FOOTNOTES:
[6] Afterwards colonel of the twenty-seventh foot.
[7] Memoirs of Captain George Carleton. This officer was appointed lieutenant in the Fifteenth foot, from the Dutch service, in June, 1687. He was born at Ewelme in Oxfordshire, and was descended from an ancient and honorable family: Lord Dudley Carleton, who died Secretary of State to King Charles I., was his great-uncle; and in the same reign, his father was envoy in Spain, and his uncle ambassador in Holland. Several editions of his Memoirs have been printed.
[8] Carleton's Memoirs.
[9] London Gazette.
[10] Carleton's Memoirs.—From a defect of memory, Captain Carleton has placed the expedition to Inverlochy after the action at Cromdale.
[11] Cape Breton had been previously captured, in the year 1745, by the New England Militia, under the command of Colonel William Pepperell, assisted by a naval squadron under Commodore Warren. Mutual restitutions taking place by the conditions of the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Cape Breton was restored to France, in exchange for Madras, which had been taken by the French.
[12] In censuring the grenadiers for their rash conduct, Major-General Wolfe observed in orders, 'Amherst's (the Fifteenth) and the Highlanders (seventy-eighth), alone, by the soldier-like and cool manner in which they formed, would, undoubtedly, have beaten back the whole Canadian army, if the enemy had ventured to attack them.'
[13] General Sir Charles Grey's despatch.
[SUCCESSION OF COLONELS]
OF THE
FIFTEENTH, OR YORKSHIRE EAST RIDING
REGIMENT OF FOOT.
Sir William Clifton, Bart.
Appointed 22nd June, 1685.
William Clifton succeeded, on the decease of his uncle, in January, 1675, to the dignity of Baronet, of Clifton in Nottinghamshire. On the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, he evinced loyalty to King James II., and interested himself in raising a regiment for His Majesty's service, now the Fifteenth foot, of which he was appointed colonel, by commission dated the 22nd of June, 1685. When tranquillity was restored, he retired from the service, and was not afterwards employed in a military capacity.
Arthur Herbert.
Appointed 12th May, 1686.
Arthur Herbert (son of Sir Edward Herbert, attorney-general to King Charles I., and afterwards keeper of the great seal) was educated for the naval service, and after serving in subordinate commissions, he had the command of a squadron before Tangier; he afterwards was at the head of a fleet sent against Algiers, and obtained the reputation of an able naval commander. King James II. gave him the colonelcy of a corps of musketeers and pikemen, now the Fifteenth foot; but afterwards deprived him of his commission for opposition to the measures of the court. He proceeded to Holland, and was well received by the Prince of Orange, who nominated him Admiral of the Dutch fleet which accompanied His Highness to England in the autumn of 1688, when the revolution was accomplished. When the Prince and Princess of Orange were elevated to the throne, Admiral Herbert was raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Torbay and Earl of Torrington, his creation bearing date the 29th of May, 1689. He was also constituted first commissioner of the Admiralty, commander-in-chief of the fleet, and colonel of a regiment of marines, which was afterwards disbanded. He commanded the British shipping in a sharp engagement with the French, in Bantry-bay, in the summer of 1689; he also commanded the British fleet in the disastrous naval action off Beachy-head, in the summer of 1690; and was afterwards committed to the Tower on suspicion of treachery, in consequence of his not having brought the British fleet gallantly into action, which occasioned the Dutch shipping to sustain severe loss in contest with superior numbers. He was brought to trial before a court-martial, and acquitted; but he was removed from his appointments, and was not afterwards employed in the service of his sovereign. He died in April, 1716.
Sackville Tufton.
Appointed 12th March, 1687.
Sackville Tufton, brother of the Earl of Thanet, was several years an officer of the first foot guards, in which corps King Charles II. promoted him to the commission of captain of His Majesty's own company. He also served in the foot guards in the early part of the reign of King James II., who promoted him to the colonelcy of a corps of infantry, now the Fifteenth foot. At the revolution in 1688, he adhered to the interest of the Stuart dynasty, and refusing to take the oath to the Prince of Orange, he was superseded in the command of his regiment. He died in 1741.
Sir James Lesley.
Appointed 31st December, 1688.
