| By Author | [ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Other Symbols ] |
| By Title | [ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | Other Symbols ] |
| By Language |
|
Download this book: [ ASCII ] Look for this book on Amazon Tweet |
Title: Historical Record of the Fourteenth or The King's, Regiment of Light Dragoon: An Account of Its Formation and of its Subsequent Services
Author: Cannon, Richard
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.
*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Historical Record of the Fourteenth or The King's, Regiment of Light Dragoon: An Account of Its Formation and of its Subsequent Services" ***
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
A superscript is denoted by ^x, for example und^r or iv^s.
Some minor changes are noted at the end of the book.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S, REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING CROSS.
M DCCC XLVII.
LONDON: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE GUARDS,_
_1st January, 1836._
His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who
have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the
Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British
Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction
of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the
following particulars, viz.,
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations,
in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any
Achievement it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies,
&c., it may have captured from the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers, and the number of
Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the
Enemy, specifying the Place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other
Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers
and Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in
Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service
are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that
any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which
alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the
Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright
examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to
incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have
preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that
have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
"London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and
admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions,
the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on
the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their
orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill
and bravery; and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour
of their Sovereign's approbation, constitute the reward which the
soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)
for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services
and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in
obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic
account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty
having been pleased to command that every Regiment shall in future
keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth
derive information as to the difficulties and privations which
chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In
Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to
the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and
where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed
by the _presence of war_, which few other countries have escaped,
comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active
service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during
peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe,
with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country
derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist
and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to
reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on
their sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which
so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in
spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and
steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against
superior numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the
Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of
individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the
various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under His
Majesty's special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk
of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them
cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every
rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and
information to the general reader, particularly to those who may
have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or
are serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment
to everything belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a
narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove
interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the
valiant, the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with
a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race
of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood "firm
as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has
been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their
Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained
by our countrymen, our brothers, our fellow-citizens in arms,--a
record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their
gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the
public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished
Officers will be introduced in the Records of their respective
Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to
time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value
and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment
will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall
be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
INTRODUCTION.
The ancient Armies of England were composed of Horse and Foot; but
the feudal troops established by William the Conqueror in 1086,
consisted almost entirely of Horse. Under the feudal system, every
holder of land amounting to what was termed a "knight's fee," was
required to provide a charger, a coat of mail, a helmet, a shield,
and a lance, and to serve the Crown a period of forty days in
each year at his own expense; and the great landholders had to
provide armed men in proportion to the extent of their estates;
consequently the ranks of the feudal Cavalry were completed with
men of property, and the vassals and tenants of the great barons,
who led their dependents to the field in person.
In the succeeding reigns the Cavalry of the Army was composed
of Knights (or men at arms) and Hobiliers (or horsemen of
inferior degree); and the Infantry of spears and battle-axe men,
cross-bowmen, and archers. The Knights wore armour on every part
of the body, and their weapons were a lance, a sword, and a small
dagger. The Hobiliers were accoutred and armed for the light and
less important services of war, and were not considered qualified
for a charge in line. Mounted Archers[1] were also introduced, and
the English nation eventually became pre-eminent in the use of the
bow.
About the time of Queen Mary the appellation of "_Men at Arms_"
was changed to that of "_Spears_ and _Launces_." The introduction
of fire-arms ultimately occasioned the lance to fall into disuse,
and the title of the Horsemen of the first degree was changed to
"_Cuirassiers_." The Cuirassiers were armed _cap-à-pié_, and their
weapons were a sword with a straight narrow blade and sharp point,
and a pair of large pistols, called petronels; and the Hobiliers
carried carbines. The Infantry carried pikes, matchlocks, and
swords. The introduction of fire-arms occasioned the formation of
Regiments armed and equipped as infantry, but mounted on small
horses for the sake of expedition of movement, and these were
styled "_Dragoons_;" a small portion of the military force of the
kingdom, however, consisted of this description of troops.
The formation of the present Army commenced after the Restoration
in 1660, with the establishment of regular corps of Horse and Foot;
the Horsemen were cuirassiers, but only wore armour on the head and
body; and the Foot were 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 barrell of
which musquet to be about foor foote long and to conteine a bullet,
foorteen of which shall weigh a pound weight[2]."
The ranks of the Troops of Horse were at this period composed of
men of some property--generally the sons of substantial yeomen:
the young men received as recruits provided their own horses,
and they were placed on a rate of pay sufficient to give them a
respectable station in society.
On the breaking out of the war with Holland in the spring of 1672,
a Regiment of Dragoons was raised[3]; the Dragoons were placed on
a lower rate of pay than the Horse, and the Regiment was armed
similar to the Infantry, excepting that a limited number of the
men carried halberds instead of pikes, and the others muskets and
bayonets; and a few men in each troop had pistols; as appears by a
warrant dated the 2nd of April, 1672, of which the following is an
extract:--
"CHARLES R.
"Our will and pleasure is, that a Regiment of Dragoones which
we have established and ordered to be raised, in twelve Troopes
of fourscore in each beside officers, who are to be under the
command of Our most deare and most intirely beloved Cousin Prince
Rupert, shall be armed out of Our stoares remaining within Our
office of the Ordinance, as followeth; that is to say, three
corporalls, two serjeants, the gentlemen at armes, and twelve
souldiers of each of the said twelve Troopes, are to have and
carry each of them one halbard, and one case of pistolls with
holsters; and the rest of the souldiers of the several Troopes
aforesaid, are to have and to carry each of them one matchlocke
musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, and also to have and to
carry one bayonet[4], or great knive. That each lieutenant have
and carry one partizan; and that two drums be delivered out for
each Troope of the said Regiment[5]."
Several regiments of Horse and Dragoons were raised in the first
year of the reign of King James II.; and the horsemen carried a
short carbine[6] in addition to the sword and pair of pistols: and
in a Regulation dated the 21st of February, 1687, the arms of the
Dragoons at that period were commanded to be as follows:--
"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, strapt, with bright
barrels of three foote eight inches long, cartouch-boxes,
bayonetts, granado pouches, buckets, and hammer-hatchetts."
After several years' experience, little advantage was found to
accrue from having Cavalry Regiments formed almost exclusively for
engaging the enemy on foot; and, the Horse having laid aside their
armour, the arms and equipment of Horse and Dragoons were so nearly
assimilated, that there remained little distinction besides the
name and rate of pay. The introduction of improvements into the
mounting, arming, and equipment of Dragoons rendered them competent
to the performance of every description of service required of
Cavalry; and, while the long musket and bayonet were retained, to
enable them to act as Infantry, if necessary, they were found to be
equally efficient, and of equal value to the nation, as Cavalry,
with the Regiments of Horse.
In the several augmentations made to the regular Army after the
early part of the reign of Queen Anne, no new Regiments of Horse
were raised for permanent service; and in 1746 King George II.
reduced three of the old Regiments of Horse to the quality and pay
of Dragoons; at the same time, His Majesty gave them the title of
First, Second, and Third Regiments of _Dragoon Guards_: and in
1788 the same alteration was made in the remaining four Regiments
of Horse, which then became the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh
Regiments of _Dragoon Guards_.
At present there are only three Regiments which are styled _Horse_
in the British Army, namely, the two Regiments of Life Guards, and
the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, to whom cuirasses have recently
been restored. The other Cavalry Regiments consist of Dragoon
Guards Heavy and Light Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers; and although
the long musket and bayonet have been laid aside by the whole
of the Cavalry, and the Regiments are armed and equipped on the
principle of the old Horse (excepting the cuirass), they continue
to be styled Dragoons.
The old Regiments of Horse formed a highly respectable and
efficient portion of the Army, and it is found, on perusing the
histories of the various campaigns in which they have been engaged,
that they have, on all occasions, maintained a high character for
steadiness and discipline as well as for bravery in action. They
were formerly mounted on horses of superior weight and physical
power, and few troops could withstand a well-directed charge of
the celebrated British Horse. The records of these corps embrace a
period of 150 years--a period eventful in history, and abounding in
instances of heroism displayed by the British troops when danger
has threatened the nation,--a period in which these Regiments have
numbered in their ranks men of loyalty, valour, and good conduct,
worthy of imitation.
Since the Regiments of Horse were formed into Dragoon Guards,
additional improvements have been introduced into the constitution
of the several corps; and the superior description of horses now
bred in the United Kingdom, enables the commanding officers to
remount their regiments with such excellent horses, that, whilst
sufficient weight has been retained for a powerful charge in line,
a lightness has been acquired, which renders them available for
every description of service incident to modern warfare.
The orderly conduct of these Regiments in quarters has gained the
confidence and esteem of the respectable inhabitants of the various
parts of the United Kingdom in which they have been stationed;
their promptitude and alacrity in attending to the requisitions of
the magistrates in periods of excitement, and the temper, patience,
and forbearance which they have evinced when subjected to great
provocation, insult, and violence from the misguided populace,
prove the value of these troops to the Crown, and to the Government
of the country, and justify the reliance which is reposed in them.
ON THE INSTITUTION
OF
LIGHT CAVALRY
IN
THE BRITISH ARMY.
The records of the military events of the remote ages speak of
heavy-armed horsemen being accompanied by others mounted and
equipped for light services. The Barons and Knights, who rode
the powerful horses celebrated by historians, and took the field
completely cased in steel, had a few light-armed attendants; the
feudal horsemen were variously armed; and the practice of employing
Light, as well as Heavy Cavalry, was adopted, to a limited extent,
by several commanders of antiquity. Armour, proof against arrow,
lance, and sword, and men and horses of colossal appearance, in
whom the greatest amount of weight and physical power, consistent
with a moderate share of activity, could be combined, were however
held in the highest estimation; but eventually the great advantage
of having a portion of Cavalry in which lightness, activity, and
celerity of movement, might form the principal characteristics,
was discovered. The introduction of fire-arms occasioned armour
to be gradually laid aside, or limited to a few heavy horsemen;
superiority of weight was no longer thought so necessary; and in
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the use of Light Cavalry
became more general than formerly.
During the seventy years' war between Spain and the United
Provinces of the Netherlands, Prince Maurice of Nassau (afterwards
Prince of Orange) selected a few English and Dutch heavy-armed
Lancers, and constituted them _Carabineers_, for skirmishing, and
other services of a similar character. The Emperor of Germany
formed regiments of Hungarian _Hussars_, who were light men on
small horses. The Carabineers were of an intermediate class,
being much heavier than the Hussars, and lighter than the English
Lancers and Cuirassiers, who rode powerful horses, and wore armour
on the head, body, and limbs. The French monarchs adopted the
practice of having a few Carabineers in each troop of Horse; and,
in 1690, Louis XIV. added a troop of Carabineers to each Regiment
of Cavalry. During the campaign of 1691, these troops formed a
Carabineer brigade; but their motley appearance, and the defects
of the plan, occasioned them to be constituted a regiment of
Carabineers, and clothed in blue. In 1693 the French King added a
regiment of Hussars to the Cavalry of his army.[7]
In England the same principle was partially carried out; the
heavy horse laid aside their armour, excepting cuirasses; they
were mounted on horses of less weight than formerly, and they were
supplied with carbines by King Charles II. In 1685, King James II.
raised several independent troops of _Light Horse_, and one of
them (Sir Thomas Burton's) was retained in his service until the
Revolution in 1688, when it was disbanded. In 1691-2 King William
III. constituted the Seventh Regiment of Horse, now Sixth Dragoon
Guards, a corps of Carabineers, as an honorary distinction, and
for the performance of services for which the other regiments of
Horse, being Cuirassiers, were not well adapted. The object was
to combine with strength and power a greater degree of activity
and speed than was to be found in the Cavalry at that period; and
His Majesty appears to have contemplated having several corps of
this description in his service, as he designated this _the First
Regiment of Carabineers_; but no second regiment was formed.[8] In
1694 a troop of foreign Hussars formed part of the Army commanded
by King William in Flanders.[9]
During the wars of Queen Anne the Regiment of Carabineers was again
supplied with cuirasses, and was mounted on the same description
of horses as the other regiments; retaining, however, the title
of Carabineers. The activity, size, weight, and strength of the
horses ridden by the British Cuirassiers and Heavy Dragoons, with
the bravery and muscular powers of the men, established their
superiority in continental warfare over the Cavalry of other
nations; they acquired great celebrity in the valley of the Danube
and on the plains of the Netherlands, in the early part of the
eighteenth century, under the renowned John Duke of Marlborough;
and after the peace of Utrecht, in 1713, the reputation of the
British Horse and Dragoons was so high that no alteration was
thought necessary, and many years elapsed without any attempt being
made to revive the practice of having either Carabineers, or Light
Horse, in the British Army.
The great utility of the Light Cavalry of the continental armies
had, in the mean time, become apparent. Improvements in military
tactics, and in the arming and equipment of corps, were taking
place in various countries; and a spirit of emulation extending
itself to Great Britain, on the breaking out of the rebellion in
1745, his Grace the Duke of Montague evinced his loyalty and public
spirit by raising a Regiment of _Carabineers_ for the service of
King George II.; at the same time, his Grace the Duke of Kingston,
with equal zeal and generosity, raised, at his own expense, a
Regiment of _Light Horse_. The latter regiment approximated, in the
lightness of the men, horses, and equipment, to the Hussars of the
continental armies; the Duke of Montague's Carabineers were of a
heavier description of Cavalry.
At this period the old Cavalry Regiments rode black horses
(excepting the Scots Greys) with docked tails; but the Duke of
Kingston's Regiment was mounted on light horses of various colours,
with swish or nag tails. The accoutrements were as light as
possible: the men carried short carbines slung to their sides by a
moveable swivel, pistols, and light swords inclined to a curve.
The usefulness of the Duke of Kingston's Regiment of Light Horse
was proved in Scotland, where it served under His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cumberland, and was found qualified for every
description of service; the light horses traversing hilly grounds
with facility. It distinguished itself on several occasions,
particularly at the battle of Culloden, on the 16th of April, 1746,
when it charged the clans with signal gallantry, and evinced great
spirit and activity in the pursuit of the rebel army upwards of
three miles from the field of battle. The Duke of Cumberland was
highly pleased with its behaviour during the period it was under
his command; and the conduct of the Light Horse throughout the
contest reflected credit on the noble peer who had raised them.
The rebellion being suppressed, the regiment was, in consequence
of the conditions on which the men had enlisted, directed to be
disbanded; but the Duke of Cumberland so highly approved of its
conduct that he obtained permission to embody as many of the men as
would re-enlist, as his own Regiment of Light Dragoons.
His Majesty's thanks and particular satisfaction were communicated
to His Grace the Duke of Kingston, for his zeal and affection for
His Majesty's person and Government; and His Grace was desired
to convey to the officers and soldiers His Majesty's high sense
of their loyalty, activity, and gallant behaviour, at a period
of national danger. The regiment was afterwards disbanded at
Nottingham, and nearly every man engaged in the Regiment of Light
Dragoons, of which, as a signal mark of honour and distinction, His
Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland was appointed Colonel.
The Duke of Cumberland's Light Dragoons were mounted on active
nag-tailed horses, from fourteen and a-half to fifteen hands
high. The men were from five feet eight to five feet nine inches
in height; and their equipment was upon a new and light plan,
but retaining the cocked hat of the Heavy Dragoon pattern. This
regiment served in the Netherlands, with the Army commanded by His
Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland: its general usefulness was
fully established, and it distinguished itself at the battle of
Val, in 1747. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle having put an end to
the war, it returned to England, and was disbanded in 1749.
From this period the value of light horsemen was more appreciated
in England than formerly; the general utility of this arm, on
home and foreign service, had been fully proved; and at the
commencement of hostilities with France, in 1755, King George II.
resolved to possess the advantage of a body of Light Cavalry in the
approaching contest. His Majesty accordingly commanded _a troop
of Light Dragoons_ to be added to the First, Second, and Third
Regiments of Dragoon Guards, and First, Second, Third, Fourth,
Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh Regiments of Dragoons. The
First, Second, Third, and Fourth Irish Horse (now Fourth, Fifth,
Sixth, and Seventh Dragoon Guards), and the Fifth, Eighth, Ninth,
Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Dragoons, being on the Irish
establishment, did not receive the same addition.
These troops of Light Dragoons were mounted, armed, equipped, and
trained, according to specific instructions, calculated to render
them available for the services for which they were designed.
Several of them were reviewed in Hyde Park by His Majesty; and
their neat appearance, celerity of movement, and the spirited and
exact manner in which they performed their evolutions, were much
admired.
