exposed to a cannonade, on which occasion the King was wounded
in the shoulder, and the regiment had three men and nine horses
killed.
Early on the 1st of July, as the rays of morning-light shed their
lustre on the camp, the English and Dutch troops appeared in
motion, every man displaying a green branch in his hat; and soon
the columns were seen advancing towards the Boyne, their glittering
arms, waving plumes, and floating banners, exhibiting all the pomp
of war: the French and Irish stood to their arms and prepared to
defend their post. COY'S HORSE, forming part of the cavalry of the
right wing, were in the column which forded the river near Slane
Bridge; some opposition was made by a regiment of Irish dragoons,
which was attacked, and its commanding officer and about 70 men
killed. After passing the river, the troops advanced through large
corn-fields, crossed several deep ditches, and overcoming every
obstacle with an ardour which bespoke the valour and confidence
which glowed in every breast, the enemy's left wing was dismayed
and retreated towards Duleck. COY'S HORSE were amongst the
squadrons which galloped forward in pursuit, and charging the Irish
foot, cut them down with a great slaughter. While these events were
transpiring on the right, King William passed the river with the
main body of his forces: the enemy was overpowered at every point,
and His Majesty stood triumphant on the field of battle. King James
fled to Dublin, and afterwards to France, and was followed by the
French troops; but the Irish Papists resolved to maintain his cause
to the last extremity.
COY'S HORSE advanced with King William to Dublin, and were
afterwards with the army before _Limerick_, during the unsuccessful
siege of that place, when His Majesty returned to England, the
regiment went into quarters near Cork.
[Sidenote: 1691]
In the depth of the winter an incursion into the enemy's
cantonments was resolved upon; and the regiment having joined
the forces selected for that service, advanced, on the 31st of
December, into the county of Kerry. On arriving near Brewsterfield,
the van-guard, consisting of a troop of this regiment and one of
Eppinger's Dragoons, encountered a party of 160 of the enemy's
cavalry. COY'S HORSE and the dragoons instantly drew their swords,
and advanced to charge their opponents, who fled in a panic.
Continuing its route, the detachment took a number of prisoners,
also drove seven troops of Irish horse and twenty-one of dragoons
from Tralee, and afterwards returned to its quarters.
When the army took the field in the summer of 1691, COY'S HORSE
were left in dispersed quarters in the county of Cork to overawe
the disaffected, and to check the depredations of the bands of
Papists, whose proceedings were very injurious to the Protestants;
the regiment was, consequently, not at the battle of Aghrim, but it
afterwards joined the army near _Limerick_, and was employed in the
siege of that place.
On the 16th of September, a squadron of the regiment, with a strong
party of dragoons and infantry, crossed the Shannon by a pontoon
bridge before break of day, surprised and defeated a body of the
enemy, and captured a standard; also surprised the troops in the
camp near the town, and forced them to make a precipitate flight
to the mountains. On the 24th of the same month, a cessation of
hostilities took place, which ended in a treaty, and the authority
of King James was extinguished in Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1692]
[Sidenote: 1693]
The regiment, having thus performed its part in reducing Ireland to
submission to the authority of King William, embarked at Belfast
in the beginning of 1692, and after its arrival in England it
was quartered at Huntingdon, Chester, and St. Ives; from whence
it proceeded to the vicinity of London, and, for a short time,
assisted the Life Guards in performing the escort duty for the
royal family. It was, however, allowed but a short period of home
service before it was called upon to take the field against a
foreign enemy.
King William was engaged in a war to restrain the ambitious designs
of Louis XIV. of France, who sought to become the dictator of
Europe and the destroyer of the reformed religion. After the severe
loss sustained by the confederates at the battle of Landen, in
1693, the British monarch gave orders for Colonel Coy to proceed
with his regiment of horse to the Netherlands, and to join the army
in that country.
[Sidenote: 1694]
On its arrival in Flanders, the regiment was placed in quarters at
Ghent; from whence it marched to Tirlemont, and, joining the army
commanded by King William in person, took part in the operations of
the long and toilsome campaign of 1694, but was not engaged in any
action of importance.
[Sidenote: 1695]
In the following year the regiment formed part of the covering army
during the siege of the strong and important fortress of _Namur_,
which was superintended by King William in person. Two magnificent
armies confronted each other, and manœuvred, the one to prevent,
and the other to ensure, the capture of this strong fortress; and
it was eventually taken by the forces commanded by His Britannic
Majesty. About a month after the surrender of the castle of Namur,
the regiment marched into quarters at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1696]
King William reviewed the regiment near Ghent, in May, 1696, and
expressed his approbation of its appearance. During this summer
it formed part of the army of Flanders, under the orders of the
veteran Prince of Vaudemont, and was encamped for several months on
the canal between Ghent and Bruges, and its services were limited
to defensive measures for the preservation of these two places, and
the maritime towns of Flanders from the attacks of the enemy. On
the 4th of October, the regiment returned to its former station at
Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1697]
From Ghent the regiment marched in May, 1697, to join the army of
Brabant, and was encamped a short time at St. Quintin Linneck.
The French besieged the town of Aeth; and a body of troops was
sent out, under Brigadier-General Lumley, to make a reconnoissance
towards _Enghien_, with the view of attacking the French army
and raising the siege. A detachment of COY'S HORSE, commanded by
Sir William Russel, formed the advance-guard on this occasion;
and when on the march, he encountered a party of French hussars,
carabiniers, and dragoons. Upon notice of the approach of the
enemy, the main body of the British force concealed itself in the
wood, and formed an ambush; and the advance-guard retiring, the
French advanced boldly forward, and were nearly every man killed or
taken prisoner.
The design of relieving Aeth was afterwards laid aside; King
William retired, and subsequently took up a position before
Brussels.
Colonel John Coy having obtained His Majesty's permission to
dispose of the Colonelcy of the regiment to CHARLES EARL OF
ARRAN,[7] brother of the Duke of Ormond, his lordship was appointed
to the regiment on the 1st of July, 1697; and during the succeeding
five years it was styled ARRAN'S HORSE.
King William, after waging war for the good of Europe a period of
nine years, had the satisfaction of seeing his endeavours succeeded
by a treaty of peace, which was signed at Ryswick in September of
this year.
[Sidenote: 1698]
Shortly after this event, ARRAN'S HORSE were ordered to return to
England, where they arrived in January, 1698, and were quartered at
Coventry, Daventry, and Towcester.
[Sidenote: 1699]
[Sidenote: 1700]
The army in England having been reduced by the House of Commons to
the low establishment of seven thousand men, King William was under
the necessity of disbanding several corps, and of sending others to
Ireland. This regiment was one of the corps selected to proceed to
Ireland, where it arrived in the summer of 1700, and its numbers
were reduced to thirty-six private men per troop.
[Sidenote: 1701]
The repose granted to Europe by the treaty of Ryswick was, however,
of short duration. Louis XIV. of France, procured the accession
of his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain; this
virtual union of two powerful states, rekindled the flame of war;
and the EARL OF ARRAN'S regiment was one of the cavalry corps
ordered to be augmented to fifty-seven private men per troop, and
held in readiness to proceed on foreign service; but so great was
the difficulty experienced in raising an army of sufficient numbers
to meet the exigence of the nation on this sudden emergency, that
only three troops of the regiment could, in the first instance, be
spared from Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1702]
These three troops landed at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the
beginning of March, 1702, and marching to London, embarked in
transports on the river Thames in the beginning of April, and
sailed for Holland.
The decease of King William, who might justly be styled the
protector of the reformed religion, and the accession of Queen
Anne, produced no alteration in the foreign policy of the
British court. The war was prosecuted with vigour, and the three
troops of ARRAN'S HORSE, forming one squadron, were attached to
Brigadier-General Wood's regiment (now Third Dragoon Guards), and
served the campaign of this year under the Earl of Marlborough.
The British horse, had, however no opportunity of signalizing
themselves in action this year; their services being limited to
out-post duty, and covering the sieges of _Venloo_, _Ruremonde_,
_Stevenswaert_, and the famous city of _Liege_, which fortresses
were captured by the British commander.
[Sidenote: 1703]
The Earl of Arran having been promoted to the Colonelcy of the
third troop of Life Guards, Queen Anne conferred the command
of the regiment on BRIGADIER-GENERAL CADOGAN (afterwards EARL
CADOGAN), from the Sixth, or Inniskilling Dragoons, by commission,
dated the 2d of March, 1703.
The three troops of the regiment on foreign service, now bearing
the title of CADOGAN'S HORSE, continued to serve throughout the
campaign of this year with Brigadier-General Wood's regiment.
In a slight skirmish near _Haneff_, in the beginning of June, a
small detachment evinced the martial spirit and valour of British
troopers; and in the various movements of the army before the
enemy, the national character was fully sustained. The French
commanders avoided an engagement, and after covering the sieges of
_Huy_ and _Limburg_, CADOGAN'S HORSE went into quarters for the
winter in Holland.
[Sidenote: 1704]
In the beginning of the following year the other three troops of
the regiment were withdrawn from Ireland, and after occupying
quarters a short time at Northampton, embarked (4th April, 1704)
for Holland.
The six troops were thus united in time for the whole regiment
to take part in the glorious exploits of the campaign of 1704,
in which that noble ardour and chivalric spirit which has raised
Britain to its present exalted station among the nations of
Europe, were displayed by the army under the Duke of Marlborough
in a signal manner. Confidence in the commander has always given
additional life and vigour to innate valour, and the troops having
already proved the military virtues of their leader, the great
Marlborough was enabled to march his forces from the ocean to the
Danube, and to gain new honours in the heart of Germany.
This enterprise was undertaken in consequence of the armies of
France and Bavaria having united against the Emperor of Germany,
and the British general advanced to the aid of the house of
Austria, which was thus menaced by a force which it was unable to
withstand. Quitting the territory of the Dutch republic the army
crossed the Rhine, and traversed the various states of Germany with
a degree of order and regularity which bespoke a high state of
discipline, united with excellent arrangements, while the nations
of Europe gazed with astonishment at the undertaking.
Having arrived at the theatre of war and joined the Imperial
army, the first action of importance was the attack of a body
of French and Bavarians commanded by the Count d'Arco, at their
entrenched camp on the lofty heights of _Schellenberg_, on the 2d
of July. On this occasion the cavalry supported the attacks of the
infantry, and when the enemy was forced from the entrenchments, the
brilliant charge of the English horse, and Royal Scots Dragoons
(the Greys) completed the overthrow; the hostile army lost its
colours, cannon, and baggage, and numbers of French and Bavarians
fell beneath the conquering sabres of the British horsemen, who
chased their adversaries to the banks of the Danube, and captured
many prisoners. CADOGAN'S HORSE were commanded on this occasion
by Lieutenant-Colonel George Kellum, and had Major Napier,[8]
Lieutenant Tettefall, and several private men wounded; and
sustained a serious loss in troop horses, from having been exposed
to a heavy cannonade: their Colonel, Brigadier-General Cadogan, was
also wounded.
This action was the precursor of a greater overthrow to the forces
of the enemy, who made efforts to retrieve his affairs; new armies
and new generals appeared; but these only served to augment the
splendour of victory, and to enhance the value of the conquerors in
the estimation of the world. The action was fought in the valley of
the Danube, near the village of _Blenheim_, on the 13th of August,
and the English horsemen, who during the two preceding campaigns
had panted for an opportunity to signalize themselves, had a fair
field in which to display their valour and prowess, and they gave
undeniable proofs of their good qualities. The Gallo-Bavarian army
was destroyed; its commander, Marshal Tallard, and many entire
battalions and squadrons were made prisoners of war; and the field
of battle was literally covered with trophies.
The victory was most complete and decisive, and it was not gained
over new levies; but over an army of veterans fully instructed in
the art of war,--select troops flushed with former successes, and
commanded by generals of great bravery and experience.[9] This
regiment had only one officer (Lieutenant Groubere) killed; its
loss in non-commissioned officers and private men has not been
recorded.
The regiment took part in the subsequent operations of the main
army; and after covering the siege of _Laudan_, it marched back to
Holland for winter quarters.
[Sidenote: 1705]
In the following summer the regiment marched with the army
through the Duchy of Juliers, and crossed the Moselle and the
Saar, in order to carry on the war in Alsace; but the Duke of
Marlborough, being disappointed of the promised co-operation of the
Imperialists, marched back to the Netherlands.
The French had, with much labour and art, constructed a line
of fortifications of many miles extent to cover their recently
acquired territory in the Spanish Netherlands, and CADOGAN'S HORSE
having been selected to form part of the division to be employed
in forcing these lines, had an opportunity of distinguishing
themselves, and their valour shone forth with as bright a lustre
as in any of the heroes in the ancient days of chivalry. The
British commander, having by skilful movements succeeded in
drawing the main body of the French army from the point selected
for the attack, forced the lines at _Helixem_ and _Neer-Hespen_
at day-break on the morning of the 18th of July, and the pioneers
levelled a space for the cavalry to pass over; but scarcely had
the British horse passed the barriers, when the Marquis d'Allegre
appeared with fifty squadrons of cavalry and twenty battalions of
infantry to drive back the British forces. The sun had risen, and
the French army was in full march to oppose this sudden attack on
their lines; hence every moment was of importance, and a sharp fire
of musketry having forced the enemy from a hollow way, the Duke of
Marlborough ordered forward his heavy cavalry to charge the hostile
horsemen. The two squadrons of this regiment led the attack with
their characteristic gallantry, and were opposed to adversaries of
valour and renown,--the famous Bavarian Horse Grenadier Guards.
Against these celebrated antagonists CADOGAN'S HORSE advanced;
the weight and power of their compact line were irresistible,
and the Bavarians were broken at the first shock; but they soon
rallied, and renewing the conflict with increasing ardour, gained
a temporary advantage. At this critical juncture the Duke of
Marlborough was separated from his troops and in imminent danger,
when CADOGAN'S HORSE, exasperated at the momentary repulse, and
still more so at the peril of their renowned chief, returned to the
charge; the grand spectacle of two spirited corps of heavy cavalry
rushing upon each other with reckless fury, was soon followed by
the clash of swords and shouts of the combatants as they fought
hand to hand with sanguinary fury; but British prowess and British
valour soon proved triumphant, and the Bavarians were overpowered
and fled before the conquering sabres of CADOGAN'S troopers, who
chased their adversaries from the field, took many prisoners, and
captured _four standards_. In their flight the hostile horsemen
rode over two battalions of their own foot, and these battalions
were severely handled by the British horse. Finally, the enemy was
routed; the Marquis d'Allegre, and many officers and men were made
prisoners, and this gallant enterprise was attended with complete
success.
On this occasion the regiment, which forms the subject of this
memoir, gained great honour; the Duke of Marlborough observed in
one of his letters,--"_Never men fought better!_" and in his public
despatch he states, "_They acquitted themselves with a bravery
surpassing all that could have been hoped of them_." The author
of the Annals of Queen Anne observed:--"All the troops of the
confederates behaved themselves with great bravery and resolution;
but among the HORSE the regiment of Brigadier CADOGAN distinguished
themselves, having had the honour to charge first, which they did
with that success, that they defeated four squadrons of Bavarian
Guards, drove them through two battalions of their own foot, and
took four standards; and this with the loss only of Lieutenant
Austin and some few men killed."