This officer served with reputation in the Queen's regiment, now second foot, or the Queen's Royal, at Tangier in Africa, where he had opportunities of distinguishing himself against the Moors, and King Charles II. promoted him to the majority of his regiment. He served against the rebels under the Duke of Monmouth, in the summer of 1685; was at the battle of Sedgemoor; and was rewarded by King James II. with the lieut.-colonelcy of the Queen Dowager's regiment. Joining the interests of the Prince of Orange, at the Revolution, he was nominated colonel of the Fifteenth foot, with which corps he served against the insurgent clans in Scotland, and also under King William III., in Flanders. He commanded a brigade at the attack of Fort Kenoque in 1695; and was afterwards engaged in the defence of Dixmude, where he yielded to the suggestions of the governor, and voted, in a council of war, for the surrender of the town, for which he was cashiered, by sentence of a general court-martial. The governor, the Dutch General Ellemberg, was beheaded at Ghent.
Emanuel Howe.
Appointed 1st November, 1695.
Emanuel Howe, brother of Viscount Howe, of Ireland, served under King William III., in the Netherlands, in the first foot guards, in which corps he was advanced to captain and lieut.-colonel. In the autumn of 1695, His Majesty nominated Lieut.-Colonel Howe, to the colonelcy of the Fifteenth foot, with which corps he served during the remainder of the war. In the reign of Queen Anne he was employed in a diplomatic capacity, and was several years envoy extraordinary at the court of Hanover. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1707, and to that of lieut.-general in the beginning of 1709. He died on the 26th of September, 1709.
Algernon Earl of Hertford.
Appointed 23rd October, 1709.
Algernon Seymour, Earl of Hertford, eldest son of the Duke of Somerset, served with reputation under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough, in Flanders, and was at the battle of Oudenarde, and covering the siege of Lisle, in 1708. In 1709 he served at the siege of Tournay, the battle of Malplaquet, and the siege of Mons; and on the death of Lieut.-Gen. Howe, he was nominated to the colonelcy of the Fifteenth foot, at the head of which regiment he served in Flanders during the campaigns of 1710, 1711, and 1712; and he was appointed governor of Tynemouth castle, and Clifford-fort. On the accession of King George I., the Earl of Hertford was appointed to the second troop, now second regiment, of life guards; in 1737 he was nominated governor of Minorca and was removed in 1740 to the royal regiment of horse guards (blue); in 1742 he resigned the government of Minorca, and was appointed governor of Guernsey. In 1748 he succeeded to the dignity of Duke of Somerset. His decease occurred in February, 1750.
Harry Harrison.
Appointed 8th February, 1715.
This officer entered the army as ensign in a regiment of foot, on the 22nd of February, 1695, and served two campaigns in Flanders under King William III. He also served with reputation in the wars of Queen Anne, and was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the thirty-ninth foot, with which corps he embarked for Portugal in 1707. He served the campaign of 1708, on the frontiers of Portugal, under the Marquis of Fronteira; and in 1709, evinced signal gallantry at the battle of the Caya. He served in Portugal during the remainder of the war; was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1711; and at the peace of Utrecht, accompanied his regiment to Minorca. In 1715, King George I. rewarded his services with the colonelcy of the Fifteenth foot, with which regiment he served in the action at Glensheil in 1719. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1735, to that of major-general in 1739, and lieut.-general in 1748. He died in March, 1749.
John Jordan.
Appointed 15th April, 1749.
John Jordan procured a commission in the army in December, 1704, and served in the war of the Spanish succession. In 1739 he was appointed major, and in 1741 lieut.-colonel of the tenth dragoons; and his constant attention to all the duties of his station was rewarded, in 1749, with the colonelcy of the Fifteenth foot. In April, 1756, he was removed to the ninth dragoons. He died in the following month.
Jeffery Amherst.
Appointed 22nd May, 1756.
Jeffery Amherst attached himself in early life to the profession of arms, and in 1745 he was appointed captain and lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards. In 1756 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Fifteenth foot; and in 1758 he was nominated commander-in-chief in North America (with the local rank of lieut.-general), and colonel-in-chief of the sixtieth regiment: in the following year he was promoted to the rank of major-general.
The achievements of the British forces in North America, during the period he was commander-in-chief in that country, are inscribed on an obelisk in the grounds of his seat at Montreal, viz:—
Louisbourg surrendered, and six battalions made prisoners of war, July the 26th, 1758.
Fort du Quesne taken possession of, 24th November, 1758.
Niagara surrendered, 25th July, 1759.
Ticonderago taken possession of, 26th July, 1759.
Crown Point taken possession of, 4th August, 1759.
Quebec capitulated, 18th September, 1759.
Fort Levi surrendered, 25th August, 1760.
Isle aux Noix abandoned, 28th August, 1760.
Montreal surrendered, and with it all Canada, and ten French battalions laid down their arms, 8th September, 1760.
St. John's, Newfoundland, re-taken, the 18th of September, 1762.