Nine of these troops were formed into a brigade in 1758, under
the command of one of the King's aides-de-camp, Colonel George
Augustus Eliott, of the Horse Grenadier Guards; and they were
employed in the expeditions to the coast of France under Charles
Duke of Marlborough and Lieut.-General Bligh. They landed in France
twice; skirmished with the French Cavalry; and throughout these
enterprises they evinced activity, spirit, and general usefulness.
After their return to England, they were augmented to 125 men per
troop.
At this period, the war on the Continent had involved most of the
European states; and the extended and active operations which were
taking place in Germany rendered it necessary for a British force
to join the Allied Army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. This
gave rise to a further augmentation of the Army; and the increased
estimation in which Light Cavalry was held induced the King to give
directions for the raising of _entire Regiments of Light Dragoons_,
in addition to the five Regiments of Horse, three of Dragoon
Guards, and fourteen of Dragoons, already on the British and Irish
establishments. The following corps were accordingly embodied:--
LIGHT DRAGOONS.
_Incorporated in 1759._
FIFTEENTH, in England, by Colonel George A. Eliott;--now the
Fifteenth, or the King's Hussars.
SIXTEENTH, in England, by Lieut.-Colonel John Burgoyne;--now the
Sixteenth, or the Queen's Lancers.
SEVENTEENTH, in Scotland, by Captain Lord Aberdour;--disbanded in
1763.
EIGHTEENTH, in England, by Lieut.-Colonel John Hale;--now the
Seventeenth Lancers.
NINETEENTH, in Ireland, by Lieut.-Colonel Lord Drogheda;--numbered
the Eighteenth in 1763; constituted Hussars in 1807; and after
performing much valuable service at home and abroad, it was
disbanded at Newbridge, in Ireland, in 1821.
_Incorporated in 1760._
TWENTIETH, in Ireland, by Captain Sir James Caldwell;--disbanded in
1763.
TWENTY-FIRST, or Royal Foresters, in England by Lieut.-General the
Marquis of Granby, and Colonel Lord Robert Sutton;--disbanded in
1763.
After the peace of Fontainebleau, three of these corps were
disbanded, and the other four continued in the service. The light
troops attached to the heavy regiments were also disbanded, but a
few men of each troop were afterwards equipped as Light Dragoons.
A more perfect knowledge of the efficiency and capabilities of
Light Cavalry, acquired during the campaigns in Germany and
Portugal, had advanced the estimation in which that arm was held;
and, in 1768, the TWELFTH Dragoons (one of the heavy regiments
raised by King George I. in 1715), underwent a change of equipment
and clothing, and was constituted a corps of _Light Dragoons_, by
General Carpenter, in Ireland.
This alteration served as a precedent for subsequent changes; and
further experience, during the American war, from 1775 to 1783,
confirming the value of Light Cavalry, the SEVENTH, EIGHTH, NINTH,
TENTH, ELEVENTH, THIRTEENTH, and FOURTEENTH Regiments of Dragoons
were changed from _heavy_ to _light_. The Light Dragoons attached to
the heavy regiments were incorporated into newly-raised corps, and
the following regiments of
LIGHT DRAGOONS
_Were embodied in 1779._
NINETEENTH,--by Major-General Russell Manners;--disbanded in 1783.
TWENTIETH,--by Major-General Richard Burton Phillipson;--disbanded
in 1783.
TWENTY-FIRST,--by Major-General John Douglas;--disbanded in 1783.
TWENTY-SECOND,--by Lieut.-Colonel John Lord Sheffield;--disbanded
in 1783.
_Embodied in 1781._
TWENTY-THIRD,--by Lieut.-General Sir John Burgoyne, Baronet, for
service in India, and was numbered the NINETEENTH after the peace
in 1783. This regiment signalized itself on numerous occasions in
India, and was rewarded with the honour of bearing on its guidons
and appointments the _Elephant_, with the words _Assaye_ and
_Seringapatam_. The word _Niagara_ was also added in commemoration
of the gallantry of two troops, in the year 1813, in North America.
In 1817 it was constituted a corps of LANCERS. It was disbanded in
Ireland in 1821.
Thus a few years had produced a great change in the British Army.
Twenty-five years previously to the termination of the American war
there was not a single Light Dragoon Regiment in the Service, and
in 1783 there were seventeen; four of them were disbanded at that
period, and thirteen retained in the Service.
Soon after the termination of the American war, the French monarch
having, by aiding the rebellious British provincials, taught his
own subjects a lesson of insubordination, was deprived of the reins
of government; and the violent conduct of the French revolutionists
in the West Indies occasioned the TWENTIETH or JAMAICA REGIMENT OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS to be raised in 1791 by Colonel Henry F. Gardner,
for service in that island. Besides its services in Jamaica,
detachments of this regiment served at Malta; Sicily; at the taking
of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1806; at the capture of Alexandria, in
1807; at the attack on Monte Video; in Portugal; at Genoa; and on
the eastern coast of Spain; and acquired the honour of bearing the
word _Peninsula_ on its guidons and appointments. It was disbanded
in Ireland in 1818.
War with France commenced in 1793, and was followed by
augmentations to the Army. It was not found necessary to add a
single Heavy Cavalry Regiment; but the following Regiments of
LIGHT DRAGOONS
_Were incorporated in 1794._
TWENTY-FIRST,--by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas R. Beaumont. This regiment
served at the Cape of Good Hope and in India thirteen years;
a detachment was sent to do duty at St. Helena, when Napoleon
Buonaparte was removed thither. This regiment was disbanded at
Chatham in 1820.
TWENTY-SECOND,--by Major-General William Viscount Fielding;--served
in Great Britain and Ireland;--disbanded in 1802.
TWENTY-THIRD,--by Colonel William Fullerton;--served in Great
Britain and Ireland;--disbanded in 1802.
TWENTY-FOURTH,--by Colonel William Loftus;--served in Great Britain
and Ireland;--disbanded in 1802.
TWENTY-FIFTH,--by Major-General Francis Edward Gwyn. This regiment
was numbered the TWENTY-SECOND after the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
It served with reputation in India; was employed at the reduction
of Java; signalized itself on several occasions; and was rewarded
with the royal authority to bear the word _Seringapatam_ on its
guidons and appointments. It was disbanded in England in 1820.
_Raised in 1795._
TWENTY-SIXTH,--by Lieut.-General R. Manners;--numbered the
TWENTY-THIRD in 1803. This regiment served in Egypt, Portugal,
Spain, Flanders, and France; and its distinguished conduct
was rewarded with the honour of bearing on its guidons and
appointments, the _Sphinx_, with the words _Egypt_, _Peninsula_,
and _Waterloo_. In 1816 it was constituted a corps of LANCERS. It
was disbanded in England in 1817.
TWENTY-SEVENTH,--by Major-General Wynter Blathwayte;--numbered the
TWENTY-FOURTH in 1804. This regiment served in India, distinguished
itself at the battles of Ghur and Delhi, and was permitted to bear
the _Elephant_, with the word _Hindoostan_, on its guidons and
appointments. It was disbanded in England, on its arrival from
Bengal, in 1819.
TWENTY-EIGHTH,--by Major-General Robert Lawrie;--served in Great
Britain, Ireland, and at the Cape of Good Hope;--disbanded in
Ireland in 1802.
TWENTY-NINTH,--by Major-General Francis Augustus Lord
Heathfield;--numbered the TWENTY-FIFTH in 1804. This regiment
served in India, and was at the reduction of the Isle of France. It
was disbanded at Chatham, on its arrival from India, in 1819.
_Raised in 1794._
THIRTIETH,--by Lieut.-Colonel J. C. Carden;--disbanded in 1796.
THIRTY-FIRST,--by Lieut.-Colonel William St. Ledger;--disbanded in
1796.
THIRTY-SECOND,--by Lieut.-Colonel H. J. Blake;--disbanded in 1796.
THIRTY-THIRD,--by Lieut.-Colonel J. Blackwood;--disbanded in 1796.
Soon after the re-commencement of hostilities with France in 1803,
the SEVENTH, TENTH, FIFTEENTH, and EIGHTEENTH Light Dragoons were
equipped as HUSSARS. Since the termination of the war in 1815, the
THIRD and FOURTH Dragoons have been changed from _heavy to light_;
the NINTH, TWELFTH, SIXTEENTH, and SEVENTEENTH Light Dragoons
have been constituted LANCERS; and the EIGHTH and ELEVENTH Light
Dragoons have also been equipped as HUSSARS.
At this period (1847), the Cavalry of the British Army consists of
twenty-six regiments--thirteen Heavy and thirteen Light; and is
composed of three regiments of Cuirassiers, ten of Heavy Dragoons,
four of Light Dragoons, five of Hussars, and four of Lancers.
THE FOURTEENTH,
OR
THE KING'S, REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS,
BEARS ON ITS APPOINTMENTS
THE KING'S CREST,
AND THE WORDS,
"TALAVERA"--"FUENTES
D'ONOR"--"SALAMANCA"--"VITTORIA"--"ORTHES"--"PENINSULA."
THE WHITE HORSE AND THE PRUSSIAN EAGLE,
_As shown in Plate opposite to Page 62_,
WERE BORNE ON THE REGIMENTAL GUIDON UNTIL THE YEAR 1834, WHEN THE
GUIDONS OF THE REGIMENTS OF LIGHT DRAGOONS, HUSSARS, AND LANCERS,
WERE DIRECTED TO BE DISCONTINUED.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] In the 14th year of the reign of Edward IV. a small force was
established in Ireland by Parliament, consisting of 120 Archers on
horseback, 40 Horsemen, and 40 Pages.
[2] Military Papers, State Paper Office.
[3] This Regiment was disbanded after the Peace of 1674.
[4] This appears to be the first introduction of _bayonets_ into
the English Army.
[5] State Paper Office.
[6] The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appears
to have taken place in 1684; the Life Guards, however, carried
carbines from their formation in 1660.--_Vide_ the 'Historical
Record of the Life Guards.'
[7] _Histoire de la Milice Françoise_, par le PÈRE DANIEL.
[8] National Records.
[9] The equipment of Hussars at this period is described by
D'AUVERGNE, in his _History of the Campaign of 1694_, pp. 22, 23.
CONTENTS.
Year Page
1715 Formation of the Regiment 1
---- Raised in South Britain by Brigadier-General James Dormer 1
---- Numbered Fourteenth Dragoons 1
---- Names of the Officers 2
---- Engaged with the rebels at Preston in Lancashire 2
1716 Proceeded into Lincolnshire 3
1717 Embarked for Ireland 3
1742 Returned to Great Britain 4
1745 Advanced to Edinburgh 5
---- Engaged with the Rebels at Prestonpans 6
1746 Returned to Scotland 7
---- Victory of Culloden 8
---- Rebellion suppressed 8
1747 Returned to Ireland 8
1751 Clothing, Appointments, and Guidons regulated
by Royal Warrant of King George II. 9
1768 Ditto--ditto--by Royal Warrant of King George III. 10
1776 Constituted a Corps of Light Dragoons 12
1784 Uniform changed from Scarlet to Dark-blue 13
1794 Two troops embarked for Flanders 15
1795 Embarked for the West Indies 16
1797 Returned to England 17
1798 Permitted to be styled the Fourteenth, or the Duchess of
York's Own, Light Dragoons; to bear the Prussian Eagle;
and to change the Facings from lemon-yellow to orange 18
1808 Embarked for Portugal 19
1809 Engaged at Oporto 20
---- Engaged at Talavera de la Reyna 22
1810 Advanced to Almeida 24
---- Engaged at Villa de Puerco 25
---- Engaged at Frexadas 28
---- Battle of Busaco and Retreat to Torres Vedras 29
---- Affair at Rio Mandevilla 30
---- Posted on the Cartaxo road 30
1811 Pursuit of the French from Santarem 31
---- Skirmishes at Pombal; at Redinha; at Casal
Nova; and at Foz d'Aronce 31
---- Action at Sabugal 31
---- Engaged at Gallegos 32
---- Engaged at Fuentes d'Onor 32
---- Repulse of the French from Portugal 33
---- Siege of, and retreat from before Badajoz 34
---- Action at Nave d'Aver, and at Carpio 35
1812 Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo 36
---- Siege and Capture of Badajoz 36
---- Skirmish near Villa Franca 36
---- Affair at Llerena 36
---- Skirmish at Alaejos 38
---- Action at Castrillos 38
---- Battle of Salamanca 39
---- Pursuit of the French, and engagement at Penerada 40
---- Affair at Blasco Sancho 40
---- March to Madrid 40
---- Retreat from Madrid to Alba de Tormes 41
---- Repulse of French Lancers at Matilla 41
---- Reconnoitring parties on retreat from Salamanca to
Ciudad Rodrigo 41
1813 Advance to Salamanca 42
---- Passage of the Carion and Pisuerga 42
1813 Capture of Burgos 43
---- Skirmish at Huarte 43
---- Battle of Vittoria 43
---- Pursuit of the French to Pampeluna 44
---- -------------------- to the Pyrenees 44
---- Capture of a party at Ostiz 44
---- ------------------ at Roncesvalles 45
---- Skirmish at Almandoz 45
---- -------- at the pass of Maya 45
---- Engagement at the valley of Bastan 46
---- Passage of the Nivelle 46
---- Affair at the ford near Cambo 46
---- Passage of the Nive 46
---- Affair in front of Mendionda 47
---- Engagement at Hasparren 47
1814 Active operations resumed 47
---- Actions at Hellette, Garris, and Sauveterre 47
---- Battle of Orthes 48
---- Engagement at Aire 48
---- Defeat of the enemy's designs at Pau 48
---- Skirmish at Castel Paget 49
---- Affair at Tarbes 50
---- Battle of Toulouse 50
---- Termination of the Peninsular War 50
---- Marched to Bourdeaux 51
---- Returned to England 51
---- Reviewed at Hounslow 51
---- Embarked for America 52
---- Proceeded on an Expedition to New Orleans 52
1815 Hostilities with America ceased 53
---- Returned to England 53
---- Authorised to bear the word "Peninsula" 53
---- Proceeded to Hounslow 53
1816 Embarked for Ireland 54
1819 Returned to England 54
1822 Reviewed at Hounslow 55
1825 Re-embarked for Ireland 55
1828 Returned to England 56
1830 Proceeded to London 57
---- Reviewed by King William IV. 57
---- Authorised to bear the title of the Fourteenth, or the
King's, Light Dragoons 57
---- The Facings changed from Orange to Scarlet 57
1831 Marched to Birmingham, Coventry, and Gloucester 58
---- Engaged in repressing Riots at Bristol 59
1832 Removed to Hounslow 60
---- Authorised to bear the King's Crest on the appointments;
and the Prussian Eagle on the second and third corners
of the regimental guidon 60
1833 Embarked at Bristol for Ireland 60
1834 Standards discontinued 60
1835 Embarked at Belfast for Scotland 60
1838 Returned to England from Scotland 60
1841 Embarked for Bombay 61
1846 Proceeded to the Bengal Presidency 62
---- The Conclusion 63
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
Year Page
1715 James Dormer 65
1720 Clement Neville 66
1737 Archibald Hamilton 67
1749 James Lord Tyrawley 67
1752 Louis Dejean 68
1757 John Campbell, afterwards Marquis of Lorne 69
1765 Charles Fitroy, afterwards Lord Southampton 70
1772 Daniel Webb 70
1773 George Warde 71
1778 Sir Robert Sloper, K.B. 72
1797 John William Egerton, afterwards Earl of Bridgewater 73
1823 Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur, G.C.B. 74
1830 Sir Edward Kerrison, Bart., K.C.B, and G.C.H. 74
LIEUTENANT-COLONELS.
Succession of Lieutenant-Colonels from the year 1800 75
MAJORS.
Succession of Majors from the year 1799 78
List of the Battles, Sieges, &c. which took place in
the Peninsula from 1808 to 1814 81
PLATES.
Costume of the Regiment _to face_ 1
Guidon of the Regiment in 1798 " 18
Guidon of the Regiment in 1832 " 60
[Illustration: FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S OWN LIGHT DRAGOONS.
[_to face page 1._
]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
FOURTEENTH (THE KING'S) REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS.
[Sidenote: 1715]
The accession of the house of Hanover to the throne of Great
Britain and Ireland, was the commencement of a dynasty under which
this kingdom has attained a splendid elevation of naval, military,
commercial, and political importance; has extended its possessions
in remote countries;--and its armies have fought and conquered in
every quarter of the globe. The first year of His Majesty's reign
had, however, not expired, when it was found necessary to augment
the regular army, and the FOURTEENTH, (THE KING'S) REGIMENT OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS, is one of the corps incorporated on that occasion.
