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Title: Historical Record of the Fifty-sixth, or the West Essex Regiment of Foot : containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1755, and of its subsequent services to 1844.
Author: Cannon, Richard
Language: English
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FIFTY-SIXTH, OR THE WEST ESSEX REGIMENT OF FOOT : CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT IN 1755, AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES TO
1844. ***
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}, for example Esq^{re}.
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Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book.
[Illustration:
BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IV^{TH}.
_and under the Patronage of_
Her Majesty the Queen.
HISTORICAL RECORDS,
_OF THE_
British Army
_Comprising the_
_History of every Regiment_
_IN HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE_.
_By Richard Cannon Esq^{re}._
_Adjutant-General’s Office, Horse Guards._
London.
_Printed by Authority._
]
HISTORICAL RECORDS
OF
THE BRITISH ARMY.
GENERAL ORDERS.
_HORSE GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836_.
His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who
have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the
Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British
Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction
of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the
following particulars, viz.,
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations, in
which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement
it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have
captured from the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying
the Place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks
of His Majesty’s gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and
Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service
are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that
any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which
alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the
Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright
examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to
incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have
preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that
have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
“London Gazette,” from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and
admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions,
the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on
the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their
orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill
and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour
of their Sovereign’s Approbation, constitute the reward which the
soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)
for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services
and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in
obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic
account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty
having been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future
keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth
derive information as to the difficulties and privations which
chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In
Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to
the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and
where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed
by the _presence of war_, which few other countries have escaped,
comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active
service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during
peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe,
with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country
derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist
and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to
reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on
their sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which
so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in
spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and
steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against
superior numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the
Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of
individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the
various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under His
Majesty’s special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk
of the Adjutant-General’s Office; and while the perusal of them
cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every
rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and
information to the general reader, particularly to those who may
have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served,
or are serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment
to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a
narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove
interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great,--the
valiant,--the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with
a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race
of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, “firm
as the rocks of their native shore;” and when half the World has
been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their
Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained
by our countrymen,--our brothers,--our fellow-citizens in arms,--a
record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their
gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the
public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished
Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective
Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to
time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value
and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment
will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall
be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE FIFTY-SIXTH,
OR
THE WEST ESSEX REGIMENT
OF
FOOT:
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1755,
AND OF
ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1844.
_ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES._
LONDON.
PARKER, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,
_MILITARY LIBRARY, WHITEHALL_.
M.DCCC.XLIV.
LONDON: HARRISON AND CO., PRINTERS, ST. MARTIN’S LANE.
THE FIFTY-SIXTH,
OR
THE WEST ESSEX
REGIMENT OF FOOT,
BEARS ON ITS REGIMENTAL COLOURS, THE WORD
“MORO,”
TO COMMEMORATE ITS GALLANTRY AT THE CAPTURE OF THE
MORO FORT, AT THE HAVANNAH, IN 1762;
ALSO THE WORD
“GIBRALTAR,”
WITH THE
CASTLE AND KEY;
AND THE MOTTO
_MONTIS INSIGNIA CALPE_,
TO COMMEMORATE ITS DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN DEFENCE OF
THE FORTRESS OF GIBRALTAR DURING THE YEARS
1779, 1780, 1781, AND 1782.
CONTENTS.
Year Page
1755 Formation of the Regiment 9
1756 Uniform--Names of Officers 10
1757 Marches to Scotland 11
1760 Returns to England --
1762 Embarks for the West Indies --
---- Siege of the Moro Fort, and capture of the Havannah 12
1763 Proceeds to Ireland 14
1770 Embarks for Gibraltar --
---- A light company added to the establishment 15
1779}
1780} Engaged in the successful defence of the important { 15
1781} fortress of Gibraltar { to
1782} { 21
---- Styled the West Essex Regiment --
1783 Embarks for England --
1784 Proceeds to Scotland 22
1788 Embarks for Ireland --
1793 Riot at Wexford--Major Valloton killed --
---- Embarks for the West Indies 23
1794 Capture of Martinico --
---- ---- ---- St. Lucia --
---- ---- ---- Guadeloupe 24
1795 Returns to England--Proceeds to Ireland --
1796 Embarks for the West Indies 25
1796 Detached for St. Domingo 25
---- Capture of Bombarde --
1797 Attack on Port Jack Thomas --
---- Defence of Irois --
---- Attack on St. Mary’s --
---- Proceeds to Jamaica --
1798 Embarks for England --
1799 Expedition to Holland --
---- Battles of Bergen and Egmont-op-Zee 26
---- Returns to England 27
1800 Embarks for Ireland --
1801 Recruited with men raised for European service
only, who volunteer to extend their services
to any part of the world 28
1804 A _Second Battalion_ added to the establishment 29
1805 First Battalion proceeds to the East Indies --
1807 Second Battalion proceeds to the East Indies 30
1809 Detachment to Bourbon and the Mauritius --
---- Capture of Mallia 31
---- Capture of St. Paul’s on the Island of Bourbon 33
---- Detachments serve as Marines 34
---- Services in consequence of disaffection in Native Corps 35
1810 Capture of the Island of Bourbon 36
---- ---- ---- Mauritius 37
1811 New Colours presented by the East India Company 38
1813 Services with the Guicwar’s subsidiary Force 39
---- A _Third Battalion_ added to the establishment 40
---- Capture of Canool and Raree --
1814 Third Battalion serves in Holland 41
---- ---- ---- Action at Merxem, &c. --
---- ---- ---- returns to England 43
---- ---- ---- disbanded at Sheerness --
1815 First Battalion proceeds to the Mauritius 44
1816 Second Battalion serves with the Poonah Subsidiary Force 45
1817 Second Battalion returns to England and is disbanded 46
1826 The Regiment returns to England 48
1827 Embarks for Ireland --
1829 Court of Enquiry to investigate Regimental Books and
Registries 49
1831 Embarks for Jamaica 50
1840 ---- ---- North America 51
---- Detachments employed in the Disputed Territory
during the unsettled state of the Boundary Question --
1842 Embarks for Ireland 52
1844 The Conclusion 53
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
1755 Lord Charles Manners 55
1761 The Honorable William Keppel --
1765 James Durand 56
1766 Hunt Walsh --
1795 Samuel Hulse 57
1797 The Honorable Chapple Norton 58
1818 Sir John Murray, Baronet 59
1827 Matthew Lord Aylmer, K.C.B. 60
1832 Sir Hudson Lowe, K.C.B. --
1842 The Earl of Westmorland, K.C.B. & G.C.H. --
SUCCESSION OF LIEUT.-COLONELS 61
SUCCESSION OF MAJORS 62
PLATES.
Page
Colours of the Regiment _to face_ 9
Uniform of 1843 52
[Illustration: FIFTY-SIXTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
FIFTY-SIXTH,
OR
THE WEST ESSEX REGIMENT
OF
FOOT.
[Sidenote: 1755]
The aggressions of foreign Princes, possessing extensive military
establishments, have repeatedly rendered considerable augmentations
to the British army necessary, for the preservation of the kingdom
and its numerous colonial possessions; and a circumstance of this
character occasioned the formation of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment,
during the winter of 1755-6.
The unjustifiable claims of France on certain portions of North
America,--the forcible expulsion of a company of British settlers
from a tract of land beyond the Allegany Mountains, and near the
river Ohio, by a body of French troops,--and the building of a
fort to command the entrance into the country on the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers, thus excluding the English from a valuable
portion of their possessions, gave indication of an approaching war.
In December, 1755, an order was issued for adding ten regiments of
infantry to the regular army. The seventh of these new regiments
was raised in the north of England, under the superintendence of
LORD CHARLES MANNERS, who was nominated to the colonelcy, his
commission bearing date the 26th of December, 1755. It was numbered
the FIFTY-EIGHTH Foot; but two inefficient colonial corps being
soon afterwards disbanded, (viz., Major-General Shirley’s and
Major-General Sir William Pepperel’s,) it obtained the rank of the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1756]
Active measures were adopted in the beginning of 1756, for
completing the numbers of the regiment to its establishment of
ten companies, of seventy-eight non-commissioned officers and
soldiers each; and its quarters were established at Newcastle and
Gateshead. Its costume was scarlet, faced, lined, and turned up
with deep crimson; a few years afterwards the facing was changed to
a _purple_, which had been denominated “_Pompadour_” colour: this
circumstance gave rise to the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment being commonly
styled “_The Pompadours_.”
The following officers received commissions in the regiment:--
_Colonel_, LORD CHARLES MANNERS.
_Lieut.-Colonel_, PETER PARR.
_Major_, JOHN DOYNE.
_Captains._
James Stewart
William Skipton
William Playstowe
Wm. Earl of Sutherland
Thomas Hargrave
John Heighington
John Deaken
_Lieutenants._
Wilson Marshall
John Forster
Thomas Harrison
Edwin Eyre
John White
James Perrin
John Ingram
John Archer
David Dundas[1]
St. John Pierce Lacy
_Ensigns._
John Brereton
Edward Jenkins
James Lyons
Archibald Wight
Joseph Baillie
William Sandys
Fiennes Jenkinson
Christopher Hales
John Woodford
_Captain-Lieutenant._
Francis Gregor
_Chaplain_, John Halsted;
_Adjutant_, John Hardy;
_Quarter-Master_, William Lamplow;
_Surgeon_, William Pitman.
[Sidenote: 1757]
[Sidenote: 1758]
[Sidenote: 1759]
In April, 1757, the regiment marched to Berwick, from whence it
afterwards continued its route to Scotland, where it was stationed
several years, occupying quarters at Aberdeen, and its vicinity,
in 1758; and in the following year at Edinburgh, from whence a
detachment proceeded to Germany, to recruit the regiments serving
in that country.
[Sidenote: 1760]
[Sidenote: 1761]
Embarking from Leith, in July, 1760, the regiment proceeded to
Hilsea barracks, where it was stationed during the year 1761.
On the 17th of December, Lord Charles Manners was succeeded in the
colonelcy by Colonel the Honorable William Keppel, fourth son of
William-Anne, second Earl of Albemarle, from the First Foot Guards.
[Sidenote: 1762]
In the mean time, France had been deprived of all her possessions
in North America, and British troops, then employed in Germany,
were opposing formidable resistance to the schemes of the court of
Versailles; but the celebrated treaty, called the “Family Compact,”
between the sovereigns of France and Spain (both Bourbon princes),
gave a new character to the war. Confiding in the prowess of his
seamen and soldiers, the British monarch did not shrink from the
unequal contest, but proclaimed war against Spain on the 4th of
January, 1762; and an expedition was afterwards prepared for the
attack of the valuable Spanish settlement of the _Havannah_, in
the island of Cuba. The FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, being selected to
take part in this enterprise, sailed from Portsmouth on the 5th of
March, and on arriving in the West Indies, it joined the armament
under General the Earl of Albemarle: the colonel of the FIFTY-SIXTH
Regiment, the Honorable William Keppel, had the local rank of
Major-General in the expedition.
Passing through the dangerous navigation of the Straits of Bahama
without accident, the fleet arrived off the Havannah on the
6th of June, and a landing was effected on the following day.
The FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment mustered nine hundred and thirty-three
officers and soldiers, under Lieut.-Colonel James Stewart, and
were formed in brigade with four companies of the Royals, and a
battalion of the Sixtieth, under Brigadier-General Haviland.
The Havannah, from its great importance, had been carefully
fortified; the entrance to the harbour, which is one of the finest
in the world, was secured on one side by the _Moro_ fort, built
of solid masonry on a projecting point of land, and having an
immense ditch cut out of the rock. The west side of the harbour
was defended by the Puntal fort, and the town was surrounded by
a rampart, flanked with bastions, and strengthened by a ditch.