In 1768 Sir Jeffery Amherst resigned his commissions; but was soon afterwards appointed colonel of the third regiment of foot, and also re-appointed colonel-in-chief of the sixtieth, or royal American regiment of foot. He was advanced to the peerage by the title of Baron Amherst of Holmesdale, in the county of Kent, in 1776; and three years afterwards the colonelcy of the second troop of horse grenadier guards was given to his lordship. On the decease of Lord Robert Bertie, in 1782, Lord Amherst was appointed colonel of the second troop of life guards, which, in 1788, was formed into the second regiment of life guards. His Lordship retained the commission of colonel of the second life guards, and performed the court duty of Gold Stick until his decease in 1797.
Charles Hotham.
Appointed 21st September, 1768.
Charles Hotham, son of Sir Beaumont Hotham, Baronet, was many years an officer in the first foot guards, in which corps he was promoted to the rank of captain and lieutenant-colonel in May, 1758, and in 1762 he obtained the rank of colonel in the army: he also held the court appointment of groom of the bedchamber to King George III., who nominated him to the colonelcy of the sixty-third regiment in 1765, and removed him to the Fifteenth foot in 1768. On the decease of his father, in 1771, he succeeded to the dignity of Baronet; and his relation, Mr. Thompson, a wealthy merchant, having left him a valuable legacy, he obtained His Majesty's permission to assume the surname of Thompson. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1772; to that of lieut.-general in 1777; and general in 1793; he was also honored with the dignity of Knight of the Order of the Bath. He resigned the colonelcy of his regiment in 1775; he also relinquished his court appointment of groom of the bedchamber to His Majesty, but the King kept the situation vacant until his decease in 1794.
Richard Earl of Cavan.
Appointed 7th September, 1775.
Richard Lambart, son of the Honorable Henry Lambart, third son of Charles third Earl of Cavan, served in the army in the war of the Austrian succession, and in June, 1756, he was promoted to captain and lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards. He was advanced to the rank of colonel in 1762, and to that of major-general in 1772; he succeeded to the dignity of Earl of Cavan in the same year. In 1774 he was appointed colonel of the fifty-fifth regiment; and was removed to the Fifteenth in the following year: in 1777 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general. He died in November, 1778.
Sir William Fawcett, K.B.
Appointed 12th November, 1778.
William Fawcett, descended from the ancient family of Fawcetts, of Shipden Hall, near Halifax, having, from his early youth, a strong predilection for a military life, his friends procured him an ensign's commission in General Oglethorp's regiment, which was stationed in Georgia; but a British force having been sent to Flanders in 1742, he resigned his commission, proceeded to the continent, and, serving as a volunteer, was at the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy, where his gallantry attracted admiration; and he was appointed ensign in a regiment raised by Colonel Johnstone, with which he served until the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, when it was disbanded.
Being now unemployed, he engaged in the service of a mercantile establishment in the city of London; but finding his propensity to a military life invincible, he subsequently purchased an ensign's commission in the foot guards, and, by a strict attention to his duties, procured the favour of his Royal Highness William Duke of Cumberland, who gave him the adjutancy of the second battalion of the third foot guards, which he held together with a lieutenantcy, which gave him the rank of captain. Neglecting no opportunity of qualifying himself for the highest posts in his profession, he studied the German and French languages, acquired a knowledge of Prussian and French tactics; and in 1757 published a translation of the 'Memoirs upon the Art of War, by Marshal Count de Saxe,' and 'The Regulations for Prussian Cavalry;' and, in 1759, 'Regulations for the Prussian Infantry,' and 'The Prussian Tactics.' These works met with great attention, and a new edition in 1760 was also well received.
In the early part of the Seven Years' War, Captain Fawcett served in Germany as aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-General Grenville Elliott, where he acquired increased knowledge of the military art; and his ardour, intrepidity, and attention to the duties of his situation, were such, that on the decease of Lieutenant-General Grenville Elliott, Captain Fawcett was recommended for the appointment of aide-de-camp to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and he had also the offer of the same appointment to the Marquis of Granby; he chose the latter, and was sent to England with the despatches which gave the account of the victory at Warbourg; on which occasion, King George II. was highly gratified at having the particulars of this engagement related to him in the German language by Captain Fawcett. He was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the army on the 25th of November, 1760; and, continuing to serve in Germany, was appointed military secretary to the Marquis of Granby. It is recorded that, in Lieutenant-Colonel Fawcett's character, strength and softness were happily blended together, and to coolness, intrepidity, and extensive military knowledge, he added all the requisite talents of a man of business, and the most persevering assiduity. He was highly esteemed by every officer on the staff of the army, and was the intimate and confidential friend of the Marquis of Granby. He remained on service until the peace in 1763, when he returned to England; and his knowledge of the German language, with the information he possessed from his late office, was the occasion of his being employed by King George III. as commissary to settle the claims made by the Allies against Great Britain for the expenses of the war.