It was raised in South Britain, by Brigadier-General JAMES
DORMER, who had acquired a reputation in the war of the Spanish
succession; and the following officers were appointed to the
regiment, by commissions dated the 22nd July, 1715.
_Captains._ _Lieutenants._ _Cornets._
James Dormer (col). Jas. Stevens (cap.-lt.) Edward Stroude.
H. Killegrew (lt.-col.) Henry Lasale. Thomas Ellis.
Sol. Rapin. (major) Peter Davenport. Thomas Delahaye.
Henry Pelham. Jonathan Pirke. William Hamilton.
William Boyle. Cuthbert Smith. Rigley Molyneux.
Beverly Newcommin. James Flemming. Andrew Forrester.
His Majesty's protestant subjects arrayed themselves under the
royal standard with great cheerfulness, but before the regiment
was complete in men and horses, the arrangements of the Jacobites
were in such a state of forwardness, that the Pretender's standard
was raised in Scotland by the Earl of Mar, who was soon at the
head of ten thousand men. A body of rebels having penetrated into
Lancashire, DORMER'S dragoons were among the corps directed to
advance, under Major-General Wills, and fight the insurgent bands:
the regiment was formed in brigade with Pitt's horse, now second
dragoon guards, under its Colonel, Brigadier-General Dormer.
Arriving at _Preston_, about three o'clock in the afternoon of
the 12th of November, the rebels were found in force in the town,
with the avenues barricaded and defended by cannon. The FOURTEENTH
dragoons were directed to dismount and form as infantry, to take
part in storming the avenue leading to Lancaster, in which they
were assisted by Wynne's (ninth), and a squadron of Stanhope's
dragoons (afterwards disbanded) under Brigadier-Generals Dormer
and Munden; Pitt's horse, Munden's (thirteenth), and a squadron
of Stanhope's dragoons forming in support. The first barrier was
carried with great gallantry; but the inner barricade could not
be forced for want of cannon. The houses were afterwards set on
fire, and measures adopted to prevent the escape of the rebels,
who were eventually forced to surrender at discretion. The
regiment had three men and sixteen horses killed on this occasion,
Brigadier-General Dormer, and four private soldiers wounded.
The regiment escorted a number of the captured insurgents to
Lancaster gaol, and was afterwards quartered in that town, and in
the early part of 1716 the rebellion was suppressed by the troops
under the Duke of Argyle.
[Sidenote: 1716]
In May 1716, the regiment marched from Lancaster, into cantonments
at Lincoln and the neighbouring towns.
[Sidenote: 1717]
A reduction of the army took place in the spring of 1717, and in
May, DORMER'S dragoons marched to Bristol and embarked for Ireland,
to replace a regiment ordered to be disbanded in that country.
[Sidenote: 1720]
The regiment remained in Ireland during the succeeding twenty-five
years. In 1720, Brigadier-General Dormer was removed to the
sixth regiment of foot, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of
the FOURTEENTH dragoons, by Colonel Clement Neville, from the
lieut.-colonelcy of the thirteenth dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1721]
[Sidenote: 1737]
Colonel Neville commanded the regiment seventeen years, and was
removed in 1737, to the eighth dragoons, and the colonelcy of the
FOURTEENTH was conferred on Colonel Archibald Hamilton from the
27th foot.
[Sidenote: 1740]
[Sidenote: 1741]
[Sidenote: 1742]
Charles VI. Emperor of Germany, died in 1740; the succession of
the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, as Queen of Hungary and Bohemia,
was disputed by the Elector of Bavaria, who was supported by a
French army; and, in 1742, King George II. sent a British force
to Flanders to aid the house of Austria; at the same time the
FOURTEENTH dragoons were withdrawn from Ireland, to replace the
cavalry regiments which had proceeded on foreign service from
England.
[Sidenote: 1743]
[Sidenote: 1744]
[Sidenote: 1745]
The regiment was stationed in Great Britain during the years 1743
and 1744; and in 1745, when Charles Edward, eldest son of the
Pretender, raised his father's standard in Scotland, it was ordered
to Stirling. After Lieut.-General Sir John Cope had marched from
Stirling with the infantry and some artillery, the FOURTEENTH
dragoons proceeded to Leith, where they were stationed when the
rebel army advanced towards Edinburgh. They were suddenly ordered
to join Colonel Gardiner, who was retiring before the rebel army,
with the thirteenth dragoons; they rode through Edinburgh at a
brisk pace during public worship on Sunday, the 15th of September,
when the congregations rushed out of the churches and chapels and
filled the streets, and four hundred volunteers, with a thousand
men of the trained bands, appeared in arms. The FOURTEENTH dragoons
joined Colonel Gardiner at Carstorphin, from whence they fell
back to Coltsbridge, where they were joined by the city guard and
Edinburgh regiment. On a report of the approach of the rebel bands,
the Edinburgh regiment and city guard withdrew within the walls,
and the dragoons moved towards Haddington, the citizens refusing to
admit them into the place; and while a tumultuary council was being
held to decide about the mode of defending the city, the insurgents
gained possession of one of the gates: thus Edinburgh fell into the
hands of the young Pretender.
The FOURTEENTH dragoons were afterwards ordered to join
Lieut.-General Sir John Cope, who had arrived at Dunbar with a
small body of infantry, and he advanced towards Edinburgh, when the
rebel army was put in motion to meet him. On the 20th of September
the King's troops confronted the insurgents near _Prestonpans_
and the night was passed in the field: the FOURTEENTH dragoons,
commanded by Lieut.-Colonel William Wright, furnished videttes
and patrols on the flanks of the army. Before day-break, on the
following morning, a chosen band of Highlanders advanced through
the thick atmosphere, and attacked the right of the King's troops;
their sudden advance in the dark, their superior numbers, and
peculiar mode of fighting, struck with consternation the few men
who guarded the artillery, and who faced about and fled. The
dragoons advanced to charge the Highlanders; but seeing the very
superior numbers of their opponents, and being discouraged by the
loss of their artillery, they made only a feeble effort to stem
the torrent of battle, and afterwards retired from the field.
Several officers, and a few private soldiers, however, behaved with
great gallantry, and among others, Major RICHARD BOWLES, of the
FOURTEENTH dragoons, particularly distinguished himself; the few
troopers, who rallied round him, had been cut down, and his own
horse killed; but he continued to fight on foot; he was surrounded,
and had received eleven wounds, when a rebel leader interposed and
saved his life. When once troops are put into confusion, and are
afterwards closely pressed by the enemy, no reserves being at hand
for them to rally upon, the difficulty of restoring order becomes
particularly great, and, in this instance, the loss of the battle
was the result. The FOURTEENTH dragoons withdrew from the field,
and afterwards marched to Berwick.
The regiment subsequently joined the army assembled under
Field-Marshal Wade at Newcastle; when the rebels penetrated into
Derbyshire, it was employed in covering Yorkshire; and when the
young Pretender made a precipitate retreat to Scotland, the
FOURTEENTH dragoons marched to Edinburgh, where a few regiments
were assembled under Lieut.-General Hawley.
[Sidenote: 1746]
On their return to Scotland, the rebels besieged Stirling Castle;
and Lieut.-General Hawley put the King's troops in motion to raise
the siege. The FOURTEENTH dragoons left Edinburgh on the 13th of
January, 1746; they took part in driving a body of rebels out of
Linlithgow, and were subsequently encamped near _Falkirk_.
On the 17th of January, as the soldiers were at dinner in the camp,
the approach of the rebel army was descried, and the troops moved
towards some high grounds on Falkirk-moor, where the insurgent
bands were formed. The action was commenced by a charge of the
cavalry; the enemy's first line was broken, and some execution
done; but the second line of insurgents repulsed the dragoons. The
infantry was, soon afterwards, brought into the fight; but a heavy
storm of wind and rain beat so violently in the soldiers' faces, as
nearly to blind them, and the wet prevented their muskets giving
fire. Several regiments retired in some disorder; others maintained
their ground and repulsed the Highlanders, and after dark the whole
withdrew to Linlithgow and afterwards to Edinburgh.
The Duke of Cumberland subsequently took the command of the troops
in Scotland, and advanced towards Stirling; when the rebels made a
precipitate retreat. His Royal Highness pursued; but the FOURTEENTH
dragoons were left behind, and were directed to patrol along the
roads leading westward from Edinburgh, to prevent the rebels
obtaining intelligence. At length the Highlanders were overpowered
in the field of Culloden, and the rebellion was suppressed.
[Sidenote: 1747]
In 1747 the regiment returned to Ireland, and was stationed in that
country during the succeeding forty-eight years.
[Sidenote: 1749]
Lieut.-General Hamilton died on the 8th of July, 1749, and King
George II. conferred the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons on
Lieut.-General James, Lord Tyrawley, from the tenth regiment of
Foot.
[Sidenote: 1751]
The following description of the clothing and guidons of the
regiment is taken from the Royal Warrant, dated the 1st of July,
1751.
COATS,--scarlet; double-breasted, without lappels; lined with
_lemon colour_; slit sleeves turned up with lemon colour; the
button-holes worked with narrow white lace; the buttons of white
metal, set on three and three; a long slash pocket in each skirt;
and a white worsted aiguillette on the right shoulder.
WAISTCOATS AND BREECHES,--lemon colour.
HATS,--bound with silver lace, and ornamented with a white loop and
a black cockade. Red forage cap turned up with lemon colour, and
XIV. D. on the flap.
BOOTS,--of jacked leather, reaching to the knee.
CLOAKS,--Scarlet, with a lemon-coloured cape; the buttons set on
three and three, upon white frogs or loops, with a red and green
stripe down the centre.
HORSE FURNITURE,--of lemon-coloured cloth; the holster caps and
housings having a border of white lace, with a red and green stripe
down the centre; XIV. D. embroidered upon a red ground, within a
wreath of roses and thistles, on the housing; and upon the holster
caps G.R., with the crown over it, and XIV. D. underneath.
OFFICERS,--distinguished by silver lace and embroidery; and a
crimson silk sash worn across the left shoulder.
QUARTER MASTERS,--to wear a crimson sash round their waists.
SERJEANTS,--to have narrow silver lace on the cuffs, pockets, and
shoulder-straps; silver aiguillettes; and green, red, and white
worsted sashes tied round their waists.
DRUMMERS AND HAUTBOYS,--clothed in lemon-coloured coats, lined and
faced with scarlet, and ornamented with white lace, having a red
and green stripe down the centre: red waistcoats and breeches.
GUIDONS,--the first, or King's guidon, to be of crimson silk,
with a silver and red fringe; in the centre, the rose and thistle
conjoined, and crown over them, with the motto _Dieu et mon
droit_ underneath; the white horse in a compartment in the first
and fourth corners; and XIV. D., in silver characters, on a
lemon ground, in a compartment in the second and third corners:
the second and third guidons to be of lemon-coloured silk; in
the centre XIV. D. on a red ground within a wreath of roses and
thistles on the same stalk; the white horse, on a red ground,
in the first and fourth compartments; and the rose and thistle
conjoined, on a red ground, in the second and third compartments;
the third colour to have a figure 3, on a circular red ground,
under the wreath.
[Sidenote: 1752]
Lieut.-General Lord Tyrawley commanded the regiment two years,
and was removed, in July, 1752, to the third dragoons, and was
succeeded by Colonel Lewis Dejean, whose regiment of foot had been
disbanded at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748-9.
[Sidenote: 1756]
[Sidenote: 1757]
Colonel Dejean was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1756,
and in 1757 he was removed to the third Irish Horse, now sixth
dragoon guards; and His Majesty conferred the colonelcy of the
FOURTEENTH dragoons on Colonel John Campbell, from the fifty-fourth
regiment.
[Sidenote: 1759]
[Sidenote: 1761]
[Sidenote: 1765]
The rank of major-general was conferred on Colonel Campbell in
1759; in 1761 his uncle, Archibald, third Duke of Argyle, died,
when his father, General John Campbell of the Scots Greys,
succeeded to that title, and Major-General Campbell of the
FOURTEENTH Dragoons obtained the designation of MARQUIS OF LORNE:
he was removed to the first, the royal regiment of foot, in 1765,
and was succeeded in the command of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, by
Colonel Charles Fitzroy, (afterwards Lord Southampton) whose
regiment of foot had been disbanded at the peace of Fontainbleau in
1763.
[Sidenote: 1768]
On the 19th December, 1768, a warrant was issued, by authority of
King George III., for regulating the standards, guidons, clothing,
&c., of the regiments of cavalry, in which it was directed,
that the uniform of the FOURTEENTH dragoons should be red, with
_lemon-coloured_ facings, without lappels, with silver lace; the
uniform, &c., being the same as prescribed by the Royal Warrant of
the 1st July, 1751.
[Sidenote: 1772]
Colonel Fitzroy was promoted to the rank of major-general
and removed to the third dragoons, in 1772, when King George
III. conferred the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons on
Lieut.-General Daniel Webb, from the eighth foot.
[Sidenote: 1773]
Lieut.-General Webb died in 1773, and was succeeded by Colonel
George Warde, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the fourth dragoons.
[Sidenote: 1775]
[Sidenote: 1776]
[Sidenote: 1777]
Hostilities between Great Britain and her North American Colonies
commenced in 1775, and the rugged valleys and trackless forests
which became the theatre of this war, were not adapted for the
operations of heavy dragoons. The necessity of having a greater
proportion of light cavalry had become apparent, and in 1776, the
FOURTEENTH, which were then in Ireland, were constituted a corps of
LIGHT DRAGOONS. The standard height for men and horses was reduced;
the cocked hats were replaced by helmets; arms and appointments of
a lighter description were adopted, and in the annual army list for
1777, the regiment was designated, "THE FOURTEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS."
[Sidenote: 1778]
In 1778, Major-General Warde was removed to the first Irish horse,
now fourth dragoon guards, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of
the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, by Major-General Robert Sloper.
[Sidenote: 1784]
In 1784 the clothing of the light dragoon regiments was changed
from scarlet to _dark blue_; and the following orders were issued
on this subject, dated--
_Adjutant General's Office,
Dublin, 18th May, 1784._
'His Majesty's pleasure having been signified to the Lord
Lieutenant, that the clothing of the light dragoon regiments shall
hereafter be made in conformity to the following regulations, it
is the Commander-in-Chief's order that the said regulations be
observed accordingly.'
_Regulations for the Clothing of the Light Dragoons._
The clothing of a private light dragoon is to consist of a jacket,
shell, under-waistcoat, and leather breeches.
The jacket and shell to be of _blue_ cloth; the collars and cuffs
of the royal regiments to be red, and those of the other regiments
to be of the colour of the facing of the regiment; looped upon the
breast, edged with white cord, and to be lined with white, the 11th
and 13th regiments excepted, which are to be lined with _buff_. The
under waistcoat to be of flannel with sleeves, and made so as to be
buttoned within the waistband of the breeches.
The breeches to be of buckskin.
N.B. The make of the dress and method of placing the cord upon
the breast of the jacket, to be exactly conformable to the pattern
approved by His Majesty.
_Officers and Quarter Masters._--The dress-uniform of the officers
and quarter-masters of the light dragoons to be made according to
the King's regulations of the 19th December, 1768, excepting that
the coats are to be _blue_ and faced with the same colour as the
private men, and that the _Royal_ regiments are to be faced with
_scarlet_.
_Field Uniform of the Officers and Quarter Masters._--The jacket
and shell to be made up in the same manner as those of the men,
excepting that the shell is to have sleeves, and that the looping
is to be made of _silver_, the 13th regiment excepted, which is to
be of _gold_.
_Serjeants._--The serjeants of the light dragoons to be
distinguished by gold or silver looping.
_Corporals._--The corporals of the light dragoons to be
distinguished by a gold or silver cord, round the collar and cuffs.
_Trumpeters._--The trumpeters to have a jacket and shell, the
colour and facing of the regiment, with lace, instead of looping,
in front and down the seams.
N.B. A pattern suit may be seen at the Commander-in-Chiefs office
at the Royal Hospital.
(Signed) H. PIGOT,
_Adjutant General_.
The foregoing orders were sent to the officers commanding the 8th,
12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, and 18th light dragoons; to the Earl of
Drogheda; to the major of brigade for the general officers; and to
the agents, Messrs. Montgomery, Wybrants, and Cane.
[Sidenote: 1791]
[Sidenote: 1793]
The regiment remained in Ireland performing the usual duties of a
cavalry corps on home service, until the events attendant on the
French revolution occasioned it to be employed in continental and
colonial warfare. When this revolution assumed its wild and violent
character, the spirit of republicanism soon extended to the French
West India Islands. The resolution to grant the immediate freedom
of the slaves, for which they were unprepared, was followed, in
1791, by acts of outrage and spoliation committed by the blacks
against the properties of their owners. In 1793 the planters of St.
