SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
FIFTY-THIRD,
OR,
THE SHROPSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.
William Whitmore,
Appointed 21st December, 1755.
William Whitmore served many years in the third foot guards; he was promoted to the rank of colonel in January, 1751; and in November, 1752, he was appointed major in his regiment. In the winter of 1755–6 he raised, formed, and disciplined a regiment of foot, now the FIFTY-THIRD, of which he was appointed colonel by commission dated the 21st of December, 1755. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in January, 1758, and removed to the ninth regiment of foot in October following. In December, 1760, he was advanced to the rank of lieut.-general. His decease occurred in 1771; at which period he was member of parliament for Portsmouth.
John Toovey,
Appointed 5th April, 1759.
John Toovey was a cavalry officer of reputation in the reign of King George II., and served some years in the thirteenth dragoons. In December, 1754, he was nominated to the lieut.-colonelcy of the first royal dragoons; and in April, 1759, his constant attention to all the duties of commanding officer was rewarded with the colonelcy of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment. In August, 1761, he was promoted to the rank of major-general. He died in 1770.
Robert Dalrymple Horne Elphinstone,
Appointed 5th February, 1770.
This Officer held a commission in the first, the royal regiment of foot, many years, and was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the first battalion of that corps on the 20th of June, 1753. On the 3rd of August, 1762, King George III. nominated him to the colonelcy of the 120th regiment, which was raised in the beginning of that year, and disbanded in 1764. In February, 1770, he was appointed Colonel of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment; and was promoted to the rank of major-general two months afterwards. In 1777 he was advanced to the rank of lieut.-general; and in 1793 to that of general. He died in 1794.
Gerard Lake,
Afterwards Viscount Lake,
Appointed 3rd April, 1794.
Gerard Lake, third son of Lancelot Charles Lake, Esq., choosing the profession of arms, was nominated to the commission of ensign and lieutenant in the first foot guards, on the 9th of May, 1758; in 1762 he was promoted to lieutenant and captain, and in 1776 to captain and lieut.-colonel. He served in North America during the War of Independence; was engaged in operations in the southern states, under Major-General the Earl Cornwallis, and had opportunities of distinguishing himself. When Earl Cornwallis's force was besieged in York Town, by the united French and American armies, Lieut.-Colonel Lake commanded a detachment of foot guards and grenadiers of the eightieth regiment, which made a sortie on the 16th of October, 1781, forced the entrenchments, spiked eleven heavy guns, and killed and wounded about a hundred French soldiers. On the surrender of York Town he became a prisoner of war; but hostilities were terminated soon afterwards, and he returned to England; having been promoted to the rank of colonel in February, 1782. In 1784 he was nominated major, and in 1792 lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards. In 1790 he was advanced to the rank of major-general. On the breaking out of the French revolutionary war, he was nominated to the command of the brigade of foot guards which proceeded to Flanders, and served under His Royal Highness the Duke of York. He commanded this brigade at the battle of Famars, and at the siege of Valenciennes; and highly distinguished himself at Lincelles, on the 18th of August, 1793, for which he was thanked in general orders. He also served before Dunkirk, and in other operations: and in 1794 he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment, and the government of Limerick: he was afterwards nominated governor of Dumbarton. In 1796 he was removed to the seventy-third regiment: in 1797 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general, and placed on the staff of Ireland, where he evinced talent and energy in suppressing the rebellion which broke out in 1798, and gained several important victories over the insurgents. When the French landed in Ireland, he was obliged to retire a short distance; but additional troops advancing to his aid, he intercepted the French soldiers and forced them to surrender prisoners of war. In 1800 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in India, and colonel of the eightieth regiment; and in 1802 he was promoted to the rank of general. He arrived in India at the period when the Governor-General, the Marquis Wellesley, was displaying the energies of his mind in counteracting the intrigues of France among the native powers of Hindoostan; and the ambitious designs of the Mahratta chiefs soon called General Lake into the field, when his talents were conspicuously displayed. His spirited and judicious operations at Coel, on the 29th of August, 1803; the assault of Aly Ghur, on the 9th of September; and the overthrow of the Mahratta army near Delhi, on the 11th of September, on which occasion his charger was killed under him, produced decisive results. The country between the Ganges and Jumna rivers, called the Doab (a general name in India for the space between two rivers), became subject to British authority; and six days afterwards General Lake visited the Emperor, Shah Alum, whom he had rescued from oppression, and who conferred upon him titles which signified,—The Saver of the State,—Hero of the Land,—Lord of the Age,—and the Victorious in War.