The reduction of the Moro fort was the first object which engaged
the attention of the troops, and this service was intrusted
to Major-General the Honorable William Keppel (colonel of the
FIFTY-SIXTH), his own regiment forming part of the force placed
under his orders, and having repeated opportunities of evincing
its spirit and perseverance in this arduous undertaking, rendered
particularly difficult by the oppressive heat, a scarcity of water,
the necessity of dragging the artillery along a rocky coast, and
from the thinness of the soil; so great was the labour in carrying
on the approaches, that several men were daily lost by diseases
produced by their extraordinary exertions. The destruction of
the grand battery by fire augmented the labours of the besieging
troops; but they resumed their work, repulsed a sortie of the
Spaniards, and erected new batteries. On the 30th of July, a
storming party was formed under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel
Stewart, of the late Ninetieth Regiment (disbanded on 18th March,
1763): two mines were sprung, a small practicable breach made,
and the British soldiers rushed in at the aperture with so much
impetuosity, that the Spaniards were instantly overpowered. Nearly
one hundred and fifty of the enemy were killed; four hundred threw
down their arms and were made prisoners; upwards of two hundred
endeavoured to escape in boats, but lost their lives in the attempt.
The spirited capture of the Moro fort was followed by the erection
of a line of batteries on Cavannos Hill, commanding the eastern
side of the city, and the guns of the captured fort were also
turned against the Spaniards. On the 11th of August the batteries
opened a well-directed fire on the Puntal fort and the town; and so
severe was the cannonade, that in less than six hours the enemy’s
guns were silenced, and the white flag hoisted. A capitulation was
concluded on the 13th, and possession was taken of the town and
Puntal fort on the following day.
This valuable conquest was achieved by a division of the royal
navy, and a land force of fourteen thousand men; and it cost
upwards of a thousand officers and soldiers in killed and deaths
from extraordinary exertions.
The FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment had twelve rank and file killed; one
officer and twenty-three rank and file wounded: the regiment also
sustained the loss of many brave men from diseases.
For its distinguished conduct on this occasion, the regiment was
honored with the royal authority to bear the word “MORO” on its
regimental colours, which forms a conspicuous feature in its
Record; few corps having acquired an honorary inscription for their
colours on their first service.
[Sidenote: 1763]
The regiment remained at the Havannah several months, the garrison
being under the order of its colonel, Major-General the Honorable
William Keppel. A treaty of peace was soon afterwards concluded;
and the Havannah was restored to Spain in exchange for Florida: it
was, accordingly, delivered up to the Spanish troops on the 7th of
July, 1763.
In September, the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment embarked for Ireland, and
landing in the following month, marched to Limerick, its numbers
being completed by volunteers from other corps.
[Sidenote: 1764]
At this period, several changes were made in the clothing and
equipment of certain regiments of cavalry and infantry; and a
communication, dated Dublin, 9th October, 1764, made known to the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment--“His Majesty’s pleasure, that the facings of
the clothing of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment of Foot, under the command
of Major-General Keppel, be changed to a _purple_ colour; that the
men have white breeches; that the accoutrements be white; and that
the grenadier caps be plated instead of embroidered,” &c.
[Sidenote: 1765]
Leaving Limerick on the 2nd of May, the regiment proceeded to
Dublin, where it was stationed two years.
On the 15th of May, 1765, Major-General the Honorable William
Keppel was removed to the Fourteenth Foot; and in June His Majesty
conferred the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH on Lieut.-General James
Durand, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the First Foot Guards.
[Sidenote: 1766]
Lieut.-General Durand died in 1766, and was succeeded by Colonel
Hunt Walsh, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the Twenty-eighth Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1767]
[Sidenote: 1768]
The regiment quitted Dublin in October, 1767, and proceeded to
Waterford, where it remained seven months, and in May, 1768, it
returned to Dublin.
By the Royal Warrant, dated 19th December, 1768, the facings of the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment were continued to be _purple_.
[Sidenote: 1769]
[Sidenote: 1770]
After performing Dublin duty two years, the regiment received
orders to transfer its services to Gibraltar. It accordingly
marched to Cork in May, 1770, and embarked from thence for that
important fortress.
In December an order was received for augmenting the regiment, by
the addition of a light infantry company of three serjeants, three
corporals, two buglers, and sixty-two private soldiers; also an
addition of twenty-one rank and file to each of the other companies.
[Sidenote: 1771]
[Sidenote: 1775]
[Sidenote: 1778]
[Sidenote: 1779]
The regiment was stationed at Gibraltar during the following twelve
years. The American war commenced in 1775, and three Hanoverian
regiments afterwards joined the garrison of Gibraltar. In 1778
France united with the revolted British subjects, and the Spanish
monarch contrived to introduce himself into the dispute, in the
character of a mediator; but his proposals were of so injurious
a character to the interests of Great Britain, that they were
instantly rejected. The King of Spain then seized on what appeared
to be a favorable opportunity to declare war, and to wrest from
Great Britain the important fortress of _Gibraltar_, which had
resisted every attempt to retake it, since its capture by the
British in 1704.
In June, 1779, the intercourse of the garrison of Gibraltar with
the Spanish territory was suddenly stopped, so that several
officers on leave of absence, experienced difficulty in rejoining
their corps. A numerous Spanish army speedily blockaded the
fortress on the land side, and the garrison became insulated from
the rest of the world. Resolving on a desperate defence of the
fortress intrusted to their care, the troops undertook the task
with cheerfulness, and severe toil and spare diet were sustained
without complaint. The works were increased; the pavement of the
streets was taken up; the towers of conspicuous buildings pulled
down; the stone sentry-boxes removed; guard-houses unroofed;
traverses were raised in different places, and a covered way begun.
Several staff appointments took place; among others, Major Hardy,
of the FIFTY-SIXTH, was nominated quarter-master-general: Captain
Valloton, aide-de-camp to the governor; and Lieutenant S. Wood,
assistant town-major: the regiment was commanded by Major Bulleine
Fancourt[2].
[Sidenote: 1780]
A rigorous blockade being established by sea and land, a scarcity
of provision was soon experienced; the soldiers, being resolutely
determined to defend their position, submitted to privations which
were unavoidable, although the scurvy made great ravages among
them, and reduced their numbers. Early in 1780 Admiral Sir George
Rodney arrived with a convoy, to the great joy and relief of the
garrison, which was augmented by the second battalion of the
Seventy-third Regiment.
The British fleet having departed, the Spaniards renewed the
blockade by sea, and attempted to destroy the vessels in the
harbour by fire-ships, but failed. Towards the close of the year,
provision again became short; a limited supply was occasionally
obtained from the Moors; the effects of the scurvy were mitigated
by cultivating vegetables on the rock; and the gallant defenders
of Gibraltar maintained their attitude of defiance to the power of
Spain.
[Sidenote: 1781]
In April, 1781, the garrison was again relieved by the arrival of a
numerous fleet under Vice-Admiral Darby.
This success occasioned the Spaniards to lose all hope of being
able to reduce the fortress by blockade, and they resolved to try
the power of their numerous artillery. Scarcely had the fleet
cast anchor, when the enemy’s batteries opened, and the fire of
upwards of one hundred guns and mortars enveloped the fortress in
a storm of war; a number of gun-boats augmented the iron tempest
which beat against the rock, and the houses of the inhabitants were
soon in ruins. Surgeon Thomas Chisholm, of the FIFTY-SIXTH, was
severely wounded by the splinter of a shell, on the 15th of April;
Lieutenant Edward Vicars of the regiment was also wounded on the
26th of October, and Ensign Richard Edgar on the 3rd of November.
Europe watched, with intense interest, the heroic conduct of the
garrison; and the English governor deliberately observed the
approaches of the enemy, and seized, with the keenest perspection,
the proper moment to make a sortie with success. This occurred on
the night of the 26th of November, when the flank companies of
the FIFTY-SIXTH had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves.
The moon shone bright on the sands as the soldiers assembled at
midnight; between two and three o’clock, darkness overspread
the country, and the troops issued silently from the fortress.
They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy’s sentries; but
the British soldiers rushed forward with their native ardour,
overpowered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries in
gallant style; the defenders of the works flying in dismay, and
communicating the panic to the troops in their rear. The wooden
batteries were soon prepared for fire; the flames spread with
astonishing rapidity, and a column of fire and smoke arose from
the works, illuminating the surrounding objects, and shedding a
fiery lustre upon this unparalleled scene. In an hour the object
of the sortie was effected; trains were laid to the enemy’s
magazines, and the soldiers withdrew: as they entered the fortress
tremendous explosions shook the ground, and rising columns of
smoke, flame, and burning timber, proclaimed the destruction of
the enemy’s immense stores of gunpowder to be completed. General
Eliott declared in orders,--“The bearing and conduct of the whole
detachment,--officers, seamen, and soldiers,--on this glorious
occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledgments.”
The Spaniards appeared astounded at this disgrace; they made no
attempt to extinguish the flames; but appeared at a loss how to
proceed. Early in December they began to arouse themselves, and
to restore the batteries; but were retarded by the fire of the
garrison. While the besiegers were using diligence in repairing
the old works, and constructing new ones, the gallant defenders of
the fortress were equally indefatigable,--every serjeant, drummer,
musician, officer’s servant, and private soldier was required to
use the musket, shovel, and pickaxe, as his services were necessary.
[Sidenote: 1782]
All ordinary means of attack appearing to be unavailing against
the resolute garrison of Gibraltar, stupendous preparations were
made on a new principle, and floating batteries were constructed
with great art and labour, and were accounted the most perfect
contrivance of the kind ever seen. The combined power of France
and Spain was directed against the fortress; the Duke of Crillon
took the command of the besieging army, and he was assisted by a
celebrated French engineer, Monsieur d’Arcon. As the summer of 1782
progressed, the garrison was aware that a crisis was approaching,
and awaited with cool determination the hour of trial. Sickness and
the enemy’s fire thinned their numbers (Lieutenant White, of the
FIFTY-SIXTH, being among the wounded); yet their efforts were not
relaxed. New subterraneous works were constructed; and furnaces
prepared for heating red-hot shot.
A trial of hot shot was made in the early part of September,
and some of the enemy’s works were set on fire. This unexpected
disaster provoked the Duke of Crillon to hurry the attack of a
number of new batteries, which opened with a volley of sixty
shells, and was followed by the fire of one hundred and seven
guns of large calibre. A tremendous storm of bullets and shells
thundered against the fortress; and soon after, the immense
battering ships approached and took their station: princes of the
royal blood of France,--Spanish nobility,--dignified characters of
Europe,--and an amazing concourse of persons filling the enemy’s
camp, and covering the adjacent hills, to witness the fall of the
fortress under the fire of these stupendous vessels.
The batteries of the garrison opened their fire, and the roar of
four hundred heavy guns proclaimed the dreadful conflict. The
battering ships proved powerful; the heaviest shells rebounded
from their tops, and a thirty-two pound shot scarcely seemed
to make an impression on them. Sometimes smoke arose, but the
engines in the ships soon caused it to disappear. The effect of
the red-hot shot was doubted; the result uncertain; but the fire
was persevered in, and showers of balls, shells, and carcasses,
flew through the air. For some hours the attack and defence were
so equally well supported, as scarcely to admit of any appearance
of superiority in the cannonade on either side. The wonderful
construction of the battering ships appeared to bid defiance to
the powers of the heaviest ordnance and of red-hot balls. In the
afternoon (13th September) the face of things began to change,
and the smoke issuing from the upper part of the enemy’s flagship
became more voluminous. A second ship soon appeared in the same
condition. Confusion prevailed. The enemy’s cannonade began to
abate. Signals of distress were made to their fleet; and groans
and cries of suffering came from the burning ships. Soon after
midnight one battering ship was in flames; in a short time a second
appeared in the same state; and between three and four o’clock six
more exhibited the effects of the red-hot shot. A dreadful scene
of conflagration illuminated the bay of Gibraltar, and the British
seamen were seen rescuing their enemies from impending destruction.
Although defeated in this grand effort, the Spaniards entertained
some hope of being able to reduce the garrison to submission
from the want of provision; and the siege was continued: but in
October the combined fleets of France and Spain were damaged by a
storm. After this event the garrison was again relieved; supplied
with provisions, and reinforced with troops; and the officers and
soldiers were encouraged to persevere in their gallant efforts,
by a letter from the principal Secretary of State, published
in orders, in which it was stated,--“I am honored with His
Majesty’s commands to assure you, in the strongest terms, that no
encouragement shall be wanting to the brave officers and soldiers
under your command. His Majesty’s Royal approbation of the past
will, no doubt, be a powerful incentive to future exertion: and I
have the King’s authority to assure you, that every distinguished
act of emulation and gallantry, which shall be performed in the
course of the siege, by any, even of the lowest rank, will meet
with ample reward from his gracious protection and favour.”