Domingo obtained British aid; and the revolutionists afterwards
received assistance from France.
[Sidenote: 1794]
[Sidenote: 1795]
In the same year, a British army appeared in Flanders under the
Duke of York, to arrest the progress of the French aggressions on
the continent; and in 1794, two troops of the FOURTEENTH light
dragoons were withdrawn from Ireland to engage in the contest. On
their arrival in Flanders, the two troops of the regiment were
attached to the eighth light dragoons; and they formed part of the
van of the forces under Lieut.-General the Earl of Moira, on the
march from Ostend to join the army under His Royal Highness the
Duke of York. The squadron of the FOURTEENTH also shared in the
toils and hardships of the winter campaign in Holland; it took part
in several skirmishes with the enemy, and after enduring great
privation and suffering from an unusually severe season, which
occasioned the loss of several men and horses, it arrived in the
early part of 1795, in Germany, where it was incorporated in the
eighth regiment of light dragoons.
The contest in the West Indies had, in the meantime, been carried
on with varied success, and the seven troops of the FOURTEENTH
light dragoons in Ireland were ordered to give up their horses to
the twenty-fourth light dragoons at Clonmel, and to embark for
the West Indies dismounted. This transfer took place under the
direction of Major-General Egerton, who bore testimony to the
alacrity with which the officers and men prepared for embarkation.
The regiment embarked on the 25th of February, 1795, under the
command of Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Carter; on arriving at _St.
Domingo_, it was furnished with such horses as could be procured,
and it was soon engaged in active operations against the bands of
armed negroes and mulattoes who had enrolled themselves under the
banners of the French republic.
[Sidenote: 1796]
[Sidenote: 1797]
During the years 1796 and 1797, numerous actions occurred; but
against a hundred thousand trained blacks who had been instructed
in European discipline, the few British troops on the island
were unable to do more than exhibit many brilliant examples of
discipline and valour. In an enterprise against the post of
_Mirebalais_ in the beginning of June, 1797, a detachment of
the FOURTEENTH, Eighteenth, and Twenty-first light dragoons,
commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Carter of the FOURTEENTH, distinguished
themselves. They drove twelve hundred of the enemy with three
pieces of cannon from a strong position, captured two guns, and
chased a number of opponents into the river Artibonite, capturing
their ammunition, mules, &c. The conduct of Lieut.-Colonel Carter,
and of the dragoons under his orders, was commended in the public
despatches. The climate of St. Domingo was, however, so very
injurious to the health of European soldiers, that the regiment
was soon reduced to a skeleton. The few surviving men who were fit
for service, were permitted to volunteer into other corps, and the
remainder, twenty-five in number, embarked for England, where they
arrived in the month of October, and were stationed at Chelmsford.
On the 1st of June, 1797, General Sir Robert Sloper. K.B., was
removed to the fourth dragoons, and the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH
was conferred on Major-General John William Egerton, afterwards
Earl of Bridgewater, from first lieut.-colonel of the seventh
light dragoons. This officer being on the staff when the few men
of the regiment arrived from St. Domingo, he was employed in
superintending the recruiting and remounting of his corps, and in
a short time he had the satisfaction of seeing it a fine body of
light cavalry mustering six hundred mounted men, who were divided
into eight troops.
[Sidenote: 1798]
In August, 1798, King George III. was graciously pleased to approve
of the regiment being styled "the FOURTEENTH, or the DUCHESS OF
YORK'S OWN Regiment of Light Dragoons," in honour of Frederica
Charlotte Ulrica Catherina, Princess Royal of Prussia, who was
married to His Royal Highness the Duke of York in 1791; at the same
time the Royal authority was given for the FOURTEENTH to assume
the "PRUSSIAN EAGLE" as a regimental badge, and the colour of the
facing of the regiment was changed from lemon-yellow to _orange_.
[Sidenote: 1800]
[Sidenote: 1802]
The establishment was augmented to ten troops, of ninety rank
and file each, in 1800; but at the peace of Amiens, in 1802, a
reduction of two troops took place.
[Illustration: GUIDON OF THE FOURTEENTH, OR THE DUCHESS OF YORK'S
OWN LIGHT DRAGOONS, M DCC XCVIII.
[_To face page 18._
]
[Sidenote: 1803]
[Sidenote: 1804]
[Sidenote: 1807]
Hostilities were resumed in 1803, and in 1804 the regiment was
again augmented to ten troops of ninety rank and file each, for
which a supply of new carbines and pistols was received in 1807,
from the ordnance stores.
[Sidenote: 1808]
The French Emperor, Napoleon Buonaparte, having attempted to reduce
Spain and Portugal to subjection to his power, a British army
proceeded to Portugal to aid the inhabitants in their struggles
for freedom. Portugal had been delivered, and the army under
Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore was advancing into Spain, when
the FOURTEENTH (the DUCHESS OF YORK'S OWN) regiment of light
dragoons, was ordered to embark for the Peninsula. The regiment
marched to Falmouth, where it was put on board of transports, and
arrived at Lisbon on the 23rd of December under the command of
Colonel Samuel Hawker.
[Sidenote: 1809]
The return to England of the troops which had served under
Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, whose career of honour was
terminated at the battle of Corunna, left only a small British
force in the Peninsula, and these troops were quartered near
Lisbon, from whence the FOURTEENTH light dragoons advanced in
the early part of 1809, to Bucellas, an out-post of the army.
In April the regiment formed the advance-guard on the march of
the army to Coimbra, and in the beginning of May it was united
in brigade with the sixteenth and twentieth light dragoons under
Major-General Cotton, and was reviewed on the plains of Coimbra by
Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley. The French troops under
Marshals Soult and Victor had, in the meantime, invaded Portugal,
and Marshal Soult had captured Oporto.
To expel the French from _Oporto_, was the first service undertaken
by the British commander; on this occasion two squadrons of the
FOURTEENTH, under Lieut.-Colonel Neil Talbot, were detached
with the Portuguese troops under Marshal Beresford to intercept
the French, if they should attempt to retreat by Amarante; the
remaining three squadrons under Colonel Hawker advanced direct
upon Oporto, and being employed, with the other cavalry on the
advance-piquets, they took part in the rencounters with the enemy
on the 10th and 11th of May. Arriving on the 12th of May, on the
banks of the Douro near Oporto, unperceived by the French, the
English general resolved to pass the river, when two squadrons
of the FOURTEENTH were detached, with the German brigade and two
guns under Major-General John Murray, three miles up the river,
to Barca de Avintas, where they effected a passage in boats. In
the meantime a portion of the army had passed nearer the city, and
was engaged in a fierce action with the enemy, when the FOURTEENTH
light dragoons and the Germans were seen advancing down the
right bank of the river. The French made a precipitate retreat.
The leading squadron of the FOURTEENTH, commanded by Major F.
B. Hervey, and gallantly supported by the second squadron under
Major the Honourable Charles Butler, dashed sword in hand upon the
enemy's rear-guard and overthrew it, as it was pushing through a
narrow road to gain an open space beyond the defile. Some execution
was done, the French General, Laborde, was unhorsed, and General
Foy was wounded; but no other troops advancing to support the
FOURTEENTH, the gallant dragoons had to fight their way back, and
had several men and horses killed and wounded. Major F. B. Hervey
lost his right arm; Captain Peter Hawker, Lieutenants Robert Knipe,
and Evelyn P. Dormer, were wounded.
The conduct of the FOURTEENTH was commended in Sir Arthur
Wellesley's public despatch, and also in general orders. They had
marched eighty miles in four days over the most difficult country,
and they were employed in pursuing, along a mountainous region, the
discomfited French troops, whose line of retreat could be traced by
the smoke of burning houses. Having followed the enemy as far as
Ginjo, the FOURTEENTH light dragoons halted, and afterwards moved
towards Abrantes, where the army was concentrated for operations on
the Tagus.
From Abrantes the army advanced into Spain, and a body of French
troops under Marshal Victor retreated from Talavera de la Reyna.
The Spaniards under General Cuesta pursued with avidity; but the
French were reinforced, and they drove the Spaniards back upon
_Talavera_, where the allied army formed in order of battle;
the FOURTEENTH light dragoons being posted in the rear of
Brigadier-General Alexander Campbell's division.
When the army went into position, Major-General Mackenzie was
left with a division of infantry and a brigade of cavalry, as an
advanced post, in the wood on the right of the Alberche, which
covered the left flank. The French attacked this post between two
and three o'clock on the 27th of July, when the FOURTEENTH light
dragoons were ordered forward, and they crossed the Alberche
river, and sent out a line of skirmishers to cover the retrograde
movements of the infantry. The regiment was employed in skirmishing
until night, and had nine horses killed; Lieutenant Theophilus
Thomas Ellis, and one private soldier wounded.
The FOURTEENTH light dragoons resumed their post in the position
occupied by the allied army, and supported the infantry during the
severe contest on the 28th of July. The left of the British line
was attacked at day-break, and when the enemy was repulsed at
this point, a long pause ensued. An attack on the centre was made
soon after two o'clock, and the French were again driven back;
they also failed in another attack on the left. A strong body of
the enemy advanced against Major-General Sherbrooke's division;
this attack was repulsed by a charge of the whole division with
bayonets; but the brigade of foot guards pursued so far as to be in
danger of being annihilated; when the forty-eighth regiment, and
the FOURTEENTH and sixteenth light dragoons were brought forward,
and the foot guards rallied and again advanced. This was a moment
of great peril to the allied army; but the steady valour of the
British troops prevailed, and the French fell back.
The FOURTEENTH light dragoons had three men and twenty-one horses
killed; Colonel Samuel Hawker, Captains John Chapman, and Peter
Hawker, Lieutenants William Wainman and Thomas Smith, six rank and
file, and three horses wounded; thirteen horses missing; Lieutenant
Evelyn P. Dormer taken prisoner. Lieutenant-Colonel Neil Talbot,
and Major Baker had each a horse killed under him.
Colonel Hawker was rewarded with a gold medal, and the regiment was
subsequently authorised to bear on its guidons and appointments the
word "TALAVERA", in commemoration of its distinguished services in
this action.[10]
After this battle the enemy brought forward such very superior
numbers, that the British General was forced to act on the
defensive, and while the army was encamped on the banks of the
Guadiana, a malignant fever proved fatal to numbers of officers and
soldiers. The FOURTEENTH dragoons were removed to Villa Vicosa,
a fortified town in the Alemtejo, from whence they marched, in
December, to Santarem, a town very pleasantly situated on the right
bank of the Tagus, where they were formed in brigade with the royal
dragoons under Major-General Slade.
[Sidenote: 1810]
In February, 1810, Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo were both menaced
by the enemy, and in March the regiment returned to the Alemtejo,
and took the advanced posts of Lieut.-General Rowland Hill's
corps at Arronches, a town situate at the conflux of the Caya
and the Algrette, near the Spanish frontiers. A concentration of
French troops near Ciudad Rodrigo afterwards relieved the other
provinces. Ciudad Rodrigo was eventually beseiged by Marshal Ney,
and the British commander, hoping the enemy, by detaching troops,
would furnish an opportunity for relieving this fortress, withdrew
the FOURTEENTH light dragoons from the Alemtejo. The regiment
advanced to Almeida in June; it was attached to the light division
under Brigadier-General Craufurd, who was behind the Agueda
river, watching the enemy's motions; and with the sixteenth light
dragoons, and first hussars King's German Legion, took the out-post
duty on this frontier.
No opportunity to relieve Ciudad Rodrigo occurred; but during
the siege marauding parties of French soldiers entered the
villages of Barquillo and _Villa de Puerco_ on three successive
nights. Brigadier-General Craufurd, thinking to cut off the next
party, formed two ambuscades, one near Villa de Puerco, with six
squadrons, another of three squadrons near Barquillo, and he
also placed his artillery, five companies of the ninety-fifth,
(Rifle-brigade) and the third Portuguese Caçadores in reserve; the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons were employed in these ambuscades. On the
morning of the 11th of July, a little after day-break, a party of
French infantry was observed near Villa de Puerco, and a small body
of cavalry at Barquillo; and the open country on the right would
have enabled the six squadrons to place themselves between the
infantry and their point of retreat; but this was circuitous, and
Brigadier-General Craufurd preferred passing along a narrow defile
between two stone walls. This proved difficult; in threading the
defile in a long line the dragoons were separated, and the French
infantry, two hundred strong, had time to form square, being hidden
in high standing corn. The French dragoons coming out of Barquillo,
were charged by the German hussars and a squadron of the sixteenth,
and two officers and twenty-nine men were made prisoners. In the
meantime the FOURTEENTH light dragoons had threaded the defile,
and mounting the hill, rode with distinguished gallantry against
the square; but the French infantry remained perfectly steady, and
opened such a fire, that Lieut.-Colonel Talbot and eight men fell
dead close to the bayonets, and twenty-three men were wounded.[11]
The survivors withdrew a short distance to reform their ranks, and
the French square commenced its retreat with singular steadiness
and good order. The FOURTEENTH dragoons seeing this, prepared to
launch against it another squadron, which was already in speed for
the purpose, when Colonel Arentschildt of the hussars, observing
cavalry approaching in front and flank, checked the movement. It
was afterwards regretted that he took this step, as the horsemen,
who alarmed him, proved to be the German hussars and sixteenth
returning from the pursuit of the French dragoons, the whole of
whom they had captured.
On the death of Lieut.-Colonel Talbot the command of the regiment
devolved on Lieut.-Colonel F. B. Hervey, under whose directions
the FOURTEENTH became celebrated as an efficient corps of light
cavalry, remarkable for the excellent manner in which they
performed the out-post duty.
Meanwhile Ciudad Rodrigo had surrendered; the FOURTEENTH remained
in the villages near Fort La Conception until the 21st of July,
when the enemy's masses approaching, they fell back to _Almeida_,
where Brigadier-General Craufurd halted the few troops under his
orders, and, with astonishing hardihood, confronted the whole
French army. During the night of the 23rd of July, the videttes and
patrols of the regiment were exposed to a heavy storm of wind and
rain, and as daylight appeared, they discovered the approach of
numerous legions of the enemy: a few shots were fired; the cavalry
reserves and guns moved forward, and a skirmish ensued in which
the FOURTEENTH had one serjeant killed; Lieutenant John Blachford,
one private soldier, and four horses wounded. After opposing the
superior numbers of the enemy for some time, the British withdrew
beyond the river Coa; and Brigadier-General Craufurd stated in
his despatch,--'The retreat of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons from
Val-de-la-Mula to Almeida, was conducted in the most regular and
soldier-like manner, though opposed to a superior force of French
cavalry.'
A squadron of the regiment and a squadron of the royal dragoons,
on duty at _Frexadas_, were sharply engaged with a superior force
of the enemy on the 28th of August, and highly distinguished
themselves.
Marshal Massena invaded Portugal with such an immense superiority
of numbers, that the British commander was under the necessity of
withdrawing from the frontiers, and the FOURTEENTH and sixteenth
light dragoons, with the first German hussars, had the honour
of covering the retrograde movements. On the 24th of September
the enemy skirmished with the piquets in front of _Mortagao_,
from whence a squadron of the FOURTEENTH under Captain Thomas W.
Brotherton, with one of the sixteenth and first hussars, covered
the retreat of the light division four miles to some strong
ground. The three squadrons repulsed four of French hussars; some
of the enemy's dragoons approaching too close, were charged by
the squadron of the FOURTEENTH, and overthrown with the loss of
about thirty men. On the following morning the cavalry skirmishers
exchanged a few shots, and the FOURTEENTH were employed in covering
the retreat of the light division to the position of Busaco. During
this retreat Captain the Hon. Henry Percy was taken prisoner while
reconnoitring the flank movement of the enemy.
The FOURTEENTH were in reserve during the battle of _Busaco_ on
the 27th of September; and they were subsequently employed in
covering the retreat of the army to the strong lines of Torres
Vedras.
On the 1st of October, the out-posts were attacked and driven
from the hills bounding the plain of _Coimbra_ to the north, when
three troops of the FOURTEENTH, under Major the Honourable Charles
Butler, proceeded through the town, and formed the rear-guard on
the main road from Coimbra to Pombal. The remainder of the regiment
was formed on the plain, with the other cavalry corps, and withdrew
before a superior force of the enemy, crossing the Mondego at a
ford below the town, and skirmishing to prevent the passage of the
river by the enemy.