The following description of the standards captured on this
occasion is copied from the London Gazette.
"Nine standards of blue satin, richly embroidered with the Bavarian
arms; six belonging to the Elector's own troops, and three to those
of Cologne, having the following devices and mottoes."
1st. A laurel; motto, _Aut Coronari aut rumpi_.
2d. An olive-tree on a rock; motto, _Per Ardua Laurus_.
3d. A pillar reaching to the clouds; motto, _Tantum Umbra movetur_.
4th. A bear rampant; motto, _Ex Vulnere Crudelior_.
5th. A dove with a laurel branch; motto, _Uni servo fidem_.
6th. A chaos; motto, _Obstantia firmant_.
7th. A helmet with a feather on a pedestal; motto, _Ex duris
Gloria_.
8th. An olive-tree shading serpents; motto, _Nocet Umbra nocenti_.
9th. A standard of the Elector's guards with the colour torn to
pieces.
Four of these standards were taken by CADOGAN'S HORSE; the corps
which captured the other five standards are not specified.
[Illustration: Brigadier-General Cadogan's Horse forcing the French
Lines, 18th July, 1705:--
NOW FIFTH (THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S) REGIMENT OF DRAGOON
GUARDS.]
[Sidenote: 1706]
After this victory the regiment was employed in several manœuvres;
but it was not engaged in any action of importance until the
battle of _Ramilies_, fought on Whit-Sunday, the 23d of May,
1706, when the French, Bavarians, and Spaniards, commanded by
Marshal Villeroy and the Elector of Bavaria, sustained another
decisive overthrow, and CADOGAN'S HORSE acquired new laurels
in the contest. On this occasion the English cavalry were kept
in reserve near the heights of Foulz until towards the close of
the action, when they were brought forward, and the weight and
fury of the charge of these heavy horsemen were irresistible; the
enemy's squadrons and battalions were broken; and the British
troopers,--strong men on powerful horses,--smote their antagonists
to the ground with a dreadful slaughter. The victorious squadrons
pursued their adversaries throughout the night, capturing officers
and soldiers, colours, standards, and cannon; and thus, in a few
hours, the French monarch's fine and well-appointed army was
nearly annihilated, and its commanders escaped from the field with
difficulty.
This glorious victory was followed by the submission of a great
part of Spanish Brabant and Flanders to the house of Austria; and
in a few days after the battle, this regiment was selected to form
part of a detachment commanded by its Colonel, Brigadier-General
Cadogan, sent from the main army, to summon _Antwerp_, which place
was surrendered on the 7th of June.
The regiment was subsequently employed in the blockade of
_Dendermond_, and continued before that town until its surrender on
the 5th of September.
[Sidenote: 1707]
During the campaigns from 1702 to 1706 the British regiments of
horse had not worn cuirasses. In the preceding century armour had,
as already stated, fallen, to a great extent, into disuse; several
English regiments of heavy cavalry delivered their cuirasses into
the Tower of London in November, 1688; but subsequently had them
returned: they were, however, again placed in store after the peace
of Ryswick. The French and other continental nations had continued
the use of defensive armour, and it having been observed that the
English heavy cavalry, though they proved victorious, frequently
sustained a very serious loss in killed, they were, in order to
place them on an equality with their antagonists, again supplied
with cuirasses in the spring of 1707.
In the summer of this year, when the regiment took the field, it
again appeared as a corps of CUIRASSIERS: the campaign was passed
in manœuvring; and the French acting on the defensive, a few
skirmishes between detached parties was all the fighting which took
place.
[Sidenote: 1708]
The following campaign was, however, distinguished by more
important events. The enemy assembled an immense army, and
advancing from behind their lines, gained possession of Ghent
and Bruges (which places had been wrested from them in 1706),
and advanced to _Oudenarde_, with the design of besieging that
town. The Duke of Marlborough sent Major-General Cadogan forward
with three brigades of infantry and eight squadrons of Hanoverian
cavalry, and following with the main army, this movement brought on
a general engagement, which was fought in the ground near the banks
of the Scheldt on the 11th of July. The reputation already acquired
by the British regiments of horse, occasioned them to be accounted
a choice body of troops; and they were kept in reserve ready to
advance at the moment when a powerful charge of heavy cavalry was
likely to prove decisive. For a short time they were formed in
column behind the right wing; and advancing from thence, supported
the attacks of the infantry; but the enemy was overpowered, and
darkness put an end to the conflict before this compact body of
CUIRASSIERS was called upon to charge.
After this victory, the Duke of Marlborough was joined by a body
of Germans, under the orders of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and, to
the astonishment of all Europe, these two commanders resolved to
besiege the important fortress of _Lisle_. CADOGAN'S CUIRASSIERS
formed part of the covering army, and the attempts of the enemy to
raise the siege were all frustrated.
Six hundred waggons, laden with necessaries for the army, were
advancing from Ostend towards Lisle, under an escort commanded
by Major-General Webb; and the enemy having detached twenty-two
thousand men to intercept this convoy, the Duke of Marlborough sent
Major-General Cadogan with a body of horse to reinforce the guard,
and this regiment formed part of the force sent forward. The enemy
attacked the convoy in the wood of _Wynendale_, and Major-General
Webb made a most skilful and gallant defence. As this regiment
approached the wood, the noise of combat was heard; the squadrons
galloped forward, and the moment they arrived at the scene of
conflict, the French desisted, and made a precipitate retreat; and
the waggons were brought in safety to the camp. The fate of Lisle
depended, in a great measure, on the safe arrival of this convoy;
and Major-General Webb was rewarded with the thanks of Parliament
and the approbation of Queen Anne for his conduct.
The siege of _Lisle_ was continued, and the enemy being unable to
relieve the place, resolved to make an attack upon Brussels. The
covering army, of which CADOGAN'S CUIRASSIERS formed part, was put
in motion; and having forced the passage of the _Scheldt_, the
Elector of Bavaria raised the siege of Brussels and retreated. The
citadel of Lisle surrendered on the 9th of December, and Ghent and
Bruges were also recaptured before the army entered into winter
quarters.
[Sidenote: 1709]
In the summer of 1709, when the siege of the strong fortress of
_Tournay_ was resolved upon, this was one of the regiments which
first invested the town on the 27th of June, 1709. After the
capture of this place, the army advanced towards Mons, the capital
of the province of Hainault, with the design of capturing that
important city. The French army, commanded by Marshals Villiers
and Boufflers, manœuvred to prevent the loss of Mons, and this
brought on the sanguinary battle of _Malplaquet_, where the British
regiments of horse encountered enemies who fought with greater
spirit and obstinacy than on any former occasion during this war.
This battle was fought on the 11th of September, 1709. The enemy
had an advantageous position, covered by thick woods, protected
by barriers of trees cut down and laid across each other, with a
treble entrenchment, batteries, and pallisades; and within these
formidable works were collected the choicest troops of France under
commanders of renown. This post was attacked with a bravery which
overcame all opposition; the woods were pierced, the obstacles
were overcome, and the fortifications were trampled down. The
position having been forced, the Duke of Marlborough led the
British CUIRASSIERS and Prussian cavalry against the French gens
d'armes, who were routed and chased from the ground; but scarcely
were these squadrons overcome, when the British and Prussian
horse encountered a compact line of French cavalry of the royal
household, and were driven back in some disorder. The British
horse soon rallied, and returning to the charge, overcame their
celebrated adversaries, and the French squadrons were driven from
the field. The allies were victorious, but they sustained a severe
loss in killed and wounded.
CADOGAN'S HORSE were afterwards employed in covering the siege of
_Mons_, which was terminated by the surrender of the place on the
20th of October.
[Sidenote: 1710]
During the campaign of 1710, the regiment was employed in covering
the sieges of _Douay_, _Bethune_, _Aire_, and _St. Venant_, and in
protecting convoys of military stores to the besieging troops.
[Sidenote: 1711]
In the summer of 1711, the imperialists, under Prince Eugene,
having returned to Germany, the Duke of Marlborough confronted
the French army with the forces under his orders. The French had
constructed very extensive and strong lines of fortifications to
cover their frontiers, and within these lines they had collected
a numerous army. The Duke, by a skilful device, induced them
to destroy their fort at Arleux; and then, by menacing their
lines between the head of the Sanzet and Hesdin, caused them to
withdraw part of their garrisons from Arras and Cambray, with the
troops which guarded the lines in the direction of Arleux. In the
mean time his grace was continually sending detachments towards
Douay, where a considerable body of troops was assembled without
attracting notice, and amongst these forces were the two squadrons
of CADOGAN'S CUIRASSIERS. Having reconnoitred the lines on the
4th of August, the Duke gave orders for the troops to prepare
for the attack on the following morning, and the French army
prepared to receive him with eclat; but at the dead of the night,
Lieutenant-General Cadogan, having advanced with great secrecy
with the troops from Douay, passed the lines at the causeway of
_Arleux_, which the French commander, in his anxiety to collect
all the troops he could to resist the menaced attack, had left
unguarded; and the main army struck its tents in the night, and
marched in the same direction. When Marshal Villiers heard that his
lines were passed, he was astounded. He took with him the household
cavalry, and, ordering his army to follow as quickly as possible,
rode with all speed, until he came within the English out-guards,
and his feelings were so excited, that he was nearly surrounded
by a troop of CADOGAN'S HORSE before he was conscious of danger;
he had proceeded with such rapidity that the whole of his escort,
except a hundred of the best mounted dragoons, was left behind; he
ordered these dragoons to throw themselves into the old castle of
Oisy, which was at hand, and himself and two officers of his staff
escaped; but the dragoons were surrounded and made prisoners.
Having thus passed these extensive lines, which the French
commander had vauntingly called Marlborough's _ne plus ultra_, his
grace besieged the strong and important fortress of _Bouchain_,
situate on the Scheldt, in the taking of which place, difficulties
of great magnitude had to be overcome. Marshal Villiers, by a
secret march, during the night of the 9th of August, gained
possession of the heights of _Wavrechin_, in order to preserve the
line of communication which runs from thence, through a morass
between the Scheldt and the Senset, to the town of Bouchain, that
he might be enabled to relieve the garrison from time to time.
The Duke of Marlborough, observing the enemy at work, throwing up
entrenchments on the hill, ordered Lieutenant-Generals Cadogan and
Fagel to march with a body of troops, of which CADOGAN'S HORSE
formed part, to dislodge the French. As the British grenadiers
advanced to the attack, his grace rode forwards to reconnoitre
the works on the hill; and observing that the entrenchment was a
perfect bulwark, strong and lofty, and crouded with men and cannon,
he gave orders for the troops to retire.
On the following day Marshal Villiers issued from the works with
a hundred hussars, to observe the progress of his opponent, and
encountered Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who was reconnoitering
with a squadron of horse. A skirmish ensued, and four squadrons of
French carabineers advanced to aid the marshal. Cadogan, being
thus out-numbered, made a precipitate retreat, which occasioned
the enemy to pursue with great eagerness. Meanwhile, CADOGAN'S
HORSE and two other squadrons, advanced from the camp, and formed
up beyond the summit of a rising ground, where they were out of
the enemy's sight; and the moment the French carabineers appeared
on the top of the hill, they were charged by Cadogan's squadrons
with such resolution, that they were immediately broken. Marshal
Villiers was in danger of being surrounded and taken prisoner, but
a French brigadier-general interposed, with singular bravery, and
rescued the marshal. The gallant brigadier was severely wounded
and taken prisoner, and most of his men cut down by the British
CUIRASSIERS; and Marshal Villiers galloped back with his shattered
squadrons with greater haste than he had advanced.
Fortifications were afterwards constructed, with a causeway through
the inundations, and the communication between the town of Bouchain
and the troops on the heights of Wavrechin was cut off. The siege
was prosecuted with zeal and energy, and Marshal Villiers and
a numerous French army were spectators of the capture of this
important fortress. After the works were repaired and the place put
in a state of defence, the troops were placed in winter quarters.
The splendid successes of the army commanded by the Duke of
Marlborough, who never fought a battle which he did not win, nor
besieged a town which he did not capture, had effected a complete
revolution in the affairs of Europe, and the King of France saw his
generals over-matched,--his armies beaten and dispirited,--his
possessions wrested from him,--the barriers of his kingdom trampled
down,--his fortresses captured, and a powerful army, with an
invincible leader, ready to carry all the horrors of war into the
heart of France: with his designs thus frustrated, and his kingdom
thus menaced, the ambitious Louis XIV., who had thought to have
dictated laws to christendom, became a negociator for peace.
[Sidenote: 1712]
In the summer of 1712, while the conditions of the treaty were
under consideration, the regiment again took the field, and,
advancing to the frontiers of France, formed part of the army under
the orders of the Duke of Ormond, and encamped at Cateau-Cambresis
during the siege of _Quesnoy_.
A suspension of hostilities was soon afterwards published between
the British and French, and the army retired from Cateau-Cambresis
to Ghent, where the English CUIRASSIERS and several other corps
were encamped for a short time, and afterwards were placed in
quarters.
Political events connected with the amity which had been induced
between the British and French courts, in consequence of a change
of measures; the conditions of the treaty of peace then under
consideration; and the disagreement between the Duke of Marlborough
and Queen Anne; occasioned Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who was a
stanch Protestant and a warm advocate for the succession of the
house of Hanover, to be called upon to dispose of his commission;
and he was succeeded in the Colonelcy of this regiment by
Lieutenant-General GEORGE KELLUM, who had been many years the
Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, and whose commission as Colonel
was dated 22nd of December, 1712.
[Sidenote: 1713]
[Sidenote: 1714]
The regiment, now styled KELLUM'S HORSE, was placed upon the
Irish establishment in June, 1713; but it remained in comfortable
quarters in Flanders until the early part of the year 1714, when it
embarked for Ireland. The treaty of peace having been concluded,
the troopers of this regiment could look back with triumph and
exultation at their brilliant career during the late eventful and
important war; and although there were circumstances connected
with the conduct of their government calculated to produce painful
feelings, yet, conscious of their own merit and justly acquired
fame, the officers and soldiers could rejoice that, by their
well-directed exertions, they had humbled the enemies of their
country, the British troops had become celebrated for valour and
intrepidity throughout Europe, and that the turmoil and horrors of
war were succeeded by the blessings and enjoyments of peace.
[Sidenote: 1715]
[Sidenote: 1716]
After its arrival in Ireland, the regiment was stationed for a
short time at Dublin; and having been thus removed from the scenes
of conflict and bloodshed in which it had for several years been
engaged, to the more pacific and easy duties of home service, the
CUIRASSES were again returned into store. Ireland was not, however,
in a state of internal tranquillity; the decease of Queen Anne and
the accession of King George I. were followed by great exertions on
the part of the friends of the house of Stuart, who were numerous
in Ireland; and when the rebellion broke out in Scotland in 1715,
and extended itself to England, this event gave buoyancy to the
expectations of the malcontents in Ireland. The troops in Ireland
were kept in a state of constant readiness for active service;
several corps embarked for England, and the fidelity of the ARMY
preserved the kingdom from anarchy and papal domination; by the
exertions of the troops the rebellion was suppressed, and the
country restored to tranquillity.