Afterwards proceeding to Agra, General Lake speedily captured that place, and on the 1st of November he gained an important victory at Leswaree, when the French-officered battalions of Dowlat Rao Scindia were annihilated, the Mahratta army overpowered, and its colours, artillery, and baggage captured. His services on this occasion were of a distinguished character; he led the charge of the cavalry in the morning;—conducted in person the attacks of the infantry, and in the midst of the storm of battle he displayed valour, professional ability, promptitude, and decision; his magnanimous example inspired confidence and emulation in the troops, and they triumphed over very superior numbers. Two horses were killed under him on this occasion.
His important services were rewarded, in 1804, with the title of Lord Lake of Delhi and Leswaree.
Pursuing the war with vigour, Lord Lake routed the power of Holkar at Furruckabad; but the war was protracted by the defection of the Rajah of Bhurtpore; and when his Lordship besieged the city of Bhurtpore, he failed in capturing the place from the want of a battering-train. The Rajah of Bhurtpore was, however, brought to terms; and Lord Lake pursued the hostile Rajah of Berar from place to place, until this chief was brought to submission. The British military power in the East was strengthened by these successes, and the extent and stability of the dominions in India increased.
His Lordship returned to England, and in 1807 he was advanced to the dignity of Viscount Lake.
He caught cold while sitting on the general court-martial which tried Major-General Whitelocke; and died on the 30th of February, 1808.
Welbore Ellis Doyle,
Appointed 2nd November, 1796.
This Officer served in the army during the American war, and on the 21st of March, 1782, he was appointed lieut.-colonel of the 105th regiment of foot, then newly raised by Francis Lord Rawdon. This corps was disbanded at the termination of the American war; and in 1789 he was nominated to the lieut.-colonelcy of the fourteenth foot, at the head of which regiment he distinguished himself in Flanders under His Royal Highness the Duke of York. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1793, and to that of major-general in 1795; in 1796 he was nominated colonel of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment. He died in 1798.
Charles Crosbie,
Appointed 3rd January, 1798.
Charles Crosbie was appointed captain in the eighty-sixth regiment on the 24th of August, 1759, and he served with this corps on the coast of Africa, being stationed some time at Senegal. He was promoted to the rank of major, and afterwards to that of lieut.-colonel in the eighty-sixth, which regiment was disbanded after the termination of the seven years' war. In 1778 he was nominated lieut.-colonel of the sixty-seventh regiment; was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1780, and to that of major-general in 1787. In 1794 he was nominated colonel of the Royal Dublin regiment of foot, which was embodied at that period, and disbanded soon afterwards. He was appointed colonel of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment in January, 1797, and promoted to the rank of lieut.-general in December following: in 1802 he was promoted to the rank of general. He died on the 18th of March, 1807.
The Honorable John Abercromby,
Appointed 21st March, 1807.
John Abercromby was the second son of the celebrated General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B., who commanded the expedition to Egypt, and was mortally wounded at the battle of Alexandria, on the 21st of March, 1801, thus terminating an honorable life with a glorious death in the hour of victory. As a reward for his gallant conduct his widow was created Baroness Abercromby of Aboukir, and of Tullibody in the county of Clackmannan, by patent dated the 28th of May, 1801.