The French army continuing to press forward, its advance-guard
skirmished with the rear of the allies almost every day, and the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons had frequent opportunities of exhibiting
brilliant instances of the innate valour of British soldiers. At
_Rio Mandevilla_ the FOURTEENTH and sixteenth light dragoons,
first German hussars, royal dragoons, and Captain Bull's troop of
artillery, repulsed a very superior force of the enemy, on which
occasion the first French hussars were nearly annihilated. The
FOURTEENTH had six men and six horses killed; eight men and twelve
horses wounded.
The French legions continued to press forward as to an assured
victory; but the lines of Torres Vedras arrested their progress,
and while they remained in front of these extensive works, the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons took the line of out-posts from the
Sobral road. The French army withdrew during the night of the 14th
of November; the morning of the 15th was foggy, and it was some
hours after day-break when the British General discovered the void
space in his front. The FOURTEENTH were ordered forward along the
Cartaxo road, and their patrols took a number of French stragglers
prisoners. Marshal Massena took up a position at Santarem; the head
quarters of the allied army were established at Cartaxo, and the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons furnished the out-posts, extending from
the causeway and bridge over the river.
[Sidenote: 1811]
After wasting his army by privation and sickness, the French
marshal retreated; and at day-light on the 6th of March, 1811,
Lord Wellington discovered the empty camps at Santarem, and moved
his own army forward in pursuit. On the 8th of March, a squadron
of the FOURTEENTH commanded by Captain Babington, and supported
by the other squadrons of the regiment under Colonel Hervey,
made a successful charge on four squadrons of the eleventh and
twenty-sixth French dragoons at _Venta de Serra_, and captured
fourteen men and fourteen horses; with the loss of two men and two
horses.
Continuing to press upon the rear of the French army, the regiment
was present at the skirmish at _Pombal_ on the 10th of March, at
_Redinha_ on the 12th, at _Casal Nova_ on the 14th, and at _Foz
d'Aronce_ on the 15th. The FOURTEENTH were also present at the
action near _Sabugal_, on the 3rd April, but did not sustain any
loss.
The French Commander continued his retreat to Salamanca, and the
British General stood victorious on the confines of Portugal; the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons furnished the out-posts on the left bank
of the Agueda at Villa del Egua, where a peasant arrived from
Ledesma, with intelligence that the French army was reinforced
and re-organized, and was advancing. A squadron under Captain
Brotherton was sent to Santa Espirita, and it fell back behind the
Agueda as the French army advanced.
Almeida being blockaded by the allied army, Marshal Massena
advanced to its relief; the FOURTEENTH withdrew gradually as the
enemy approached, and on the 3rd of May they were engaged behind
_Gallegos_; when Lieutenant John Townsend retired with the piquets
under a heavy cannonade towards Fuentes d'Onor, and a squadron,
under Captain Brotherton, had a sharp affair near Pozo Velho.
At the battle of _Fuentes d'Onor_, on the 5th of May, the
FOURTEENTH and first royal dragoons covered the movement of
the right of the army from Nave d'Aver, retiring by alternate
squadrons, under a heavy cannonade; one squadron of the regiment
charged with signal gallantry some French artillery, but was
repulsed, and Captain Robert Knipe commanding the squadron
was mortally wounded: he was succeeded in the command of the
squadron by Lieutenant (afterwards Lieut.-Colonel) John Townsend:
Lieut.-Colonel Hervey had his horse killed under him, and received
a severe contusion.
An attack was made on the position in the rear of the village. 'The
French with one shock drove in all the cavalry out-guards, and
cutting off Captain Ramsay's battery, came sweeping in upon the
reserves of horse and upon the seventh division. But their leading
squadrons approaching in a disorderly manner, were partially
checked by the British, and, at the same time, a great commotion
was observed in their main body. Men and horses there closed
with confusion and tumult towards one point, a thick dust arose,
and loud cries, and the sparkling of blades, and the flashing of
pistols, indicated some extraordinary occurrence. Suddenly the
multitude became violently agitated, an English shout pealed high
and clear, the mass was rent asunder, and Norman Ramsay burst
forth at the head of his battery, his horses, breathing fire,
stretched like greyhounds along the plain, the guns bounding behind
them as things of no weight, and the mounted gunners followed in
full career. Captain Brotherton of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, seeing
this, rode forth with a squadron and overturned the head of the
pursuing troops, and General Charles Stewart joining in the charge,
took the French General Lamotte, fighting hand to hand.'[12] The
French were repulsed in their attempt to relieve Almeida, and they
withdrew from Portugal.
The FOURTEENTH light dragoons had Captain Robert Knipe and three
private soldiers killed; Captain Thomas Potter Milles, Lieutenants
John Townsend, John Gwynne, Lovell B. Badcock, Theophilus Thomas
Ellis, six serjeants, and twenty-one rank and file wounded; three
private soldiers missing. Lieut.-Colonel Hervey was rewarded with a
gold medal, and the royal authority was subsequently given for the
regiment to bear on its guidons and appointments the words "FUENTES
D'ONOR," as a special mark of His Majesty's approbation of its
conduct on this occasion.
Viscount Wellington subsequently proceeded to Estremadura, where
the strong fortress of Badajoz was besieged by the allies, and the
FOURTEENTH dragoons formed part of the force left on the Agueda.
Marshal Marmont advanced with a numerous French army, and having
introduced a convoy into Ciudad Rodrigo, he drove back the British
posts. On the morning of the 6th of June, two French columns
appeared, when the light division was directed to retire from
Gallegos upon _Nave d'Aver_ and subsequently upon Alfayetes, and
the royal dragoons, with a squadron of the FOURTEENTH, covered the
retreat. Two thousand French cavalry, six thousand infantry, and
ten guns, bore down upon the British squadrons and menaced their
destruction; but the French horsemen were attacked and defeated
twice, and the retreat was effected with little loss.
Marshal Marmont afterwards marched to Spanish Estremadura, and
the British General withdrew from before Badajoz. The allied army
subsequently proceeded to the vicinity of Ciudad Rodrigo, and
eventually blockaded that fortress, the FOURTEENTH taking part
in the out-post duty as usual. When the French army advanced to
relieve the blockade, the regiment was stationed at Espejo, on
the lower Azava, with advanced-posts at _Carpio_ and Marialva.
Having thrown a supply into Ciudad Rodrigo, the French Marshal
marched against the allied army, and on the morning of the 25th
of September, fourteen squadrons of the imperial guards drove
the out-posts from Carpio, across the Azava; the lancers of Berg
crossed the river in pursuit, but were charged and driven back by a
squadron of the FOURTEENTH and two squadrons of the sixteenth light
dragoons, and Carpio was again occupied by the British. Another
body of the enemy attacked the troops at El Bodon, and when the
British had withdrawn from this post, the FOURTEENTH fell back from
Carpio, and a succession of retrograde movements followed, until
the allied army took up a position behind Soita, when the French
withdrew into Spain.
In the action at Carpio, and in the subsequent movements, the
regiment had Lieutenant Hall and several private soldiers wounded;
and the conduct of its commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Hervey,
was commended in the public despatches; the excellent behaviour of
Captain Brotherton was also particularly mentioned.
During the winter the strength of the regiment on foreign service
was reduced two troops.
[Sidenote: 1812]
Ciudad Rodrigo was captured in January, 1812; the regiment
subsequently proceeded to Spanish Estremadura, and was stationed
near _Badajoz_ when the siege of that fortress was undertaken.
The FOURTEENTH subsequently joined that portion of the covering
army which was under Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Graham, and when
the French army under Marshal Soult advanced, the British fell
back upon Albuhera; the FOURTEENTH were employed in covering
the retrograde movement, and they skirmished with the enemy's
advanced-guard near _Villa Franca_. Badajoz having been captured
by storm during the night of the 5th of April, the French army
marching to its relief fell back.
In a few days after the capture of Badajoz, the FOURTEENTH were
engaged in an enterprise against several regiments of French
cavalry. The Regiment moved, on the night of the 10th of April,
from Villa Franca upon Usagre, and afterwards along the Road to
_Llerena_; the light brigade skirmished with the French, until
the heavy brigade turned their flank; the enemy was then charged,
overthrown, pursued, and many prisoners taken. On the following
night a party of the FOURTEENTH, under Lieutenant Edward Pellew,
took a piquet of twenty-two French dragoons prisoners. The regiment
had upwards of twenty men and several horses wounded; and the
conduct of Lieut.-Colonel Hervey was commended in Lieut.-General
Sir Stapleton Cotton's despatch.
From Estremadura, the regiment marched towards the Agueda, and it
formed the advanced guard of Sir Thomas Graham's column in the
march towards _Salamanca_, near which city it skirmished with a
body of the enemy on the 16th of June, and had one serjeant and one
trumpeter killed; four private soldiers and five horses wounded.
The enemy retired behind the Douro, and the allies followed to
the banks of that river, where the FOURTEENTH were formed in
brigade with the first German hussars, and took the out-posts at
Tordesillas. In the middle of July, Marshal Marmont commenced
offensive operations and passed the Douro at several points, when
Lord Wellington united his centre and left behind the Guarena
stream, and the FOURTEENTH and German hussars covered the retreat
from Rueda. The right wing of the allied army and a brigade of
cavalry were at Castrejon on the Trabancas, and to cover the
retrograde of this force, the FOURTEENTH and German hussars moved,
on the 17th of July, to Alaejos. On the 18th some sharp skirmishing
occurred, and the troops at Castrejon fell back behind the Guarena;
the FOURTEENTH retired from the plain near Alaejos under a heavy
fire, and took post behind the Guarena at _Castrillos_. The French
army advanced to the opposite side of the river, and General
Clausel, sent a brigade of cavalry across under Brigadier-General
Carier, supporting it with a column of infantry, and manifesting
an intention to press the British left. Major-General Victor
_Baron_ Alten led the FOURTEENTH and first German hussars against
the French cavalry, and some sharp fighting occurred, during which
General Carier was made prisoner. While the British and French
horsemen were warmly engaged, the twenty-seventh and fortieth
regiments, supported by a Portuguese brigade, came rushing down
the hill and broke the French infantry with an impetuous bayonet
charge; the FOURTEENTH and German hussars had, in the meantime,
driven back the French cavalry, and the two regiments charged
the broken infantry, and sabred some, and made others prisoners.
The regiment had eighteen men and twenty horses killed; Captain
Brotherton, Lieutenants John Gwynne, Francis Fowke, thirty-four
rank and file, and eighteen horses wounded.
The regiment was actively employed in the operations of the
succeeding three days, and occasionally skirmished between the
opposing armies.
On the 22nd of July the memorable battle of _Salamanca_ was
fought; the FOURTEENTH skirmished with the enemy's advanced posts
at day-break, and afterwards took their station in the line. By
several changes of position, the French Marshal endeavoured to
turn the right of the allied army and gain the road to Ciudad
Rodrigo; Lord Wellington detected a false movement in the opposing
army, and instantly ordering his divisions forward, commenced the
battle. The FOURTEENTH light dragoons participated with the third
division in its attack upon, and complete discomfiture of, the
enemy's left; two squadrons under Lieut.-Colonel Hervey reinforced
Brigadier-General D'Urban's Portuguese brigade, which turned the
enemy's flank, and the regiment shared in the glorious struggle by
which the French army was overthrown and driven from the field with
a severe loss.
The regiment had several men and horses killed and wounded; Captain
Brotherton, though still suffering from his wound received on the
18th of July, mounted his charger during the fight, and was again
wounded; and the gallant bearing of the regiment was afterwards
rewarded with the royal authority to display the word "SALAMANCA"
on its guidons and appointments; its commanding officer,
Lieut.-Colonel Hervey, was presented with a gold medal as a mark of
royal favour and approbation.
On the following day the regiment pursued the rear of the French
army, and two squadrons were sharply engaged and took several
prisoners near _Penerada_. On the 26th, a patrol of three dragoons
of the FOURTEENTH, and four of the German hussars, under Corporal
William Hanley of the former corps, detached to _Blasco Sancho_,
captured a party of the enemy, consisting of two officers, one
serjeant, one corporal, and twenty-seven mounted dragoons, with
one private servant and two mules, for which they received the
expressions of the approbation of the Commander of the Forces. The
French horses were given to the FOURTEENTH and German hussars, to
complete deficiencies; the amount was divided among the patrol, and
a further pecuniary donation was afterwards made to the men engaged
in this gallant exploit.
After driving the enemy across the Douro and taking possession of
Valladolid, the army marched to Madrid, and the FOURTEENTH light
dragoons passed Segovia and bivouacked near Escurial, a place
celebrated for its magnificent palace, built by Philip II. and used
as a monastery. The head quarters of the regiment were established
at Getafe, and it took the out-post duty. Lieutenant Cust commanded
a post of observation at Consingia, in La Mancha, and Lieutenant
Ward a post of communication between that station and Madrid.
When the Marquis of Wellington left Madrid to undertake the siege
of Burgos, the FOURTEENTH were left in the vicinity of the capital
of Spain; and when a concentration of the French forces rendered
a retrograde movement necessary, the regiment assembled, with
the first German hussars, at Guadalaxara, and fell back upon
Madrid. From Madrid the regiment formed part of the rear-guard of
Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill's corps, to Alba de Tormes, and
for several days it was almost constantly engaged in manœuvring
and skirmishing to retard the advance of the enemy. On the 16th
of November the regiment repulsed the charge of a body of French
lancers of superior numbers, at _Matilla_, and had several men
killed and wounded. Colonel Hervey again signalized himself, and
narrowly escaped being made prisoner.
In the retreat from Salamanca to Ciudad Rodrigo, the regiment took
part in the piquets and other duties of the rear-guard, which it
continued to perform until the army went into cantonments behind
the Agueda; and Captain Badcock was detached with a reconnoitring
party to the Sierra de Francia and river Alagon.
[Sidenote: 1813]
After passing the winter in cantonments among the Portuguese
peasantry, the regiment crossed the confines of that kingdom, and
formed part of the centre column of the allied army in the advance
in May 1813. Arriving at _Salamanca_ on the 26th of that month,
the bridge and streets were found barricaded, and a division of
French infantry, three squadrons of cavalry, and some artillery,
under General Villattes, were formed on the heights above the ford
of Santa Marta. A British brigade passed the river at the ford,
and the FOURTEENTH light dragoons and first German hussars removed
the barricades and pushed through the town, when the enemy fell
back, but was overtaken, and lost about two hundred men killed and
wounded, and two hundred prisoners.
The line of the Tormes was thus gained; that of the Douro was soon
afterwards won; and the allied army, proudly confident in its
distinguished commander, advanced with a firmness which the enemy
could not withstand, and the Carion and the Pisuerga were speedily
passed: the FOURTEENTH light dragoons forming, as usual, part of
the advance of the allied army, were engaged, on the 12th of June,
in forcing a division of the enemy from a position near _Burgos_,
when one squadron, under Captain Milles, charged and took some
prisoners and a gun. The loss of the regiment was limited to one
man and one horse killed; and one man and five horses wounded.
Unable to withstand the combinations of the British general, the
French destroyed Burgos castle, and fell back with tumult and
confusion behind the Ebro; the British urged their march towards
the sources of that river, and traversing a wild but beautiful
region, turned the enemy's position: the FOURTEENTH being in
advance, crossed the Ebro at the bridge of Frias on the 15th of
June, and a patrol fell in with a body of the enemy near Pancorba.
The enemy concentrated in front of Vittoria; the Marquis of
Wellington examined their position on the 20th of June, and the
FOURTEENTH skirmished with the French near the village of _Huarte_.
On the 21st of June, the long-expected battle was fought near
_Vittoria_, and the FOURTEENTH light dragoons had the honour
of sharing in a conflict in which the French army sustained a
decisive overthrow. The regiment was attached to the troops under
Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, and supported the attacks of
the infantry and artillery; in the afternoon it was detached to
out-flank the enemy's left, and in the evening it pursued the wreck
of the French army along the Pampeluna road, passing the whole of
the enemy's baggage, which had been abandoned.
The gallant bearing of the FOURTEENTH on this occasion was
subsequently rewarded with the royal authority to bear the word
"VITTORIA" on their guidons and appointments; and an additional
honorary distinction was conferred on their commanding officer,
Colonel Hervey.
On the following day the regiment went in pursuit of the remains
of the French army, and on the 24th of June, fell in with the
rear-guard at a pass about two leagues from _Pampeluna_, when two
battalions of riflemen drove the French infantry through the pass,
the horse artillery killed several men, and dismounted one of the
two pieces of cannon brought off from Vittoria; at the same time
the leading squadron of the FOURTEENTH, under Major Brotherton,
charged and captured a tumbril.