[Sidenote: 1717]
In the spring of 1717, Lieutenant-General George Kellum retired
from the service, and King George I. was graciously pleased to
confer the Colonelcy on the Lieutenant-Colonel, ROBERT NAPIER,
who was celebrated for his conduct at the head of the regiment in
several actions in the Netherlands, and was wounded in the action
at Schellenberg.
About this period, the distinguishing colour, or facing of the
regiment, was changed from _buff_ to _green_, and it has continued
of this colour to the present time (1838); its lace was also
changed from _silver_ to _gold_. The men having _green_ waistcoats,
breeches, and horse furniture, the regiment was emphatically styled
the GREEN HORSE, and this appellation has been continued to the
present time.
[Sidenote: 1718]
[Sidenote: 1740]
The regiment remained in Ireland performing a successive routine
of court and country duties, at the establishment of twenty-five
private men per troop, until 1740, when an augmentation of ten men
per troop was made to its numbers.
After the decease of Lieutenant-General Robert Napier, King George
II. conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General
Clement Neville, from the Eighth Dragoons, his commission bearing
date the 6th of May, 1740.
[Sidenote: 1741]
[Sidenote: 1742]
[Sidenote: 1743]
[Sidenote: 1744]
Another war having broken out on the continent, the establishment
of the regiment received a further addition of ten men per troop
in 1741. In the following year a British army was sent to Flanders
under Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair; but the necessity for
retaining a considerable body of troops in Ireland, occasioned this
regiment to remain in that country. It, however, sent a detachment
of sixty men and horses to Flanders in the beginning of 1743, to
complete the three regiments of horse on foreign service, and
another detachment was sent in 1744.
[Sidenote: 1745]
Lieutenant-General Neville died on the 5th of August, 1744, and
was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Richard Viscount
Cobham, who, when Sir Richard Temple, highly distinguished himself
in the wars of Queen Anne. He was removed in 1745 to the Tenth
Dragoons, when His Majesty conferred the command of this regiment
on Major-General Thomas Wentworth, from the Twenty-fourth Foot.
[Sidenote: 1746]
When this regiment was first raised, it ranked as SEVENTH HORSE;
in 1690, the Fifth regiment of Horse was disbanded in Ireland,
and the Sixth Horse became Fifth, and this regiment obtained rank
as SIXTH HORSE, which rank it held until December, 1746, when the
First Horse,--the royal regiment of Horse Guards,--ceased to bear
a number: the Second, Third, and Fourth Horse were then constituted
the First, Second, and Third Dragoon Guards; and this regiment was
styled the SECOND IRISH HORSE, and sometimes called the GREEN HORSE
from the colour of its facings.
[Sidenote: 1747]
In 1747, Major-General Thomas Wentworth died at Turin, where he
was employed in a diplomatic capacity, and was succeeded in the
Colonelcy of the SECOND IRISH HORSE, by Major-General Thomas Bligh,
from the Twelfth Dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1748]
[Sidenote: 1749]
On the conclusion of a treaty of peace at Aix-la-Chapelle, a
considerable diminution was made in the strength of the regular
army, and in 1749 the establishment of the SECOND IRISH HORSE was
reduced to twenty-one private men per troop.
[Sidenote: 1751]
From the period of the formation of the regiment, several
alterations had, from time to time, been made in the uniform and
standards. The practice of having a standard to each troop had
been discontinued, and one to each squadron was substituted. In
1742, King George II. caused a series of coloured engravings,
representing the uniform of the several regiments of the army to
be executed; and, as a few alterations had subsequently been made,
a warrant was issued on the 1st of July, 1751, regulating the
standards, colours, and clothing of the several regiments, from
which the following particulars have been extracted relative to the
SECOND IRISH HORSE:--
COATS.--Scarlet, the facings and lapels of full green; the
button-holes worked with yellow, the buttons set on two and two;
and a long slash pocket in each skirt.
WAISTCOATS}
} full green.
BREECHES }
HATS.--Three-cornered cocked-hats, bound with yellow lace, and
ornamented with a brass loop and a black cockade.
BOOTS.--Made of jacked leather.
TRUMPETERS.--Clothed in full green coats, faced and lapelled with
red, and ornamented with white lace, having a red stripe down the
middle: their waistcoats and breeches of red cloth.
HORSE FURNITURE of full green; the holster caps and housings having
a border of broad white lace with a red worm down the centre, and
II/H embroidered on a red ground, within a wreath of roses and
thistles on each corner of the housings; and on the holster caps,
the King's cypher and crown, with II/H underneath.
STANDARDS.--The first, or King's standard, to be of crimson damask,
embroidered and fringed with gold; the rose and thistle conjoined,
and crown over them in the centre; and underneath, His Majesty's
motto, _Dieu et mon droit_: the white horse in a compartment in
the first and fourth corners, and II/H in gold characters, on
a full green ground, in a compartment in the second and third
corners. The second and third standards to be of full green damask,
embroidered and fringed with gold; the rank of the regiment in gold
Roman characters on a crimson ground, within a wreath of roses
and thistles on the same stalk, and the motto, _Vestigia nulla
retrorsum_, underneath: the white horse on a red ground in the
first and fourth compartments, and the rose and thistle conjoined
upon a red ground in the second and third compartments.
OFFICERS to be distinguished by narrow gold lace or embroidery to
the binding and button-holes of their coats; sword knots of crimson
and gold in stripes; and crimson silk sashes worn over the left
shoulder.
[Sidenote: 1758]
[Sidenote: 1759]
[Sidenote: 1760]
On the 23d of October, 1758, Lieutenant-General Bligh was succeeded
in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Major-General the Honourable
John Waldegrave (afterwards Earl Waldegrave), who was removed to
the Second Dragoon Guards in the following year. The Colonelcy
appears to have remained vacant from September, 1759, to November,
1760, when it was conferred by King George III. on Major-General
the Honourable John Fitz-William from the Second, or Queen's Royal
Regiment of Foot.
[Sidenote: 1762]
Another war having commenced in 1756, between Great Britain
and France, a British army was sent to Germany in 1758; the
establishment of this regiment was augmented to forty-nine private
men per troop; and in 1762 the order prohibiting the regiment
recruiting in Ireland was rescinded.
[Sidenote: 1763]
The success of the British arms in Canada, the West Indies, and
Germany, was followed by a treaty of peace, and after the return
of the cavalry regiments from Germany, in the beginning of 1763,
the establishment of the SECOND IRISH HORSE was again reduced to
twenty-one private men per troop.
[Sidenote: 1776]
[Sidenote: 1783]
At this low establishment the regiment continued until the breaking
out of the unfortunate contest between Great Britain and her
North American colonies, when an augmentation of ten private men
per troop was made to its numbers. No further alteration appears
to have been made until the conclusion of the war, when, the
independence of the United States having been acknowledged, its
establishment was reduced to its former numbers.
[Sidenote: 1788]
At this establishment it continued until the spring of 1788;
when King George III., having resolved to form the two troops
of Life Guards and two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards into
two regiments of Life Guards on a similar establishment to that
of the old regiments of horse, and to reduce the four regiments
of horse on the Irish establishment to the pay of dragoons,
with the title of DRAGOON GUARDS, His Majesty's pleasure was
communicated to the regiments in Ireland, in a General Order
dated the 14th of February, 1788; and the SECOND IRISH HORSE was
thus constituted the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. In consequence of the
regiment being placed upon a decreased rate of pay, compensation
was given to the officers; to the colonel 150_l._ per year; to the
lieutenant-colonel a gratuity of 575_l._; to the major 525_l._;
captains, each, 475_l._; captain-lieutenant and lieutenants, each,
350_l._; and the cornets, each, 250_l._ Every private man had the
option of his discharge, or a bounty of two guineas if he continued
to serve.
Several alterations were made in the uniform of the regiment. The
officers were directed to wear an epaulette on each shoulder. The
flask-string was removed from the pouch belt, and the width of the
belts reduced from four inches and a half to three inches; and the
equipment was assimilated, in every particular, to that of the
regiments of dragoons.
The establishment was fixed at one colonel and captain, one
lieutenant-colonel and captain, one major and captain, three
captains, six lieutenants, six cornets, one chaplain, one adjutant,
one surgeon, six troop quarter-masters, six serjeants, twelve
corporals, six trumpeters, one hundred and fourteen private men,
and six dismounted men. The several alterations having been
completed, the change of establishment took place on the 1st of
April, 1788, and from this date the regiment has borne the title of
FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS; but the appellation of GREEN HORSE has never
been entirely discontinued.
[Sidenote: 1789]
[Sidenote: 1790]
In the following year, the regiment lost its colonel, General
the Honourable John Fitz-William, who was succeeded on the 27th
of August, 1789, by Lieutenant-General John Douglas, from the
Fourteenth Foot. Lieutenant-General Douglas died on the 10th of
November, 1790, and was succeeded by Major-General Thomas Bland,
from the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1793]
After passing a period of nearly eighty years in Ireland, the
regiment, having previously had a considerable augmentation made
to its numbers, was ordered to hold itself in readiness for
foreign service. This event was occasioned by the revolution
which had taken place in France, where a party of republicans had
seized the reins of government, had imprisoned the royal family,
and had brought their sovereign to the scaffold; a proceeding
which disorganized the state of society in one of the most
civilized parts of the world,--gave rise to the formation of a
new dynasty,--removed the basis on which the sovereign power
was established,--and involved the great European states in a
succession of destructive wars for a period of more than twenty
years. Great Britain joined the confederacy against the regicide
government of France, and sent, in the spring of 1793, a body of
troops to the Netherlands, under the command of His Royal Highness
the Duke of York. At the close of the summer, reinforcements were
sent to Flanders, and on the 18th and 19th of September, the FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS embarked at Dublin for the same destination.
[Sidenote: 1794]
After occupying winter quarters in Flanders, the regiment took
the field under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable
R. Taylor, and entered on a scene of action in a part of Europe
where it had, nearly a century before, acquired numerous honours
under the great MARLBOROUGH, and its conduct did not derogate from
its ancient reputation. It was first employed in the attack of the
enemy's post at _Prêmont_, on the 17th of April, 1794, but was not
called upon to charge; and it subsequently formed part of the
covering army during the siege of _Landrécies_.
While this siege was in progress, the British troops, under the
Duke of York, were encamped at _Cateau_. On the morning of the
26th of April, which was gloomy and dark, and a thick mist covered
the face of nature, the advance of an hostile force was heard, but
its movements could not be discerned. At length, the rays of the
sun revealed the movements of a French force of thirty thousand
men, under Lieutenant-General Chapuy; and a body of cavalry, of
which the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS formed part, was detached, under
Lieutenant-General Otto, against the enemy's left flank, while
a sharp attack was made on the enemy's front. This movement was
conducted with great caution, the enemy's flank was turned, the
trumpets sounded a charge, and the British horsemen rushed with
irresistible fury upon the ranks of the hostile legions. The French
were overthrown and defeated; their commander, Lieutenant-General
Chapuy, a number of officers and men, and thirty-five pieces of
cannon were captured, and their flying divisions were pursued
with immense slaughter to the gates of Cambray. The Duke of York
passed the highest commendations on the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS and
other troops detached against the enemy's left flank, and declared
they had "_all acquired immortal honour to themselves_." His Royal
Highness further stated, "_the conduct of the British cavalry was
beyond all praise_." The loss of the regiment on this occasion
was nine men and twenty-three horses killed; one officer, one
quarter-master, eight men and nine horses, wounded; four men and
twenty-three horses missing.
After the surrender of Landrécies, the British forces took up a
position in front of _Tournay_, where they repulsed an attack of
the enemy on the 10th of May. During the action, a favourable
opportunity presented itself for attacking the enemy's right flank;
Lieutenant-General Harcourt was detached with sixteen squadrons of
British and two of Austrian cavalry, and attacked the enemy with
so much resolution and intrepidity, that they immediately began
their retreat, in the course of which they were soon broken, and
they sustained great loss, including thirteen pieces of cannon, and
above four hundred officers and men taken prisoners.
A combined attack was made on the French positions on the 17th of
May, but failed from some of the columns not arriving in time at
the posts allotted to them.
On the 22nd of May, the French attacked the British position in
front of _Tournay_ with an immense force. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
were formed up ready for action on their camp ground all the day;
but the French did not attack that part of the line; and they were
repulsed in their attempts in the other parts of the field.
At length, the defeat of the Austrians having rendered the position
occupied by the British in front of Tournay no longer tenable, the
troops were withdrawn, and the campaign degenerated into a series
of retreats, which were ably conducted under numerous difficulties.
[Sidenote: 1795]
During this short but eventful campaign the British troops had
maintained their ancient reputation; but the army was not of
sufficient numbers to cope with the enormous masses of the enemy,
which darkened the land like a gloomy tempest. In the retreat
through Holland, and in the distresses and privations of the winter
campaign amidst snow and ice, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS took part,
and in the early part of 1795 they arrived in Germany.
The regiment remained in Germany during the following summer,
and encamped in one of the plains of the Duchy of Bremen, under
the orders of Major-General Sir David Dundas; and in November it
embarked for England.
[Sidenote: 1796]
In October, 1796, the regiment proceeded to Ireland, which country
was in a state bordering on open rebellion. The malcontents had
entered into arrangements with the republican government of France,
and a French armament was prepared, under the orders of General
Hoche, to assist the Irish Roman Catholics in effecting their
separation from England, and in forming themselves into a republic.
On the 24th of December the French fleet appeared in Bantry Bay;
and the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS were despatched by forced marches to
oppose the landing of the enemy. The French fleet was, however,
partly dispersed by a storm, and the remainder returned to France
without attempting to land.
[Sidenote: 1797]
In 1797 the regiment was encamped, with several other
corps, on the Curragh of Kildare, and was there reviewed by
Lieutenant-General Sir David Dundas, who expressed, in orders, his
approbation of its discipline and appearance. Its establishment at
this period was seven hundred officers and men.
[Sidenote: 1798]
The disaffection which had so long prevailed among the Roman
Catholics in Ireland, had continued to acquire additional rancour
and vehemence, and the passions of the misguided peasantry having
been wrought, by wicked demagogues, into fury and madness, they
neglected the affairs of civil life, provided themselves with
arms, and broke out into open rebellion in the summer of 1798.
The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS were on Dublin duty at the time, and
were so distinguished for loyalty and steady conduct that the
Lord-Lieutenant committed to the regiment the military charge of
the capital.
One squadron under the command of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel
Sherlock was detached from Dublin into the counties of Wicklow
and Wexford, and was engaged in the action at _Arklow_ on the 9th
of June, when thirty thousand insurgents, headed by their priests
in clerical vestments, attacked the town with great fury, but
were repulsed with the loss of an immense number of men. From the
circumstance of there being no force of any consequence to prevent
the rebels marching upon the capital, this was an action of the
greatest importance, and was most obstinately contested.
