Historical Record of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685; with Its Subsequent Services to 1838

by Richard Cannon

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S
REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

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Charles Earl of Shrewsbury,

Appointed 29th of July, 1685.

Charles Talbot succeeded, when in the seventh year of his age, to the title of Earl of Shrewsbury, on the decease of his father who died on the 16th of March, 1667, of a wound received in a duel with the Duke of Buckingham. In 1681 he was appointed lord-lieutenant of the county of Stafford; and having previously devoted much time to the consideration of the doctrines of Christianity, on the discovery of the Popish plot he abjured the tenets of the church of Rome. He, however, continued steadfast in his loyalty even to a Popish sovereign, and on the breaking out of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth in June, 1685, he raised a troop of horse for the service of King James II, and in the following month he was appointed colonel of the regiment which now bears the title of Fifth Dragoon Guards. He soon afterwards discovered that the arbitrary measures of the court were directed to the subversion of the Protestant religion, of which he was become a determined supporter; and having resigned his commission and mortgaged his estate for forty thousand pounds, he proceeded to Holland and made an offer of his sword and purse to the Prince of Orange, provided His Highness would attempt to deliver England from the power of the papists. From this period, until the revolution in 1688, his active mind was engaged in the glorious and patriotic labour of devising plans for the good of his native country, and he was one of the nobles in whom the Prince of Orange placed the greatest confidence, and by whose advice he was principally guided.

When William and Mary were elevated to the throne, the Earl of Shrewsbury was sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed principal Secretary of State; and in April, 1694, he was elected a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and created Marquis of Alton and Duke of Shrewsbury. After devoting himself to the service of his king and country in the important office of principal Secretary of State, for a period of ten years, he sustained a serious injury in the breast, from an unlucky fall of his horse while hunting, which rendered him incapable of attending so closely to business as his office required, and he resigned the seals as Secretary of State, but was shortly afterwards appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Household. This office he resigned in 1700, in order to proceed to a warmer climate, and he resided for a short period at Montpellier in France. After the decease of the King of Spain and the accession of the Duke of Anjou to the throne of that kingdom, he quitted France and proceeded to Geneva, and subsequently crossed the Alps into Italy. After his return to England he was reappointed by Queen Anne to the office of Lord Chamberlain, and in 1712 he was appointed ambassador to the French court to finish the negociations for peace. In 1713 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; and in the reign of George I. he was a member of the Privy Council and Lord Chamberlain of the Household. He was one of the most accomplished gentlemen of the age in which he lived; was remarkably handsome in person, had an admirable address, was just in his dealings, and distinguished for gallantry among the ladies; but was studious and reserved as a public character. He died at Isleworth on the 1st of February, 1718.

Marmaduke Lord Langdale,

Appointed 22d January, 1687.

This nobleman was the son of Sir Marmaduke Langdale of Holme, in Spaldingmore, Yorkshire, who, when the rebellion broke out in the reign of Charles I., raised at his own charge three companies of foot and a troop of horse for the king's service, with which force he defeated a party of Scots at Corbridge in Northumberland. Having been appointed to the command of a body of troops sent by the King from Oxford into Lincolnshire, he defeated Colonel Rosseter; then marching against Fairfax, put him to flight and relieved Pontefract Castle. He subsequently took Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the castle of Carlisle, but being involved in the defeat of the Duke of Hamilton, he was taken prisoner at Preston. Having escaped from confinement he fled to the continent, and in February, 1658, he was elevated to the peerage by the title of Baron Langdale of Holme, in Spaldingmore, Yorkshire.

Marmaduke, second Lord Langdale, imbibed from his father strict principles of loyalty and attachment to the crown, and being known to be a faithful adherent to the house of Stuart, he was considered a suitable person to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, at the critical period when the proceedings of the court had alarmed the nation, and commotions were expected to follow; but he was soon afterwards relieved from that charge by an officer of more experience in military affairs, and appointed to the important trust of Governor of Hull. This place he held in the interest of James II. at the Revolution in 1688; but he was surprised and made prisoner by Colonel Copeley, and a party of men who had taken arms and declared for the Prince of Orange. His lordship was not afterwards employed in any public capacity; and he died in 1703.

Richard Hamilton,

Appointed 15th February, 1687.