Thus encouraged, the brave garrison of Gibraltar stood firm and
determined in the defence of the fortress, and the enemy lost all
hopes of being able to gain possession of the place.
[Sidenote: 1783]
Preliminary articles for a treaty of peace having been signed,
hostilities ceased in February, 1783, and Gibraltar remained one of
the gems of the British Crown, after a determined siege of three
years, seven months, and twelve days, from the commencement of the
blockade.
Thus terminated the celebrated siege of Gibraltar; the nations of
Europe were struck with admiration of the gallant defenders of the
fortress; the British people applauded their governor and his brave
garrison; and the officers and soldiers received the thanks of
Parliament and the approbation of their Sovereign.
“In commemoration of the glorious defence made by the regiments
of infantry which composed the garrison of GIBRALTAR during the
late memorable siege of that fortress,” the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment
received the royal authority to bear on its regimental colours
the word “GIBRALTAR,” with the device of a “CASTLE AND KEY,” and
the motto “_Montis Insignia Calpe_.”
In pursuance of an arrangement made by His Majesty’s command, the
several regiments were at this period directed to assume _County
Titles_, and to cultivate a connexion with such parts of the
kingdom, with the view of promoting the recruiting of the army. The
FIFTY-SIXTH received the title of the WEST ESSEX Regiment.
In the month of October of this year, the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment was
relieved at Gibraltar, and embarked for England: having landed at
Portsmouth in December, it marched from thence to Chatham.
[Sidenote: 1784]
In the beginning of 1784 the regiment marched to St. Albans, and
in the spring commenced its route to Scotland, proceeding first to
Glasgow, and afterwards to Aberdeen.
[Sidenote: 1785]
[Sidenote: 1786]
On the 8th of April, 1785, the regiment commenced its march from
Aberdeen for Fort George, where it was stationed twelve months,
and, in April, 1786, marched to Perth: in June it proceeded to
Edinburgh Castle.
[Sidenote: 1787]
Leaving Edinburgh in May, 1787, the regiment proceeded to Ayr, and
in September to Glasgow. Its establishment was reduced from eleven
to ten companies.
[Sidenote: 1788]
[Sidenote: 1789]
In January, 1788, the regiment embarked from Glasgow for Ireland,
and, landing at Belfast, proceeded from thence to Galway, where it
was stationed during the following year.
[Sidenote: 1790]
[Sidenote: 1791]
From Galway the regiment marched, in the autumn of 1790, to
Dublin, where it was stationed during the year 1791, its
lieutenant-colonel, Colonel Peter Craig, commanding the garrison.
[Sidenote: 1792]
From Dublin the regiment marched, in June, 1792, to Drogheda. In
the mean time a revolution of a violent and dangerous character
had taken place in France, and the French monarch was placed under
restraint. These proceedings, with the attempts made by the French
to promulgate their democratical doctrines in other countries,
appearing to render a war inevitable, the army was augmented, and
two companies were added to the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1793]
Several changes of quarters took place in the early part of 1793.
Brevet-Major Valloton, being stationed with his company at Wexford,
was employed, on the 11th of June, 1793, in suppressing a tumult
at that place, and, advancing in front of his men, to expostulate
with the rioters, he was cut down by one of the mob with a scythe;
his men fired on the assassin, and several rioters were killed and
wounded. A monument was erected to the memory of Major Valloton
near the town of Wexford, where the occurrence took place.
In August the regiment marched to Cork, and was held in readiness
to proceed on foreign service. The French republicans had added
to their other atrocities the decapitation of their sovereign;
war had commenced, and the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment was selected to
join an expedition to the West Indies, under General Sir Charles
(afterwards Earl) Grey, to deliver the French West India islands
from the power of the republicans. The regiment embarked for this
service in November, and sailed for Barbadoes, where it arrived in
January, 1794.
[Sidenote: 1794]
The flank companies of the regiment were formed in grenadier and
light infantry battalions, and, with the battalion companies,
proceeded against the island of _Martinico_. A landing was effected
at three different points in the early part of February, 1794,
and some sharp fighting occurred, in which the FIFTY-SIXTH,
particularly the flank companies, had the honor to take part, and
in a short period this valuable island was captured by the British
arms. Sir Charles Grey stated in his despatch,--“The general and
field officers and the commanding officers of corps, have set such
an example of zeal, activity, and animation in this service, which
has been so laudably imitated by all the officers and soldiers of
this little army, that they merit the greatest praise.”
Leaving the battalion companies at Martinico, the flank companies
proceeded with the expedition against _St. Lucia_, the grenadiers
being in the brigade under Prince Edward (afterwards Duke of Kent),
and the light company in that commanded by Major-General Dundas.
The troops employed on this service arrived at St. Lucia on the
1st of April, and the conquest of that fine island was achieved in
three days.
The army afterwards proceeded against the island of _Guadeloupe_,
and the FIFTY-SIXTH had the honor to share in this enterprise. A
determined resistance was made by the French republicans; but the
island was captured before the end of April, and the commander of
the forces declared he could not find words to express “the high
sense he entertained of the extraordinary merit evinced by the
officers and soldiers in this service.”
The regiment was afterwards stationed at Grenada and Martinico,
and a great loss of life having been sustained from the effects
of climate and other causes, an order was received in October, to
transfer the men of the FIFTY-SIXTH, fit for duty, to the Sixth,
Ninth, and Fifteenth Regiments.
[Sidenote: 1795]
On the 3rd of January, 1795, the officers, staff, and such
non-commssioned officers and soldiers as had not been transferred
to other corps embarked from Martinico, and sailed for England;
they arrived at Gravesend on the 18th of February, and were
stationed at Chatham: active measures were adopted to recruit the
ranks of the regiment.
After commanding the regiment nearly thirty years, General Walsh
died, and was succeeded in the colonelcy by Major-General Samuel
Hulse, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the First Foot Guards, by
commission, dated the 7th of March, 1795.
In September the regiment marched to Gravesend, where it embarked
for Cork, and landed at Spike Island on the 1st of October.
[Sidenote: 1796]
Great success had attended the recruiting and training of the
regiment, and although one year only had elapsed since its return
from the West Indies a skeleton, it had attained so perfect a
state of discipline and efficiency, that in the early part of 1796
it proceeded to Barbadoes, from whence it was detached to St.
Domingo, where it served under Major-General White, by whom it was
employed at the taking of _Bombarde_ in the district of Mole, St.
Nicholas, which was captured, and the works destroyed.
[Sidenote: 1797]
On the 24th of January, 1797, Major-General Hulse was removed to
the Nineteenth Regiment, and the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH
was conferred on Major-General the Hon. Chapple Norton, from the
Eighty-first Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1798]
In this year the regiment was employed in the district of Grand
Ance in the island of St. Domingo; it took part in the attack
of _Port Jack Thomas_, and in the defence of Irois, under
Major-General Brent Spencer, also in the attack made on the town of
_St. Mary’s_, after which it returned to Port St. Nicholas. When
the island was given up, the regiment proceeded to Jamaica, where
it remained until November, 1798, when it embarked from Kingston,
for England.
[Sidenote: 1799]
Arriving at Gravesend on the 31st of January, 1799, the regiment
landed, and proceeded to Chatham. It was afterwards removed to
different counties in England, and active measures were adopted
with success to recruit its diminished numbers.
At this period a favorable opportunity appeared to present itself
for rescuing Holland from the power of France, into which it had
fallen during the early part of 1795, and a plan of co-operation
was concerted between Great Britain and Russia, in the expectation
that the Dutch would rise against the French, and, aided by the
Anglo-Russian force, would exert themselves to effect their
emancipation. The FIFTY-SIXTH being selected to share in this
enterprise, joined the troops at Barham Downs on the 31st of July,
and in the middle of September embarked at Deal for Holland.
The regiment joined the Anglo-Russian army, under His Royal
Highness the Duke of York, in time to take a distinguished part
in the attack of the enemy’s positions on the 19th of September.
On this occasion the first operations of the several columns
were successful; but the hopes, which a brilliant commencement
afforded, of a general and decisive victory, were destroyed by the
hasty valour, and the want of that precaution which the art of war
prescribes, on the part of the Russians under General Hermann,
who were repulsed by an enemy inferior to themselves in numbers
and valour, but superior in science and prudence. This disaster
rendered it necessary for the army to resume its position. The
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment had thirty rank and file killed on this
occasion; Captains King and Gilman, Lieutenant Prater, thirty-three
rank and file, wounded; one serjeant, one drummer, and fifty-seven
rank and file, missing. The Duke of York stated in his public
despatch,--“The gallantry displayed by the troops engaged--the
spirit with which they overcame every obstacle which nature and art
opposed to them, and the cheerfulness with which they maintained
the fatigues of an action which lasted, without intermission, from
half-past three o’clock in the morning until five in the afternoon,
are beyond my powers to describe. Their exertions fully entitle
them to the admiration and gratitude of their king and country.”
On the 2nd of October a successful attack was made on the enemy’s
positions between Bergen and Egmont-op-Zee; and the action “was[3]
sustained by the British columns under those highly-distinguished
officers, General Sir Ralph Abercromby and Lieut.-General Dundas,
whose exertions, as well as the gallantry of the brave troops they
led, cannot have been surpassed by any former instance of British
valour.”
During the night the enemy fell back; and the British advance-posts
moved forward on the following day. On the 6th of October the
enemy’s posts were again attacked with success, and the British
maintained a forward position.
Although the army under the Duke of York was victorious in its
engagements, yet the Dutch people were not stimulated, by these
spirited exertions, to rise in arms against their oppressors; and
several circumstances having occurred which indicated that the
expedition was not likely to be eventually successful, the Duke of
York resolved to evacuate the country.
The regiment embarked from North Holland on the 18th of November,
landed at Yarmouth on the 20th, and marched to Chelmsford. In
December it proceeded to Horsham.
[Sidenote: 1800]
Leaving Horsham on the 26th of January, 1800, the regiment
proceeded to Portsmouth, where it embarked for Ireland, and landing
on the 25th of February, marched to Kilkenny, from whence it
afterwards proceeded to Clonmel, Fermoy, &c. Two companies, of one
hundred rank and file each, were added to the establishment.
While at these stations, the regiment was conspicuous for its
correct discipline and efficiency, and after the usual inspection,
on the 29th of October, the following garrison order was
issued:--“Major-General Sir Charles Ross is happy to have this
opportunity of expressing his approbation of the steadiness and
appearance of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment this day, and returns his
thanks to the officers and men for the zeal and attention which
they have displayed on all occasions since he has had the honor of
commanding them.”
[Sidenote: 1801]
The regiment, after its return from the West Indies, in the
early part of 1799, had been recruited with men for limited
service in Europe; but when the glorious triumphs of the British
army in Egypt, under General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B., were
made known to the corps in general orders, this announcement
of splendid victories, gained by English troops, created so
lively an interest in the regiment, that the soldiers instantly
responded with a tender of service in any quarter of the globe,
which was communicated to the general officer of the district,
Brigadier-General Champagne, by Major H. S. Keating, commanding the
regiment at the time, in the following terms:
“SIR,--I have the honor to inclose you the offer of the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, of serving in any part of the world, where
His Majesty may deem it necessary; which I beg you will have the
goodness to lay before his Excellency the Commander-in-chief.
I should consider myself acting with injustice, were I not to
notice the very enthusiastic manner in which the orders of the
16th May, 1801[4], of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, were
received, and the consequent tender of those services excited by
a contemplation of the animated conduct of our gallant army in
Egypt; and I feel a confidence in adding, that should they be
accepted, I have every reliance, that the spirit and energy of
the regiment, will support with honor the interest of its king
and country.”