The same squadron was afterwards instrumental in relieving the
loyalists in the town of _Ballycarnen_, where they were besieged by
the rebels, and had only a small party of militia to assist in the
defence of the place. The cavalry advanced with great bravery, and
was assailed by a sharp fire from behind the fences, and a barrier
of carts and other vehicles formed across the road, which it was
found impossible to force by cavalry alone, and the troops retired
until a body of infantry arrived; when the whole advanced,--routed
the rebels, and pursued them with great slaughter.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sherlock was afterwards engaged with the
squadron of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS under his orders, at _Gorey_,
and charged the rebels several times with success.
The same squadron was also engaged in the action at _Vinegar
Hill_,--the stronghold of the rebels, where the most inhuman
tragedies had been committed on hundreds of Protestants. This post
was attacked on the 21st of June, and the insurgents were routed
with great slaughter and many prisoners were captured. The squadron
of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS charged and pursued the rebels, and
took many prisoners. It afterwards overtook an insurgent corps near
a place called _White Hills_, where, after a sharp contest, the
rebels were routed, and they fled in all directions.
While these events were transpiring, another detachment of the
regiment was employed in the county of Kildare, and had several
skirmishes with bands of insurgents.
A patrole of the regiment, commanded by Captain Pack, proceeding
towards _Prosperous_, encountered one hundred rebels well mounted
and equipped; the Dragoon Guards instantly charged with signal
valour and intrepidity, routed their adversaries at the first
shock, killed twenty on the spot, and captured eight horses.
When the rebellion was nearly suppressed, the French endeavoured
to revive the contest by sending General Humbert with about a
thousand men, who landed at Killala on the 22d of August. The FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS marched from Dublin to oppose the combined rebel and
French forces, and were attached to the column under the Marquis
of Cornwallis's command. The action at _Ballinamuck_ on the 8th of
September followed; the French surrendered themselves prisoners
of war, and the insurgents were dispersed. After the action, the
Marquis of Cornwallis selected a squadron of the FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS, commanded by Captain (afterwards Sir William) Ponsonby, to
escort him on his return to Dublin.
[Sidenote: 1799]
The rebellion in Ireland having been suppressed, the FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS were embarked in 1799, in order to join the expedition to
Holland, commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of York; but the
order for their proceeding on this service was countermanded, and
after disembarking at Liverpool, they marched into quarters in
Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
[Sidenote: 1802]
[Sidenote: 1803]
After the conclusion of the Treaty of Amiens, a reduction of two
troops was made in the establishment; but on the breaking out of
the war in 1803, the army was again augmented, and an addition of
two troops was again made to the strength of the regiment.
[Sidenote: 1804]
In the following year King George III. was pleased to confer upon
the regiment the distinguished title of THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE
OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS, in honour of Her Royal
Highness the Princess Charlotte Carolina Augusta, daughter of
George William Frederick Prince of Wales (afterwards George IV.),
by Carolina Amelia Elizabeth, second daughter of the Duke of
Brunswick Wolfenbuttel. The Princess Charlotte of Wales exhibited
in her early life a most amiable disposition with excellent traits
of character, and, being considered as the future sovereign of
Great Britain, the nation saw in her qualities calculated to adorn
the throne, and to make a great and civilized people happy; hence,
the conferring of Her Royal Highness's title on the regiment, was
considered a special mark of His Majesty's favour and approbation.
[Sidenote: 1805]
[Sidenote: 1808]
The regiment proceeded to Ireland in 1805, and remained in that
country until the summer of 1808, when it returned to England.
[Sidenote: 1811]
On the 8th of July, 1811, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales,
who was Regent of the United Kingdom during the indisposition
of King George III., reviewed the regiment on Wimbledon common,
on which occasion it was commanded by its Colonel, the veteran
General Thomas Bland, and the Prince Regent was graciously pleased
to express his approbation of its appearance, and of the rapidity
and brilliant execution of its movements; and as the regiment was
about to proceed on foreign service, the most lively anticipations
of its achievements at the theatre of war were produced. It was
not, at this period, mounted on horses of so heavy a description as
formerly; but, while it bore the title of a heavy cavalry regiment,
and retained sufficient weight for a powerful charge in line, it
had acquired a lightness which rendered it available for every
description of service. The heavy cavalry corps which formerly
constituted so important a portion of the armies of England, had
been improved in efficiency and usefulness by mounting them on
horses of a lighter description.
The occasion of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS proceeding abroad at this
period, was the attempt made by that tyrannical power which had
risen out of the French revolution, of which Napoleon Bonaparte had
become the head, to subjugate the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal:
the inhabitants of those countries were in arms against the
usurper; a British force commanded by Lord Wellington had been sent
to their aid; and this regiment was one of the corps selected to
reinforce the army under his lordship's command.
Six troops of this regiment, amounting to five hundred and
forty-four officers and men, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel the
Honourable William Ponsonby, embarked at Portsmouth on the 12th
of August, and having landed at Lisbon on the 4th of September,
occupied quarters at Belem about six weeks, and afterwards advanced
up the country. When the army went into quarters for the winter,
the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS were stationed at Thomar.
[Sidenote: 1812]
The army resumed operations in the beginning of January, 1812,
with the siege and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo: and in March the
FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS proceeded into the south of Spain to watch the
movements of Marshal Soult, and to cover the siege of _Badajoz_.
The regiment arrived, with the remainder of its brigade (the Third
and Fourth Dragoons), at Borba, in the Alentejo, on the 5th of
March, crossed the Guadiana on the 15th, and formed the van of the
covering army until it arrived at the foot of an extensive chain
of mountains called the Sierra Morena. On the advance of Marshal
Soult, the covering army retired upon Albuhera. The fortress of
_Badajoz_ was captured by storm on the 6th of April; and in a few
days afterwards the regiment had an opportunity of distinguishing
itself in action with the enemy. A large body of cavalry advanced
upon _Llerena_; the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS marched on the 10th of
April to Los Santos, and continued their route during the night
to Bienvenida,--proceeding a distance of sixty miles without
halting, and the last four miles at a brisk pace, through a country
abounding with obstructions; then forming with celerity, advanced
through a grove of olive-trees, beyond which a body of French
cavalry, of more than thrice the numbers of the regiment, was
formed up. The sight of so numerous an enemy did not intimidate
the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS; but acted as a spur to their energies,
and excited them to exertions which evinced their native valour
and intrepidity, and occasioned them to rival the deeds of their
predecessors in the field of glory. The fatigues of the previous
march were forgotten, and the gallant troopers charged with such
spirit and resolution, that the French squadrons were broken, and
being also attacked by the light brigade, they retired in disorder
under cover of their infantry and artillery, leaving behind about
one hundred killed and wounded, and one lieutenant-colonel, two
captains, one lieutenant, and one hundred and forty men prisoners,
also nearly one hundred horses. Actions in which the numbers
engaged are not very great, do not produce, in their bearing on the
affairs of nations, very important results, hence they are often
overlooked, or but slightly noticed, by general historians; yet on
these occasions individual corps often distinguish themselves in an
eminent degree; and the excellent conduct of the British cavalry at
_Llerena_, elicited the following orders:--
"_Lafra, 12th April, 1812._
"CAVALRY ORDERS.
"Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton begs Major-General Le
Marchant and the Honourable Lieutenant-Colonel Ponsonby will
accept his best thanks, for the gallant and judicious manner in
which they commanded their brigades yesterday, and he requests
they will make known to the officers commanding regiments, the
lieutenant-general's high approbation of their conduct, as well
as of the zeal and attention displayed by all ranks. The order
which was preserved by the troops in pursuing the enemy, and
the quickness with which they formed after every attack, does
infinite credit to the commanding officers, and is a convincing
proof of the good discipline of the several regiments.
"The Lieutenant-General was very much satisfied with the conduct
of the Third and Fourth Dragoons, in supporting the Fifth Dragoon
Guards and Major-General Anson's brigade.
"To Lieutenant-Colonel Elley, Sir Stapleton's warmest thanks
are due, for the great assistance he derived from the zeal and
activity displayed by that officer; and the Lieutenant-General
begs that Captain White and Captain Baron Deckan will accept his
acknowledgments for the assistance they afforded him yesterday.
Sir Stapleton Cotton has only to assure the cavalry that their
gallant and regular conduct yesterday has made him, if possible,
more proud than ever of the high command entrusted to him.
"STAPLETON COTTON,
"LIEUTENANT-GENERAL."
"_Olivenza, 15th April, 1812._
"BRIGADE ORDERS.
"Major-General Le Marchant has great satisfaction in conveying
to his brigade the approbation and thanks of Lieutenant-General
Sir Stapleton Cotton commanding the cavalry, for their gallant
conduct near Llerena on the 11th instant.
"Whilst the Major-General is perfectly satisfied with the zeal
shown by every individual of the brigade in the execution of his
duty on that occasion, he considers that _the charge made by
the_ FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS _deserves his particular admiration and
approval, and he requests that_ MAJOR PRESCOTT _and the officers
of that corps will accept his best thanks, as well for their
services as for the credit which their gallant conduct reflects
on the command which he has the honour to hold_.
"T. HUTCHINS,
"BRIGADE-MAJOR."
These orders were forwarded to the depôt of the regiment in
England, to be inserted in the records, accompanied by a letter, of
which the following is an extract:--
"_Crato, Portugal, 7th May, 1812._
"SIR,--I have great pleasure in communicating to you, by
direction of Colonel Ponsonby, the cavalry and brigade orders
issued on a late occasion, when the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
attacked a very superior enemy, and forced him to retire with
the loss of about one hundred killed and wounded, besides one
lieutenant-colonel, two captains, one lieutenant, and one hundred
and forty men taken prisoners, with near one hundred horses.
This affair presents a pledge of the future good conduct of
the regiment whenever an opportunity again appears of meeting
the enemy, and must be peculiarly gratifying to you and to the
remainder of the corps at the depôt in England, to hear from such
undoubted authority, that the regiment still continues to support
that high character which it gained on many former glorious
occasions, and in our estimation this last is not the least:--the
regiment having, previous to the attack on three times its
numbers of the enemy's best cavalry, made a forced march of
upwards of sixty miles without halting,--four of the last of
which was at a very brisk pace, through a difficult country, over
rocks, ravines, and stone walls; then forming with unexampled
celerity, and charging with equal and regular rapidity through
a grove of olive-trees until it came in contact with the enemy,
who retired in great disorder under the cover of his infantry
and guns. Our loss in this brilliant affair was comparatively
trifling, as will be seen by the subjoined statement of the names
of the brave men who fell.
"W. JACKSON,
"ADJUTANT."
Thus the DRAGOON GUARDS of the nineteenth century are found
rivalling the celebrated heavy HORSE of the preceding ages. The
regiment lost, on this occasion, one corporal and fourteen private
men killed; Major Prescot, Lieutenant Walker, three serjeants, one
corporal, and twenty-one private men wounded.
A detachment of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS escorted the prisoners
captured on this occasion to the fortress of Elvas in Portugal. The
regiment afterwards marched to Crato.
Advancing from Crato into Spain, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS took part
in the movements by which the French were driven from Salamanca,
and the forts at that city were besieged and captured.
After the capture of the forts, the regiment advanced upon Toro,
but was subsequently ordered to retire to Alaejos to support a body
of troops, under Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton, posted
on the Trabancos; and several retrograde movements followed, which
were succeeded by the battle of _Salamanca_. During the night
before this eventful day, while the regiment was dismounted, a
violent storm occurred. The thunder rolled with tremendous violence
over the heads of the men and horses; the lightning played in
sheets of fire and shed its blazing gleams upon the polished arms;
and the rain fell in torrents. One flash fell among the FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS; the terrified horses breaking loose galloped wildly
about in the dark, and every additional clap of thunder and blaze
of lightning augmented the confusion. Twenty men of the regiment
were trampled down and disabled, and several horses escaped into
the French lines.
On the morning of the memorable 22d of July, the FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS, commanded by Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby, moved
from their bivouac and formed in the rear of the centre of the
position occupied by the allied army.
While the French commander was manœuvring, Lord Wellington took
advantage of an injudicious movement, and ordered his divisions
forward to attack their adversaries, when the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
took ground to their right, passed the village of Arapiles, and
advancing in support of the third and fifth divisions, were
exposed to a heavy cannonade. The French army, being attacked
at the moment it was making a complicated evolution, was unable
to withstand the British forces; in a short time, a favourable
opportunity for a charge of the heavy cavalry occurred, and the
FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, were ordered
to attack.[10] The bugles sounded; the brigade moved forward,
increasing its pace, with Major-General Le Marchant at its head,
and a most animated scene presented itself. The din of battle was
heard on every side; clouds of dust and rising columns of smoke
darkened the air, and enveloped the foaming squadrons as they
dashed forward and shook the ground with their trampling hoofs.
In front, the glittering bayonets and waving colours of French
infantry were dimly seen through the thickened atmosphere; these
formidable ranks of war were, in an instant, broken and overthrown
by the terrific charge of this brigade; the resolute troopers,
mingling with their discomfited antagonists, cut them down with
a dreadful carnage, while the British infantry raised shouts of
triumph and applause at the success of the cavalry, and numbers
of the enemy laid down their arms, and surrendered prisoners of
war. Major-General Le Marchant was shot through the body, which
terminated the career of that gallant and talented officer; the
command of the brigade devolved on the brave Colonel the Honourable
William Ponsonby of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and the officers
and men of the regiment, emulating the heroic fire and energy of
their favourite leader, performed deeds of valour worthy the high
character of their corps. Having subdued one body of infantry,
they continued their career through a wood in their front without
waiting to re-form their ranks; another formidable mass of fresh
adversaries presented itself; the undaunted heavy horsemen,
conscious of their power, flushed with success, stimulated to new
energies by seeing Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton and his
staff at their head, rushed forward with reckless fury; though
assailed by a volley of musketry, which proved fatal to many, the
survivors passed through the curling smoke, scarcely seeming to
touch the ground, and the next moment the French column was broken
with a dreadful crash. That mass of infantry, a moment before so
menacing and conspicuous, was become a confused rabble, while the
victorious troopers, exulting in uncontrollable might, trampled
down and plunged their horses through the enemy's ranks, sabring
their dismayed adversaries, and producing havoc and confusion on
every hand.[11] Five guns and more than two thousand prisoners
were captured, and a division of French infantry was destroyed;
two guns were seized by the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and sent to the
rear immediately after they broke through the enemy's ranks. Such
were the splendid results of this gallant and dreadful charge, in
which the weight, prowess, and daring impetuosity of the FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, seconded by the
light brigade, proved irresistible, and contributed materially in
deciding the fortune of a battle in which the French army sustained
a decisive overthrow, and eleven guns and two _eagles_ remained in
possession of the conquerors. The British commander stated in his
public despatch,--"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:" Colonel the Honourable
William Ponsonby was presented with a gold medal for his conduct
as commanding officer; and the regiment was afterwards rewarded
with the honour of bearing the word SALAMANCA on its standards and
appointments. Its loss was Captain Osborne, two serjeants, one
corporal, and twelve private men killed; Lieutenant Christie, one
serjeant, one corporal, and fourteen private men wounded.