Richard Hamilton was many years in the service of Louis XIV. of France, during the period that monarch was permitted, by King Charles II., to employ an English regiment of horse and one English and one Scots brigade of foot in his service. While engaged in the French wars he acquired the character of a gallant and enterprising officer; and he quitted the service of Louis XIV. when Charles II. demanded the return of his subjects from France in 1678. On the breaking out of Monmouth's rebellion he raised a troop of dragoons for the service of King James II., and was afterwards appointed colonel of one of the regiments of dragoons embodied at that period. After the suppression of the rebellion he was sent with his regiment to Ireland, and being a Papist and an officer of experience, he assisted Tyrconnel in remodelling the Irish army, by dismissing the Protestants and replacing them with Papists. His fame as an officer, and his zeal for his religion, occasioned him to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers; but the remodelling of the English army was not completed when the Revolution took place, and the Roman Catholic officers and soldiers were placed in confinement. At this period Earl Tyrconnel had given out new commissions for levying thirty thousand men in Ireland, and reports were spread that a general massacre of the Protestants would take place; Richard Hamilton, though a Papist, was believed to be a man of honour, and he was known to have great influence with Tyrconnel, and also with the Irish Papists of all ranks, and having promised either to induce the Lord Lieutenant to resign the government, or to return and give an account of the negotiation, he was released from confinement and sent to Ireland; but on his arrival at Dublin he violated his engagement, and persuaded Tyrconnel to hold Ireland in the interest of King James. This breach of trust was rewarded with the rank of lieutenant-general, and an important post in the Irish army; but he did not long enjoy his new honours,—having been wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of the Boyne. Immediately after he was made prisoner, he was brought into the presence of King William, who put some questions to him respecting the Irish army, which he answered in the affirmative, and added the words upon my honour: the King repeated the words your honour! and turned from him, which was all the rebuke His Majesty gave him for his faithless conduct. He remained a prisoner until the termination of the war in Ireland, when he was exchanged for Lord Mountjoy, and proceeding to France, he appears to have passed the remainder of his life in that country.

John Coy,

Appointed 31st December, 1688.

This officer served a short time with the French army in the reign of Louis XIV., and afterwards commanded a troop in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of horse, which regiment was disbanded in 1678. In 1680 he raised a troop of horse for service at Tangier in Africa; this fortress being besieged by the forces of the Emperor of Morocco, he proceeded to that country immediately, and distinguished himself in action with the Moors. In 1683 his troop of horse was constituted Royal Dragoons; with which corps he continued to serve, and was engaged at the battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. In 1686 he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of Shrewsbury's Cuirassiers: and at the Revolution in 1688 he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the regiment; with which he served with distinction in Ireland and Flanders. Having become infirm from age and long service, he obtained the King's permission to dispose of his commission, in 1697, to the Earl of Arran; and from this period he led a retired life until his decease.

Charles Earl of Arran,

Appointed 1st July, 1697.

This nobleman descended from the illustrious family of Butler, so renowned in the past ages for the many valiant, and loyal persons it has produced. He was the second son of Thomas Butler Earl of Ossory, (a nobleman distinguished for deeds of valour, loyalty to his sovereign, and the mild and social virtues which rendered him an ornament to society,) and grandson of the celebrated James, first Duke of Ormond. Having served under King William III. in Ireland and Flanders, where he evinced the same martial spirit and private virtues which had adorned his ancestors, he was elevated to the peerage of Ireland in January, 1693, by the titles of Baron of Cloghgrenan in the Queen's county, Viscount of Tullo in the county of Cutherlough, and Earl of the islands of Arran in the county of Galway; he was also, at the same time, created an English peer by the title of Lord Butler, of Weston, in the county of Huntingdon. On the 16th of February, 1694, he was promoted to the colonelcy of a newly raised regiment of horse (which was disbanded at the peace of Ryswick), and in the summer of 1697 he purchased the colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards. In March, 1703, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of gold stick in waiting to Queen Anne; in 1712 Her Majesty constituted him Master-General of the Ordnance in Ireland; and in the following year appointed him Governor of Dover Castle, and Deputy Warden of the Cinque Ports. Soon after the accession of King George I. his Lordship was elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford. After the impeachment of his brother, James, second Duke of Ormond, for high treason, the Earl of Arran quitted the army. In February, 1716, he was constituted Lord High Steward of Westminster: and in 1721 he was permitted, by an Act of Parliament, to purchase his brother's forfeited estates. He died on the 17th of December, 1758, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.