The commander of the forces in Ireland directed the
adjutant-general to convey to the non-commissioned officers and
privates of the regiment, “his thanks and approbation of their
spirited offer of general service, which is transmitted to His
Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief, to be laid before the
King.” The Duke of York also communicated “his thanks to the corps
for their spirited and loyal offer to extend their service to any
part of the world.”
[Sidenote: 1802]
This tender of service was, however, so speedily followed by the
peace of Amiens, concluded in the early part of 1802, that no call
was made, at this period, for the regiment to proceed on foreign
service. In October it marched to Limerick.
[Sidenote: 1803]
Hostilities were resumed in 1803, and Bonaparte’s threat of
invading England was answered by a sudden assumption of arms
throughout the kingdom, which produced an array of military power,
that proved how highly the British people prized their constitution
and liberties, and deterred the French from quitting their own
coast. The regiment proceeded to Galway in August, and was
afterwards removed to Tuam, Loughrea, and Kinsale.
[Sidenote: 1804]
Among the measures adopted to repel the French invasion, an
additional force act was passed in June, 1804; and four hundred of
the men, raised under its provisions, in the county of Surrey, were
constituted the _second battalion_ of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment;
they were embodied at Farnham, and the battalion was placed on
the establishment of the army on the 25th of December, 1804:
it was augmented soon afterwards to six hundred and fifty-six
non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
[Sidenote: 1805]
The first battalion remained in Ireland until January, 1805,
when it embarked at Kinsale for the Isle of Wight, where its
establishment was augmented to one thousand rank and file, which
was speedily completed, and in April it embarked in three divisions
for the East Indies: it landed at Bombay in August, and was
stationed at that city several years.
In May the second battalion left Farnham, and was stationed
a short time at the barracks at Forton and Gosport; in August
it proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where a pair of colours was
presented to it on the 28th of November. Its establishment
was augmented in December to eight hundred and sixty-six
non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
[Sidenote: 1806]
From the Isle of Wight the second battalion proceeded to Guernsey,
in March, 1806, and its establishment was fixed at a thousand rank
and file.
[Sidenote: 1807]
[Sidenote: 1808]
After remaining at Guernsey twelve months, the second battalion
returned to the Isle of Wight: it was in a high state of discipline
and efficiency, and in June it embarked in two divisions for India.
The fleet encountered a severe gale of wind, and the vessels of the
first division parted company, and put into Simon’s Bay to refit.
They remained at the Cape of Good Hope a month, and afterwards
continued the voyage to Madras, where they arrived in December,
under convoy of the Greyhound frigate. On arrival in India the
several companies proceeded to Bombay, where both battalions were
stationed in 1808: the success which attended the recruiting of
the regiment, occasioning the establishment of the first battalion
to be augmented to thirteen hundred non-commissioned officers and
soldiers.
[Sidenote: 1809]
In January, 1809, the second battalion marched to Barachie, near
Surat.
Meanwhile British commerce had experienced considerable
interruption and some loss from the French naval force stationed in
the Indian Sea, which force rendezvoused at the Island of Bourbon,
and the Isle of France (or the Mauritius). In January two hundred
men of the first battalion were detached from Bombay, to join the
troops assembling at the Island of Roderigue, under Lieut.-Colonel
Keating, of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, for the attack of the French
islands in the Indian Sea.
While this detachment of the first battalion was on the voyage,
four companies of the second battalion marched to Baroda, under
the orders of Captain D. Daly, and joined the force assembling
at that place, under Lieut.-Colonel Walker, for the reduction of
the fort of _Mallia_, in Kattawar, which was the stronghold of
a numerous body of marauders, who plundered and devastated the
surrounding territory, and had successfully resisted the attacks
of powerful native chiefs, which had procured for their fort
the reputation of being impregnable. The position was naturally
strong, the fortifications good, the garrison, being fully aware
of the approach of the British troops, was prepared, and, to
gain additional security, had surrounded the wall with a strong
embankment of earth and thorns.
After a long and fatiguing march the British troops arrived before
Mallia on the 6th of July; and the garrison returning a vaunting
answer to the summons to surrender, the fire of the artillery
commenced on the following day, and a practicable breach was
effected in a few hours.
At four o’clock in the afternoon the storming party, of which
the FIFTY-SIXTH furnished a proportion of one hundred and fifty
rank and file, advanced; the forlorn hope being under the command
of Captain McKenzie, of the Bombay European Regiment, who was
gallantly supported by Lieutenant Newman of the FIFTY-SIXTH, a
volunteer on the occasion. Rushing forward with heroic valour, the
soldiers soon forced the breach, and in less than three-quarters of
an hour they were in possession of the greater part of the town. As
they advanced, the resistance became more determined; the banditti
fighting with great spirit, and eventually retiring into an inner
fort, which was inaccessible to an assault; when, the evening being
far advanced, operations ceased for the night. Before the following
morning the defenders of Mallia withdrew through a sally port, and
fled; a few men remaining to keep up an occasional fire, and these
retired before daylight; when the fort was occupied by the British
troops.
This place having been accounted by the natives of the Kattawar as
impregnable, its early reduction, with the cool and steady valour
by which it was carried, filled with astonishment and admiration
the several vakeels of the different chieftains, who were in
attendance on Lieut.-Colonel Walker, and afforded them proof of the
irresistible effects of British discipline, skill, and prowess.
This afterwards operated beneficially in producing the organization
of so rude and uncivilized a tract of country, as the greater part
of the peninsula of Guzerat then was.
In the general orders issued on this occasion, it was stated:--“To
Captain D. Daly, the officers and men of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment,
the commanding officer returns his particular acknowledgments;
they have nobly supported the reputation of the senior battalion,
in all the characteristics of good soldiers.” ... “The commanding
officer cannot omit the expression of his warmest acknowledgments
to Captain Arnot, of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, for his exertions at
the erection of the batteries, and for his conduct at the storm;
and it would be injustice to withhold his thanks to Lieutenant
Newman, for his spirited support of Captain McKenzie in the
advanced party.”
The casualties, amounting to eighty-two killed and wounded, prove
the arduous nature of the enterprise; and of this number the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment had six rank and file killed; Captain Arnot,
and twelve rank and file wounded. In December the troops were
ordered to return to their former stations, and the detachment of
the FIFTY-SIXTH rejoined the head-quarters of the second battalion
at Barachie.
Meanwhile the party of the first battalion at the Isle
of Roderigue had sailed from thence with the forces under
Lieut.-Colonel Keating, to co-operate with the British navy in
blockading the Isles of France and Bourbon, and in attacking the
enemy’s ports. At five o’clock on the morning of the 21st of
September, six hundred men landed in three columns, seven miles
from the port of _St. Paul’s_, in the Isle of Bourbon, then called
by the French the Isle of Bonaparte, and by a forced march crossed
a causeway extending over the lake, before the enemy discovered
their disembarkation or approach to the town; they also passed the
enemy’s strongest position by seven o’clock, and gained possession
of two batteries before the enemy could form in force. Captain
Imlack, of the Bombay Native Infantry, was detached with one
hundred and fifty men to take possession of a third battery; and
on his way he encountered the French forces, concentrated behind a
stone wall, with eight field-pieces on their flanks. This post was
instantly attacked in a most gallant manner; Captain Hanna of the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment arrived with the third column, and charging,
captured two guns; and Captain Forbes, of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment,
advancing with the reserve, the enemy was compelled to retreat with
the loss of his artillery. A few men were detached in pursuit; two
additional batteries were captured, and by half-past eight o’clock
the town, batteries, magazines, eight brass field-pieces, and one
hundred and seventeen new iron guns, were in possession of the
British troops: at the same time the enemy’s shipping were forced
to surrender to the British naval force. Thus was accomplished a
most brilliant exploit, in a few hours, and it reflected great
credit on the commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel KEATING, of
the FIFTY-SIXTH, and on all the troops engaged. The loss of the
regiment was one serjeant, and five rank and file killed; one
serjeant and twenty-six rank and file wounded.
The town being commanded by the British naval force, the troops
returned on board the fleet; part of the enemy’s stores and the
guns were destroyed; the remainder were embarked on board the
company’s recaptured ship Streatham, which, with the Europe, were
placed under their former commanders. In October the troops sailed
for the Isle of Roderigue. The conduct of Ensign Pearce, of the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, was highly commended in the public despatch
of Lieut.-Colonel Keating.
In the beginning of this year, a detachment of the regiment, under
Lieutenant John Elliot Cairnes, performed duty as marines, in
the Indian Sea, on board of His Majesty’s ship Psyche, which was
engaged in the war with the Rajah of Travancore, who governed a
populous province at the south-west extremity of Hindoostan. This
province was indebted for its independence to the valour of British
troops, who rescued it from the power of Tippoo Sultan, when the
forces of the Mysore had overrun the country, in 1790; and in 1795
a treaty of alliance was concluded with the rajah, who engaged to
subsidize three battalions of British Sepoys for the defence of
his dominions. Some disputes arising from the payments to be made
in consequence of this treaty, produced war; the British Sepoys
stationed at Quilon were menaced with annihilation; the house of
the resident, Colonel C. Macauly, at Cochin, was attacked; and the
Twelfth and Nineteenth British regiments were suddenly ordered to
the scene of contest. A detachment of the FIFTY-SIXTH, on board
the Piedmontaise frigate, were employed in services connected with
the safety of the troops at Quilon, and the preservation of the
life of the British resident. This frigate cannonaded the port of
Aleppi, where a party of the Twelfth Foot had been treacherously
seized, their wrists broken with a heavy piece of iron, their
hands tied behind them, and after lying several days in a dungeon,
were precipitated from a rock into the sea. This detachment of
the FIFTY-SIXTH landed at Quilon, under Lieutenant Warren, to
co-operate in the preservation of the life of the British resident,
who had escaped from Cochin. The services of the detachment under
Lieutenant Cairnes, on board of the Psyche, were connected with the
operations of the army under Brigadier-General the Honorable A. St.
Leger; and under the cover of the frigate’s broadside, the soldiers
of the regiment stormed and captured a strong battery, commanding
_Colatchi Bay_; thus co-operating in the capture of _Travandrum_,
the capital, which reduced the refractory Rajah of Travancore to
submission.
Measures for enforcing a system of economy, having interfered with
the emoluments which British officers in the command of native
regiments had been accustomed to receive, from the contract for
supplying their corps with camp equipment, the civil and military
authorities of Madras became opposed to each other; from this
misunderstanding resulted serious disaffection and disobedience of
orders in the native army; and the head-quarters and companies of
the first battalion of the FIFTY-SIXTH at Bombay, were suddenly
ordered to Madras. They embarked on board the Cornwallis frigate
and two transports, on the 30th of July, under secret orders, and
landed at Madras on the 11th of August, before any disclosure
of the approach of this reinforcement had reached the army of
that presidency. The governor addressed a communication to the
regiment on this occasion, in which he stated he felt--“particular
satisfaction that the selection for this delicate service had
fallen to the first battalion of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, whose
distinguished and characteristic zeal for the maintenance of
professional subordination to the authority of legal government,
must so powerfully tend to recall the misguided to a sense of their
duty.”
The regiment proceeded to the Marmalong camp immediately, and
after the return of the native corps to their duty, it received
the thanks of the Governor in Council, in general orders,--“for
the manner in which His Majesty’s officers and soldiers, who
rallied round the cause of government, loyalty, and duty, conducted
themselves.” In October the battalion proceeded to Bellary.
[Sidenote: 1810]
These troubles being suppressed, the governor-general conceived
the idea of clearing the Indian Ocean of all that was hostile
to Great Britain, and a considerable force was placed under the
orders of Lieut.-Colonel Keating, of the FIFTY-SIXTH, including a
strong detachment of the first battalion of the regiment, for the
capture of the Island of _Bourbon_. On this occasion Lieut.-Colonel
Keating resolved to make his first attack on the capital, in the
expectation that, with its capture, the reduction of the island
would be accomplished. A landing was effected at Grand Chaloupe
on the 7th of July, 1810; and Captain Hanna was detached with two
companies of the FIFTY-SIXTH to _La Possessime_, “the batteries of
which place he took by assault in the most gallant manner[5];” and
with the trifling loss of two men killed, and two wounded: thus
proving the advantage of making attacks with spirit and resolution.