The French withdrew into the passes of the Pyrenean mountains; the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons followed the enemy, and on the 28th of
June, a patrol of three men of the regiment, under Lieutenant Ward,
penetrating to the village of _Ostiz_, found twenty-five French
foot soldiers regularly armed and formed up at the village, who
surrendered themselves prisoners of war.
Advancing further into the mountains, a patrol of six men of the
regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Clavering, encountered, on the
1st of July, a body of infantry of the French rear-guard, on the
road from _Roncesvalles_ to St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, dispersed them,
and took eighteen prisoners.
A strong body of French troops occupied the fruitful valley of
_Bastan_, in the mountains, from whence they were driven by the
troops under Sir Rowland Hill. The FOURTEENTH were attached to
Lieut.-General Hill's division, and a squadron, under Major
Brotherton, was engaged, on the 4th of July, with a body of the
enemy near _Almandoz_. The allied army was established in positions
in the mountains; the FOURTEENTH took the out-post duty in front of
Maya, and also furnished posts of correspondence for several weeks.
At length, the French army having been reinforced, re-organized,
and placed under the command of Marshal Soult, advanced and
commenced offensive operations. During the action of the 26th of
July, the regiment was employed in carrying off the wounded from
the pass of Maya, and received the thanks of Sir Rowland Hill. A
squadron under Captain Milles was similarly employed on the 30th of
July, when Sir Rowland Hill's post at _Arestegui_ was attacked, and
another squadron under Major Brotherton had a rencounter with the
enemy.
The French having been repulsed, fell back in disorder, and were
pursued to the confines of Spain. The FOURTEENTH formed the van of
Sir Rowland Hill's division, and were engaged with the enemy in the
valley of _Bastan_, on the 1st and 2nd of August: on the 5th the
regiment took the out-post duty in front of Maya.
On the 10th of November the troops descended from the Pyrenees,
and traversed the mountain passes by moonlight, until they arrived
at the line of piquets, where they halted until the day dawned,
when they transferred the seat of war to France, and taught the
admirers of splendid but unprincipled aggressions, that the day
of retribution had arrived. The FOURTEENTH light dragoons were
attached to Sir Rowland Hill's division, and one squadron formed
the advance-guard to Marshal Beresford's corps. The enemy's
position on the _Nivelle_ was forced, and the regiment was united
at Espelette on the following day. The regimental baggage, which
was attached to the second division, fell into the hands of a party
of the enemy, in the rear of the pass of Maya, on which occasion
the regiment had one troop serjeant-major and two private soldiers
killed.
From the 15th of November to the 9th of December the regiment
furnished the out-posts on the river Nive: it formed the
advanced-guard to Sir Rowland Hill's corps at the passage of the
_Nive_ at the fords near Cambo, and the stream being deep, two men
and two horses were drowned. On the 11th of December, a squadron,
under Major Brotherton, encountered a body of the enemy in front
of _Mendionda_, and captured a convoy of corn, wine, and salt, and
made four men and horses of the escort prisoners. On the 13th the
regiment was engaged with the French Light cavalry, under General
Pierre Soult, (brother of Marshal Soult), at _Hasparren_, when
Major Brotherton and Lieutenant Southwell were taken prisoners;
also one serjeant and one private soldier wounded, and one taken
prisoner.
The regiment took the out-post duty in front of Urt on the 14th
of December; and was formed in brigade with the thirteenth light
dragoons, under Colonel Vivian, who was succeeded, in the beginning
of the following year, by Major-General Fane.
[Sidenote: 1814]
After reposing a short period in quarters during very severe
weather, the army resumed operations in the middle of February,
1814, and the FOURTEENTH light dragoons took the van in the advance
against the enemy's left, which led to the actions at _Hellette_,
_Garris_, and _Sauveterre_.
On the 27th of February the battle of _Orthes_ was fought; the
FOURTEENTH shared in the operations of the troops under Sir Rowland
Hill, and passing the stream above Orthes, advanced towards the
great road to St. Sever, thus operating against the enemy's
left. The French were overpowered and driven from the field; the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons earned another inscription, the word
'ORTHES,' for their guidons and appointments, and Colonel Hervey
was rewarded with another honorary distinction.
The French fell back in disorder, the FOURTEENTH followed the
enemy; crossed the Adour on the 1st of March, and, continuing the
pursuit, were engaged, on the following day, at _Aire_, from
whence the French were driven by the troops under Sir Rowland
Hill. Serjeant Vernor, and privates Craig and Rose, distinguished
themselves on this occasion.
A party, favourable to the house of Bourbon, was known to exist in
this part of France, and Marshal Soult sent a body of troops to
_Pau_ on the night of the 7th of March, to arrest the nobles who
had assembled to welcome the arrival of the Duke D'Angouleme; but
Major-General Fane had arrived at Pau with a brigade of infantry
and two regiments of cavalry, and defeated the enemy's design. The
FOURTEENTH light dragoons, with two guns attached, made a strong
patrol to Pau on the 7th of March, and on the following day fell in
with the French detachment, and Captain Townsend and four private
soldiers were taken prisoners.
Some offensive movements were made by the enemy on the 13th and
14th of March, and General Pierre Soult proceeded with three
regiments of cavalry to _Clarac_, on the Pau road, to intercept
the communication with that town, and to menace the right flank of
the allies. The piquet of the FOURTEENTH at Clarac, repulsed the
enemy on the morning of 14th of March, but Captain Babington was
taken prisoner. In the evening the piquet under Captain Badcock was
attacked by the whole of the fifth regiment of chasseurs and being
reinforced by a squadron under Captain Milles, kept its ground
until another squadron arrived under Captain Anderson, when the
French were repulsed with loss. Captain Milles was rewarded with
the brevet rank of Major.
On the 16th of March the regiment repulsed an attack of the enemy
in front of _Castel Paget_. On the 18th at daylight, the army was
in movement; the French right was turned by the valley of the
Adour, and their out-posts driven back upon _Lembege_: the leading
squadron of the FOURTEENTH, under Captain Anderson, was engaged
with the French on the Lembege road, and Lieutenant Lyons was
killed.
A squadron of the regiment, under Captain Milles, was attached to
Lieut.-General Stewart's division, and was engaged, on the 19th
of March, near _Vic Bigorre_; on the 20th the regiment took part
in the affair at _Tarbes_, and assumed the out-post duty in the
evening; and it was in advance during the march of the army towards
Toulouse on the 22nd of that month.
The FOURTEENTH light dragoons had the honor of serving at the
battle of _Toulouse_ on the 10th of April; they were attached to
the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, and took part
in the operations by which the French army was driven from its
ground. Hostilities were soon afterwards terminated; Napoleon
Buonaparte abdicated the throne of France, and the Bourbon dynasty
was restored.
Thus terminated, with glory to the British arms, a war in which
the FOURTEENTH, the Duchess of York's Own Regiment of Light
Dragoons, had acquired a high reputation; it had become justly
celebrated for the excellent _esprit-de-corps_ which pervaded the
ranks, and especially for the superior style in which the officers
and soldiers had, during several years, performed the duties of
piquets, patrols, videttes, and other services which devolve upon a
corps employed in the out-post duty.
At the termination of the contest, the regiment marched into
quarters at Monte Marsan, where the reputation it had acquired
occasioned it to be selected from among the other cavalry corps of
the army, to take part in the contest between Great Britain and the
United States of North America. The regiment marched to Bourdeaux
in May, and being there reviewed by Major-General Lord Dalhousie,
was complimented on its appearance and efficiency; but the order
for its embarkation for America was countermanded.
The regiment marched from Bourdeaux to Calais, where it embarked
for England, and landing at Dover on the 17th of July, proceeded
from thence to the vicinity of London. It was reviewed on Hounslow
Heath, by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, who complimented
Colonel Hervey on the appearance and efficiency of the several
troops, adding, "They appear as if they had never been on service."
After the review the regiment joined the depôt at Weymouth.
The non-effectives during the five years and a half the regiment
had been on foreign service, including men invalided and sent home,
and horses cast and sold, were 654 non-commissioned officers and
private soldiers, and 1564 troop horses. From the period of its
leaving Ireland in 1795, it had been recruited from the counties of
Worcester, Warwick, Salop, and Bucks, with some volunteers from the
fencible cavalry in 1800, and from the royal waggon train in 1810.
The contest in North America, which had been recommenced in
1813, had not terminated, and in the autumn two squadrons of
the regiment, dismounted, embarked, and sailing from Plymouth,
arrived, on the 24th of November, at Jamaica, where an expedition
was assembled under Major-General (afterwards Lord) Keane, for an
attempt on _New Orleans_, situate on the river Mississippi, one
hundred and ten miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The approach to this
place was particularly difficult; and when the fleet arrived, on
the 10th of December, off the coast of Louisiana, the troops had
to be removed into light vessels, and eventually into open boats,
for the tedious navigation of Lake Bargne, and were afterwards
obliged to traverse a difficult morass. Emerging from the morass,
the soldiers were opposed by such immense bodies of Americans, with
extensively fortified lines and batteries, and armed vessels on the
river, that after extraordinary efforts, and exhibitions of valour
and perseverance, the enterprise was relinquished.
[Sidenote: 1815]
In the attack on the enemy's lines, on the 8th January, 1815, the
two squadrons served dismounted. Major-General the Honourable Sir
Edward Pakenham, K.C.B., was killed; Major-Generals Gibbs and Keane
were dangerously wounded; and the command devolved on Major-General
Lambert, who stated in his public despatch, 'The conduct of the
two squadrons of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, latterly under the
command of Lieut.-Colonel Baker, previously of Major Milles, has
been the admiration of every one, by the cheerfulness with which
they have performed all descriptions of service.'
The troops returned on board the fleet; and one boat, containing
Lieutenant Brydges, Cornet Hammond, one serjeant-major, and
thirty-nine rank and file of the regiment, was captured by the
Americans.
Hostilities were soon afterwards terminated by a treaty of peace;
and the two squadrons arrived in England, and joined the regiment
at Hounslow in May; a third squadron which had embarked for
America, also rejoined the head-quarters.
This year the regiment was authorized to bear the word "PENINSULA"
on its guidons and appointments, in commemoration of its services
in Portugal, Spain, and France.
Napoleon Buonaparte having quitted Elba, and returned to France,
and having regained the throne of that kingdom, war was immediately
recommenced; three squadrons of the FOURTEENTH having sailed for
America, the regiment was prevented sharing in the contest which
followed; but Colonel Hervey and Major Percy served on the staff of
Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington.
[Sidenote: 1816]
In December the regiment embarked at Bristol for Ireland, and
landed at Waterford and Cork in January, 1816: at the same time the
establishment was reduced to eight troops.
[Sidenote: 1817]
[Sidenote: 1818]
A further reduction took place in the two following years; and in
1818 Captains Townsend and Badcock received the rank of major in
the army for services in the field during the Peninsular war.
[Sidenote: 1819]
During its stay in Ireland the regiment was several times commended
for its conduct and discipline by Major-General White, and
Major-General Sir Sydney Beckwith: and on the 27th of May, 1819,
it was formed in column and received the personal thanks of Sir
George Beckwith, commanding the forces in that part of the United
Kingdom. The regiment embarked from Dublin in June, and landed at
Liverpool on the 11th of that month.
In the autumn of this year the FOURTEENTH light dragoons lost their
commanding officer, Colonel SIR FELTON BATHURST HERVEY, BARONET,
who died on the 24th September, 1819, and whose death was regretted
by the corps.[13] His services had been rewarded with the dignity
of a Baronet, and the following distinctions; a cross for the
battles of Fuentes d'Onor, Salamanca, Vittoria, and Orthes; a medal
for the battle of Waterloo; Companion of the Bath; Companion of
the Guelphic Order; the Russian Order of Wladimir; Maria Theresa
of Austria; St. Henry of Saxony; Tower and Sword of Portugal;
Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria; and the Prussian Order of Merit. He
was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel Baker.
[Sidenote: 1821]
In 1821 the establishment was reduced to six troops.
[Sidenote: 1822]
On the 1st of June, 1822, the regiment was reviewed on
Hounslow-heath, with the first and second life guards, royal
horse guards, tenth and fifteenth hussars, and a brigade of
horse of artillery, by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, the
Commander-in-Chief, who was pleased to express his approbation of
the appearance and movements of the troops.
[Sidenote: 1823]
In the autumn of 1823 General the Earl of Bridgewater died, and was
succeeded in the colonelcy of the regiment by Lieut.-General Sir
John Ormsby Vandeleur, G.C.B., whose regiment, the nineteenth light
dragoons, had been disbanded two years previously.
[Sidenote: 1825]
The regiment remained in England until April, 1825, when it
embarked at Bideford for Ireland, landed at Waterford, and marched
to Cork and Fermoy.
[Sidenote: 1826]
[Sidenote: 1827]
[Sidenote: 1828]
In 1826 the FOURTEENTH marched to Dublin, where its appearance,
discipline, and interior economy, were commended by Major-General
Sir Colquhoun Grant, K.C.B., at the inspections in June and
September. From Dublin the regiment marched in January, 1827, to
Athlone, Ballinrobe, Gort, and Loughrea; it returned to Dublin
in March, 1828; was commended for its appearance, efficiency and
discipline, and also for its good conduct while in Ireland, by
Lieut.-General Sir George Murray, K.C.B., commanding the forces in
that country, at the inspection on the 22nd of March; and embarked
for Liverpool on the 26th of that month.
[Sidenote: 1829]
From Liverpool the regiment marched to Birmingham and Coventry, and
while in these quarters Lieut.-Colonel Baker retired,[14] and was
succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel John Townsend, by commission dated the
16th of April 1829. In May, 1829, the regiment marched to Leeds,
Burnley, and Rochdale.
[Sidenote: 1830]
In April, 1830, the regiment proceeded to Brighton and Chichester,
and its appearance, discipline, and interior economy, were
commended by Major-General Sir Hussey Vivian at the inspection on
the 24th of May.
The regiment was inspected at Brighton on the 19th of June by
its colonel, Lieut.-General Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur, G.C.B.
who was pleased to express himself 'much gratified by the highly
military appearance of the regiment, the celerity and precision
of its movements in the field, and the clean and orderly state of
the barracks, as well as the fine condition of the horses, all
of which prove the zeal and ability of the commanding officer,
and the active assistance he receives from the other officers,
as well as the steady good conduct of the non-commissioned
officers and privates, which he shall not fail to report to the
Commander-in-Chief. He requests Lieut.-Colonel Townsend to accept
his thanks, and also to communicate them to the officers, and to
the regiment. He cannot omit observing the excellent management of
the school, and the great progress of the pupils.'
In the same month Lieut.-General Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur was
removed to the sixteenth light dragoons, and was succeeded by
Major-General Sir Edward Kerrison, Baronet.
In July the regiment marched to London, and was reviewed by
His Majesty, King William IV. on the 26th of that month, who
was graciously pleased to express his royal approbation of its
appearance, and to command that it should in future bear the
distinguished title of "THE FOURTEENTH, or THE KING'S, instead of
the _Duchess of York's Own_, REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS." This
distinctive appellation occasioned the regiment to discontinue the
_orange_, and, as a Royal regiment, to assume the _scarlet_ facing.
[Sidenote: 1831]
From London the regiment marched to Birmingham and Coventry, where
it was stationed until July, 1831, when the head-quarters were
removed to Gloucester.
In October, 1831, the political feelings of the lower classes of
the city of Bristol being in a highly excited state, and riotous
proceedings being anticipated, a troop of the FOURTEENTH LIGHT
DRAGOONS (with one of the third dragoon guards) was ordered to
the vicinity, for the purpose of aiding the magistracy in the
preservation of order. The arrival of the Recorder, Sir Charles
Wetherell, on Saturday the 29th October, for the purpose of holding
the sessions, was the immediate cause of the outbreak. Large
bodies of the populace assembled from every quarter, parading the
streets, throwing stones at the authorities, breaking windows, and
committing other acts of violence. This continued throughout the
day; but it was not until evening, that serious consequences began
to be apprehended. At dusk, the mob attacked and forcibly entered
the mansion house, the Riot Act was consequently proclaimed, and
the troops were called to the immediate scene of outrage. They
cleared the streets in the neighbourhood of the mansion house,
but there not being at hand a sufficient body of constables to
act in concert with the troops, the mob still retained possession
of the courts and alleys of the city, whither the dragoons were
unable to follow them. On Sunday the rioters assembled in greater
numbers, and during that day, and the following night, succeeded
in destroying the mansion house, custom house, excise office, the
bishop's palace, and a vast amount of private property.