William Cadogan,

Appointed 2d March, 1703.

William Cadogan descended from a family of great honour and antiquity in Wales; and having embraced the profession of arms, he distinguished himself under King William III. in Ireland and Flanders, and was appointed major of the Inniskilling Dragoons. On the breaking out of hostilities in 1701, his great merit and abilities, which had become conspicuous in the preceding war, occasioned him to be promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and appointed (1st June, 1701) quartermaster-general of the troops sent to Holland. He eminently distinguished himself under the great Duke of Marlborough, whose confidence and esteem he possessed in a high degree, and was promoted, in 1703, from the Inniskilling Dragoons to the colonelcy of the Sixth Horse. Advancing with the army into Germany he signalized himself at the battle of Schellenberg, on the 2d of July, 1704, where he had several shots through his clothes, and was wounded in the thigh. At the battle of Blenheim he evinced that undaunted bravery and greatness of soul with which he was signally endowed, and was promoted immediately afterwards to the rank of brigadier-general. In the following year he again signalized himself at the forcing of the French lines, where his regiment defeated the Bavarian Guards and took four standards; and in the memorable battle of Ramilies, fought on the 23d of May, 1706, he acquired new honour, and was despatched shortly after the action with a body of troops to summon Antwerp, which fortress surrendered to him in a few days. On the 16th of August he commanded a body of troops employed in covering a foraging party near Tournay, and advancing with his characteristic boldness too near the town, he was surprised by a party of the enemy and made prisoner; he was, however, released on his parole three days afterwards, and was subsequently exchanged for Baron Palavicini. In January, 1707, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and he was afterwards appointed minister plenipotentiary to the government of the Spanish Netherlands, in which employment he evinced the most admirable dexterity in business, and a peculiar aptitude in conducting negotiations. He commanded the van of the army in the movements which preceded and led to the battle of Oudenarde in 1708, and on this occasion his peculiar merits again shone forth; also in the part which he took in covering the siege of Lisle, in the action at Wynendale, and in forcing the passage of the Scheldt; and on the 1st of January, 1709, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. On the day preceding the battle of Malplaquet he was sent to confer with the French commander, and when near the enemy's position he indicated to a colonel of artillery, by dropping his glove, the spot where a battery was to be placed on the following morning, which proved of great importance. During the siege of Mons he went voluntarily into the trenches to encourage the soldiers in the attack of a ravelin, when his aide-de-camp was killed at his side, and he was dangerously wounded in the neck. Every additional campaign added new lustre to his rising reputation, and in that sublime display of military talent by which the French lines were forced in the summer of 1711, and Bouchain captured, he performed a distinguished part, as detailed in the Historical Record of the Fifth Dragoon Guards. When political events occasioned the removal of the Duke of Marlborough from all his appointments dependent on the crown, Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who had shared with this illustrious commander in his toils, dangers, and triumphs, and who, like him, was stedfast in his devotion to the Protestant interest, and to the succession of the house of Hanover, was removed from his appointments of quartermaster-general and governor of the Tower, and called upon to dispose of his regiment for three thousand pounds to General Kellum. He was soon afterwards gratified by witnessing the accession of King George I., by whom he was appointed Colonel of the Second Foot Guards, Master of the Robes, and envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the States General of Holland, in which capacity he conducted negotiations of great importance, and displayed those gifts of nature with which his mind was adorned; and while thus employed he was appointed Governor of the Isle of Wight. On the breaking out of the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, he changed the labours of the cabinet for those of the field, and in the depth of winter, in the midst of the most piercing frosts and snow, he evinced unshaken perseverance in extinguishing the flame of rebellion in Scotland, and was made a Knight of the most ancient order of the Thistle. On the 30th of June, 1716, he was elevated to the peerage by the title of Lord Cadogan, Baron of Reading. In the autumn of the same year he was again sent as plenipotentiary to the States of Holland; on his return in 1717 he was sworn of the Privy Council, and afterwards promoted to the rank of general; and in May, 1718, he was created Baron of Oakley, Viscount of Caversham, and Earl Cadogan. He was subsequently employed in negotiations of an important character with the house of Austria, Court of Spain, and States of Holland; and on the decease of the Duke of Marlborough in 1722, he was appointed General Commanding-in-Chief of the army. This distinguished nobleman died on the 17th of July, 1726, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

George Kellum,

Appointed 22d December, 1712.

