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 honorable 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, being 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 everything 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.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE INFANTRY.
The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is Intrepidity. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and, although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar's favourite tenth legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar's legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full development of the national character followed, and it shone forth in all its native brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins.
The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of the military force; and this arme has since acquired, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it was almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries; and, owing to the inconvenient construction and imperfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century.
During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in every hundred men forty were "men-at-arms," and sixty "shot;" the "men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and thirty pikemen; and the "shot" were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his principal weapon, a sword and dagger.
Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150 to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe) in 1590 was:—the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on each flank of the halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes; half the archers on each flank of the musketeers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the company for skirmishing.[1] It was customary to unite a number of companies into one body, called a Regiment, which frequently amounted to three thousand men: but each company continued to carry a colour. Numerous improvements were eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seventeenth century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and the infantry were reduced to two classes, viz.: musketeers, armed with matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and pikemen, armed with pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of forming four regiments into a brigade; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English, French, and other European states; but so great was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not adopted until near a century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled the Admiral's regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks. In this year the King added a company of men armed with hand-grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was designated the "grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets similar to those at present in use were adopted about twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes.
King William III. incorporated the Admiral's regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans; ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand grenades; and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour: the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the Seven Years' War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been limited to the musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior numbers.
Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any arms. At Crecy King Edward III., at the head of about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men; here British valour encountered veterans of renown:—the King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black Prince, defeated, at Poictiers, with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of France, and his son Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness, defeated, at Agincourt, the Constable of France, at the head of the flower of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men, and gained a complete victory.
During the seventy years' war between the United Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and firmness;[3] and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army under the great Marlborough was spread throughout the world; and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had been vainly styled Invincible, to evacuate that country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal Wellington; and the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British Government. These achievements, with others of recent dates in the distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular frame,—intrepidity which no danger can appal,—unconquerable spirit and resolution,—patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities,—united with an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command, whose presence inspires confidence,—have been the leading causes of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time.