On the morning of the 31st October, an additional troop of the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons arrived, and Major Beckwith, who had
preceded it, (travelling post from head-quarters at Gloucester),
having concerted with the magistrates, who saw the necessity of
energetic measures, placed himself at the head of the squadron, and
proceeded against the rioters, who were engaged in plundering the
cellars of the bishop's palace, which they had destroyed on the day
before: the troops were assailed with bottles, stones, &c., but
they quickly dispersed the mob; and it having been ascertained that
in another part of the city the rioters were about commencing the
destruction of the remaining portion of Queen-square, the squadron
of the FOURTEENTH proceeded thither, and put the mob to flight;
thence it repaired to the jail, which was regained possession of,
and restored to the charge of the civil authorities. The squadron
then traversed the quays and wharfs, dispersing every riotous
assemblage with which it came in contact, and driving out and
pursuing, for some miles, a large body of colliers who had been
attracted to the scene of outrage. To this energetic conduct of the
FOURTEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS, under Major Beckwith, may be ascribed
the restoration of tranquillity and the preservation of the
remainder of the city of Bristol.
[Sidenote: 1832]
In June, 1832, the regiment was removed to Hounslow, and was
employed on the King's duty, in furnishing escorts for their
Majesties and the royal family, &c.
In 1832 the _King's Crest_ was permitted to be borne on the
Appointments; and the _Prussian Eagle_, which had been carried
as the regimental badge from the year 1798, was authorised to be
continued on the second and third corners of the Regimental Guidon.
[Sidenote: 1833]
In March, 1833, the regiment embarked at Bristol for Dublin, from
whence it marched in April, 1834, to Longford.
[Sidenote: 1834]
On the 24th May, 1834, His Majesty commanded that the use of
Guidons in regiments of Light Dragoons should be discontinued. The
Guidons in regiments of _Hussars_ and _Lancers_ had been directed
on 12th March, 1834, to be discontinued.
[Sidenote: 1835]
[Sidenote: 1836]
In May, 1835, the regiment was removed to Dundalk, and in May,
1836, it embarked at Belfast for Glasgow.
[Sidenote: 1837]
The regiment was stationed at Glasgow until the spring of 1837,
when it marched to Edinburgh, and occupied Piershill barracks.
[Sidenote: 1838]
[Sidenote: 1839]
[Sidenote: 1840]
In the summer of 1838 the regiment left Scotland; it was stationed
at Birmingham until April, 1839, when it marched to Hounslow, from
whence it proceeded to Dorchester in May, 1840.
[Sidenote: 1841]
The regiment remained at Dorchester until the 30th of March, 1841,
when it was removed to Canterbury, where it arrived on the 10th of
April, preparatory to its being embarked for Bombay to relieve the
fourth light dragoons.
[Illustration: GUIDON OF THE FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S LIGHT
DRAGOONS, M DCCC XXXII.
[_To face page 60._
]
The regiment being augmented to the India establishment, Major
William Havelock, K.H. (from the fourth light dragoons) was
promoted to be the second Lieut.-Colonel, and Captain Edward Harvey
was promoted to be second Major, on the 30th April, 1841.
On the 24th of May, the first division, under the command of
Lieut.-Colonel Townsend, embarked at Gravesend for India in the
freight ship "Repulse," and arrived at Bombay on the 8th of
September, from whence it proceeded to Kirkee: the second division
embarked at Gravesend on board of the freight ship "Reliance" on
the 14th of June, under the command of Major Barton, and landing
at Bombay on the 5th of October following, marched to join the
regiment at Kirkee, where it arrived on the 13th of that month.
[Sidenote: 1842]
[Sidenote: 1843]
[Sidenote: 1844]
The FOURTEENTH light dragoons during the years 1842, 1843, and
1844, continued to be stationed at Kirkee: two squadrons however
proceeded on field service to Kolapoor in October, 1844.
[Sidenote: 1845]
Lieut.-Colonel Townsend received leave from India, and he died at
Castle Townsend, in Ireland, on the 22nd April, 1845.[15] He was
succeeded by Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Edward Harvey, on the 23rd of
April.
The two squadrons of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, which had
proceeded on field service in the southern Mahratta country,
rejoined the head-quarters on the 19th of March, 1845, and in the
following December the regiment marched from Kirkee, en route to
Mhow and Agra.
[Sidenote: 1846]
On the 4th of March, 1846, the regiment marched from Agra to
Meerut, arriving at the latter station on the 16th of that month;
and in April, 1846, the regiment proceeded to Umballa, where it has
continued to the end of the year 1846.
The statement of the services of the FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S,
LIGHT DRAGOONS, from the period of the formation of the regiment
in 1715 to the present time, (as given in the preceding pages,)
affords abundant proofs of the value of its services abroad, as
well as at home; and its order, discipline, good conduct, and
bravery, have, on numerous occasions, been attested by the general
officers under whom the regiment has been employed.
During the Peninsular War, from 1808 to 1814, the _Fourteenth_
and _Sixteenth_ Light Dragoons were principally employed on the
important duties of _out-posts_, on which the safety of an army in
the field, and the success of its movements greatly depend.
In the mode of performing these peculiar and important services,
the Fourteenth and Sixteenth Light Dragoons, under the direction
of active and intelligent officers, acquired the confidence of the
Commander of the Forces, and of the division of the army of which
they formed a portion.
At the period of the conclusion of this Record, (1846) the regiment
is reported to be in a high state of efficiency, and in readiness
to evince its prowess whenever the public service may again require
its assistance.
FOOTNOTES:
[10] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 75.
[11] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 75.
[12] Colonel Napier's History of the Peninsular War.
[13] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 76.
[14] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 76.
[15] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 76.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
FOURTEENTH, (THE KING'S) REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS.
JAMES DORMER.
_Appointed 22nd July, 1715._
JAMES DORMER obtained a commission at the augmentation of the army
in 1701, and his attention to duty, zeal for the service, and
personal bravery, evinced while serving under the celebrated John,
Duke of Marlborough, were rewarded in 1707 with the rank of colonel
in the army, and he was soon afterwards appointed colonel of a
newly-raised Irish regiment of foot, with which he embarked for
Spain in 1709. He distinguished himself at the battle of Saragossa,
and in the advance to Madrid, in 1710, but was surrounded and made
prisoner, with his regiment, in the mountains of Castile in the
following winter. He was exchanged, and on arriving in England,
he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General; and in 1712, he
succeeded Lord Mohun, who was killed in a duel with the Duke of
Hamilton, in the command of a regiment of foot, which was disbanded
at the peace of Utrecht. At the augmentation in the summer of
1715, he was commissioned to raise a corps of dragoons,--the
present FOURTEENTH, THE KING'S REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS. He
commanded a brigade at the attack of the rebels at Preston, and was
wounded at the storming of the avenue leading to Lancaster. He was
removed in 1720, to the sixth foot; he was promoted to the rank
of Major-General in 1727, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1735.
In 1738, he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the first troop of
horse grenadier guards, and he retained this appointment until his
decease in 1742.
CLEMENT NEVILLE.
_Appointed 9th April, 1720._
This Officer entered the army at the Revolution in 1688, and he
served under King William III, in the Netherlands. He also served
in the wars of Queen Anne; was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy
of Munden's regiment of foot, with which he served in Spain, and
signalized himself at the battle of Saragossa in 1710; but was
made prisoner at Brihuega. He was shortly afterwards exchanged,
and at the close of the campaign of 1711, he was rewarded with
the rank of colonel in the army. At the peace of Utrecht, his
regiment was disbanded; and in the summer of 1715, he was appointed
Lieut.-Colonel of the thirteenth dragoons. In 1720 he was promoted
to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, from which he was
removed to the eighth dragoons in 1737, and in 1739, he was
promoted to the rank of Major-General. In 1740, he was appointed
colonel of the sixth horse, now fifth dragoon guards; and in 1743,
he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died in 1744.
ARCHIBALD HAMILTON.
_Appointed 27th June, 1737._
ARCHIBALD HAMILTON entered the army in November, 1688, and at the
Revolution he adhered to the Prince of Orange, afterwards King
William III, under whose command he served in Flanders. In the
reign of Queen Anne, he served in Portugal and Spain, and his
regiment (Montjoy's foot), was nearly annihilated at the battle
of Almanza in 1707, where he was taken prisoner. This corps was
subsequently incorporated into other regiments, and the officers
sent home to recruit, and at the peace of Utrecht it was disbanded.
In the summer of 1715, he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the
eleventh dragoons, and in May, 1732, he was promoted to the
colonelcy of the twenty-seventh foot: from which he was removed, in
1737, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons. He died in 1749.
JAMES LORD TYRAWLEY.
_Appointed 24th July, 1749._
THE HON. JAMES O'HARA was appointed lieutenant in the royal
regiment of fusiliers, commanded by his father, on the 15th of
March, 1703, and in 1706 he proceeded with his regiment to the
relief of Barcelona. In the following year he served on the staff
of the army in Spain, and was wounded at the battle of Almanza,
where, it is said, he was instrumental in saving the Earl of
Galway's life. He served several years at Minorca, and, in 1713,
obtained the colonelcy of the royal fusiliers in succession to his
father, at whose decease, in 1733, he succeeded to the dignity of
BARON TYRAWLEY. The rank of brigadier-general was conferred on his
lordship on the 23rd of November, 1735; that of major-general on
the 2nd of July, 1739; and in August of the latter year, he was
removed from the royal fusiliers to the fifth horse, now fourth
dragoon guards. In March, 1743, he was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant-general, and in the following month obtained the
colonelcy of the second troop of horse grenadier guards, from which
he was removed, in 1745, to the third troop of life guards, which
gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of Gold Stick. In
1746, when King George II. had resolved to disband the third and
fourth troops of life guards, his lordship was removed to the tenth
foot; he was removed, in 1749, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons; in 1752,
to the third dragoons; and in 1755, to the second, or Coldstream
regiment of foot guards. He was appointed Governor of Portsmouth
on the 1st of May, 1759, and was promoted to the rank of General
on the 7th of March, 1761. He held the appointment of Governor of
Minorca for several years, and was employed as envoy and ambassador
to the courts of Portugal and Russia. He died at Twickenham on the
13th of July, 1773.
LOUIS DEJEAN.
_Appointed 27th November, 1752._
LOUIS DEJEAN served many years in the first troop of horse
grenadier guards, in which corps he rose to the rank of
Lieut.-Colonel, and in 1746 he was promoted to the colonelcy of a
regiment of foot, which was afterwards disbanded. In 1752, he was
appointed to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons; in 1756, he
was promoted to the rank of Major-General; in 1757, he was removed
to the third Irish horse, now sixth dragoon guards; and in 1759, he
was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died at Dublin, in
1764.
JOHN CAMPBELL.
_Appointed 5th April, 1757._
JOHN CAMPBELL entered the army in the reign of King George II.,
and in 1745, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the
fifty-fourth regiment, now forty-third, or Monmouthshire light
infantry, with which corps he served a short period in the
Netherlands. The rebellion breaking out in Scotland, he quitted
Flanders, and in January, 1746, he joined Lieut.-General Hawley,
with a thousand Argyleshire highlanders, on the day of the
unfortunate battle of Falkirk. He subsequently joined the Duke
of Cumberland at Perth, and accompanied His Royal Highness to
the north. He was promoted to the rank of colonel, and appointed
aide-de-camp to the King in November, 1755; in the following
month he was nominated colonel of the fifty-fourth regiment,
then first embodied, from which he was removed in 1757, to the
FOURTEENTH dragoons, and in 1759, he was promoted to the rank of
Major-General, and appointed colonel of the Argyleshire fencibles;
in January 1761, he was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General.
On the decease of his uncle, Archibald, third Duke of Argyle,
in 1761, his father, General John Campbell, of the Scots Greys,
succeeded to that title, and Lieut.-General Campbell, of the
FOURTEENTH dragoons, became MARQUIS OF LORNE. In the following year
he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, and in 1765 he
was removed to the royal regiment of foot. He was again appointed
Commander-in-Chief in Scotland in 1767, and in 1770 he succeeded to
the title of DUKE OF ARGYLE. He was promoted to the rank of General
in 1778; removed to the third foot guards in 1782, and advanced to
the rank of Field Marshal in 1796. Being distinguished for many
social, private, and public virtues, he was highly honoured and
respected in society, and he died lamented, on the 24th day of May,
1806, in the eighty-third year of his age.
CHARLES FITZROY.
_Appointed 11th September, 1765._
CHARLES FITZROY, brother of Augustus Henry, Duke of Grafton,
was appointed ensign in the first foot guards in 1752; in 1758,
he was promoted to the command of a company, with the rank of
Lieut.-Colonel, and in 1762 he was appointed colonel of the 119th,
or the Prince's Own regiment of foot, which was disbanded in the
following year. He was appointed to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH
dragoons, in 1765; was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and
removed to the third dragoons in 1772, and in 1777, he was promoted
to the rank of Lieut.-General; in 1780, he was created LORD
SOUTHAMPTON. In 1793, he was advanced to the rank of General. He
died in 1797.
DANIEL WEBB.
_Appointed 20th October, 1772._
DANIEL WEBB was many years an officer of the eighth horse, now
seventh dragoon guards, at a period when that corps acquired a
high reputation for discipline, efficiency, and valour, and was
designated Ligonier's horse. He rose to the rank of major in the
regiment; commanded a squadron at the Battle of Dettingen in
1743, where his corps highly distinguished itself under the eye of
its sovereign; and he also commanded a squadron at the battle of
Fontenoy, in 1745. In a few days after the battle, he was promoted
to the Lieut.-Colonelcy, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Francis
Ligonier, who was promoted to the colonelcy of the forty-eighth
foot. Lieut.-Colonel Webb performed the duties of commanding
officer of the eighth horse, until November, 1755, when he was
rewarded with the colonelcy of the forty-eighth foot: in 1759, he
was promoted to the rank of Major-General. He served in Germany
under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and commanded a brigade of
cavalry at the battle of Warbourg in 1760; in 1761, he was promoted
to the rank of Lieut.-General. In 1766, he was removed to the
eighth foot, and in 1772, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons, the command
of which corps he retained until his decease in the following year.
GEORGE WARDE.
_Appointed 11th November, 1773._
This officer held a commission in the eleventh dragoons for many
years, and was appointed major of the regiment in 1756. In 1758,
he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the fourth dragoons,
and he brought that corps into so excellent a state of discipline
and efficiency, that he received the expression of the high
approbation of King George III., on several occasions, when His
Majesty reviewed the regiment. He was promoted to the rank of
colonel in 1772; in the following year, the King rewarded him with
the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, and four years afterwards
he was advanced to the rank of Major-General. In 1778, he was
removed to the first Irish horse, now fourth dragoon guards,
and he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1782. In
1792 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Ireland, and while in
that country he devoted much of his time in bringing his regiment
into a perfect condition for active service. He possessed sound
ideas of what cavalry ought to be; he had an aversion to slow
movements, and, although nearly seventy years of age, he exercised
his regiment five times a week,--often leading it across the
country over hedge and ditch, to the astonishment of every one. In
1796, he was promoted to the rank of General. He was celebrated
for philanthropy, and is represented by historians as a "man of
inviolable disinterested integrity, public and private; and the
bestower of benefactions scarcely less secret than extensive." He
died in March 1803.
SIR ROBERT SLOPER, K.B.
_Appointed 2nd April, 1778._
ROBERT SLOPER was appointed by King George II., to a commission
in the tenth dragoons, and at the augmentation of the army
in December, 1755, His Majesty promoted him to the majority
of the regiment. In February, 1759, he was promoted to the
Lieut.-Colonelcy of the first dragoon guards, and he commanded that
regiment during the remainder of the seven years' war in Germany,
where he was repeatedly commended by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick,
and other general officers under whose command he served. While
under his orders, the first dragoon guards were preserved in a high
state of discipline and efficiency. He was promoted to the rank
of Major-General in 1771, and in 1778, King George III. rewarded
him with the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons. In 1782, he was
promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General, and to that of General
in 1796; and in the following year he was removed to the fourth
dragoons. He was further rewarded with the dignity of a Knight of
the Bath, and the government of Duncannon fort. He died in 1802.
JOHN WILLIAM EGERTON.
_Appointed 1st June, 1797._
JOHN WILLIAM EGERTON, (eldest son of the Rev. John Egerton,
afterwards Lord Bishop of Durham), was appointed cornet in the
seventh dragoons in January 1771; he obtained the command of
a troop in 1776, and in 1779 he was promoted to the majority
of the twenty-second light dragoons, from which he was removed
to the twentieth in 1781; and in 1782, he was promoted to the
Lieut.-Colonelcy of the twenty-first light dragoons, which corps
was disbanded in the following year, in consequence of the
termination of the American war. In 1790, he was appointed to the
Lieut.-Colonelcy of the seventh light dragoons; he was promoted to
the rank of Colonel in 1793, and to that of Major-General in 1795.