George Kellum obtained the commission of cornet in the Earl of Shrewsbury's regiment of horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, when that corps was embodied in 1685, and he served in Ireland and the Netherlands, under King William III. Having been promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, he commanded the regiment in the wars of Queen Anne, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army in 1703. In the following year he distinguished himself at the battle of Schellenberg, and led the regiment to the charge with signal gallantry at the glorious battle of Blenheim. At the forcing of the French lines in 1705, he acquired additional laurels; and at the memorable battle of Ramilies, the squadrons under his orders were again victorious. In 1707 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general; in 1708 he commanded a brigade at the battle of Oudenarde; and in 1709 at that of Malplaquet; in 1710 he was promoted to the rank of major-general; and in 1712 to that of lieutenant-general; and in the same year he purchased the colonelcy of the regiment in which he had served so many years: he was, however, removed in 1717, and died on the 27th of December, 1732.

Robert Napier,

Appointed 27th May, 1717.

This officer was appointed cornet in the Sixth Horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, in January, 1692, and served with the regiment in the Netherlands until the peace of Ryswick. In 1702 he was promoted to the majority, and while serving with his regiment in Germany he was severely wounded at the battle of Schellenberg. In 1705 he was with his regiment at the forcing of the French lines, and in 1706 he was at Ramilies, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army a few days after the battle. He continued to serve at the theatre of war; was appointed brigadier-general in 1711; and obtained the colonelcy of the regiment in 1717. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1727; and to that of lieutenant-general in 1735: and died on the 10th of November, 1739.

Clement Neville,

Appointed 6th May, 1740.

Clement Neville entered the army at the Revolution; his first commission being dated the 6th of December, 1688, and after serving with distinction in the wars of King William and Queen Anne, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army at the close of the campaign of 1711. On the 9th of April, 1720, King George I. conferred on him the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Dragoons, from which he was removed in 1737 to the Eighth Dragoons, and in 1739 he was promoted to the rank of major-general. The colonelcy of the Sixth Horse was conferred on this veteran in the following year; he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1743; and he died in August, 1744.

Richard Viscount Cobham,

Appointed 5th August, 1744.

Sir Richard Temple served under King William in the Netherlands, and on the breaking out of the war of the Spanish succession, he was promoted to the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment of foot, which was disbanded at the peace of Utrecht. He served under the great Duke of Marlborough, and was conspicuous for a noble bearing, a greatness of soul, and a contempt of danger, which he exhibited in a signal manner at the sieges of Venloo and Ruremonde, at the battle of Oudenarde, and at the siege of the important fortress of Lisle. In January, 1709, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and his conduct at the siege of Tournay, the sanguinary battle of Malplaquet, and siege of Mons, was rewarded, in the following year, with the rank of lieutenant-general and the colonelcy of the Fourth Dragoons. He served under the Duke of Marlborough in 1711, and had the honour of taking part in the forcing of the French lines at Arleux, and the capture of the strong fortress of Bouchain. After the change in the ministry and the adoption of a new system of policy by the court, the well-known attachment of this officer to the Protestant succession, occasioned him to be removed from his regiment; but on the accession of King George I. he was elevated to the peerage by the title of Baron of Cobham, and in 1715 he was appointed Colonel of the Royal Dragoons. In 1717 he was appointed Governor of Windsor Castle; in 1718 he was advanced to the dignity of Viscount Cobham; and in 1721 he was removed to the King's Horse, now First Dragoon Guards. He was also one of the Privy Council, and Governor of the island of Jersey; but resigned his appointments in 1733. On the change of the ministry in 1742 he was promoted to the rank of field-marshal, and in December of the same year King George II. conferred upon him the colonelcy of the First troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1744 he was removed to the Sixth Horse, and in 1745 to the Tenth Dragoons, the colonelcy of which corps he retained until his decease in 1749.

Thomas Wentworth,

Appointed 20th June, 1745.