The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the world, where the calls of their Country and the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in active continental operations, or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of this arme, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances of service, are well suited to show forth the brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time been introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by which the superiority of the national military character is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations of the world have in a great measure been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country at heart the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.
THE NINETEENTH,
OR
THE FIRST YORKSHIRE NORTH RIDING
REGIMENT OF FOOT.
NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
[CONTENTS]
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD.
| Page | ||
| Year | Introduction | |
| 1688 | Formation of the regiment | [1] |
| 1689 | Francis Lutterell appointed to be Colonel | [2] |
| —— | Names of Officers appointed to Commissions | — |
| —— | Regiment marched to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight | — |
| —— | Embarked as Marines | — |
| —— | Returned to Plymouth | — |
| 1690 | Embarked for Ireland | [3] |
| —— | Detachment sent to the West Indies | — |
| 1691 | Returned to England | — |
| —— | Appointment of Thomas Erle to be Colonel, in succession to Colonel F. Lutterell, deceased | — |
| 1692 | Embarked for Flanders | — |
| —— | Engaged at the battle of Steenkirk | — |
| 1693 | ————– the battle of Landen | [4] |
| —— | Entered winter quarters at Malines | — |
| 1694 | Engaged in operations in Flanders and Brabant | — |
| —— | Returned to Malines | — |
| 1695 | Engaged in the siege of Namur | — |
| —— | Occupied winter quarters at Dendermond | [5] |
| 1696 | Returned to England in consequence of the expectation of invasion by France, and of the plan for assassinating King William | [5] |
| 1697 | Re-embarked for Flanders and encamped near Brussels | — |
| —— | Treaty of Peace concluded at Ryswick | — |
| —— | Returned to England | — |
| 1698 | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1702 | War recommenced with France | — |
| —— | Embarked from Ireland for the Isle of Wight | [6] |
| —— | Proceeded on an expedition to Cadiz | — |
| —— | ———— to the West Indies | — |
| 1704 | Returned to Ireland | [7] |
| 1705 | Embarked for England | — |
| 1709 | Promotion of Lieut.-Colonel Freke to be Colonel, in succession to Lieut.-General Erle, retired | — |
| 1710 | Embarked for Flanders | — |
| —— | Engaged in forcing the French lines at Pont-à-Vendin | — |
| —— | Siege and surrender of Douay | — |
| —— | ————————— Bethune | — |
| —— | ————————— Aire and St.-Venant | — |
| —— | Entered winter quarters at Ghent | — |
| 1711 | Encamped at Warde | [8] |
| —— | Engaged in forcing the French lines at Arleux | — |
| —— | Siege and surrender of Bouchain | — |
| 1712 | Appointment of Richard Sutton to be Colonel, in succession to Colonel G. Freke, deceased | — |
| —— | The Duke of Ormond assumed the command of the army in Flanders | — |
| —— | Suspension of hostilities | — |
| —— | British troops retired to Ghent | — |
| 1713 | Regiment stationed in Flanders | — |
| 1714 | Returned to England | — |
| 1715 | Promotion of Lieut.-Colonel Grove to be Colonel, in place of Major-General Sutton, retired | — |
| 1722 | Encamped on Salisbury Plain | [9] |
| 1723 | Marched to Scotland | — |
| 1729 | Re-appointment of Major-General Sutton to be Colonel in succession to Colonel Grove, deceased | — |
| —— | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1738 | Appointment of Colonel Honorable Charles Howard to be Colonel, in succession to Lieut.-General Sutton, deceased | — |
| 1739 | War declared against Spain | — |
| —— | Removed from Ireland to North Britain | — |
| 1742 | War declared against France and Bavaria | — |
| 1744 | Embarked for Flanders | — |
| —— | Quartered during the winter at Ghent | — |
| 1745 | Advanced to the relief of Tournay | — |
| —— | Engaged at the battle of Fontenoy | [10] |
| —— | Retreated to Aeth | — |
| 1746 | Engaged at Roucoux | [11] |
| —— | Retreated to Maestricht | — |
| 1747 | Engaged at Val | — |
| 1748 | Treaty of Peace concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle | [12] |
| —— | Appointment of Colonel Lord George Beauclerk to be Colonel, in succession to Major-General Honorable Charles Howard, removed to the 3rd Dragoon Guards | — |
| 1749 | Regiment returned to England | [13] |
| —— | Embarked for Gibraltar | — |
| 1751 | The colours, clothing, &c., regulated by royal warrant of King George II. | — |