All the troops of the expedition conducting themselves with heroic
ardour, the opposition of the enemy was speedily overcome, and the
conquest of the island accomplished in so short a period of time,
that Lieutenant-Colonel Keating stated in his public despatch,--“In
all the operations the troops evinced the native energy and
gallantry of Britons, and in a few hours this rich, extensive, and
valuable colony was added to the British dominions.” Lieutenant
Mallet and a party of the regiment, proceeded with the French
troops which had surrendered, to the Cape of Good Hope.
Additional troops arriving at this part of the Indian Ocean,
Major-General J. Abercromby assumed the command, and an expedition
proceeded against the _Isle of France_, which was afterwards
restored to its original designation of the _Mauritius_, and the
detachment of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment had the honor to serve
in this enterprise; the party which proceeded, under Lieutenant
Mallet, in charge of French prisoners to the Cape, arriving in time
to take part in this service. A landing was effected in the Bay
of Mapon on the 29th of November, and the troops advanced through
a thick wood, when some skirmishing occurred, and Lieut.-Colonel
Keating, of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, and twelve men of the piquet,
were wounded. Penetrating the open country on the following day,
the troops experienced great inconvenience from the want of water,
and halted at the streams of the powder-mills, five miles from Port
Louis. After passing the night at this place, they resumed the
march, and were opposed in their progress by a strong body of the
enemy, when some severe fighting occurred, in which the British
soldiers were triumphant: the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment had five men
killed and several wounded.
Pursuing their victorious career, the British troops advanced
to the enemy’s lines; and on the following morning the French
Commander, General de Caen, proposed to capitulate; thus was this
valuable colony wrested from the enemy, and it has continued to
form part of the possessions of the British crown to the present
time.
During this year the star of Britain shone bright on the naval and
colonial affairs of this great maritime power, whose enemies were
deprived of the last establishment which they had possessed beyond
the Cape of Good Hope, and the Pompadours had the honor of sharing
in these brilliant adventures.
The second battalion remained at Barachia; and so successful was
the recruiting of the regiment, under the influence and zealous
efforts of its colonel, Lieut.-General the Hon. Chapple Norton,
that the establishment of the second battalion was augmented to
one thousand three hundred and six non-commissioned officers
and soldiers; making the number of the two battalions in India,
two thousand six hundred and twelve, and, notwithstanding the
casualties of war and climate, the effectives approximated the
establishment. A strong detachment of volunteers from the militia,
to the FIFTY-SIXTH, arriving in India in May, was stationed at the
Portuguese establishment at Goa.
The detachment under Lieutenant Cairnes continued to serve as
marines.
[Sidenote: 1811]
In March, 1811, the party from Goa joined the head-quarters of
the first battalion at Bellary; and towards the close of the
year, Lieut.-Colonel Keating returned with the detachment from
the capture of Bourbon and the Mauritius. The Honorable the East
India Company expressed its sense of the valuable services of the
regiment, by presenting the first battalion with a pair of new
colours, during its stay at Bellary.
This year the second battalion returned to Bombay.
[Sidenote: 1812]
In May, 1812, Lieut.-Colonel Kingscote arrived from England, and
took the command of the second battalion; which, in October,
marched from the town barracks, Bombay, to the pendals on Colabah.
The first battalion quitted Bellary, and in September joined the
field-force assembled in the southern Mahratta country, under the
command of Colonel Dowse, of the East India Company’s Service,
for the purpose of enforcing the payment of the arrears of the
customary tribute, withheld by the Ranee of Raree; and took part in
all the operations consequent upon the performance of this duty.
[Sidenote: 1813]
Two companies of the second battalion were ordered to garrison
Surat, in February, 1813; and the head-quarters embarked for the
Guzerat, where they arrived at the Dutch Bundes in Surat on the
9th of March; and owing to the bad and unhealthy state of these
quarters, the battalion was removed in April, to Domus, where it
was encamped: but re-occupied the Dutch Bundes in June, with two
companies at Surat.
Four companies were detached, in the same month, under the command
of Captain Barrington, to join the Guicwar’s subsidiary force,
under the orders of Colonel Holmes, of the East India Company’s
service. On the third day the four companies marched from Khim to
Oclasceer, a distance of eighteen miles, the last six of which
were across an arid plain, destitute of shelter, and exposed
to an unusual degree of heat, when many men fell from complete
exhaustion; three died where they fell; and seven others expired
during the day, after they had been removed to quarters by the
natives. These four companies were followed, in September, by two
others, under Lieut.-Colonel Kingscote who assumed the command
of the six companies with the force under Colonel Holmes, which
was employed in operations for the re-establishment of the
rightful heir to the throne, which had been usurped by the uncle.
On the 15th of November this force took possession of the fort
of _Palampore_, which the Scindians had evacuated early in the
morning. The troops remained in the neighbourhood of this place
until the end of the year, when the companies of the FIFTY-SIXTH
marched back to the camp at Domus, where the Guzerat fever deprived
the corps of many valuable soldiers.
Notwithstanding its numerous losses, the recruiting of the regiment
was conducted with great success, under the influence and zealous
efforts of its colonel, and its ranks received a constant supply
of young men, many of them from the county of Surrey. At this
period the war in Europe had attained a crisis: the British forces
had triumphed in Portugal and Spain, and had forced the barrier
of the Pyrenees and penetrated France; the Emperor Napoleon had
lost a numerous army in the north; the forces of Russia, Austria,
Prussia, and the German States, were in arms against him; and a
powerful effort promised complete success to the cause of the
allies. Measures were adopted to augment the British army at this
interesting period; and the facility with which the FIFTY-SIXTH had
been recruited, holding out the prospect that its establishment
might be increased, a warrant was issued by the Prince Regent in
the early part of November, for adding a _third battalion_ to the
corps. This battalion was embodied at Horsham, its establishment
was six hundred and fifty non-commissioned officers and soldiers,
and its ranks were so speedily completed with disciplined men, by
volunteers from the militia, &c., that in one month from the date
of the order for its formation, it was ready for foreign service.
At this period a body of British troops proceeded to Holland, under
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham (late Lord Lynedoch), to
co-operate with the forces of the allied sovereigns, and the third
battalion of the FIFTY-SIXTH embarked for this service at Ramsgate,
on the 9th of December, under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel John
Frederick Brown; it was posted to the third brigade, commanded
by Major-General Sir Herbert Taylor; the British troops were
concentrated in and near Williamstadt.
[Sidenote: 1814]
About the same period the first battalion took the field in India,
and formed part of the force assembled at Goute, from whence
it proceeded against _Canool_, where it arrived on the 25th of
December, and batteries were erected during the night, but a flag
of truce being sent out on the following morning, hostilities
ceased. The battalion was also at the reduction of the fort
of _Raree_, Goosecull; and passed the monsoon in quarters at
Cataubaugy; afterwards returning to Goute, it was relieved in the
field by the second battalion of the Royals; it had lost three
hundred and fifty men from disease, and was so reduced, that it was
ordered to return to Bellary; it subsequently marched to Fort St.
George, Madras.
The third battalion did not remain many days in quarters in Holland
before it was employed in active operations, in consequence of a
request of the Prussian general, Bulow, that the British would make
a forward movement upon _Antwerp_, to favour his operations; the
English general accordingly advanced to make a reconnoissance, and
approaching that fortress on the 13th of January, attacked a body
of French troops at the village of _Merxem_. On this occasion the
FIFTY-SIXTH supported the Seventy-eighth Highlanders, in a charge
with the bayonet, on a French column, which was driven from its
ground. The FIFTY-SIXTH were engaged in a sharp skirmish, and had
four men killed and fourteen wounded. The object of this movement
having been accomplished, the British troops marched to Rosendael.
A serious attack on Antwerp was afterwards concerted, and General
Bulow engaged to support the British with his Prussian corps.
An advance was accordingly made, and on the 2nd of February the
English again approached the village of Merxem, where a numerous
body of French troops were stationed, and had fortified their post.
The light troops commenced skirmishing about nine o’clock in the
morning; and the FIFTY-SIXTH, having cleared the wood on the right
and left, formed line and advanced; when they were ordered by Sir
Thomas Graham, in person, to move to the right,--charge through
the village,--ford the dike on the other side,--take the enemy’s
battery,--and attack them on the left of their line. These orders
were gallantly executed, and two guns, which had annoyed the
advance, were captured. The FIFTY-SIXTH sustained some loss from
the enemy’s fire, and had several men drowned in crossing the dike;
but they succeeded in gaining the left flank of the enemy, and were
warmly engaged until the French retired under the guns of Antwerp,
when they pursued until recalled, and ordered to take post under
the embankment of St. Ferdinand’s dike, which was not accomplished
before several round shot had passed through the ranks. The
regiment had thirteen rank and file killed; Ensign Sparks, and
twenty-four rank and file wounded. Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Graham
stated in his despatch,--“All the troops engaged behaved with the
usual spirit and intrepidity of British soldiers;” and the conduct
of Lieut.-Colonel Brown of the FIFTY-SIXTH was particularly noticed.
After this success the British troops were employed in constructing
a breastwork and battery, and the FIFTY-SIXTH took their share in
this labour, the men working all night. On the 3rd of February,
several pieces of heavy ordnance opened upon the city of Antwerp,
and on the French shipping in the Scheldt, and the cannonade was
continued until the 6th, the FIFTY-SIXTH taking their turn in the
trenches, and being under fire each day; but General Bulow having
received orders to march southward, to act with the grand army
of the allies, it became necessary to relinquish the attack on
Antwerp, when the British retired towards Breda,--the FIFTY-SIXTH
halting a few days at Rysburg, ten miles from Breda.
In the beginning of March the battalion again moved towards
Antwerp, and was employed in services connected with preventing the
enemy throwing a relief into _Bergen-op-Zoom_, which fortress Sir
Thomas Graham had resolved to attack; and the battalion afterwards
made a forced march towards that place, where it arrived in time to
witness the failure of the attack. The services of the battalion
were afterwards connected with the operations against Antwerp, and
preventing supplies of provision and troops joining the garrison.
In the mean time Napoleon was pressed on every side by overwhelming
numbers, which he was not able to withstand, and he was forced
to abdicate the throne of France. Peace was restored, and the
battalion of the FIFTY-SIXTH marched into Antwerp; from whence it
proceeded to Ostend, where it embarked for England in September,
and landing at Deal, marched to Sheerness.
The army being reduced on the restoration of peace, the third
battalion was disbanded at Sheerness on the 24th of October; its
men fit for service being transferred to the first and second
battalions in India, for which country they embarked about three
months afterwards.
The second battalion continued to suffer severely from disease at
the camp at Domus; its loss from March 1813, to December 1814,
amounting to three hundred and twenty-nine non-commissioned
officers and soldiers. The conduct of the men, during this
distressing period, called forth the approbation of the commander
of the district, expressed in division orders, in the strongest
terms. During the year, it proceeded to Barachia, subsequently
embarked for Bombay, and after occupying the pendals at Colabah a
short period, marched into Fort George barracks.
[Sidenote: 1815]
Considerable improvement having taken place in the health of the
men, the second battalion embarked for Panwell in January, 1815,
and mustered upwards of nine hundred non-commissioned officers
and soldiers; it joined the Poonah subsidiary force under Colonel
Lionel Smith, encamped on the celebrated plain of Assaye, where
the troops remained until the 27th of February, when they marched
northward. In May they entered cantonments at Jaulna, where
they remained during the monsoon, and in August marched in three
divisions to Seroor, from whence the grenadier and rifle companies
proceeded to Poonah under Colonel Smith, who left Lieut.-Colonel
Kingscote in command at Seroor: these companies returned in October.