Thomas Wentworth was appointed to a commission in the army on the 10th of March, 1704, and served several campaigns in the wars of Queen Anne. In December, 1722, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army, and in 1732 he was appointed colonel of the Thirty-ninth Foot, from which he was removed in June, 1737, to the Twenty-fourth Foot. Two years afterwards he was appointed brigadier-general; in 1741 he was promoted to the rank of major-general; and in 1745 he was appointed to the colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, which corps became the Second Irish Horse in the following year. He served the crown in a diplomatic as well as a military capacity, and died at the court of Turin in November, 1747.

Thomas Bligh,

Appointed 22d December, 1747.

This officer entered the army in the reign of King George I.; rose to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel of the Sixth Horse, and in December, 1740 he was appointed Colonel of the Twentieth Regiment of Foot. On the 27th of May, 1745, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general; was removed to the Twelfth Dragoons in the following year, and promoted to the rank of major-general in 1747. He was removed to the colonelcy of the Second Irish Horse in December of the same year; and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1754.

War having commenced between Great Britain and France in 1756, Lieutenant-General Bligh was appointed, in the summer of 1758, to the command of an expedition designed to make a descent on the coast of France, with the view of causing a diversion in favour of the army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany. The fleet sailed in the beginning of August, and in seven days arrived in Cherbourg roads. The troops were landed, the town of Cherbourg was captured, the harbour, pier, and forts were destroyed, and the brass ordnance brought away as trophies of this success. In September a landing was effected on the coast of Brittany with the view of besieging St. Maloes; but this being found impracticable, the troops, after marching a short distance up the country, retired and re-embarked at the bay of St. Cas. The enemy advanced in great numbers under the command of the Duke of Aguillon, and attacking the rear of the British army, occasioned great loss. Lieutenant-General Bligh was much censured for his conduct on this occasion, and soon after the return of the expedition, he retired from the service.

Hon. John Waldegrave,

Appointed 23d October, 1758.

The Hon. John Waldegrave obtained a commission in the First Foot Guards in 1737; in July 1743, he was appointed captain-lieutenant in the Third Foot Guards; in September following he obtained the command of a company, and in 1748 he was promoted to the commission of major in the same corps. On the 26th of June 1751, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Ninth Foot; he was removed to the Eighth Dragoons in 1755; and to the Second Irish Horse in 1758. Having been promoted to the rank of major-general, he proceeded to Germany, and commanded the brigade of infantry which so highly distinguished itself in 1759, at the battle of Minden, where his gallantry and extraordinary presence of mind at a critical moment decided the fate of the day. In September of the same year he was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards, and continuing to serve in Germany during the remainder of the seven years' war, gave signal proofs of ability and valour in numerous actions with the enemy, and was equally conspicuous for kindness of heart and regard for the soldiers who served under his orders. In 1763, he succeeded to the title of Earl Waldegrave; he was afterwards advanced to the rank of general, and in 1773, he obtained the colonelcy of the Second Foot Guards, which he retained until his decease in October 1784.

Hon. John Fitz-William,

Appointed 27th November 1760.

The Hon. John Fitz-William obtained a commission of captain and lieutenant-colonel in the First Foot Guards, in 1745; was promoted to the colonelcy of the Second or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot in 1755; and in June, 1759, he obtained the rank of major-general in the army. In the following year he was removed to the colonelcy of the Second Irish Horse; was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1761; to that of general in 1783; and died in 1789.

John Douglas,

Appointed 27th August, 1789.

John Douglas was many years an officer in the Second Dragoons (Scots Greys), with which corps he served at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 1755; proceeded with the regiment to Germany in 1758, and was appointed major in the following spring. He served four campaigns under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany, and was at numerous battles and skirmishes. In 1770, he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Scots Greys; he was advanced to the rank of colonel in the army in 1775, and to that of major-general in February 1779. In April of the same year he was appointed Colonel of the Twenty-first Light Dragoons,—then first embodied and formed of the light troops belonging to certain dragoon regiments. At the termination of the American war in 1783, his regiment was disbanded; and in April 1787, he was appointed Colonel of the Fourteenth Foot: he was also promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the same year. In 1789, he was appointed to the colonelcy of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, which he retained until his decease, on the 10th of November 1790.

