NORTH AMERICA, 1812-1814.

The war in North America in the early years of the nineteenth century gave rise to much hard fighting, and though at the close of the campaign in the Iberian Peninsula we were enabled to send a number of our seasoned regiments as reinforcements, the operations were by no means creditable to our arms.

On the institution of the Land General Service Medal in 1847 (commonly called the Peninsular Medal), a certain number of engagements which had taken place in North America were included in the list of those for which the medal was granted, and clasps were issued for the following actions:

Fort Detroit, August, 1812.
Châteaugay, October 26, 1813.
Christler's Farm, November 11, 1813.

But in the distribution of battle honours the two last names were not authorized to be borne on the colours of the regiments engaged. In the case of Christler's Farm an application for permission to bear this honour on behalf of the 89th Regiment (now the 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers) met with a decided refusal. On the other hand, four battle honours were granted to regiments to commemorate engagements for which the medal was not issued—namely, Queenstown, Miami, Niagara, and Bladensburg.

Detroit

is borne only on the colours of the Welsh Regiment, and commemorates the services of the old 41st Regiment at the affair which took place in the vicinity of Fort Detroit, on August 16, 1812, when its casualties amounted to 1 officer and 3 men killed, 1 officer and 10 men wounded.

Queenstown

records the services of the Welsh Regiment and the Berkshires in the affair of October 26, 1813, in which their casualties were—

Regiments.Officers.Men.
K.W.K.W.
41st Welsh--218
49th Berkshire-2830

Miami

This, again, is an honour which was granted alone to the Welsh Regiment as a recognition of its services in the affair of April 23, 1813, when the casualties were 11 men killed, 1 officer and 38 men wounded.

Niagara

is borne on the colours and appointments of the

19th Hussars.
Royal Scots.
Royal Warwick.
Welsh Regiment.
King's Liverpool Regiment.
Royal Canadians.
Royal Irish Fusiliers.
South Lancashire.

In the London Gazette of July 25, 1814, the above regiments, as well as the 103rd Regiment, were authorized to add this battle honour to their other distinctions. In November, 1815, the 104th Regiment were also awarded the honour.[5] The casualties at this engagement were—

Losses at Niagara.

Regiments.Officers.Men.
K.W.K.W.
19th Hussars---2
Royal Artillery---15
Royal Scots1315112
8th King's Liverpool-31257
41st Welsh Regiment--334
89th R. Irish Fusiliers21127177
100th Royal Canadians----
103rd Regiment-1646
104th Regiment--15

Bladensburg, August 24, 1814.

This honour is borne on the colours of the following regiments:

King's Own (Royal Lancaster).
Royal Scots Fusiliers.
Essex.
Shropshire Light Infantry.

The campaign on the Canadian frontier had been waged with varying fortune: sometimes success attended our arms, at others we suffered considerable reverses. We were fighting, however, under many disadvantages. The bulk of our forces were employed in Spain, or in the abortive expedition to the Low Countries. The abdication of Napoleon, however, set free a portion of our troops, and a brigade was despatched, under the command of Major-General John Ross, from the South of France to North America. It consisted of the 4th (King's Own), the 41st (Welsh), and the 44th (Essex). On arrival at Bermuda it was met by the 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers), and by Admiral Cochrane, commanding the naval forces on the station. The Admiral had been in the habit whilst blockading the coast of landing at the mouth of the Potomac River, and making incursions into the country, accompanied only by a few Marines. He pointed out to the General the feasibility of an attack on Washington, the young capital of the United States. On August 15 the General, accompanied by the Admiral, landed and made a lengthy reconnaissance up the Patuxent River, which runs parallel to the Potomac, and a short distance to the east. The landing presented no difficulties, and on the 20th the whole of the brigade, having arrived, were disembarked without opposition at a place called Benedict, on the right bank of the Patuxent, only fifty miles from Washington. On the following day the force moved to Nottingham in three columns. The right, under Colonel Brooke, of the 44th, consisted of the 4th (King's Own) and the 44th (Essex); the centre, commanded by Colonel Patterson, of the 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers), comprised that corps and a strong naval brigade; whilst the left column, which was under Colonel Thornton, of the 85th (King's Light Infantry), was made up of that regiment and the light companies of the other three battalions, and was accompanied by the little artillery force, which consisted of but a couple of 3-pounders and a howitzer. On August 22 the brigade reached Marlborough, a small town sixteen miles from the capital, and here Ross learnt that a body of American troops, about 6,000 strong, was drawn up for the defence of Washington at Bladensburg, to the north of the city. Leaving some marines to guard his lines of communication at Marlborough, Ross pushed on, the left column, under his own personal command, leading, and on the morning of the 24th he found the enemy. The action was soon over, and by nightfall Ross entered Washington, having captured ten of the enemy's guns. Whether the subsequent burning of the Capitol was justified or not is a question that everyone will decide for himself. Suffice to say that public property to the extent of close on half a million sterling was destroyed, in addition to several ships on the stocks, and that we carried away 206 guns. Our losses were by no means heavy. In justice to the memory of the General, it should be put on record that a perfectly orderly entry into the city was effected, and that all firing had long since ceased when, as he and the Admiral were passing through the city, some shots were fired from a private house, and that by his orders that house was set on fire. The flames spread to neighbouring buildings, and before they could be stopped the Capitol was in flames.

The raid—for raid it was—was looked upon as a decided success, and Ross, who had succeeded in carrying off the greater part of the guns found in Washington, determined to carry out a similar raid on Baltimore. This, too, was successful, but it was achieved at the loss of the gallant General, who was one of the four officers who fell in the engagement outside Baltimore on September 12. The action of Bladensburg is commemorated not only on the colours of the four regiments which were present, but the family of the General were authorized by royal licence to add the word "Bladensburg" to their own name of Ross.

Casualties at Bladensburg.

Regiments.Officers.Men.
K.W.K.W.
Royal Artillery---6
R. Engineers--2-
4th King's Own172356
21st R. Scots Fusiliers-2211
44th Essex--1435
85th K. Shropshire L.I.2111253
Royal Marines--61
6th West India--1-

BATTLEFIELDS IN SOUTHERN INDIA

[CHAPTER V]

INDIA, 1751-1764

Arcot—Plassey—Condore—Masulipatam—Badara—Wandewash—Pondicherry—Buxar.