[Illustration: FIFTH (THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S) REGIMENT
OF DRAGOON GUARDS,
At the Battle of Salamanca, 22nd July, 1812. [_To face page 60._]
The left squadron of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS was attached to
Major-General Bock's brigade of heavy German cavalry, and sent in
pursuit of the wreck of the French army, which retreated by Alba
upon Valladolid; the French rear-guard was overtaken about three
leagues beyond _Alba de Tormes_, a sharp engagement ensued, and
about nine hundred prisoners were captured.
Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby, of the Fifth Dragoon
Guards, having been appointed to the staff of the army, and to the
command of the heavy cavalry brigade, issued the following order on
the subject:--
"_Camp near Flores de Avila,_
_25th July, 1812._
"REGIMENTAL ORDERS,
"His Excellency, the commander of the forces, having been pleased
to appoint Colonel Ponsonby to the staff of this army, and to the
distinguished honour of commanding this brigade, Major Prescott
will be pleased to take upon himself the command of the regiment.
"The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS well know how highly Colonel Ponsonby
has always prized the honour of commanding them; and if the pride
he has long felt in the command of a regiment deservedly of such
high character admitted of augmentation, its most gallant and
glorious achievements in the field, as well as its soldier-like
conduct in quarters, since its arrival in this country, could
not fail to enhance it. He assures the officers and men of the
regiment, that it is now with considerable regret he takes his
leave of them as their regimental commanding officer, although
in the course of professional promotion; and he requests Major
Prescott, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and the whole
of the regiment, will accept his warm and sincere thanks for the
past, as well as his heartfelt and anxious good wishes for the
future. May the Fifth Dragoon Guards long continue to be ranked
as second to none in His Majesty's service."
The regiment accompanied the army in the subsequent movements, and
in the advance upon the capital of Spain; and it formed part of the
personal escort of the Marquis of Wellington when he entered Madrid
on the 12th of August; it was formed up at the Segovia-gate, when
his lordship received the keys from the municipality. The FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS entered the city amidst the acclamations of the
inhabitants, and occupied quarters there until the 18th of August.
Leaving the metropolis of Spain to engage in operations against
the French army, the regiment proceeded to St. Ildefonso, remained
there a few days, and afterwards proceeded to the vicinity of
_Burgos_, where the enemy was found in position on the 17th of
September. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons,
were ordered to the front, and dispositions were made for the
attack; but the French commander withdrew his forces, leaving
a strong garrison in the castle of Burgos. This fortress was
besieged, and the regiment, forming part of the covering army, was
stationed at Villamar, the head quarters of the cavalry. On the
19th of October, the enemy attempted to relieve the besieged, and
attacked and carried the village of Quintanapalla; the left wing of
infantry and FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons,
advanced to retake the village, but on the approach of this force
the French retreated.
At length, the movements of the superior numbers of the enemy,
rendered it necessary for the main army to unite with the forces
under Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill, and a retreat was
resolved upon. Withdrawing from Burgos with great secrecy on the
night of the 21st of October, the army commenced its celebrated
retreat to the frontiers of Portugal, which was performed under
peculiar difficulties, and in presence of an immense superiority of
numbers, with the same signal ability which distinguished all the
operations of the British commander, who evinced, on many occasions
during this war, the sublimity of military talent.
On the 23rd of October, the army continued its retreat in two
columns; the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons,
covering the retreat of the column from Hormillos; the enemy
menaced the rear with an immense force of cavalry, but was unable
to make a serious impression, and the British troops bivouacked
that night on the hills above Cordovilla. Resuming the march an
hour before daylight on the following morning, the column passed
the bridge of Cordovilla and crossed the Carrion, covered by
Colonel Ponsonby's brigade, and the head quarters were established
at Duenas, from whence two squadrons of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
and Third Dragoons were detached, to cover the working parties
employed in mining the bridges of Palencia for destruction; but
the French advancing in great force gained possession of the
bridges in an unbroken state. On the 26th the army resumed its
retrograde movement, crossed the Pisuerga at Cabeçon, and occupied
that town and its vicinity until the 29th, when it again retired,
and, having crossed the Douro, occupied a position beyond that
river several days. On the 6th of November the army retreated on
Salamanca; on the 15th it resumed its march, and having crossed
the Agueda, proceeded into quarters in Portugal. The FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS halted eight days at Gallegos, in the province of Biera, and
afterwards proceeded to Ervidal, where they remained until the 28th
of December, and subsequently marched to Goes.
Thus ended this eventful campaign, in which the allied army, after
capturing the two important fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and
Badajoz, gaining the glorious victory of Salamanca, and penetrating
to the metropolis of Spain, was forced, by the superior number of
the enemy's concentrated forces, to return to its former posts.
The gigantic power to which the French revolution had given birth
was, however, on the eve of being broken; Bonaparte, the tyrant
of Europe, had resolved on the fatal expedition to Russia, where
he lost a powerful army in the snow, and the victory at Salamanca
was the precursor of greater triumphs over the disturbers of
christendom. The immense distance marched by the FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS during the year 1812, with the scarcity of forage and
constant exposure to every description of weather, occasioned
the loss of many horses; it has been computed that the regiment
marched about two thousand miles within twelve months.
[Sidenote: 1813]
The regiment was again in motion in February, 1813, and having
taken post at Viride, in the valley of the Mondego, occupied that
station until the middle of April, when it proceeded to Guimarers,
and halted there seventeen days.
In May the army commenced operations with a prospect of more
splendid results than on any former occasion; and Colonel
Ponsonby's brigade, which still consisted of the FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, traversed the wild and
mountainous country of Trasos-Montes, and crossed the Esla on the
26th of May. The enemy, no longer possessing that superiority
of numbers by which he had formerly gained so many advantages,
abandoned the line of the Douro; Ponsonby's brigade directed its
march on Valencia, passed that town, and advanced on Burgos. On the
12th of June, the brigade overtook the enemy's rear-guard on the
heights of Estepar, when the Third Dragoons were detached to cut
off part of the enemy's force, in which they succeeded, and Captain
Miles, of the Fourteenth Dragoons, charging, took some prisoners
and one gun. During the succeeding night, the French blew up the
castle of Burgos, and retired behind the Ebro. Colonel Ponsonby's
brigade moved to the left, and after traversing a romantic tract
of country, over mountains and rugged precipices, crossed the Ebro
on the 15th of June, and advanced on _Vittoria_, where the enemy
concentrated his forces and took up a defensive position.
At day-break, on the morning of the 21st of June, the allied
army advanced against the enemy, and the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
supported the columns of attack. The British infantry dislodged
their adversaries from the several eminences and strong posts at
the point of the bayonet, and being supported and sustained by
the cavalry, forced the enemy, after a dreadful slaughter had
taken place, to retreat with the loss of his guns, ammunition, and
baggage. The cavalry, having been prevented by the nature of the
ground from charging during the early part of the day, was enabled
to dash forward towards the close of the action, and to complete
the rout and discomfiture of the French army. The FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS had only one man wounded on this occasion. Their gallant
bearing throughout the day, procured them the honour of displaying
the word VITTORIA on their standards and appointments, and their
commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Prescott, was rewarded with
a gold medal. The brigade continued the pursuit of the enemy on the
following day, and on the 27th of June was detached, to endeavour
to intercept the retreat of a division of the French army, under
General Clausel; but this body of troops escaped to France by the
pass of Jaca. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS had advanced to Tafalla,
where they remained fourteen days, when, forage becoming scarce,
they proceeded to Miranda. In the mean time, the infantry having
blockaded Pampeluna, penetrated the Pyrenean mountains. Marshal
Soult advanced to relieve Pampeluna, when these celebrated
mountains became the scene of several fierce and deadly contests
between the English and French infantry, and the cavalry were
ordered forward in support. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS left Mirando
on the 26th of July, and were formed up at the foot of the Pyrenees
during the actions in the mountains towards the end of the month,
when the French were defeated and forced to retire with great loss.
The heavy cavalry not being required in the mountain operations of
the army, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS marched to Estella, a city of
Navarre, where they arrived on the 11th of August, and remained
until the 27th of December, when, forage becoming scarce, they
proceeded to the plains of Vittoria, and occupied Guérena and
adjacent villages.
[Sidenote: 1814]
Towards the end of February, 1814, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
again advanced. After passing through the Pyrenean mountains,
they entered France, and followed the route of the French troops
retreating on Bayonne. On the 19th of March, the army, under
Marshal Soult, was discovered in position near _Tarbes_, when
a division of infantry and Major-General Ponsonby's brigade of
cavalry were ordered to turn the enemy's right flank at Rabastens,
but the French, being thus threatened, retired. Following the rear
of the French army, the brigade crossed the Garonne, on a pontoon
bridge, at St. Roques, on the 31st of March, and seized the bridge
on the Arriege, at Cintagabelle; but the roads were found so bad
in this direction, that the troops were recalled, and the pontoon
bridge being removed to Grenade, the brigade passed the river on
the 4th of April, took post at Grissolles, and placed a strong
picquet on the road to Montauban.
In the mean time, the French army had taken up a strong position to
cover _Toulouse_, where they were attacked by the allied army on
the 10th of April. The infantry attacked the enemy's entrenchments
with their usual intrepidity. The cavalry brigade, consisting
of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, was
commanded on this occasion by Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles
Manners; it was employed in supporting the Spanish forces, and, by
its firm countenance, it enabled them, after having been thrown
into some confusion, to rally and re-form their broken ranks. It
also saved the Portuguese guns from being captured by the French,
and subsequently supported Lieutenant-General Clinton's division:
at length, the enemy was driven from his works, and forced to take
shelter in the town. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS had one corporal
killed and Cornet Lucas wounded; and their services on this
occasion were rewarded with the honour of bearing the word TOULOUSE
on their standards and appointments.
Shortly after this victory hostilities were terminated, by
the removal of Buonaparte from the throne of France, and the
restoration of the Bourbon dynasty. Thus ended the toils and
conflicts of this destructive war, and the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS,
after traversing kingdoms, enduring privations, and gaining
victories, had the gratification of witnessing the restoration
of peace. The French forces, after fighting to add province to
province, and kingdom to kingdom, to found new empires upon the
ruins of conquered states, to subject mankind to the tyranny of a
lawless despot, saw their hopes blasted, their conquests wrested
from them, their country invaded and subject to the power of
foreigners; but the British army, which fought under the immortal
Wellington for the good of Europe,--for the welfare of other
nations, preserved its own country from the horrors of war, and had
the glory of conquering to establish the peace of Christendom.
The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS remained in cantonments until the 1st of
June, when, having sent their dismounted men and heavy baggage
to Bourdeaux, they commenced their march for Boulogne.[12] This
long march, from one extremity of France to another, was performed
in the short period of six weeks; and, previous to embarking,
Major-General Ponsonby expressed to the three regiments in
brigade orders, "the high sense he entertained of their uniformly
excellent conduct both in quarters and in the field:" adding, "It
is a gratifying circumstance that, during the whole period of
service, they have, in no instance, individually or collectively,
incurred animadversion in general orders; that no individual of the
brigade has been brought before a general court martial; and that
not one instance has occurred (to the major-general's knowledge)
of interior disagreement in the brigade. With equal truth the
major-general can assert, that upon every occasion which has
presented itself of acting against the enemy, whether regimentally
or in brigade, they have nobly sustained the superiority of the
British cavalry, and fully justified the high opinion so repeatedly
expressed with regard to them by his Grace the Duke of Wellington.
The three regiments will ever have to congratulate themselves on
its having fallen to their lot to be the brigade employed in that
glorious and effectual charge, which contributed in so eminent a
degree to decide the fate of the day at SALAMANCA, and to secure
the signal and complete defeat of the French army. It only remains
for the major-general to declare his satisfaction at the exemplary
conduct of the brigade during the march through France; and he
concludes by requesting that Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles
Manners, Lieutenant-Colonel Prescott, and Major Hugonin, will
themselves accept, and have the goodness to communicate to the
regiments under their respective commands, his best and warmest
thanks for their zealous and steady services during the time he has
had the honour of commanding the brigade, together with his earnest
and sincere good wishes for their future welfare. He also requests
Brigade-Major Hill will accept his best thanks for the zeal and
assiduous attention with which he has discharged the duties of his
situation."
The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS embarked at Boulogne on the 17th and 18th
of July, landed at Dover on the 19th and 20th, and marched from
thence to Woodbridge barracks, where the depôt and heavy baggage
joined from Canterbury, and a reduction of two troops was made in
the establishment. In October the regiment marched to Ipswich and
adjacents.
[Sidenote: 1815]
In April, 1815, "His Royal Highness the Prince Regent was pleased,
in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to approve of the
FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON
GUARDS, being permitted to bear on its standards and appointments
(in addition to any other badges or devices which may have been
heretofore granted to the regiment), the word 'PENINSULA,' in
commemoration of its services during the late war in Portugal,
Spain, and France, under the command of Field-Marshal the Duke of
Wellington."
On the 8th of April, the regiment marched to Nottingham, Coventry,
Northampton, and Leicester; and the return of Napoleon Buonaparte
to France, in breach of the treaty of 1814, having occasioned
a declaration of war, six troops were ordered to be held in
readiness for foreign service; but, to the great regret of the
officers and men, who panted for another opportunity of signalizing
themselves under the Duke of Wellington, the order was subsequently
countermanded in consequence of the number of young and untrained
horses in the regiment.
In June, the officers and men of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS received
the painful intelligence of the fall of Major-General Sir William
Ponsonby, G.C.B., at the battle of Waterloo.[13]
In July, the regiment marched to York, Sheffield, Leeds,
Huddersfield, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne: in September, the several
troops proceeded to Newcastle, in consequence of the riotous
conduct of the seamen in the ports of that neighbourhood.
[Sidenote: 1816]
In January, 1816, the regiment occupied Newcastle, York, Carlisle,
Penrith, and Whitehaven; during the summer, it proceeded to
Ireland, and, arriving at Dublin towards the end of August,
remained on duty in that garrison six months.
General Bland died at Isleworth on the 14th of October, 1816;
and on the 18th of that month, His Royal Highness Prince Leopold
of Saxe-Coburg of Saalfield, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.H., was appointed
Colonel of the FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF
DRAGOON GUARDS.
[Sidenote: 1817]
The regiment left Ireland in February, 1817, and proceeded to
Scotland, where it remained until the autumn; and, on its arrival
in England, it occupied Ipswich, Norwich, &c.
THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES died on the 6th of November of this
year, but the title of the regiment is continued, in honour of the
memory of that amiable Princess.
[Sidenote: 1818]
[Sidenote: 1819]
[Sidenote: 1820]
In July, 1818, the regiment proceeded to York, where the
establishment was reduced to fifty men and thirty-four horses per
troop; in the summer of 1819, it marched to Birmingham, Coventry,
and Wolverhampton; in April, 1820, to Manchester,[14] Oldham,
and Ashton; and in August of the same year, to York, Leeds, and
Huddersfield.