Thomas Bland,

Appointed 18th November, 1790.

This officer obtained a cornetcy in the Seventh Dragoons on the 30th of March, 1754, and continued in that regiment upwards of thirty-six years. He served three campaigns in Germany under the Duke of Brunswick; was appointed major of the regiment in 1765, and lieutenant-colonel in 1771. In 1782, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in 1790 he was appointed from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons to the colonelcy of the Fifth Dragoon Guards. In 1796, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and to that of general in 1781. He died on the 14th of October, 1816.

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg,

Appointed 18th October, 1816.

This illustrious Prince, whose military services have become connected with the Record of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, by his appointment to the colonelcy of the regiment, entered the army of the Emperor Alexander of Russia in 1803, and rose to the rank of major-general; but in 1810, Bonaparte demanded that His Royal Highness should quit the Russian service, and the Prince was induced to acquiesce, in order to conciliate Napoleon, and to preserve the possessions of the house of Coburg from being seized on by the French. Prince Leopold was subsequently employed in negotiating an arrangement respecting the principality of Coburg, with the crown of Bavaria, in which he displayed superior diplomatic talents. At the commencement of 1813, he exerted himself, as far as his situation permitted, at that critical and momentous period, to prepare the emancipation of Germany, and in February he proceeded to Poland, to the Emperor of Russia, by whom he was cordially received, and a command in the Russian army was given to His Royal Highness. He was at the battle of Lutzen on the 2d of May; was subsequently sent by forced marches towards the Elbe, to support the Prussian General Kleist; but the Prince's destination was afterwards changed, and on the 19th of May he marched to support General Barclay de Tolly: His Royal Highness was, however, recalled, to take part in the battle of Bautzen, on the 20th and 21st of the same month; and after supporting the line at various points, he covered the retreat on the evening of the second day, with the cavalry under his orders, amidst the hottest fire.

On the 26th of August His Royal Highness was detached to support the corps under Prince Eugene of Wirtemberg, posted near the fortress of Königstein; and Prince Leopold maintained, with his cavalry, a precarious position for five hours, against the repeated attacks of a force treble his own numbers, by which he defeated the designs of the enemy, and preserved Prince Eugene's troops from destruction. On the following day the corps took post beyond Pirna, which place the enemy took by storm, and endeavoured to extend with his cavalry upon the level ground near the Elbe; but was driven back by the troops under Prince Leopold. The main army, however, retired towards Bohemia, by which the retreat of the corps near Pirna was rendered difficult, and the abilities of His Royal Highness were particularly conspicuous in the masterly dispositions and skilful movements of the cavalry under his orders, in facilitating and covering the retrogade movement of the corps. A sharp action occurred in the village of Peterswalde on the 29th of August, when His Royal Highness signalized himself; several other actions occurred on the same day in the mountains, and towards the evening, the Prince repulsed the attack of a superior force near the village of Prisen, with signal bravery and astonishing success; and on the following morning he received from the Emperor Alexander the Cross of the military order of St. George. The action was renewed on the 30th of August, and the allied army having been concentrated, the French were defeated with considerable loss. Prince Leopold had a distinguished share in the engagement, and he pursued the retiring enemy to the village of Peterswalde: the brilliant conduct of His Royal Highness between the 26th and 30th of August, was rewarded by the Emperor of Austria with the military order of Maria Theresa.

Prince Leopold had a distinguished post at the battle of Leipzig, and, with the cavalry under his orders, contributed materially to the decisive termination of that gigantic contest. His Royal Highness was actively employed in the beginning of 1814; was at the battle of Brienne, and in the pursuit of the defeated army on the 2d of February, and in several minor affairs. On the 25th of March the Prince was in the action with the French at La Fere Champenoise, when, attacking the enemy's right flank at Caunentrai, he carried the position, captured five pieces of cannon, and, when attacked in turn, he repulsed the enemy, and maintained his ground with signal intrepidity. The battle of Paris concluded the campaign, and on the 31st of March, the Prince entered that city with the cavalry of the reserve, and remained there in garrison. These important events were succeeded by the abdication of Napoleon, and, when the Congress assembled at Vienna, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg conducted the business relating to his own country.