In the mean time occurrences in Europe had occasioned the
removal of the first battalion from Madras. The sudden return of
Bonaparte to France, and the astonishing facility with which he
regained temporary possession of the throne of that kingdom, was
followed by a manifested disposition to revolt on the part of the
French settlers at the Mauritius, and the first battalion of the
FIFTY-SIXTH, which had been joined by three hundred men from the
third, embarked on board the Salsette frigate, and the company’s
ships Rose and Streatham, to reinforce the garrison at that
station, on which occasion the following general order was issued:--
“His Majesty’s FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment being under orders to embark
on service at a considerable distance from the presidency, the
Right Honorable the Governor cannot refrain expressing his
warmest approbation of the uniform good conduct of the regiment,
while it remained in garrison at Fort St. George, under the able
command of Colonel Barclay, assisted by the zealous exertions of
a distinguished corps of officers; and the Right Honorable the
Governor begs leave to assure Colonel Barclay, and the officers
of the regiment, that he participates in the sentiments of
regret, felt by the settlement at large, for the loss sustained,
in the circles of social life, by their departure.”
During the voyage the ships were separated by a violent hurricane,
and each supposed the other lost; but they arrived safe at Port
Louis, where they were stationed until November, when they marched
to Mahebourg. The overthrow of Bonaparte on the field of Waterloo,
and the restoration of peace, removed all cause of apprehension for
the tranquillity of the Mauritius at that period.
[Sidenote: 1816]
The second battalion again took the field with the Poonah
subsidiary force, in the early part of 1816; and in May it went
into cantonments at Jaulna; from whence Lieut.-Colonel Kingscote,
of the FIFTY-SIXTH, was detached in September, with a light
battalion, comprising part of the regiment, in pursuit of a native
chief, called Trimbuckjee Dainglia, who had murdered the minister
of state of Guzerat, escaped from prison, and was suspected of a
design to assemble a force on the frontiers of the dominions of
his late sovereign, the Peishwa. The pursuit of this chieftain
occasioned the soldiers many fatiguing marches, and on one occasion
the fortified village of Nimgaum, on the banks of the Peera, was
surrounded in the expectation that the chief was there; but when,
on the advance of the artillery, the inhabitants opened the gates,
he could not be found: the pursuit was afterwards discontinued, and
the detachment re-joined the Poonah subsidiary force at Seroor,
whither it had been removed from Jaulna in October. At the close of
active operations, Colonel Lionel Smith expressed the high opinion
he entertained of the battalion, in division orders, dated Seroor,
31st of October, in the following terms:--“There is no language of
praise, or thanks, Colonel Smith could feel to be too strong in
describing the merits of such a corps.”
In August the first battalion returned to Port St. Louis; and
about a month afterwards so serious a conflagration occurred at
that place, that the destruction of the town appeared inevitable;
but this calamity was averted by the efforts of the soldiers of
the FIFTY-SIXTH, who prevented the fire communicating to the
government buildings, and thus saved the town: two men of the
regiment lost their lives, in attempting to arrest the progress
of the flames. The daring conduct of Serjeant JAMES HASTY was
particularly conspicuous and successful in checking the progress
of the flames; and the governor expressed the following opinion
of his merits in a letter to Colonel Barclay:--“I conscientiously
believe, that it was in a great measure owing to Serjeant HASTY, of
your regiment, that the whole town of Port Louis was not swallowed
by the flames. His persevering fortitude and intrepid confidence
enabled him to save the government house, by remaining among the
flames when most others had despaired; and it is universally
allowed, that had the government house been burned, the remainder
of the town must immediately have followed, and the whole
population of Port Louis left houseless among the smoking ruins[6].”
The peace of Europe appearing to be established upon a sound
foundation, a considerable reduction was made in the strength of
the British army, and the second battalions of regiments were
directed to be disbanded: the second battalion of the FIFTY-SIXTH
was consequently ordered to march to Bombay in November.
[Sidenote: 1817]
On the 7th of January, 1817, the following general order was
issued:--“His Majesty’s second battalion of the FIFTY-SIXTH
Regiment, being under orders for embarkation for Europe, affords
an opportunity to the Right Honorable the Governor in Council, of
expressing his approbation of the conduct of that valuable corps,
whilst serving on the establishment of this presidency, and as a
testimonial of the sense entertained of its important services
in this country, is pleased to allow three months full batta to
be issued to the officers of the battalion, previous to their
departure from India.”
Four hundred men volunteered to remain in India, and transferred
their services to the Sixty-fifth Regiment: and on the 9th of
January, the battalion companies embarked for England. They landed
at Liverpool in May, marched to Rochester, and were disbanded at
that place on the 25th of June. The flank companies left Bombay
in July, landed at Portsmouth on the 10th of December, and were
disbanded at Chatham on the 29th of that month.
The regiment left Port Louis on the 1st of March, for Flacq, and in
July to Mahebourg, where it received the colours of the late second
battalion. It was employed in patrolling and other duties for the
suppression of the slave trade.
[Sidenote: 1818]
After commanding the regiment twenty-one years, General the
Honorable Chapple Norton died; and was succeeded in the colonelcy
by Lieut.-General Sir John Murray, Baronet, from the third West
India Regiment, by commission dated the 31st of March, 1818.
[Sidenote: 1819]
In July, 1819, the regiment returned to Port Louis, where it was
inspected by Major-General Darling, who stated in orders dated the
16th of August,--“The inspection has afforded the Major-General
much real satisfaction. A finer body of men than compose this
regiment is perhaps nowhere to be seen; they are clean and
soldier-like in appearance, well appointed, and in no respect
deficient: in short, the care and attention of Lieut.-Colonel
Barclay, and of the officers, and the good disposition of the men,
are evident, and could alone have led to the state in which the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment now is.”
[Sidenote: 1820]
[Sidenote: 1826]
The regiment was stationed successively at Port Louis and Mahebourg
until 1826, when, after upwards of twenty years’ service abroad, it
embarked at Port Louis for England, on which occasion the governor
stated in general orders, dated the 27th March,--“If circumstances
should again call for his Excellency’s services in the field, he
will feel happy in having the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment placed under
his orders, as experience has fully proved to him, that a corps
distinguished for good conduct in quarters, is always to be the
most depended upon in the presence of the enemy.”
After landing at Portsmouth in June, the regiment marched to
Cumberland Fort; in September it embarked at Portsmouth for Hull,
where it joined the depôt companies.
[Sidenote: 1827]
In January, 1827, the regiment quitted Hull for Manchester, and in
October it marched to Liverpool, where it embarked for Dublin.
On the 29th of October Sir John Murray died, and King George the
Fourth was pleased to confer the colonelcy of the regiment on
Lieut.-General Matthew Lord Aylmer.
[Sidenote: 1828]
New colours bearing the words “MORO” and “GIBRALTAR;” with the
device of a CASTLE and KEY, and the motto _Montis Insignia Calpe_,
(which had been confirmed to the corps on the 27th of December,
1827, in consequence of an application from Colonel Barclay,) were
presented to the regiment, with the usual solemnities, on the 4th
of April, 1828.
[Sidenote: 1829]
In May the regiment marched to Londonderry; in the autumn the
head-quarters were removed to Newry; and in August, 1829, to Birr.
In the year 1829, His Majesty’s government deemed it necessary to
direct courts of inquiry to be instituted in the several regiments,
in consequence of numerous frauds having been committed by certain
soldiers, who, on being discharged, had given false statements of
their ages, dates of enlistment, and of the periods of their former
services, by which many had obtained undue rates of pension, and
had thus imposed on their commanding officers, and on the bounty of
their sovereign and country.
The court held to investigate the books of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment
reported, that the description-book had been well kept, and
afforded a practical example of a system which it was proposed to
adopt generally, namely, to give each man on joining a regiment _a
number_, to be marked on his attestation, and placed against his
name in the description, and other record-books of the regiment;
that the book of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment contained nearly two
thousand names, the plan and arrangement of which were highly
creditable to the zeal and industry of Colonel Barclay, and that
few instances of error, or of fraud, had been detected.
The court concluded their report with a well-merited compliment
to Colonel Barclay, whose long service in the regiment had been
characterized by zeal and attention to his duties. This report
was submitted to the Secretary at War, and Sir Henry Hardinge
signified to the General Commanding in Chief, Lord Hill, his
cordial concurrence in the observations made by the court, so
highly honourable to Colonel Barclay, and his lordship directed it
to be announced, that, in the midst of the irregularities which had
been made manifest by the investigations of these courts of inquiry
in the several corps, it was peculiarly gratifying to him to bear
testimony to the successful and unremitting exertions of Colonel
Barclay, which, while they reflected credit upon him, proved that,
with diligence and a due adherence to regulations, the disreputable
errors and frauds, which had been discovered in other regiments,
could not have been effected[7].
[Sidenote: 1830]
[Sidenote: 1831]
[Sidenote: 1832]
In March, 1830, the regiment proceeded to Limerick; in June, 1831,
to Fermoy; and in November to Cork, where arrangements were made
for transferring its services to Jamaica, for which island six
service companies embarked in the first week of December under
Lieut.-Colonel H. H. Prichard. They were detained some time by
contrary winds; but sailed on the 26th, and arriving at Port Royal
in February, 1832, landed and were stationed at Up Park Camp.
Lord Aylmer was removed to the Eighteenth (Royal Irish) Foot on the
23rd of July, and King William the Fourth was pleased to nominate
Lieut.-General Sir Hudson Lowe, K.C.B., from the Ninety-third
Highlanders to the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment.
[Sidenote: 1833]
[Sidenote: 1834]
[Sidenote: 1835]
[Sidenote: 1836]
[Sidenote: 1837]
In April, 1833, the regiment proceeded to Spanish Town, with two
companies to Fort Augusta; in May, 1834, it embarked for Falmouth,
at the north side of the island; and was stationed at that place,
with detachments at Phenix Park, Sans Souci, and Montego Bay,
during the years 1835 and 1836; and in January, 1837, it quitted
the north side of the island, and was stationed at Up Park Camp,
where it sustained the loss of three officers and sixty men from
yellow fever.
[Sidenote: 1838]
[Sidenote: 1839]
The head-quarters were removed to Fort Augusta in March, 1838,
and the health of the men was much improved; in January, 1839,
they were removed to Spanish Town; but returned to Fort Augusta in
August, and furnished detachments at Port Antonio, Up Park Camp,
Port Royal, &c.
[Sidenote: 1840]
Leaving Jamaica in March, 1840, the regiment sailed on board Her
Majesty’s ship Apollo, for North America, passing within sight
of the Havannah,--the scene of its former gallant exploits,--and
arriving at Halifax, where it was detained ten days in consequence
of the navigation of the river St. Lawrence being closed by
the ice. On the 24th of April it again put to sea, and arrived
at Quebec, on the 7th of May. At this period the Maine and New
Brunswick boundary question affected the amicable relations between
Great Britain and the United States; and the extensive system of
aggression pursued by the people of the State of Maine, rendered
certain defensive arrangements necessary for the protection of
the interests of the British subjects. The ship conveying the
FIFTY-SIXTH to Quebec had not been at anchor two hours when
Lieutenant Turner and thirty men landed at Point Levi, and were
sent forward in caleshes, with orders to proceed by forced marches
to the disputed territory, and relieve a detachment of the Eleventh
Regiment at Lake Temiscouata. This party was followed by three
companies under Major Palmer, on the 9th of May, to occupy Rivière
du Loup, Fort Ingall on Lake Temiscouata, and Degelé. The march
of the detachment from Rivière du Loup to the two latter places
by the Grand Portage, a dreary pass of thirty-six miles through a
dense forest, across an uninhabited country, by a road in the worst
possible order, consequent on the breaking up of a Canadian winter,
with mud and water frequently up to the knees, proved very trying
to soldiers just arrived from a tropical climate, and having been
fifty-six days on board of ship. The remainder of the regiment
proceeded up the river Saint Lawrence to Sorel, leaving the light
company at Three Rivers. On the third of June Lieut.-Colonel
William H. Eden arrived with a strong detachment from the depôt
companies, and assumed the command of the regiment.
[Illustration: FIFTY-SIXTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.]
On the 27th of November, the light company, mustering one hundred
men, marched for the Madawaska settlement, under Lieut.-Colonel Wm.
H. Eden, in consequence of the Americans having offered insults to
the warden and magistrates there, and intimated a design to take
forcible possession of that part of the country. After traversing
two hundred miles of bleak country, covered with snow, in cars,
sleighs, &c., the thermometer varying from zero to twenty below,
the company arrived at its destination without a casualty.