On the 3rd of September a communication was received from
Major-General Sir John Byng commanding the northern district,
enclosing a letter from the Military Secretary, wherein it was
stated that "His Royal Highness the commander-in-chief approved
highly of the general good conduct, loyalty, and steadiness of the
regiment, of which favourable report was made to His Royal Highness
from all quarters."
[Sidenote: 1821]
In April, 1821, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS marched to Scotland, and
occupied Hamilton, Glasgow, and Paisley: in August the regiment
proceeded to Ireland, and was quartered at Belfast, Belturbet,
Sligo, Enniskillen, and Dundalk; at the same time a reduction
of two troops was made in the establishment, leaving the numbers
six troops, of three officers, fifty-five men, and forty-two
troop-horses each.
[Sidenote: 1822]
[Sidenote: 1823]
[Sidenote: 1824]
The regiment marched to Porto Bello barracks, Dublin, in July,
1822; from thence to Ballinrobe, Gort, Loughrea, Athlone,
Roscommon, and Dunmore, in May, 1823: and in July, 1824, to Dundalk
and Belturbet.
[Sidenote: 1825]
The regiment left Ireland in April, 1825, and proceeding to
Scotland, was stationed at Glasgow and Hamilton.
[Sidenote: 1826]
Leaving Scotland in the spring of 1826, the regiment proceeded to
York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with a detachment on revenue duty at
Beverley. In April the regiment was ordered into the manufacturing
districts of Yorkshire, in consequence of some disturbance amongst
the operatives, but returned to York in June.
[Sidenote: 1827]
In February, 1827, the regiment proceeded to Leeds, Rochdale, and
Sheffield.
[Sidenote: 1828]
[Sidenote: 1829]
In May, 1828, the regiment marched to Dorchester, Weymouth,
Troubridge, and Christ Church, with detached parties on coast duty,
and in the following summer it proceeded to Canterbury.
[Sidenote: 1830]
Leaving Canterbury in April, 1830, the regiment marched to Coventry
and Birmingham. In July of the same year His Majesty, King William
IV., was pleased to command that the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS should
proceed to Windsor, to undertake the duties usually performed by
the household cavalry; and, shortly after their arrival there, they
were inspected by Field Marshal Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg,
when his Royal Highness expressed himself much gratified with the
excellent appearance and discipline of his corps.
On the 14th of August the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, commanded by
Prince Leopold in person, were reviewed in the barrack square at
Windsor, by his Majesty King William IV., accompanied by the Queen
and other members of the royal family. His Majesty having made
a minute inspection of the regiment, was pleased to express his
high approbation of its martial appearance and efficiency: and
the officers were then severally presented to the King, by Prince
Leopold. After the review their Majesties, with the other members
of the royal family and distinguished personages present, partook
of a _déjeuné_ prepared by order of Prince Leopold, under tents on
the green, and in the officers' mess-room.
His Majesty, accompanied by Lord Hill (the general
commanding-in-chief) inspected the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS in the
great quadrangle at Windsor Castle, on the 29th of August, and
again expressed his royal approbation of their appearance and
discipline.
In October of the same year the regiment marched to Maidstone and
adjacent places. In the following month the head quarters proceeded
to Tunbridge Wells, and, in consequence of the riotous conduct of
the agricultural labourers in Sussex, the remainder of the corps
was dispersed in various parts of that county. In December the head
quarters proceeded to Brighton, and occupied the cavalry barrack at
that town during His Majesty's residence at the Royal Pavilion.
[Sidenote: 1831]
Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg having been elected king of the
Belgians, resigned the commission of Colonel of the FIFTH DRAGOON
GUARDS, and King William IV. was graciously pleased to confer that
appointment on Lieutenant-General Sir John Slade, Bart. G.C.H., by
commission, dated 20th July, 1831.
[Sidenote: 1834]
The regiment embarked at Bristol on the 17th April, 1831, and
landed at Dublin on the following day. It continued on duty at
various stations in Ireland until April, 1834, when it again
returned to England, disembarked at Liverpool on the 22d of that
month, and was stationed for one year at Manchester.
[Sidenote: 1835]
[Sidenote: 1836]
[Sidenote: 1837]
[Sidenote: 1838]
In May, 1835, the regiment proceeded to Scotland, from whence it
returned in the following year, and was stationed at Leeds; in
April, 1837, its head-quarters were established at Birmingham; and
in May, 1838, at York.
The foregoing pages contain an account of the services of the FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS to the termination of the year 1838, and its record
bears ample testimony to the zeal and bravery which have been
evinced by this distinguished corps on occasions when it has had an
opportunity to attest its valour in presence of a foreign enemy.
Its noble and gallant conduct, as a regiment of HORSE,
at the battle of the _Boyne_ in 1690;--at the heights of
_Schellenberg_;--also at the memorable battle of _Blenheim_, where
the French and Bavarian armies were nearly destroyed, and their
commander, standards, and colours were captured, in 1704;--its
heroic achievements in 1705 at the forcing of the French lines
at _Helixem_ and _Neer-Hespen_, where it captured the standards
of the Bavarian horse-guards;--the glorious part it took in
annihilating one of the finest and best appointed armies France
ever brought into the field, at _Ramilies_ in 1706;--its intrepid
bearing, as a corps of CUIRASSIERS, in 1708 in the field at
_Oudenarde_, and in the action at _Wynendale_;--the valour it
displayed in close combat with the French household troops at the
sanguinary battle of _Malplaquet_ in 1709;--the ardour it evinced
in the movements and skirmishes which led to the capture of the
fortress of _Bouchain_ in 1711;--its gallantry as a corps of
DRAGOON GUARDS in 1794 at the battle of _Cateau_, where the French
commander, many officers and men, and thirty-five pieces of cannon
were captured;--its brilliant charge at _Llerena_;--its victorious
career on the plains of _Salamanca_ in 1812;--its spirited conduct
at Vittoria in 1813;--and at Toulouse in 1814;--the eminent
qualities it displayed on these and other occasions, as set
forth in the public despatches and national records, afford most
honourable proof that the FIFTH REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS has
never lost sight of the ancient motto on its standards _Vestigia
nulla retrorsum_.
The conduct of the regiment on home, as well as on foreign service,
has, on all occasions, been such as to evince its usefulness,
efficiency, and constant readiness to support the honour and
dignity of the crown, and the prosperity of the country; thus
holding forth a bright example to stimulate to good conduct
the soldiers of the present and future ages, under all the
circumstances of service in which the calls of their sovereign and
country may occasion them to be placed.
FOOTNOTES:
[7] Charles Butler, second son of Thomas Earl of Ossory, and
grandson of James first Duke of Ormond, was created Earl of the
islands of Arran, in the county of Galway, in January, 1694. The
Earl of Arran, mentioned at page 7, was the eldest son of William
Duke of Hamilton, and obtained his father's title in 1698.
[8] This officer's name is spelt Napper, instead of Napier, in the
lists of killed and wounded published at the time; but he is the
same officer who was appointed Colonel of the regiment by King
George I., on the 27th of May, 1717.
[9] "The Sunday following was appointed for a day of thanks-giving,
and after divine service the army drew out to fire a _feu-de-joie_
for the victory. Marshal Tallard and the officers with him were
invited to ride out to see the army fire, which they did with much
persuasion. Our generals paid Tallard the compliment of riding
next the army, and ordered all the officers to salute him. When
the firing was over, the Duke of Marlborough asked Tallard how he
liked the army; he answered with a shrug, _Very well; but they
have had the honour of beating the best troops in the world_. The
Duke replied, _What will the world think of the troops that beat
them?_"--_Parker's Memoirs._
[10] The following very spirited description of the charge of the
Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, is copied from
Colonel Napier's admirable History of the Peninsular War:--
"While Pakenham, bearing onward with a conquering violence,
was closing on their flank, and the fifth division advancing
with a storm of fire on their front, the interval between
the two attacks was suddenly filled with a whirling cloud of
dust, which moving swiftly forward carried within its womb the
trampling sound of a charging multitude. As it passed the left
of the third division Le Marchant's heavy horsemen, flanked by
Anson's light cavalry, broke forth from it at full speed, and
the next instant twelve hundred French infantry though formed
in several lines were trampled down with a terrible clamour and
disturbance. Bewildered and blinded, they cast away their arms
and ran through the openings of the British squadrons stooping
and demanding quarter, while the dragoons, big men and on big
horses, rode onward smiting with their long glittering swords in
uncontrollable power, and the third division followed at speed,
shouting as the French masses fell in succession before this
dreadful charge."
"Nor were these valiant swordsmen yet exhausted. Their own
general, Le Marchant, and many officers had fallen, but Cotton
and all his staff were at their head, and with ranks confused,
and blended together in one mass, still galloping forward they
sustained from a fresh column an irregular stream of fire which
emptied a hundred saddles; yet with fine courage, and downright
force, the survivors broke through this the third and strongest
body of men that had encountered them, and Lord Edward Somerset,
continuing his course at the head of one squadron, with a happy
perseverance, captured five guns. The French left was entirely
broken, more than two thousand prisoners were taken, the French
light horsemen abandoned that part of the field, and Thomiere's
division no longer existed as a military body. Anson's cavalry,
which had passed quite over the hill, and had suffered little in
the charge, was now joined by D'Urban's troopers, and took the
place of Le Marchant's exhausted men; the heavy German dragoons
followed in reserve, and with the third and fifth divisions and
the guns formed one formidable line two miles in advance of
where Pakenham first attacked, and that impetuous officer with
unmitigated strength still pressed forward spreading terror and
disorder on the enemy's left."
[11] The sixty-sixth French regiment of infantry of the line, was
one of the corps which was nearly annihilated, and the staff of the
drum-major of that regiment is preserved as a trophy by the FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS, and carried on parades, &c., by the trumpet-major.
[12] While at Boulogne the regiment was inspected by Major-General
Sir Henry Fane, who expressed much gratification at its condition
after so long a march, and selected a number of horses to be given
up to the French government, for the purpose of mounting the royal
guard of Louis XVIII.
[13] The Honourable William Ponsonby, (son of Lord Ponsonby,) after
holding the commissions of ensign in Captain Bulwer's independent
company, lieutenant in Captain Davis's independent company, and
captain in the eighty-third regiment, was appointed major in
the Loyal Irish Fencibles, in December, 1794: in March, 1798 he
was removed to the majority of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and he
served with his regiment in Ireland during the rebellion, which
broke out in the following summer. On the 1st of January, 1800,
he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the army; in
February, 1803, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel, in the Fifth
Dragoon Guards; and on the 25th of July, 1810, he was advanced to
the brevet rank of colonel. He commanded the six troops of the
Fifth Dragoon Guards on foreign service in 1811, and 1812, and
while at the theatre of war he was so conspicuous for a gallant
and chivalrous spirit, with cheerful alacrity in moments of peril
and privation, united with a kind and benevolent disposition, that
he won the affection and esteem of those individuals who had the
happiness of becoming acquainted with him, and he was the favourite
of the troopers of his regiment. At the battle of Salamanca he led
the Fifth Dragoon Guards to the charge with his characteristic
zeal and gallantry; after the fall of Major-General Le Marchant
he was appointed to the command of the heavy brigade, which he
held until the end of the war; and no officer better qualified
for that important trust, or one who possessed the confidence of
the officers and men in a greater degree, could have been found
in the army. He was promoted to the rank of major-general on the
4th of June, 1813; and was afterwards chosen a knight commander of
the honourable military order of the Bath. On the recommencement
of hostilities in 1815, this distinguished officer was placed on
the staff of the army in Belgium, and appointed to the command of
the second cavalry brigade, consisting of the Royal, Scots Greys,
and Inniskilling dragoons, which corps he led to the charge of the
French infantry at the battle of Waterloo with that intrepidity
for which he had always been so eminently distinguished. Having
cut through the first column, he continued his career against
fresh adversaries; while passing through a newly-ploughed field,
which was so soft and miry from recent heavy rain that his charger
sunk deeply in the soil at every step and became exhausted, he
was attacked by a regiment of Polish lancers; being in front of
his brigade, no one was near him except one aide-de-camp, and at
the moment when his horse was unable to extricate itself, a body
of lancers approached him at full speed. His own death he knew
was inevitable; but supposing his aide-de-camp might escape, he
drew from his bosom the picture of his lady, and was in the act of
delivering it and his watch to his attendant, to be conveyed to
his wife and family, when the lancers came up, and they were both
speared on the spot. Thus fell the brave, the ingenuous Ponsonby,
whose death occasioned deep sorrow in the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and
the troopers expressed regret that they were not at Waterloo to
revenge the death of their former commander, who had led them to
battle and to victory. His death is thus alluded to by the Duke of
Wellington in his public despatch. "I have received a report that
Major-General Sir William Ponsonby is killed; and in announcing
this intelligence I have to add the expression of my grief for the
fate of an officer who had already rendered very brilliant and
important services, and was an ornament to his profession."
[14] _Manchester, August 23d, 1820._
Sir,
Although the Fifth Dragoon Guards were only placed at Manchester
as a temporary quarter, I should be wanting in what is due from
me to that distinguished corps, did I withhold from you the
expression of my admiration of it as a regiment, or from the
officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, my unqualified
approbation of their conduct, and my satisfaction at the readiness
and good-will with which they performed all the duties required of
them whilst under my orders. I request you will do me the honour to
make known these my sentiments to them, with the assurance that it
will be ever gratifying to me to hear of their continued welfare
and prosperity.
I have &c.
JAMES LYON, Major-General.
_Major Irwin, commanding Fifth Dragoon Guards._
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.
CHARLES EARL OF SHREWSBURY,
_Appointed 29th of July, 1685_.
CHARLES TALBOT succeeded, when in the seventh year of his age, to
the title of EARL OF SHREWSBURY, on the decease of his father who
died on the 16th of March, 1667, of a wound received in a duel with
the Duke of Buckingham. In 1681 he was appointed lord-lieutenant
of the county of Stafford; and having previously devoted much time
to the consideration of the doctrines of Christianity, on the
discovery of the Popish plot he abjured the tenets of the church
of Rome. He, however, continued steadfast in his loyalty even to
a Popish sovereign, and on the breaking out of the rebellion of
the Duke of Monmouth in June, 1685, he raised a troop of horse
for the service of King James II, and in the following month he
was appointed colonel of the regiment which now bears the title
of FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. He soon afterwards discovered that the
arbitrary measures of the court were directed to the subversion
of the Protestant religion, of which he was become a determined
supporter; and having resigned his commission and mortgaged his
estate for forty thousand pounds, he proceeded to Holland and made
an offer of his sword and purse to the Prince of Orange, provided
His Highness would attempt to deliver England from the power of the
papists. From this period, until the revolution in 1688, his active
mind was engaged in the glorious and patriotic labour of devising
plans for the good of his native country, and he was one of the
nobles in whom the Prince of Orange placed the greatest confidence,
and by whose advice he was principally guided.