He served some time on the staff in Ireland, and was removed to
the eastern district of England in 1796: in the following year His
Majesty conferred upon him the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH light
dragoons, and promoted him in 1802, to the rank of Lieut.-General.
On the decease of his cousin, Francis, third Duke of Bridgewater,
in 1803, he succeeded to the title of EARL OF BRIDGEWATER, and in
1812, he was promoted to the rank of General. He retained the
colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons twenty-six years, and
was particularly proud of the high reputation which his regiment
acquired during the Peninsular war. He died in 1823.
SIR JOHN ORMSBY VANDELEUR, G.C.B.
_Appointed 28th October, 1823._
GENERAL SIR JOHN ORMSBY VANDELEUR, G.C.B., was removed to the
sixteenth lancers on the 18th of June 1830.
SIR EDWARD KERRISON, BART., K.C.B., G.C.H.
_Appointed 18th June, 1830._
APPENDIX.
GENERAL SIR SAMUEL HAWKER, G.C.H., entered the army as a Cornet
in the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, on the 15th May, 1779, and rose
to the rank of Major in April, 1797. On the 6th June, 1799, he
was appointed to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Sussex Fencible
Cavalry, and was removed to the Fourteenth Light Dragoons on the
12th of June, 1800. On the 25th April, 1808, he was appointed one
of the aides-de-camp to King George III, with the rank of Colonel
in the army, as a mark of His Majesty's approval of his services,
and of the efficient state of the Fourteenth Light Dragoons.
In December, 1808, he embarked for Portugal in command of the
regiment, and was engaged in several actions with the French
army, particularly at the memorable battle of Talavera, where the
regiment distinguished itself, and was highly commended in the
official despatches:--He was promoted to the rank of Major-General
on the 4th June, 1811, and relinquished the command of the regiment
at that period: he was appointed to serve as a Major-General upon
the staff of Great Britain on the 25th November, 1811, and was
employed in the eastern district until the 24th September, 1814: he
was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General on the 19th July,
1821; and on the 22nd July, 1829, was appointed Captain of Yarmouth
Castle in the Isle of Wight.
On the 22nd April, 1831, he was nominated by His Majesty King
William IV., to the Colonelcy of the Third, or Prince of Wales's
Dragoon Guards; he was advanced to the rank of General on the 28th
June, 1838; and he died on the 27th December of that year, after a
faithful service of nearly sixty years.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL NEIL TALBOT entered the army as an ensign in
the twenty-seventh regiment on the 25th June 1789; was promoted to
a lieutenancy on the 30th November 1791; and to a company in the
hundred and eighteenth regiment, on the 10th July 1794. On the 19th
October 1796, Captain Talbot was removed to the FOURTEENTH light
dragoons; he was promoted to a majority on the 25th June 1802, and
to a lieut.-colonelcy on the 22nd August 1805. In December 1808, he
embarked with the regiment for the Peninsula. Lieutenant-Colonel
Talbot was engaged in an affair with the enemy near Sexmiro on the
11th July 1810, when an attempt was made to cut off the French
piquets on the Agueda. On this occasion Lieutenant-Colonel Talbot
was killed.
COLONEL SIR FELTON BATHURST HERVEY, BART., entered the army as a
cornet in the third dragoon guards on the 6th May 1800. He was
promoted to a company of infantry on the 9th July 1803, and removed
to the FOURTEENTH light dragoons on the 28th of July of that year;
he was promoted major on the 8th May 1806. On the 2nd August
1810, he was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the regiment
in succession to Lieutenant-Colonel Talbot. He was appointed
aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent with the rank of colonel, on the
4th June 1814. After commanding the regiment during four years of
the Peninsular war, and obtaining several distinctions for gallant
conduct, he died on 24th September 1819, to the great regret of the
regiment, and of his numerous military and other friends.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CHARLES MASSEY BAKER, entered the army as an
ensign in the twenty-seventh regiment on the 30th March 1788;
was promoted to a lieutenancy on the 30th November 1791; and to
a troop in the twenty-second dragoons on the 31st August 1795.
He was removed to the FOURTEENTH light dragoons on the 3rd March
1804; was promoted to a majority on the 30th January 1813, and
to the lieut.-colonelcy of the regiment on the 30th September
1819 in succession to Colonel Sir Felton B. Hervey, deceased.
Lieutenant-Colonel Baker retired from the service on the 15th April
1829, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Townsend.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN TOWNSEND, entered the army as a cornet in
the FOURTEENTH light dragoons on the 24th June 1805; was promoted
to a lieutenancy on the 27th February 1806; to be captain of
a troop on the 6th June 1811. He served in the Peninsula from
December 1808, until taken prisoner near the city of Pau in France
on the 8th March 1814, including the different affairs of the 10th
and 11th May and in crossing the Douro on the 12th May 1809; battle
of Talavera in July 1809; affair with the enemy's advanced posts on
the 11th July 1810 in front of Ciudad Rodrigo under the command of
Colonel Talbot, who was killed; passage of the Coa; skirmishes of
the rear guard from Almeida to the lines of Torres Vedras in 1810;
affairs in the enemy's retreat from Santarem to the frontiers of
Spain from 6th March to 4th April 1811; battle of Fuentes d'Onor,
where he was wounded; affair with the enemy's lancers on the 25th
September 1811; siege of Badajoz; affairs with the enemy's cavalry
at Usagre, Llerena, in front of Salamanca, and near Castrillos;
battle of Salamanca; affair with the enemy's rear guard near
Panerandos; several skirmishes from Madrid to Ciudad Rodrigo, and
from the 26th May near Salamanca to the battle of Vittoria; taking
of a gun from the enemy near Pampeluna, and several engagements
and skirmishes from the entrance of the British army into France,
until the battle of Orthes. He embarked for America in October
1814, and was present at the attack on New Orleans on the 8th of
January 1815. He was promoted to a majority on the 13th September
1821; and to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment on the 16th
April 1829. He embarked in command of the regiment for India on the
24th May 1841, and was appointed aide-de-camp to the Queen, with
the rank of colonel, on the 23rd November, 1841. He returned from
India, on leave of absence, in the early part of the year 1845, and
died at Castle Townsend, in Ireland, on the 22nd April 1845.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM HAVELOCK, entered the army as ensign
in the forty-third regiment on the 12th July 1810; was promoted
lieutenant on the 12th May 1812, and captain in the thirty-second
regiment on the 19th February 1818: he exchanged to the fourth
light dragoons on the 19th July 1821, and was promoted major on the
31st December 1830. Major Havelock was promoted from the fourth
light dragoons to be lieut.-colonel, on the augmentation of the
FOURTEENTH light dragoons to the India establishment, on the 30th
April 1841.
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL EDWARD HARVEY, entered the army as cornet in
the fourth light dragoons on the 24th March 1825; was promoted
lieutenant on the 4th May 1826, and captain of infantry on
the 12th October 1830; he exchanged to the FOURTEENTH light
dragoons, on the 27th December 1833, and was promoted major on
the 30th April 1841. On the 31st December 1841, he received the
rank of lieutenant-colonel by brevet, and was appointed second
lieutenant-colonel of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, on the decease
of Lieutenant-Colonel Townsend, on the 23rd April 1845.
SUCCESSION OF MAJORS OF THE FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S LIGHT
DRAGOONS.
+---------------------+-----------------+------------------------------+
| NAMES. | Dates of | Dates of Removal, &c. |
| | Appointment. | |
+---------------------+-----------------+------------------------------+
| T. O'Brien O'Loghlin| 19 Feb. 1799 | Exchanged to 1st life guards |
| | | on 14 August 1801. |
| | | |
| Hon. James Butler | 14 October 1799 | Retired from the service on |
| | | 14 October 1800. |
| | | |
| Henry Browne | 14 October 1800 | Retired from the service in |
| | | August 1804. |
| | | |
| James Gambier | 14 August 1801 | Retired 25th June 1802. |
| | | |
| Neil Talbot | 25 June 1802 | Promoted in August 1805 to |
| | | be lieut.-colonel in the |
| | | regiment. |
| | | |
| Richard Pigot | 4 August 1804 | Promoted to the |
| | | lieut.-colonelcy of the |
| | | 21st dragoons on the 1st |
| | | May 1806. |
| | | |
| Thomas Smith | 14 Nov. 1805 | Retired from the service in |
| | | July 1807. |
| | | |
| F. B. Hervey | 8 May 1806 | Promoted to be |
| | | lieut.-colonel in the |
| | | regiment on 2nd August |
| | | 1810. |
| | | |
| Hon. Charles Butler | 9 July 1807 | Retired from the service on |
| | | 30th January 1812. |
| | | |
| John Chapman | 2 August 1810 | Exchanged to the 3rd dragoon |
| | | guards with Major |
| | | Brotherton on 26th March |
| | | 1812. |
| | | |
| Charles Massey Baker| 30 January 1812 | Promoted to be |
| | | lieut.-colonel in the |
| | | regiment. |
| | | |
| Thos. W. Brotherton | 26 March 1812 | Promoted to be |
| | | lieut.-colonel by Brevet |
| | | on the 19th May 1814, and |
| | | exchanged to the half-pay |
| | | of the 22nd light |
| | | dragoons, on the 25th |
| | | September 1820. He was |
| | | nominated Aide-de-Camp to |
| | | the King, with the rank of |
| | | colonel, on the 22nd July |
| | | 1830, and appointed |
| | | Commandant of the Cavalry |
| | | Depot at Maidstone on the |
| | | 8th February 1832. He was |
| | | promoted major-general on |
| | | 23rd November 1841, and on |
| | | the 17th August 1842 was |
| | | appointed to the staff of |
| | | the Northern District and |
| | | stationed at York. On the |
| | | 1st January 1847, he was |
| | | nominated Inspecting- |
| | | General of the Cavalry |
| | | in Great Britain. |
| | | |
| T. P. Milles | 30 Sept. 1819 | Retired from the service in |
| | | February 1828. |
| | | |
| Hon. Henry Percy | 12 October 1820 | Retired from the service in |
| | | September 1824. |
| | | |
| William Beckwith | 14 Feb. 1828 | Promoted to be lieut.-colonel|
| | | unattached in 1833. |
| | | |
| Edward Lane Parry | 16 April 1829 | Retired from the service in |
| | | July 1835. |
| | | |
| J. W. Simmons Smith | 17 July 1835 | Retired in June 1838. |
| | | |
| Charles Barton | 1 June 1838 | Retired from the service in |
| | | November 1842. |
| | | |
| Edward Harvey | 30 April 1841 | Promoted to be |
| | | lieutenant-colonel on the |
| | | augmentation of the |
| | | regiment in May 1845. |
| | | |
| Francis H. Stephens | 25 Nov. 1842 | Exchanged to the 1st dragoons|
| | | on 3rd February, 1843. |
| | | |
| Charles P. Ainslie | 3 Feb. 1843 | At present serving in the |
| | | regiment. |
| | | |
| Thomas Jones | 16 May 1845 | Retired in May 1845. |
| | | |
| Wm. Henry Archer | 16 May 1845 | Exchanged to the 5th dragoon |
| | | guards in September 1846. |
| | | |
| John Wallace King | 8 Sept. 1846 | At present serving in the |
| | | regiment. |
+---------------------+-----------------+------------------------------+
The following list of the principal Battles, Sieges, and Actions
which took place in the Peninsular War from 1808 to 1814, was
prepared by the special command of His late Majesty King William
the Fourth:--
[N.B. Honorary distinctions were granted for the nineteen actions
marked thus *.]
_Adjutant-General's Office, Horse Guards, 7th Nov., 1835._
1808.
Lourinha 15th August.
* Roleia 17th ditto.
* Vimiera 21st ditto.
* Sahagun, Benevente, &c. (Cavalry actions). 20th and 29th December.
1809.
* Corunna. 16th January.
Passage of the Vouga 10th May.
Grigon, Heights of 11th ditto.
Passage of the Douro}
and } 12th ditto.
Capture of Oporto }
Salamonde 16th ditto.
* Talavera 27th and 28th July.
1810.
Barba del Puerco 19th March.
Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered to Marshal Ney 10th July.
Almeida surrendered 24th ditto.
Affair on the Coa 24th ditto.
Taking up the Lines at Busaco 25th and 26th Sept.
* Busaco 27th ditto.
Coimbra, Capture of 8th October.
1811.
* Barrosa 5th March.
Pombal, Redinha, Casal Nova, and Foz } 11th, 12th, 14th, and
d'Arronce } 15th ditto.
Campo Mayor 25th ditto.
Guarda 29th ditto.
Sabugal 3rd April.
Olivença 15th ditto.
* Fuentes d'Onor 3rd and 5th May.
Badajoz, Siege of (raised 15th May) 8th to 15th ditto.
Barba del Puerco 11th ditto.
* Albuhera 16th ditto.
Usagre (Cavalry Action) 25th ditto.
Badajoz, Second Siege (raised 11th June) 30th May to 11th June.
Affair near Campo Mayor 22nd June.
El Bodon 25th September.
Aldea de Ponte 27th ditto.
Arroyo dos Molinos 28th October.
Tarifa 31st December.
1812.
* Ciudad Rodrigo, Siege of (taken 8th to 19th January.
19th January)
* Badajoz, Third Siege of (taken 6th April) 17th March to 6th April.
Almaraz 19th May.
Llerena 11th June.
Villares, Heights of 22nd ditto.
Forts of Salamanca (taken 27th June) 18th to 27th ditto.
Castrajon 18th July.
* Salamanca 22nd ditto.
Ribera 24th ditto.
Majalahonda (Cavalry Action) 11th August.
Occupation of Madrid 12th ditto.
Fort Retiro, Madrid, capitulated 14th ditto.
Seville, Capture of 27th ditto.
Burgos, Fort St. Michael, near 19th September.
------ Siege of (raised 20th October) 20th Sept. to 20th Oct.
Actions on the Retreat from Burgos {23rd, 25th, 27th,} Oct.
{28th, and 29th }
Puente larga, on the Xarama 30th October.
Alba de Tormes 10th and 11th Nov.
1813.
Castalla 13th April.
Salamanca 26th May.
Morales (Cavalry Action) 2nd June.
Tarragona, Siege raised by Sir John Murray 13th ditto.
{ Hormaza 12th ditto.
On the Ebro. { Osma 18th ditto.
{ Bayas 19th ditto.
* Vittoria 21st ditto.
Villa Franca and Tolosa 24th and 25th ditto.
Bastan, Valley of 4th, 5th, and 7th July.
St. Bartholomew, near St. Sebastian 17th ditto.
Pass of Maya 25th ditto.
Roncevalles 25th ditto.
St. Sebastian, Assault of (failed) 25th July.
Attack on General Picton's Division 27th ditto.
* Pyrenees 28th July to 2nd Aug.
* St. Sebastian, Assault and Capture 31st August.
St. Marcial, Heights of 31st ditto.
Ordal, Pass of 12th and 13th Sept.
Bidassoa, Passage of 7th October.
-------- forcing Enemy's Lines 9th ditto.
* Nivelle 10th November.
* Nive 9th to 13th December.
1814.
Hellette 14th February.
Garris, near St. Palais, Heights of 15th ditto.
Arrivarette ditto 17th ditto.
Passage of the Adour 23rd and 24th ditto.
* Orthes 27th ditto.
{ Aire 2nd March.
{ Vic Bigorre 18th ditto.
Affairs at { Tarbes 20th ditto.
{ St. Gandens 22nd ditto.
Cavalry Affair near Toulouse 8th April.
* Toulouse 10th ditto.
Sortie from Bayonne 14th ditto.
London: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street, For Her
Majesty's Stationery Office.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
The contraction d' sometimes had a space after it, sometimes not (eg
d'Aver and d' Aver). For consistency the space when present has been
removed in the etext.
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,
daylight, day-light; head quarters, head-quarters; musquet, musket;
piquet; pistolls; rencounter.
Pg xvi, 'alightness has' replaced by 'a lightness has'.
Pg xxxix, (to face page) '62' replaced by '60'.
Pg 11, Sidenotes '1751 1769 1765' replaced by '1759 1761 1765'.
Pg 59, 'Fourteenth' in italics changed to ALLCAPS.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Historical Record of the Fourteenth or The King's, Regiment of Light Dragoon: An Account of Its Formation and of its Subsequent Services" ***
Copyright 2023 LibraryBlog. All rights reserved.