In November, 1767, he obtained a company in the third foot guards; and in 1772 he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and nominated deputy adjutant-general of the forces.
At the commencement of the American war, Colonel Fawcett was sent to Germany, to negotiate with the states of Hesse, Hanover, and Brunswick, for a body of troops to serve in British pay. In 1776 he was appointed governor of Gravesend and Tilbury-fort; was promoted to major-general in 1777, and nominated colonel of the Fifteenth foot in 1778: in 1781 he was constituted adjutant-general of the forces. The rank of lieut.-general was conferred upon this valuable servant of the crown in 1782; in 1786 His Majesty honored him with the riband of the Order of the Bath, and in 1792, gave him the colonelcy of the third, or Prince of Wales's, dragoon guards.
In May, 1796, Sir William Fawcett received the rank of general, and was appointed governor of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, in July following. The duties of adjutant-general requiring greater exertions than his health would admit of, he obtained the King's permission to resign, and on retiring from office His Majesty honored him with distinguished marks of his royal favour and approbation. In 1799 Sir William Fawcett was appointed general on the staff, and performed the duties of commander-in-chief during the absence of the Duke of York on the continent.
He died in March, 1804, and his funeral was honored with the presence of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, their Royal Highnesses the Dukes of York, Clarence, Kent, and Cambridge, and of many noblemen and general officers.
James Hamilton.
Appointed 22nd August, 1792.
This officer served with reputation in the reign of King George II., and in 1761 he took an active part in raising the 113th regiment, or Royal Highlanders, of which corps he was appointed major-commandant. At the peace in 1763 his corps was disbanded, and he was placed on half-pay; he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-colonel in May, 1772, and appointed to the twenty-first regiment, or Royal North British Fusiliers, in March, 1774. He served with reputation in the American war; was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1780; to that of major-general in 1787; appointed colonel of the Fifteenth regiment in 1792, and removed to the twenty-first in 1794. He obtained the rank of lieut.-general in 1797, and that of general in 1802. His decease occurred in 1803.
Henry Watson Powell.
Appointed 20th June, 1794.
At the augmentation of the army in 1756, this officer was appointed captain of a company in the second battalion of the eleventh foot, which battalion was numbered the sixty-fourth regiment in 1758. In 1770 he obtained the majority of the thirty-eighth, and in 1771 the lieut.-colonelcy of the fifty-third, at the head of which corps he served in the American war. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1779, and to that of major-general in 1782; in 1792 he obtained the colonelcy of the sixty-ninth regiment, from which he was removed in 1794 to the Fifteenth foot. In 1796 he obtained the rank of lieut.-general, and that of general in 1801. He died in 1814.
Sir Moore Disney, K.C.B.
Appointed 23rd July, 1814.
This officer commenced his career in the army, as an ensign in the grenadier guards, on the 17th April, 1783, and served with them to the close of the American war. He was promoted lieutenant and captain on the 3rd June, 1791, and from the end of 1793 till the return of the army in May, 1795, he served under his Royal Highness the Duke of York in Flanders, being present at the different actions between those periods. On the 12th June, 1795, he succeeded to a company, with the rank of lieut.-colonel; on the 29th April, 1802, was appointed colonel by brevet; and brigadier-general on the Home Staff in December, 1805. In July, 1806, he commanded a battalion of the foot guards in Sicily; in August, 1807, was appointed brigadier-general in Sicily; and in 1808 joined the army in Spain under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore, where he commanded a brigade in the reserve, and was present at the battle of Corunna, for which he obtained a medal. He commanded the first brigade of foot guards on the Walcheren expedition in July, 1809, and on the 25th October following was promoted to the rank of major-general. In 1810 he was ordered to Cadiz as second in command, and in the succeeding year was appointed to the command there. On the 4th June, 1814, he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general, and on the 23rd July of that year His Majesty King George III. conferred on him the colonelcy of the Fifteenth regiment; and on the 7th April, 1815, he was nominated a Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath. He was promoted to the rank of general on the 10th January, 1837, and died on the 19th April, 1846.
General Sir Phineas Riall, K.C.H.
Appointed 24th April, 1846.
(From the seventy-fourth, Highland regiment.)