When William and Mary were elevated to the throne, the Earl of
Shrewsbury was sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed principal
Secretary of State; and in April, 1694, he was elected a Knight of
the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and created Marquis of Alton
and DUKE OF SHREWSBURY. After devoting himself to the service of
his king and country in the important office of principal Secretary
of State, for a period of ten years, he sustained a serious injury
in the breast, from an unlucky fall of his horse while hunting,
which rendered him incapable of attending so closely to business
as his office required, and he resigned the seals as Secretary
of State, but was shortly afterwards appointed Lord Chamberlain
of the Household. This office he resigned in 1700, in order to
proceed to a warmer climate, and he resided for a short period at
Montpellier in France. After the decease of the King of Spain and
the accession of the Duke of Anjou to the throne of that kingdom,
he quitted France and proceeded to Geneva, and subsequently crossed
the Alps into Italy. After his return to England he was reappointed
by Queen Anne to the office of Lord Chamberlain, and in 1712 he was
appointed ambassador to the French court to finish the negociations
for peace. In 1713 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland;
and in the reign of George I. he was a member of the Privy Council
and Lord Chamberlain of the Household. He was one of the most
accomplished gentlemen of the age in which he lived; was remarkably
handsome in person, had an admirable address, was just in his
dealings, and distinguished for gallantry among the ladies; but was
studious and reserved as a public character. He died at Isleworth
on the 1st of February, 1718.
MARMADUKE LORD LANGDALE,
_Appointed 22d January, 1687_.
This nobleman was the son of Sir Marmaduke Langdale of Holme, in
Spaldingmore, Yorkshire, who, when the rebellion broke out in the
reign of Charles I., raised at his own charge three companies of
foot and a troop of horse for the king's service, with which force
he defeated a party of Scots at Corbridge in Northumberland. Having
been appointed to the command of a body of troops sent by the King
from Oxford into Lincolnshire, he defeated Colonel Rosseter; then
marching against Fairfax, put him to flight and relieved Pontefract
Castle. He subsequently took Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the castle
of Carlisle, but being involved in the defeat of the Duke of
Hamilton, he was taken prisoner at Preston. Having escaped from
confinement he fled to the continent, and in February, 1658, he was
elevated to the peerage by the title of BARON LANGDALE of Holme, in
Spaldingmore, Yorkshire.
MARMADUKE, second LORD LANGDALE, imbibed from his father strict
principles of loyalty and attachment to the crown, and being known
to be a faithful adherent to the house of Stuart, he was considered
a suitable person to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment
of Cuirassiers, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, at the critical period
when the proceedings of the court had alarmed the nation, and
commotions were expected to follow; but he was soon afterwards
relieved from that charge by an officer of more experience in
military affairs, and appointed to the important trust of Governor
of Hull. This place he held in the interest of James II. at the
Revolution in 1688; but he was surprised and made prisoner by
Colonel Copeley, and a party of men who had taken arms and declared
for the Prince of Orange. His lordship was not afterwards employed
in any public capacity; and he died in 1703.
RICHARD HAMILTON,
_Appointed 15th February, 1687_.
RICHARD HAMILTON was many years in the service of Louis XIV. of
France, during the period that monarch was permitted, by King
Charles II., to employ an English regiment of horse and one English
and one Scots brigade of foot in his service. While engaged in the
French wars he acquired the character of a gallant and enterprising
officer; and he quitted the service of Louis XIV. when Charles
II. demanded the return of his subjects from France in 1678. On
the breaking out of Monmouth's rebellion he raised a troop of
dragoons for the service of King James II., and was afterwards
appointed colonel of one of the regiments of dragoons embodied at
that period. After the suppression of the rebellion he was sent
with his regiment to Ireland, and being a Papist and an officer of
experience, he assisted Tyrconnel in remodelling the Irish army,
by dismissing the Protestants and replacing them with Papists. His
fame as an officer, and his zeal for his religion, occasioned him
to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers;
but the remodelling of the English army was not completed when the
Revolution took place, and the Roman Catholic officers and soldiers
were placed in confinement. At this period Earl Tyrconnel had given
out new commissions for levying thirty thousand men in Ireland,
and reports were spread that a general massacre of the Protestants
would take place; Richard Hamilton, though a Papist, was believed
to be a man of honour, and he was known to have great influence
with Tyrconnel, and also with the Irish Papists of all ranks, and
having promised either to induce the Lord Lieutenant to resign the
government, or to return and give an account of the negotiation,
he was released from confinement and sent to Ireland; but on
his arrival at Dublin he violated his engagement, and persuaded
Tyrconnel to hold Ireland in the interest of King James. This
breach of trust was rewarded with the rank of lieutenant-general,
and an important post in the Irish army; but he did not long
enjoy his new honours,--having been wounded and taken prisoner at
the battle of the Boyne. Immediately after he was made prisoner,
he was brought into the presence of King William, who put some
questions to him respecting the Irish army, which he answered in
the affirmative, and added the words _upon my honour_: the King
repeated the words _your honour!_ and turned from him, which was
all the rebuke His Majesty gave him for his faithless conduct. He
remained a prisoner until the termination of the war in Ireland,
when he was exchanged for Lord Mountjoy, and proceeding to France,
he appears to have passed the remainder of his life in that country.
JOHN COY,
_Appointed 31st December, 1688_.
This officer served a short time with the French army in the reign
of Louis XIV., and afterwards commanded a troop in the Duke of
Monmouth's regiment of horse, which regiment was disbanded in
1678. In 1680 he raised a troop of horse for service at Tangier
in Africa; this fortress being besieged by the forces of the
Emperor of Morocco, he proceeded to that country immediately,
and distinguished himself in action with the Moors. In 1683 his
troop of horse was constituted Royal Dragoons; with which corps he
continued to serve, and was engaged at the battle of Sedgemoor in
1685. In 1686 he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of Shrewsbury's
Cuirassiers: and at the Revolution in 1688 he was promoted to the
Colonelcy of the regiment; with which he served with distinction
in Ireland and Flanders. Having become infirm from age and long
service, he obtained the King's permission to dispose of his
commission, in 1697, to the Earl of Arran; and from this period he
led a retired life until his decease.
CHARLES EARL OF ARRAN,
_Appointed 1st July, 1697_.
This nobleman descended from the illustrious family of Butler, so
renowned in the past ages for the many valiant, and loyal persons
it has produced. He was the second son of Thomas Butler Earl of
Ossory, (a nobleman distinguished for deeds of valour, loyalty to
his sovereign, and the mild and social virtues which rendered him
an ornament to society,) and grandson of the celebrated James,
_first_ Duke of Ormond. Having served under King William III. in
Ireland and Flanders, where he evinced the same martial spirit and
private virtues which had adorned his ancestors, he was elevated to
the peerage of Ireland in January, 1693, by the titles of Baron of
Cloghgrenan in the Queen's county, Viscount of Tullo in the county
of Cutherlough, and EARL OF the islands of ARRAN in the county of
Galway; he was also, at the same time, created an English peer by
the title of Lord Butler, of Weston, in the county of Huntingdon.
On the 16th of February, 1694, he was promoted to the colonelcy of
a newly raised regiment of horse (which was disbanded at the peace
of Ryswick), and in the summer of 1697 he purchased the colonelcy
of the SIXTH HORSE, now Fifth Dragoon Guards. In March, 1703, he
was promoted to the colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards,
which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of gold stick
in waiting to Queen Anne; in 1712 Her Majesty constituted him
Master-General of the Ordnance in Ireland; and in the following
year appointed him Governor of Dover Castle, and Deputy Warden of
the Cinque Ports. Soon after the accession of King George I. his
Lordship was elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford. After
the impeachment of his brother, James, second Duke of Ormond, for
high treason, the Earl of Arran quitted the army. In February,
1716, he was constituted Lord High Steward of Westminster: and in
1721 he was permitted, by an Act of Parliament, to purchase his
brother's forfeited estates. He died on the 17th of December, 1758,
at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
WILLIAM CADOGAN,
_Appointed 2d March, 1703_.
WILLIAM CADOGAN descended from a family of great honour and
antiquity in Wales; and having embraced the profession of arms,
he distinguished himself under King William III. in Ireland and
Flanders, and was appointed major of the Inniskilling Dragoons.
On the breaking out of hostilities in 1701, his great merit and
abilities, which had become conspicuous in the preceding war,
occasioned him to be promoted to the rank of colonel in the
army, and appointed (1st June, 1701) quartermaster-general of
the troops sent to Holland. He eminently distinguished himself
under the great Duke of Marlborough, whose confidence and esteem
he possessed in a high degree, and was promoted, in 1703, from
the Inniskilling Dragoons to the colonelcy of the SIXTH HORSE.
Advancing with the army into Germany he signalized himself at the
battle of Schellenberg, on the 2d of July, 1704, where he had
several shots through his clothes, and was wounded in the thigh.
At the battle of Blenheim he evinced that undaunted bravery and
greatness of soul with which he was signally endowed, and was
promoted immediately afterwards to the rank of brigadier-general.
In the following year he again signalized himself at the forcing
of the French lines, where his regiment defeated the Bavarian
Guards and took four standards; and in the memorable battle of
Ramilies, fought on the 23d of May, 1706, he acquired new honour,
and was despatched shortly after the action with a body of troops
to summon Antwerp, which fortress surrendered to him in a few days.
On the 16th of August he commanded a body of troops employed in
covering a foraging party near Tournay, and advancing with his
characteristic boldness too near the town, he was surprised by a
party of the enemy and made prisoner; he was, however, released on
his parole three days afterwards, and was subsequently exchanged
for Baron Palavicini. In January, 1707, he was promoted to the
rank of major-general, and he was afterwards appointed minister
plenipotentiary to the government of the Spanish Netherlands,
in which employment he evinced the most admirable dexterity in
business, and a peculiar aptitude in conducting negotiations. He
commanded the van of the army in the movements which preceded and
led to the battle of Oudenarde in 1708, and on this occasion his
peculiar merits again shone forth; also in the part which he took
in covering the siege of Lisle, in the action at Wynendale, and
in forcing the passage of the Scheldt; and on the 1st of January,
1709, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. On the
day preceding the battle of Malplaquet he was sent to confer
with the French commander, and when near the enemy's position he
indicated to a colonel of artillery, by dropping his glove, the
spot where a battery was to be placed on the following morning,
which proved of great importance. During the siege of Mons he
went voluntarily into the trenches to encourage the soldiers in
the attack of a ravelin, when his aide-de-camp was killed at his
side, and he was dangerously wounded in the neck. Every additional
campaign added new lustre to his rising reputation, and in that
sublime display of military talent by which the French lines were
forced in the summer of 1711, and Bouchain captured, he performed
a distinguished part, as detailed in the Historical Record of the
Fifth Dragoon Guards. When political events occasioned the removal
of the Duke of Marlborough from all his appointments dependent on
the crown, Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who had shared with this
illustrious commander in his toils, dangers, and triumphs, and
who, like him, was stedfast in his devotion to the Protestant
interest, and to the succession of the house of Hanover, was
removed from his appointments of quartermaster-general and governor
of the Tower, and called upon to dispose of his regiment for
three thousand pounds to General Kellum. He was soon afterwards
gratified by witnessing the accession of King George I., by whom
he was appointed Colonel of the Second Foot Guards, Master of the
Robes, and envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the States
General of Holland, in which capacity he conducted negotiations
of great importance, and displayed those gifts of nature with
which his mind was adorned; and while thus employed he was
appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight. On the breaking out of
the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, he changed the labours of the
cabinet for those of the field, and in the depth of winter, in the
midst of the most piercing frosts and snow, he evinced unshaken
perseverance in extinguishing the flame of rebellion in Scotland,
and was made a Knight of the most ancient order of the Thistle.
On the 30th of June, 1716, he was elevated to the peerage by the
title of LORD CADOGAN, Baron of Reading. In the autumn of the
same year he was again sent as plenipotentiary to the States of
Holland; on his return in 1717 he was sworn of the Privy Council,
and afterwards promoted to the rank of general; and in May,
1718, he was created Baron of Oakley, Viscount of Caversham, and
EARL CADOGAN. He was subsequently employed in negotiations of an
important character with the house of Austria, Court of Spain, and
States of Holland; and on the decease of the Duke of Marlborough
in 1722, he was appointed General Commanding-in-Chief of the army.
This distinguished nobleman died on the 17th of July, 1726, and was
buried in Westminster Abbey.
GEORGE KELLUM,
_Appointed 22d December, 1712_.
GEORGE KELLUM obtained the commission of cornet in the Earl of
Shrewsbury's regiment of horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, when
that corps was embodied in 1685, and he served in Ireland and the
Netherlands, under King William III. Having been promoted to the
lieutenant-colonelcy, he commanded the regiment in the wars of
Queen Anne, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army in
1703. In the following year he distinguished himself at the battle
of Schellenberg, and led the regiment to the charge with signal
gallantry at the glorious battle of Blenheim. At the forcing of
the French lines in 1705, he acquired additional laurels; and at
the memorable battle of Ramilies, the squadrons under his orders
were again victorious. In 1707 he was promoted to the rank of
brigadier-general; in 1708 he commanded a brigade at the battle
of Oudenarde; and in 1709 at that of Malplaquet; in 1710 he was
promoted to the rank of major-general; and in 1712 to that of
lieutenant-general; and in the same year he purchased the colonelcy
of the regiment in which he had served so many years: he was,
however, removed in 1717, and died on the 27th of December, 1732.
ROBERT NAPIER,
_Appointed 27th May, 1717_.
This officer was appointed cornet in the SIXTH HORSE, now FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS, in January, 1692, and served with the regiment
in the Netherlands until the peace of Ryswick. In 1702 he was
promoted to the majority, and while serving with his regiment in
Germany he was severely wounded at the battle of Schellenberg. In
1705 he was with his regiment at the forcing of the French lines,
and in 1706 he was at Ramilies, and was promoted to the rank of
colonel in the army a few days after the battle. He continued to
serve at the theatre of war; was appointed brigadier-general in
1711; and obtained the colonelcy of the regiment in 1717. He was
promoted to the rank of major-general in 1727; and to that of
lieutenant-general in 1735: and died on the 10th of November, 1739.
CLEMENT NEVILLE,
_Appointed 6th May, 1740_.
CLEMENT NEVILLE entered the army at the Revolution; his first
commission being dated the 6th of December, 1688, and after serving
with distinction in the wars of King William and Queen Anne, he
was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army at the close of
the campaign of 1711. On the 9th of April, 1720, King George I.
conferred on him the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Dragoons, from
which he was removed in 1737 to the Eighth Dragoons, and in 1739
he was promoted to the rank of major-general. The colonelcy of the
SIXTH HORSE was conferred on this veteran in the following year; he
was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1743; and he died
in August, 1744.
RICHARD VISCOUNT COBHAM,
_Appointed 5th August, 1744_.