On the 13th of April, 1782, John Abercromby was appointed cornet in the fifth, the Royal Irish dragoons; and in 1787, when the seventy-fifth regiment was raised by Colonel Robert Abercromby, he was appointed lieutenant in that corps; in 1792 he was promoted captain in the same corps. He served in Flanders under His Royal Highness the Duke of York; and obtained the rank of lieut.-colonel in 1794. In 1795 he was appointed lieut.-colonel in the FIFTY-THIRD regiment, which corps he commanded at the capture of St. Lucia, in 1796, and distinguished himself in the action at the pass of Morne Chabot, for which he was thanked in orders. He commanded the FIFTY-THIRD in the Caribbee war in St. Vincent in 1796,—at the capture of Trinidad, in February, 1797,—and at the unsuccessful attempt on Porto Rico, in April of the same year, under his father, Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby. In 1800 he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and in 1805 to that of major-general: on the 21st of March, 1807, he was nominated to the colonelcy of the FIFTY-THIRD regiment. He obtained the rank of lieut.-general in 1812, and was afterwards placed on the staff of the army in India, where he served two years as governor of Madras, and commander-in-chief of the coast army; but in September, 1814, he resigned his appointments to return to Europe for the benefit of his health. He was afterwards honored with the dignity of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. Proceeding to Marseilles, in the south of France, for the benefit of his health, he died at that place on the 14th of February, 1817, and was buried with military honors, by the French garrison; the funeral was attended by the French authorities, civil and military, of the department and of the city, and also by the consuls of several nations.
In announcing the death of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir John Abercromby, G.C.B., in regimental orders, Colonel Sir George Bingham stated,—"The length of time he has served in the FIFTY-THIRD regiment,—his great attachment to the corps,—the interest he took in its welfare, as well as in that of every individual belonging to it, will cause him to be particularly regretted by those not personally acquainted with him; while his high military abilities and upright private character will occasion his loss to be regarded as a calamity to the service."
Rowland Lord Hill, G.C.B., G.C.H., K.C.,
Appointed 24th February, 1817.
Rowland Hill was appointed ensign in the thirty-eighth foot in 1790; and in 1791 lieutenant in an independent company, from which he was removed to the FIFTY-THIRD regiment, which proceeded to Flanders at the commencement of the French revolutionary war in 1793, and distinguished itself. In the same year he raised an independent company, was promoted to the rank of captain, and appointed to the eighty-sixth regiment, or Shropshire volunteers, then raised by Major-General Cuyler. He accompanied Mr. Drake on a mission to Genoa, and afterwards proceeded to Toulon, where he served as aide-de-camp to the three successive generals commanding there, viz., Lord Mulgrave, Lieut.-General O'Hara, and Sir David Dundas; and was wounded at the attack of the heights of Arenes, on the 30th of November, 1793, and narrowly escaped with his life, when Lieut.-General O'Hara was taken prisoner. On the evacuation of Toulon, he was sent with despatches to England. In 1794 he was promoted to a majority in the ninetieth regiment, raised at this period by Thomas Graham Esq., (of Balgowan, Perthshire,) afterwards General Lord Lynedoch; and in the same year to a lieut.-colonelcy in that corps. He served at Isle Dieu on the coast of France, at Gibraltar, Malta, and Minorca; on the 1st of January, 1800, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and commanded the ninetieth regiment in the expedition to Egypt under General Sir Ralph Abercromby, distinguishing himself during the action on the 13th of March, 1801, when his regiment was at the head of the right column, and repulsed a charge of cavalry with great gallantry. Colonel Hill fell from the blow of a musket-ball on the right temple, and was removed in a state of insensibility, but recovered; the force of the ball having been resisted by a strong brass binding in front of his helmet. On his return to England he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and placed on the staff of Ireland, where he was presented with the freedom of Cork. He was promoted to the rank of major-general, and served in the expedition to Hanover, under Lord Cathcart, in 1805; and in 1808 he embarked from Ireland, with a brigade of infantry, to serve in the Peninsula, where he speedily gave presage of those military virtues which adorned his character. He commanded a brigade at the battles of Roleia, and Vimiera, under Sir Arthur Wellesley; and during the advance into Spain under Sir John Moore, and the corps under his orders covered the embarkation at Corunna. He acquired fresh honors at the passage of the Douro at Oporto, on the 12th of May, 1809, when he commanded the corps which first passed the river, after Lieut.-General Sir E. Paget was wounded: and at the battle of Talavera he again distinguished himself, particularly in repulsing the attack of the French on the hill on the left of the position; he was wounded in the head on this occasion. His services during the whole of the campaigns in the Peninsula and South of France were of a distinguished character, and have called forth the commendations of historians, the praises of Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington, the thanks of Parliament, the approbation of his Sovereign, and the gratitude of his country. During the early part of 1811, he was absent from the army on account of ill health: but he returned to his post in the month of May with the rank of lieut.-general, and was placed in command of the troops in Estremadura. His abilities were conspicuously displayed in the surprise of a body of French troops at Arroyo dos Molinos, in October, 1811; in the capture of the forts and the destruction of the bridge at Almaraz, in May, 1812; and at the battle of the Nive, on the 13th December, 1813. His reputation was constantly augmented, and his talents, energy, and sound judgment became more conspicuous as the extent of his command was increased, and the nature of his services became difficult. His claim to military eminence was not established by a few solitary acts of courage and skill; but by a career of brilliant service, which will descend to posterity interwoven with the triumphs of the Duke of Wellington, whose victories were followed by the overthrow of the power of Napoleon, and the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty to the throne of France. The services of Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill were rewarded with the dignity of Baron Hill of Almaraz, and of Hawkstone in the county of Salop, by patent dated the 17th of May, 1814.