[Sidenote: 1841]
The head-quarters were removed to Chambly, in June, 1841, and
in August, the detachments from the disputed territory, having
been relieved by the Sixty-eighth light infantry, arrived at
head-quarters[8].
[Sidenote: 1842]
The period having arrived for the return of the regiment to the
United Kingdom, its strength was reduced to three hundred and
thirty-three men, by volunteers to remain in the country and to
join other corps. In the beginning of July 1842 it proceeded to
Quebec, where it embarked in Her Majesty’s troop-ship Resistance,
and after an extraordinarily quick passage of seventeen days,
arrived at Cork on the 22nd of July. It was joined by the depôt
companies on the 3rd of August. In the autumn the regiment
proceeded to Birr, with detachments to Kilkenny, Banagher, Carlow,
and Shannon-bridge.
On the 17th of November, Lieut.-General Sir Hudson Lowe was removed
to the Fiftieth Regiment, and the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH was
conferred on Lieut.-General the Earl of Westmorland.
[Sidenote: 1843]
In March, 1843, the several detachments were ordered to head
quarters at Birr; but the regiment had been collected little more
than a week, when it was again found necessary to detach four
companies to Cashel, Tipperary, Bansha, and Dungarvon. In April,
the head-quarters marched to Fermoy, and from thence to Cork, where
the regiment was concentrated, in expectation of being removed
to England. The public service, however, required that it should
remain in Ireland, and it has since furnished detachments to
Ballincollig, Bandon, Buttevant, Mallow, Dummanway, Skibbereen,
Millstreet, &c., in order to be in readiness to aid the civil
power, if its services should be required, in consequence of
meetings of large masses of the people, to agitate the repeal of
the union between Great Britain and Ireland.
At the close of 1843, to which this Record is brought, the
head-quarters were at Cork, with four companies, under the command
of Major Norman, detached to Clonmel, and one company at Millstreet.
[Sidenote: 1844]
The FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment is distinguished for its career of
valuable service to the crown and kingdom; and it was conspicuous
for its pre-eminent efficiency in point of numbers and discipline
during the war from 1803 to 1815, during which period it was
augmented to three battalions, which were all employed on foreign
service. It was a favourite corps in England, particularly in the
county of Surrey; and although many men were lost by casualties
abroad, yet its effectives generally amounted to two thousand rank
and file. Its gallantry in the field, and its conduct on colonial
service, and in the United Kingdom, have enhanced the value of this
corps in the estimation of the government and country.
1844.
NOTE. _In producing the foregoing details of the services of the
FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, the compiler of the Records of Regiments
deems it incumbent to acknowledge the very able assistance he has
received from Lieut.-Colonel Eden, and from Captain T. Johnes
Smith, who have been most anxious to collect and arrange whatever
circumstances they have considered would do justice, and reflect
honor on the Regiment to which they belong_.
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF
THE FIFTY-SIXTH REGIMENT
OF
FOOT.
LORD CHARLES MANNERS.
_Appointed 26th December, 1755._
LORD CHARLES MANNERS, ninth son of John, second Duke of Rutland,
was many years an officer in the Third Regiment of Foot Guards,
in which corps he was promoted to the rank of captain and
lieutenant-colonel, on the 27th of May, 1745. On the breaking out
of the seven years’ war, he was commissioned to raise, form, and
discipline a regiment of foot, now the FIFTY-SIXTH, of which he was
appointed colonel in December, 1755. In 1759 he was promoted to the
rank of major-general. He died on the 5th of December, 1761.
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM KEPPEL.
_Appointed 17th December, 1761._
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM KEPPEL, fourth son of William-Anne, second
Earl of Albemarle, was gentleman of the horse to His Majesty King
George II.; and was nominated captain and lieutenant-colonel in
the First Regiment of Foot Guards, on the 28th of April, 1751;
in July, 1760, he was promoted to second major, with the rank of
colonel. On the 17th of December, 1761, His Majesty appointed him
to the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, with which corps he
embarked with the expedition against the Havannah, in the island of
Cuba, with the local rank of major-general. He commanded the troops
which besieged the fort of Moro, which was captured by storm on
the 30th of July, 1762; and his own regiment having evinced signal
gallantry on this service, he afterwards obtained the King’s
permission for it to bear the word “Moro” on its colours. On the
day after the capitulation of the Havannah, he took possession
of the fort La Punta; and he was subsequently left in command of
the garrison of that city, which he restored to the Spaniards in
July, 1763, according to the articles of peace concluded a few
months before. In 1765 he was removed to the Fourteenth Foot; in
1772 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general; and in
December, 1773, he was nominated commander-in-chief in Ireland; in
October, 1775, he was appointed colonel of the Twelfth Dragoons. He
was representative in parliament for the borough of Windsor. His
decease occurred in March, 1782.
JAMES DURAND.
_Appointed 13th June, 1765._
This officer served many years in the First Regiment of
Foot Guards, in which corps he was appointed captain and
lieutenant-colonel, in 1748, and was advanced to the majority,
with the rank of colonel, in 1753. He obtained the rank of
major-general, in 1759, and the lieutenant-colonelcy of the First
Foot Guards in 1760. In the following year he was promoted to
the rank of lieutenant-general; and, in 1765, King George III.
conferred on him the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment. He died
in 1766.
HUNT WALSH.
_Appointed 22nd May, 1766._
After a progressive service in the subordinate commissions, this
officer was appointed major in the Twenty-eighth Foot, in August,
1753, and promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment on
the 2nd of February, 1757. He commanded the 28th in America during
the Seven years’ war, when that corps had the honor to serve at
the capture of Louisburg, in 1758; at the reduction of Quebec, in
1759, under Major-General Wolfe; and at the conquest of Canada, in
1760. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1762, and in 1766
his services were rewarded with the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH
Regiment. He attained the rank of major-general in 1772; that of
lieutenant-general in 1777; and of general in 1793. He died in 1795.
SAMUEL HULSE.
_Appointed 7th March, 1795._
This officer was appointed ensign in the First Foot Guards in
1761, and rose to the commission of captain and lieutenant-colonel
in 1776. In 1780 he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of
his regiment, and was employed in suppressing the riots in London
in that year. At the commencement of the French revolutionary
war he was called into active service, and commanded the first
battalion of his regiment in Flanders, in 1793. He served at the
siege of Valenciennes; and distinguished himself on the 18th of
August, in the action at Lincelles, for which he was thanked in
orders by the Duke of York. He shared in the operations before
Dunkirk, and in the subsequent movements until October, when he was
promoted to the rank of major-general, and returned to England.
In May of the following year he again proceeded to Flanders, and
commanded a brigade in several partial actions near Tournay, and
in the retreat to Holland. Returning to England early in 1795, he
was appointed colonel of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment, and placed on
the home staff, where he continued three years; in 1797 he was
removed to the Nineteenth Foot. On the 1st of January, 1798, he
was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general; and during the
troubles in Ireland, in the summer of that year, his services were
extended to that part of the kingdom; but he returned to England
in November, and resumed his command on the staff. He served in
Holland under His Royal Highness the Duke of York, in 1799, and was
at the several engagements from the 19th of September to the 6th of
October. On returning to England he was appointed to the command
of the southern district, in which he continued until the peace in
1802. He was advanced to the rank of general in 1803; appointed
lieutenant-governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in 1806, and
removed to the Sixty-second Foot in 1810.
He was one of the earliest servants placed by King George III. on
the establishment of the Prince of Wales; was many years His Royal
Highness’s treasurer and receiver-general; and on the accession of
the Prince to the throne, General Hulse was nominated treasurer of
the household, and governor of Chelsea Hospital. In 1821 he was
knighted. He was also appointed ranger of Windsor Home Park; a
privy councillor; and knight grand cross of the royal Hanoverian
Guelphic Order. On the accession of King William IV., General Hulse
was promoted to the rank of field-marshal by commission, dated the
22nd of July, 1830. He died at his apartments in Chelsea Hospital,
in 1837, at the advanced age of ninety years.
THE HONORABLE CHAPPLE NORTON.
_Appointed 24th January, 1797._
CHAPPLE NORTON, third son of Sir Fletcher Norton, who was many
years Speaker of the House of Commons, and afterwards created
Lord Grantley, entered the army in the reign of King George II.,
and was appointed captain in the Nineteenth Foot in June, 1763.
He served with his regiment at Gibraltar; and, in 1769, purchased
a majority in the First, the Royal Regiment of Foot, from which
he was promoted to captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Second
Foot Guards in 1774. He served with the brigade of Foot Guards in
North America, and took part in most of the principal occurrences.
He particularly distinguished himself in February, 1780, and
was thanked in orders in the following terms:--“His Excellency
Lieutenant-General Knyphausen desires his thanks may be given in
public orders to Lieutenant-Colonel Norton of the Guards, for
his good conduct and gallant behaviour in attacking and forcing
a considerable body of rebels, advantageously posted at Young’s
house, in the neighbourhood of White Plains.” In November following
he was promoted to the rank of colonel; and, in 1786, he obtained
a majority in his regiment; in 1787 he was advanced to the rank of
major-general; in 1797 to that of lieutenant-general, and at the
same time he received the colonelcy of the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment;
in 1802 he was promoted to the rank of general, and he was
afterwards appointed governor of Charlemont. He took great interest
in everything connected with his regiment: having considerable
influence in the county of Surrey, where the estates of his family
were situated, his corps received many recruits from that part of
the country; he represented Guildford in Parliament many years. He
was a generous and good man, and was honored with the favor of the
Duke of York. He died on the 19th of March, 1818, at Wonersh in
Surrey, the seat of Lord Grantley.
SIR JOHN MURRAY, BARONET.
_Appointed 31st March, 1818._
SIR JOHN MURRAY, a baronet of Nova Scotia, entered the army as
ensign in the Third Foot Guards in 1788, and rose to the rank
of lieutenant and captain in 1793. He served in Flanders as
aide-de-camp to Field-Marshal Freytag, and afterwards to His Royal
Highness the Duke of York; and was at the actions of St. Amand
and Famars, and the siege of Valenciennes; also at the siege of
Dunkirk, and the engagements at Maubege and near Cambresis. In the
spring of 1794 he was promoted to the rank of major, and a few
weeks afterwards to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Eighty-fourth
Regiment. He was present at the various actions near Tournay, in
the same year, and in the retreat to Holland. He afterwards served
under General Sir Alured Clarke, and was at the capture of the Cape
of Good Hope in September, 1795. In 1799 he commanded a body of
troops on the Red Sea; and, in 1800, he was promoted to the rank
of colonel. He performed the duties of quarter-master-general to
the troops which proceeded from India to Egypt under Major-General
Sir David Baird; and afterwards, returning to India, commanded
the Bombay division of the army which joined Major-General the
Honorable Arthur Wellesley, at Poonah, during the Mahratta war,
in 1803. He also commanded a body of troops during the subsequent
hostilities with Scindeah and Holkar. Having been promoted to the
rank of major-general in 1805, and returned to Europe, he served
on the staff of the eastern district, from December of that year
to April, 1808; and he subsequently commanded the King’s German
Legion in the expedition to the Baltic, &c., under Sir John Moore,
whom he accompanied to Portugal. Remaining in that country, he
served under Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, in the
operations against the French under Marshal Soult, and took a
conspicuous part in the expulsion of the French from Oporto. On
the 27th of May, 1809, he was appointed colonel of the Third West
India Regiment; and on the 1st of January, 1812, he was promoted to
the rank of lieutenant-general. Early in 1813 he took the command
of the Anglo-Sicilian army in the south of Spain, and was engaged
in operations to create a diversion in favour of the grand allied
army under Lord Wellington, and to prevent Marshal Suchet detaching
troops to Castille. His proceedings on this occasion did not
realize the expectations which had been entertained, and a general
court-martial, assembled after his return to England, found him
guilty of error of judgment. In 1818 he was appointed colonel of
the FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment; and, in 1825, promoted to the rank of
general. His honorary distinctions were those of knight grand cross
of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic order, and the first class of the
order of St. Januarius of Naples. He died in 1827.
MATTHEW, LORD AYLMER, K.C.B.