SIR RICHARD TEMPLE served under King William in the Netherlands,
and on the breaking out of the war of the Spanish succession, he
was promoted to the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment of foot,
which was disbanded at the peace of Utrecht. He served under
the great Duke of Marlborough, and was conspicuous for a noble
bearing, a greatness of soul, and a contempt of danger, which he
exhibited in a signal manner at the sieges of Venloo and Ruremonde,
at the battle of Oudenarde, and at the siege of the important
fortress of Lisle. In January, 1709, he was promoted to the rank
of major-general, and his conduct at the siege of Tournay, the
sanguinary battle of Malplaquet, and siege of Mons, was rewarded,
in the following year, with the rank of lieutenant-general and
the colonelcy of the Fourth Dragoons. He served under the Duke
of Marlborough in 1711, and had the honour of taking part in the
forcing of the French lines at Arleux, and the capture of the
strong fortress of Bouchain. After the change in the ministry and
the adoption of a new system of policy by the court, the well-known
attachment of this officer to the Protestant succession, occasioned
him to be removed from his regiment; but on the accession of King
George I. he was elevated to the peerage by the title of BARON OF
COBHAM, and in 1715 he was appointed Colonel of the Royal Dragoons.
In 1717 he was appointed Governor of Windsor Castle; in 1718 he
was advanced to the dignity of VISCOUNT COBHAM; and in 1721 he was
removed to the King's Horse, now First Dragoon Guards. He was also
one of the Privy Council, and Governor of the island of Jersey; but
resigned his appointments in 1733. On the change of the ministry in
1742 he was promoted to the rank of field-marshal, and in December
of the same year King George II. conferred upon him the colonelcy
of the First troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1744 he was
removed to the SIXTH HORSE, and in 1745 to the Tenth Dragoons, the
colonelcy of which corps he retained until his decease in 1749.
THOMAS WENTWORTH,
_Appointed 20th June, 1745_.
THOMAS WENTWORTH was appointed to a commission in the army on the
10th of March, 1704, and served several campaigns in the wars
of Queen Anne. In December, 1722, he was promoted to the rank
of colonel in the army, and in 1732 he was appointed colonel of
the Thirty-ninth Foot, from which he was removed in June, 1737,
to the Twenty-fourth Foot. Two years afterwards he was appointed
brigadier-general; in 1741 he was promoted to the rank of
major-general; and in 1745 he was appointed to the colonelcy of
the SIXTH HORSE, which corps became the SECOND IRISH HORSE in the
following year. He served the crown in a diplomatic as well as a
military capacity, and died at the court of Turin in November, 1747.
THOMAS BLIGH,
_Appointed 22d December, 1747_.
This officer entered the army in the reign of King George I.;
rose to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel of the SIXTH HORSE, and in
December, 1740 he was appointed Colonel of the Twentieth Regiment
of Foot. On the 27th of May, 1745, he was promoted to the rank
of brigadier-general; was removed to the Twelfth Dragoons in the
following year, and promoted to the rank of major-general in
1747. He was removed to the colonelcy of the SECOND IRISH HORSE
in December of the same year; and was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant-general in 1754.
War having commenced between Great Britain and France in 1756,
Lieutenant-General Bligh was appointed, in the summer of 1758, to
the command of an expedition designed to make a descent on the
coast of France, with the view of causing a diversion in favour of
the army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany. The
fleet sailed in the beginning of August, and in seven days arrived
in Cherbourg roads. The troops were landed, the town of Cherbourg
was captured, the harbour, pier, and forts were destroyed, and
the brass ordnance brought away as trophies of this success. In
September a landing was effected on the coast of Brittany with the
view of besieging St. Maloes; but this being found impracticable,
the troops, after marching a short distance up the country,
retired and re-embarked at the bay of St. Cas. The enemy advanced
in great numbers under the command of the Duke of Aguillon, and
attacking the rear of the British army, occasioned great loss.
Lieutenant-General Bligh was much censured for his conduct on this
occasion, and soon after the return of the expedition, he retired
from the service.
HON. JOHN WALDEGRAVE,
_Appointed 23d October, 1758_.
The HON. JOHN WALDEGRAVE obtained a commission in the First Foot
Guards in 1737; in July 1743, he was appointed captain-lieutenant
in the Third Foot Guards; in September following he obtained the
command of a company, and in 1748 he was promoted to the commission
of major in the same corps. On the 26th of June 1751, he was
promoted to the colonelcy of the Ninth Foot; he was removed to the
Eighth Dragoons in 1755; and to the SECOND IRISH HORSE in 1758.
Having been promoted to the rank of major-general, he proceeded
to Germany, and commanded the brigade of infantry which so highly
distinguished itself in 1759, at the battle of Minden, where his
gallantry and extraordinary presence of mind at a critical moment
decided the fate of the day. In September of the same year he was
removed to the Second Dragoon Guards, and continuing to serve in
Germany during the remainder of the seven years' war, gave signal
proofs of ability and valour in numerous actions with the enemy,
and was equally conspicuous for kindness of heart and regard for
the soldiers who served under his orders. In 1763, he succeeded to
the title of EARL WALDEGRAVE; he was afterwards advanced to the
rank of general, and in 1773, he obtained the colonelcy of the
Second Foot Guards, which he retained until his decease in October
1784.
HON. JOHN FITZ-WILLIAM,
_Appointed 27th November 1760_.
The HON. JOHN FITZ-WILLIAM obtained a commission of captain and
lieutenant-colonel in the First Foot Guards, in 1745; was promoted
to the colonelcy of the Second or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot
in 1755; and in June, 1759, he obtained the rank of major-general
in the army. In the following year he was removed to the
colonelcy of the SECOND IRISH HORSE; was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant-general in 1761; to that of general in 1783; and died in
1789.
JOHN DOUGLAS,
_Appointed 27th August, 1789_.
JOHN DOUGLAS was many years an officer in the Second Dragoons
(Scots Greys), with which corps he served at the battle of Fontenoy
in 1745. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1755; proceeded
with the regiment to Germany in 1758, and was appointed major
in the following spring. He served four campaigns under Prince
Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany, and was at numerous battles and
skirmishes. In 1770, he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy
of the Scots Greys; he was advanced to the rank of colonel in the
army in 1775, and to that of major-general in February 1779. In
April of the same year he was appointed Colonel of the Twenty-first
Light Dragoons,--then first embodied and formed of the light
troops belonging to certain dragoon regiments. At the termination
of the American war in 1783, his regiment was disbanded; and in
April 1787, he was appointed Colonel of the Fourteenth Foot: he
was also promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the same
year. In 1789, he was appointed to the colonelcy of the FIFTH
DRAGOON GUARDS, which he retained until his decease, on the 10th of
November 1790.
THOMAS BLAND,
_Appointed 18th November, 1790_.
This officer obtained a cornetcy in the Seventh Dragoons on the
30th of March, 1754, and continued in that regiment upwards of
thirty-six years. He served three campaigns in Germany under the
Duke of Brunswick; was appointed major of the regiment in 1765,
and lieutenant-colonel in 1771. In 1782, he was promoted to the
rank of major-general, and in 1790 he was appointed from the
lieutenant-colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons to the colonelcy of
the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. In 1796, he was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant-general, and to that of general in 1781. He died on the
14th of October, 1816.
PRINCE LEOPOLD OF SAXE-COBURG,
_Appointed 18th October, 1816_.
This illustrious Prince, whose military services have become
connected with the RECORD of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, by his
appointment to the colonelcy of the regiment, entered the army
of the Emperor Alexander of Russia in 1803, and rose to the
rank of major-general; but in 1810, Bonaparte demanded that His
Royal Highness should quit the Russian service, and the Prince
was induced to acquiesce, in order to conciliate Napoleon, and
to preserve the possessions of the house of Coburg from being
seized on by the French. Prince Leopold was subsequently employed
in negotiating an arrangement respecting the principality of
Coburg, with the crown of Bavaria, in which he displayed superior
diplomatic talents. At the commencement of 1813, he exerted
himself, as far as his situation permitted, at that critical and
momentous period, to prepare the emancipation of Germany, and in
February he proceeded to Poland, to the Emperor of Russia, by whom
he was cordially received, and a command in the Russian army was
given to His Royal Highness. He was at the battle of Lutzen on the
2d of May; was subsequently sent by forced marches towards the
Elbe, to support the Prussian General Kleist; but the Prince's
destination was afterwards changed, and on the 19th of May he
marched to support General Barclay de Tolly: His Royal Highness
was, however, recalled, to take part in the battle of Bautzen, on
the 20th and 21st of the same month; and after supporting the line
at various points, he covered the retreat on the evening of the
second day, with the cavalry under his orders, amidst the hottest
fire.
On the 26th of August His Royal Highness was detached to support
the corps under Prince Eugene of Wirtemberg, posted near the
fortress of Königstein; and Prince Leopold maintained, with his
cavalry, a precarious position for five hours, against the repeated
attacks of a force treble his own numbers, by which he defeated
the designs of the enemy, and preserved Prince Eugene's troops
from destruction. On the following day the corps took post beyond
Pirna, which place the enemy took by storm, and endeavoured to
extend with his cavalry upon the level ground near the Elbe; but
was driven back by the troops under Prince Leopold. The main
army, however, retired towards Bohemia, by which the retreat of
the corps near Pirna was rendered difficult, and the abilities of
His Royal Highness were particularly conspicuous in the masterly
dispositions and skilful movements of the cavalry under his orders,
in facilitating and covering the retrogade movement of the corps. A
sharp action occurred in the village of Peterswalde on the 29th of
August, when His Royal Highness signalized himself; several other
actions occurred on the same day in the mountains, and towards
the evening, the Prince repulsed the attack of a superior force
near the village of Prisen, with signal bravery and astonishing
success; and on the following morning he received from the Emperor
Alexander the Cross of the military order of St. George. The action
was renewed on the 30th of August, and the allied army having been
concentrated, the French were defeated with considerable loss.
Prince Leopold had a distinguished share in the engagement, and
he pursued the retiring enemy to the village of Peterswalde: the
brilliant conduct of His Royal Highness between the 26th and 30th
of August, was rewarded by the Emperor of Austria with the military
order of Maria Theresa.
Prince Leopold had a distinguished post at the battle of Leipzig,
and, with the cavalry under his orders, contributed materially
to the decisive termination of that gigantic contest. His Royal
Highness was actively employed in the beginning of 1814; was at
the battle of Brienne, and in the pursuit of the defeated army
on the 2d of February, and in several minor affairs. On the 25th
of March the Prince was in the action with the French at La Fere
Champenoise, when, attacking the enemy's right flank at Caunentrai,
he carried the position, captured five pieces of cannon, and,
when attacked in turn, he repulsed the enemy, and maintained his
ground with signal intrepidity. The battle of Paris concluded
the campaign, and on the 31st of March, the Prince entered that
city with the cavalry of the reserve, and remained there in
garrison. These important events were succeeded by the abdication
of Napoleon, and, when the Congress assembled at Vienna, Prince
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg conducted the business relating to his own
country.
On the return of Bonaparte to France, in 1815, Prince Leopold
proceeded to the grand army on the Rhine, and soon afterwards
reached Paris. On the termination of the war he visited England;
became a suitor to Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte of
Wales, and, having obtained the consent of the Prince Regent, the
nuptials between Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, and the presumptive
heiress to the British throne, were eventually solemnized.
On the 2d of May, 1816, Prince Leopold obtained the rank of general
in the British service, and on the 24th of the same month he was
promoted to the rank of field-marshal. The colonelcy of the FIFTH,
OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES' REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS was
conferred upon Prince Leopold in October of the same year, and he
presented to the officers' mess a handsome service of plate. His
Royal Highness was also honoured with the Order of the Garter,
and the Order of the Bath; but in the midst of these accumulated
distinctions he sustained the loss of his amiable consort, whose
decease on the 6th November, 1817, occasioned the most sincere
grief throughout the kingdom, and Prince Leopold was for some time
inconsolable.
The events which transpired in the Netherlands in 1830, having led
to the separation of several provinces from Holland, and to the
formation of an independent state, called Belgium, Prince Leopold
was invited to accept of the sovereignty of that kingdom in 1831,
and His Royal Highness acquiesced. Thus the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS
had the gratification of witnessing the elevation of their colonel
to a throne.
On resigning the colonelcy His Royal Highness was pleased to cause
the following farewell address to be sent to the regiment:--
"_Claremont, 14th July, 1831._
"The Prince Leopold is desirous on quitting England, to
communicate to his regiment, that the circumstances which
call him to another country have made it necessary for him to
relinquish the command of the corps; and he has reserved it, as
one of his last and most painful duties, to bid them farewell. It
would have been His Royal Highness's wish on this occasion, to
have expressed personally to the regiment his regret in leaving
them, and the sincere wishes he shall always entertain for their
happiness and welfare; but their distant quarter, and the hurry
which unavoidably attends his departure, render such a desire
impracticable.
"In taking leave of the regiment, which it has been his
happiness for so many years to command, many subjects press
on His Royal Highness's attention that he would be anxious
publicly to advert to; some of these bear paramount claim to
his thankfulness and recollection; and it is such that he is
chiefly solicitous to notice and record, on this last occasion
of his addressing them:--he alludes particularly to the uniform
maintenance of discipline, efficiency, and high character, which
have marked the corps as one of the most distinguished in the
service, throughout the long period he has known them;--this
has been conspicuous, whether considered with respect to their
efficiency in equipment,--their discipline and conduct in
quarters,--or their movements and perfection in the field,--in
every point, these have been eminently and invariably supported,
and have established a name to the regiment, that, as it should
be the first ambition, so it is among the highest rewards, a
soldier can know. To Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, whose zeal and
knowledge of the service have guided and perfected this state
of discipline;--to the officers, who have ably and successfully
devoted their efforts to uphold it;--to the non-commissioned
officers and privates, who have maintained the discipline marked
out to them, and, sharing the feelings of their officers in the
character of the regiment, have by their conduct assisted to
uphold it;--to one and all,--individually and collectively,--His
Royal Highness returns his most hearty thanks, with his
unqualified approbation of their conduct, under every view of
discipline or exigency of service:--to such officers and to such
men, it is unnecessary to say anything that can urge or stimulate
their future zeal; His Royal Highness feels assured, that their
Sovereign's approbation will ever remain their first aim, while
_the name of the regiment_, deeply honoured by them and cherished
in their hearts, will never cease to influence them in attaining
that high distinction. His Royal Highness has always felt pride
in being one of their number, and he can never cease to feel the
truest interest in whatever can affect their name as a corps,
or their welfare and happiness as individuals; and with his
heartfelt wishes for the uninterrupted prosperity and perfection
of both, he reluctantly bids them, Farewell.
(Signed) "ROBERT GARDINER.
"_To Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, "Commanding Fifth Dragoon
Guards._"
SIR JOHN SLADE, BART., G. C. H.
_Appointed 20th July, 1831_.
THE END.
LONDON:
Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS,
Duke-street, Stamford-street.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
The ornamental symbol for the 'Second Irish Horse' is displayed as
'II/H' in the etext. The original text shows a small 'II' over a
small 'H' with no slash or bar.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example,
head quarters, head-quarters; cap à pié, cap-à-pié; negociations.
Pg vi, 'Sir John Slade ... 98' replaced by 'Sir John Slade ... 99'.
Pg 67, 'was discocovered in' replaced by 'was discovered in'.
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