On the return of Bonaparte to France, in 1815, Prince Leopold proceeded to the grand army on the Rhine, and soon afterwards reached Paris. On the termination of the war he visited England; became a suitor to Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte of Wales, and, having obtained the consent of the Prince Regent, the nuptials between Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, and the presumptive heiress to the British throne, were eventually solemnized.

On the 2d of May, 1816, Prince Leopold obtained the rank of general in the British service, and on the 24th of the same month he was promoted to the rank of field-marshal. The colonelcy of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales' Regiment of Dragoon Guards was conferred upon Prince Leopold in October of the same year, and he presented to the officers' mess a handsome service of plate. His Royal Highness was also honoured with the Order of the Garter, and the Order of the Bath; but in the midst of these accumulated distinctions he sustained the loss of his amiable consort, whose decease on the 6th November, 1817, occasioned the most sincere grief throughout the kingdom, and Prince Leopold was for some time inconsolable.

The events which transpired in the Netherlands in 1830, having led to the separation of several provinces from Holland, and to the formation of an independent state, called Belgium, Prince Leopold was invited to accept of the sovereignty of that kingdom in 1831, and His Royal Highness acquiesced. Thus the Fifth Dragoon Guards had the gratification of witnessing the elevation of their colonel to a throne.

On resigning the colonelcy His Royal Highness was pleased to cause the following farewell address to be sent to the regiment:—

"Claremont, 14th July, 1831.

"The Prince Leopold is desirous on quitting England, to communicate to his regiment, that the circumstances which call him to another country have made it necessary for him to relinquish the command of the corps; and he has reserved it, as one of his last and most painful duties, to bid them farewell. It would have been His Royal Highness's wish on this occasion, to have expressed personally to the regiment his regret in leaving them, and the sincere wishes he shall always entertain for their happiness and welfare; but their distant quarter, and the hurry which unavoidably attends his departure, render such a desire impracticable.

"In taking leave of the regiment, which it has been his happiness for so many years to command, many subjects press on His Royal Highness's attention that he would be anxious publicly to advert to; some of these bear paramount claim to his thankfulness and recollection; and it is such that he is chiefly solicitous to notice and record, on this last occasion of his addressing them:—he alludes particularly to the uniform maintenance of discipline, efficiency, and high character, which have marked the corps as one of the most distinguished in the service, throughout the long period he has known them;—this has been conspicuous, whether considered with respect to their efficiency in equipment,—their discipline and conduct in quarters,—or their movements and perfection in the field,—in every point, these have been eminently and invariably supported, and have established a name to the regiment, that, as it should be the first ambition, so it is among the highest rewards, a soldier can know. To Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace, whose zeal and knowledge of the service have guided and perfected this state of discipline;—to the officers, who have ably and successfully devoted their efforts to uphold it;—to the non-commissioned officers and privates, who have maintained the discipline marked out to them, and, sharing the feelings of their officers in the character of the regiment, have by their conduct assisted to uphold it;—to one and all,—individually and collectively,—His Royal Highness returns his most hearty thanks, with his unqualified approbation of their conduct, under every view of discipline or exigency of service:—to such officers and to such men, it is unnecessary to say anything that can urge or stimulate their future zeal; His Royal Highness feels assured, that their Sovereign's approbation will ever remain their first aim, while the name of the regiment, deeply honoured by them and cherished in their hearts, will never cease to influence them in attaining that high distinction. His Royal Highness has always felt pride in being one of their number, and he can never cease to feel the truest interest in whatever can affect their name as a corps, or their welfare and happiness as individuals; and with his heartfelt wishes for the uninterrupted prosperity and perfection of both, he reluctantly bids them, Farewell.

(Signed) "Robert Gardiner.

"To Lieutenant-Colonel Wallace,
"Commanding Fifth Dragoon Guards."

Sir John Slade, Bart., G. C. H.

Appointed 20th July, 1831.

THE END.

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London:
Printed by W. Clowes and Sons,
Duke-street, Stamford-street.

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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Some pages at the front of the book have identical numbering, pages i to viii and then i to vi. 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. For example, head quarters, head-quarters; cap à pié, cap-à-pié; negociations.

[Pg vi], 'Sir John Slade ... 98' replaced by 'Sir John Slade ... 99'.
[Pg 67], 'was discocovered in' replaced by 'was discovered in'.