| 1753 | Returned to England | — |
| 1755 | Proceeded to Scotland | — |
| 1756 | Returned to England | — |
| —— | War commenced with France | — |
| —— | Regiment augmented to two battalions | — |
| 1758 | The second battalion formed into a distinct regiment, and numbered the 66th regiment. | — |
| 1759 | Encamped at Brentwood | [14] |
| 1760 | Encamped at Barham Down | [14] |
| 1761 | Formed part of an expedition against Belle-Isle on the coast of Bretagne | — |
| —— | Capture of Belle-Isle | [15] |
| 1762 | Returned to England | — |
| —— | Treaty of Peace concluded at Fontainebleau | — |
| —— | Regiment embarked for Gibraltar | — |
| 1768 | Appointment of General David Graeme to be Colonel, in succession to Lord George Beauclerk, deceased | — |
| 1771 | Regiment returned to England | [16] |
| 1773 | Stationed in Scotland | — |
| 1775 | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1781 | —————– America | — |
| 1782 | Designated the NINETEENTH, or the First Yorkshire North Riding Regiment | — |
| —— | Peace concluded with America | — |
| —— | Proceeded to the West Indies | — |
| 1783 | Removed to Jamaica | — |
| 1791 | Returned to England | — |
| 1793 | War commenced with France | — |
| —— | Embarked under General the Earl of Moira to aid the French Royalists in La Vendée and La Loire | [17] |
| 1794 | Returned to England, and landed in Devonshire | — |
| —— | Embarked for Ostend | — |
| —— | Joined the army under the Duke of York at Malines | — |
| —— | Retreated through Holland to Germany | [18] |
| —— | Engaged with the enemy at Tuyl | — |
| 1795 | Embarked from Bremen for England | — |
| 1796 | ———— for the East Indies and landed at Madras | — |
| —— | Embarked for Ceylon, and landed at Columbo | — |
| 1797 | Appointment of General Samuel Hulse in succession to General Graeme, deceased | [18] |
| 1799 | Five companies embarked for India, and engaged in the storming and capture of Seringapatam, on the 4th of May, when Tippoo Saib was mortally wounded | [19] |
| —— | The five companies returned to Ceylon | — |
| 1800 | Marched from Columbo to Point de Galle | — |
| 1801 | Embarked for Trincomalee | [20] |
| 1802 | The Island of Ceylon retained by Great Britain on the conclusion of Peace between France and Holland | — |
| 1803 | War recommenced with France and Holland | — |
| —— | Marched to Candy | — |
| —— | Engaged on arduous service against the perfidious Candians | [21] |
| 1804 | Further engagement with the Candians | [22] |
| 1805 | The Candians again defeated | — |
| —— | Embarked for Columbo | — |
| 1806 | Proceeded to Trincomalee | — |
| —— | Marched back to Columbo | — |
| 1809 | Proceeded to Madras and joined a division of troops employed against the Rajah of Travancore | — |
| —— | Returned to Ceylon, after compelling the Rajah of Travancore to submit | [23] |
| 1810 | Appointment of General Sir Hew Dalrymple, from 37th regiment, to the colonelcy, in succession to General Sir Samuel Hulse, removed to 62nd regiment | — |
| —— | Four companies embarked with an expedition against the Isle of France | — |
| —— | Capture of the Isle of France | — |
| —— | The four companies returned to Ceylon | — |
| 1811 | Appointment of General Sir Hilgrove Turner to the colonelcy, in succession to Sir Hew Dalrymple, removed to 57th regiment | [24] |
| 1814 | Embarked for Trincomalee | [24] |
| 1815 | The British troops advanced against the King of Candy | — |
| —— | The King of Candy brought prisoner to the British camp | [25] |
| —— | The Malbar dynasty deposed, and the provinces of Candy united to the dominions of the British Crown | — |
| 1816 | Remained at Trincomalee | — |
| 1818 | Returned to Columbo | — |
| —— | Marched to Candy to suppress a rebellion of several native chiefs | [26] |
| —— | Returned to Columbo, and marched to Point de Galle | — |
| 1820 | Embarked for England | — |
| 1821 | —————– Ireland | — |
| 1826 | Formed into six service and four depôt companies | — |
| —— | Embarked for the West Indies | — |
| 1830 | Depôt companies embarked from Cork for England | — |
| 1836 | Service companies returned from the West Indies to Ireland | [27] |
| —— | Joined by the depôt companies from England | — |
| 1839 | Embarked from Dublin for Bristol | — |
| 1840 | Returned to Ireland | — |
| —— | Formed into six service and four depôt companies | — |
| —— | Service companies embarked for Malta | — |
| 1841 | Depôt companies embarked from Ireland for England | — |
| 1843 | Appointment of General Sir W. M. Peacocke to be Colonel, in succession to General Sir Hilgrove Turner, deceased | — |
| —— | Service companies embarked for the Ionian Islands | — |
| 1843 | Depôt companies embarked for Jersey | [27] |
| 1845 | Depôt companies embarked for Ireland | [28] |
| —— | Service companies embarked from Corfu for the West Indies | — |
| 1848 | Service companies embarked from Barbadoes for Canada | — |
| The Conclusion | [29] |