When the return of Bonaparte to France re-kindled the war in Europe, Lieut.-General Lord Hill was selected to hold an important command in the army in Flanders under Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington; and he was placed at the head of a corps of the allied army at the memorable battle of Waterloo, on the 18th of June, 1815, when the power of Bonaparte was annihilated by British skill and valour, and peace was acquired for Europe. The honorary distinctions conferred upon Lord Hill for his important services, were,—Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath,—Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order,—a medal for the battle of Waterloo,—a cross and three clasps for the battles of Roleia, Vimiera, Corunna, Talavera, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, and Orthes; the Turkish Order of the Crescent,—Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword of Portugal, Commander of Maria Theresa of Austria,—St. George of Russia, and Wilhelm of Holland. He was presented with the freedom of the city of London; and was appointed governor of Hull, and Colonel of the ninety-fourth regiment. In 1817 he was removed to the FIFTY-THIRD regiment.
In 1825 Lord Hill was promoted to the rank of general; and on the 15th of February, 1828, he was appointed General Commanding in Chief, the important duties of which appointment he performed with reputation and advantage to the service fourteen years. He was appointed Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, and Governor of Plymouth, in 1830. His Lordship's resignation of the command of the Army, in August, 1842, was announced in the following General Order:
"Horse Guards, 15th August, 1842.
"General Lord Hill finds it necessary to resign the Command of the Army on account of his Lordship's present state of health, and Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to accept his Lordship's resignation.
"When Lord Hill assumed the command which he now resigns, he expressed, in General Orders, his confident hope, that from the General and other Officers, as well as from the Public Departments of the Army, he should receive that support which should enable him to fulfil the important trust reposed in him.
"That hope has not been disappointed, but, on the contrary, realized beyond Lord Hill's most sanguine expectation.
"The conduct of the Troops has, both in the Field and in Quarters, furnished, during Lord Hill's command of them, an example of discipline, regularity, and general efficiency, not to be surpassed, and the Officers have, by their devotion to their duty, enabled his Lordship to maintain the Army in that creditable state. The Officers have, therefore, established their claim to Lord Hill's lasting gratitude and esteem.
"His Lordship cannot, then, but with painful feelings take leave of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Soldiers, whose conduct has been so uniformly approved by their Sovereign and by their Country.
"These feelings are, however, greatly alleviated and consoled by the reflection that the Command of the Army is now to be resumed by the Duke of Wellington, the ever vigilant and most influential Guardian of its Interests, and whose achievements have raised its character to the highest Pinnacle of Glory."
On the 3rd of September, 1842, Lord Hill was advanced to the dignity of Viscount, by Her Majesty, in consideration of his eminent military services, and in approbation of the ability with which His Lordship had discharged, for a lengthened period, the important duties of General Commanding-in-Chief.
The decease of General Lord Hill occurred on the 10th December, 1842, in the seventy-first year of his age, at Hardwicke Grange, Shrewsbury.
Lord FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, G.C.B.,
Appointed 19th November, 1830.