_Appointed 29th October, 1827._
Removed to the Eighteenth or the Royal Irish Regiment, in 1832.
SIR HUDSON LOWE, K.C.B.
_Appointed 23rd July, 1832._
Removed to the Fiftieth Regiment in 1842.
THE EARL OF WESTMORLAND, K.C.B. & G.C.H
_Appointed 17th November, 1842._
SUCCESSION OF LIEUTENANT-COLONELS
OF THE
FIFTY-SIXTH, OR WEST ESSEX, REGIMENT OF FOOT.
+-----------------------+--------------+-------------------------------+
| Names. | Dates of | Date of Removal, &c. |
| | Appointment. | |
+-----------------------+--------------+-------------------------------+
|Peter Parr |Dec. 26, 1755|{Removed to Fourth Foot, |
| | |{ June 30, 1760. |
|John Doyne |June 30, 1760|Retired February 20, 1762. |
|James Stewart. |Feb. 20, 1762|Died September 1, 1762. |
|Alexander Monypenny |Sep. 1, 1762|Retired October 3, 1776. |
|John Caulfield |Oct. 3, 1776|Retired November 6, 1778. |
|Henry Johnson |Nov. 6, 1778|{Removed to Seventeenth Foot |
| | |{ in 1778. |
|Peter Craig |Jan. 9, 1779|{Removed to Sixty-second Foot, |
| | |{ November 25, 1799. |
|William Earle Bulwer |Sep. 1, 1795|{Placed on half-pay, November |
| | |{ 18, 1795. |
|John Whitwell |Nov. 18, 1795|Died in 1796. |
|Thomas Picton |May 1, 1796|{Promoted to the colonelcy of |
| | |{ Seventy-seventh Foot, |
| | |{ October 15, 1811. |
|P. K. Skinner |Dec. 11, 1799|Removed July 25, 1814. |
|Samuel Keating |Aug. 1, 1804|{Promoted to Bourbon regiment, |
| | |{ March 5, 1812. |
|Fletcher Barclay |June 27, 1811|Retired April 26, 1831. |
|Boyle Travers |Jan. 2, 1812|Removed July 25, 1814. |
|Nigel Kingscote |Oct 17, 1811|{Placed on half-pay, December |
| | |{ 25, 1818. |
|J. Frederick Brown |March 5, 1812|{Exchanged to Twenty-eighth |
| | |{ Foot, May 9, 1816, with |
| | |{ Sir Charles Belson. |
|Henry Sullivan |July 1, 1813|{Placed on half-pay, on the |
| | |{ reduction of second |
| | |{ battalion, on September |
| | |{ 6, 1817. |
|John William Mallet |Nov. 6, 1813|{Placed on half-pay, December |
| | |{ 25, 1814, on the reduction. |
|Sir Charles P. Belson,}|May 9, 1816|{Placed on half-pay, on |
| K.C.B. }| |{ September 6, 1817, on the |
| | |{ reduction of second |
| | |{ battalion. |
|H. H. Prichard |April 26, 1831|Retired May 20, 1836. |
|G. M. Eden |May 20, 1836|{Removed to Scots Fusilier |
| | |{ Guards, on July 5, 1839. |
|Robert O’Hara |July 5, 1839|{Exchanged to the Eighty-eighth|
| | |{ on August 16, 1839, with |
| | |{ Lieut.-Colonel W. H. Eden. |
|William Hassel Eden |Aug. 16, 1839|At present in command. |
+-----------------------+--------------+-------------------------------+
SUCCESSION OF MAJORS
OF THE
FIFTY-SIXTH, OR WEST ESSEX, REGIMENT OF FOOT.
+---------------------+--------------+--------------------------------+
| NAMES. | Dates of | REMARKS. |
| | Appointment. | |
+---------------------+--------------+--------------------------------+
|John Doyne |Dec. 26, 1755|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel, |
| | |{ June 30, 1760. |
|James Stewart |June 30, 1760|{Promoted to Lieut.-Col., |
| | |{ February 20, 1762. |
|John Heighington |Feb. 20, 1762|Resigned September 9, 1762. |
|Alexander Milbanke |Sep. 9, 1762|Died November 4, 1762. |
|William Forbes |Nov. 4, 1762|{Removed to Thirty-fifth Foot, |
| | |{ October 31, 1762. |
|Thomas Johnston |Oct. 31, 1762|Resigned September 11, 1765. |
|Henry Pringle |Sep. 11, 1765|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel |
| | |{ Fifty-first Foot, August |
| | |{ 16, 1770. |
|John Caulfield |Aug. 16, 1770|{Promoted to Lieut.-Col., |
| | |{ October 3, 1776. |
|Bulleine Fancourt |Oct 3, 1776|Retired August 6, 1783. |
|Hon. Vere Poulett |Aug. 6, 1783|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel |
| | |{ Sixtieth Regiment, August |
| | |{ 31, 1793. |
|Patrick Tytler |Aug. 31, 1793|Retired October 8, 1794. |
|John Alexander |Oct. 8, 1794|Retired March 10, 1797. |
|James Barrington |Sep. 1, 1795|Resigned September 3, 1800. |
|Robert Douglas |March 10, 1797|{Promoted Lieut.-Colonel |
| | |{ Eighteenth Foot, July |
| | |{ 9, 1803. |
|Henry S. Keating |Sep. 3, 1800|{Promoted August 1, 1804, |
| | |{ by Augmentation. |
|Robert Owen |Aug. 27, 1803|{Placed upon half-pay, |
| | |{ February 21, 1805. |
|George Andrew |Aug. 1, 1804|{Exchanged to half-pay, |
| Armstrong | |{ January 5, 1805. |
|Robert O’Neill } |Aug. 2, 1804|{Exchanged to half-pay, |
| {Augmen- } | |{ June 23, 1808, with |
| {tation. } | |{ Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Walsh. |
|Fletcher Barclay } |Aug. 27, 1804|Promoted June 27, 1811. |
|William Brooke |Jan. 5, 1805|{Exchanged to Fifth Dragoon |
| | |{ Guards, July 25, 1805. |
|John McLeod |Feb. 21, 1805|{Promoted Lieut.-Colonel Ninth |
| | |{ Garrison Battalion, May |
| | |{ 5, 1808. |
|Henry R. Knight |July 25, 1805|Exchanged to half-pay, July |
| | |{ 17, 1806. |
|Boyle Travers |July 17, 1806|Promoted January 2, 1812. |
|Samuel Bayley |June 9, 1808|Died in 1810. |
|Thomas Walsh |June 23, 1808|Died in 1810. |
|John William Mallett |Aug. 29, 1810|Promoted November 6, 1813. |
|Sir Charles Wyndham }|Nov. 29, 1810|Retired July 26, 1821. |
| Burdett, Bart. }| | |
|Robert Grant |June 27, 1811|{Exchanged to Eighty-second |
| | |{ Foot, April 12, 1821. |
|Joseph Hanna |Jan. 2, 1812|Died in 1816. |
|William S. Forbes |Nov. 6, 1813|}Placed on half-pay on September|
|Henry Capadose |Oct. 17, 1816|} 6, 1817, on the disbandment |
| | |} of second battalion. |
|George Wroughton |April 12, 1821|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel |
| Montagu | |{ unattached, May 19, 1825. |
|John Gualey |July 26, 1821|Cancelled. |
|Howell Harris |July 26, 1821|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel, |
| Prichard | |{ April 26, 1831. |
|John Elliot Cairnes |May 26, 1825|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel |
| | |{ unattached, March 29, 1827. |
|John Peddie |March 29, 1827|{Promoted to Lieut.-Colonel |
| | |{ unattached, August 28, 1827. |
|William Gun |Aug. 28, 1827|Retired October 11, 1831. |
|William Mitchell |April 26, 1831|{Exchanged to half-pay, |
| | |{ June 13, 1834. |
|George Morton Eden |Oct. 11, 1831|{Promoted to Lt.-Colonelcy, |
| | |{ May 20, 1836. |
|John Wilson |June 13, 1834|Died at Jamaica, July 14, 1837. |
|Forrester Owen |May 20, 1836|Retired September 12, 1843. |
| Leighton | | |
|Peter Shadwell |July 15, 1837|} |
| Norman | |} Now serving. |
|Edmund Wm. Wilton |Sep. 12, 1843|} |
| Passy | |} |
+---------------------+--------------+--------------------------------+
LONDON:
HARRISON AND CO., PRINTERS,
ST. MARTIN’S LANE.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Afterwards General SIR DAVID DUNDAS, K.B., author of a valuable
work on the principles of military movements, which became the
basis of regulations for the field exercises of the British army.
[2] Strength of the garrison of Gibraltar, at the commencement of
the blockade, 21st June, 1779.
+----------------------------+--------+------+-------+-------+-------+
| BRITISH. |Officers|Staff.| Ser- | Drum- | Rank &|
| | | |jeants.| mers. | File.|
| +--------+------+-------+-------+-------+
|Royal Artillery | 25 | 0 | 17 | 15 | 428 |
|Royal Engineers | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 106 |
|12th Regiment | 26 | 3 | 29 | 22 | 519 |
|39th ” | 25 | 4 | 29 | 22 | 506 |
|56th ” | 23 | 4 | 30 | 22 | 506 |
|58th ” | 25 | 3 | 29 | 22 | 526 |
|72nd, or, Royal Manchester |} | | | | |
| Volunteers (disbanded 1783)|} 29 | 4 | 47 | 22 | 944 |
| | | | | | |
| HANOVERIANS. | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
|Hardenberg’s Regiment | 16 | 13 | 42 | 14 | 367 |
|Reden’s ” | 15 | 12 | 42 | 14 | 361 |
|De la Motte’s ” | 17 | 16 | 42 | 14 | 367 |
| +--------+------+-------+-------+-------+
| Total | 209 | 59 | 313 | 169 | 4,632 |
+----------------------------+--------+------+-------+-------+-------+
_Governor_, General GEORGE A. ELIOTT, afterwards LORD HEATHFIELD.
_Lieut.-Governor_, Lieut.-General R. Boyd.
_Commanding the Hanoverian Brigade_, Major-General De la Motte.
[3] The Duke of York’s despatch.
[4] These orders are printed in the Record of the Second or Queen’s
Royal Regiment of Foot, page 81.
[5] Lieut.-Colonel Keating’s despatch.
[6] Serjeant HASTY was afterwards discharged and appointed to
a situation in the service of the governor. He proved a man of
talent, and was selected to take charge of, and educate in the
English language, two of the princes of Ova, in Madagascar, where
Radam was king. He was afterwards nominated British Resident at
Madagascar; and on a visit to the Mauritius, he was received by a
guard of honour of his old corps, commanded by his former captain.
He died at Madagascar.
[7] Colonel Fletcher Barclay was appointed Ensign in the
FIFTY-SIXTH on the 30th of June, 1791, and served in the West
Indies, in Holland, and in the East Indies. In 1804, he was
promoted to the rank of Major, and in 1811, to Lieutenant-Colonel.
In 1831, he retired, after a diligent and faithful service of forty
years, having passed through the several grades, and attained the
rank of Colonel in the Army.
[8] While detachments of the regiment were in the disputed
territory, several desertions occurred, and in the beginning of
March, 1841, Lieutenant T. Johnes Smith evinced signal energy and
discretion in the apprehension of a deserter from the party under
his orders, who had taken refuge in the American Block Houses at
Fish River, for which he received the thanks of Major-General Sir
James Macdonell, commanding at Quebec.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE
The roman page numbering at the front of the book goes from iii to viii,
then from v to viii again; this has not been changed.
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.
Pg v: ‘1700 Returns to’ replaced by ‘1760 Returns to’.
Pg v: ‘Guadaloupe’ replaced by ‘Guadeloupe’.
Pg 24: ‘Guadaloupe’ replaced by ‘Guadeloupe’.
Pg 35: ‘tend to recal’ replaced by ‘tend to recall’.
Pg 57: ‘a d in 1766’ replaced by ‘and in 1766’.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Historical Record of the Fifty-sixth, or the West Essex Regiment of Foot : containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1755, and of its subsequent services to 1844." ***
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