Historical Record of the Seventy-Second Regiment, or the Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders / Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1778, and of its subsequent services to 1848

by Richard Cannon

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

SEVENTY-SECOND REGIMENT;

OR THE

DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN HIGHLANDERS.

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ORIGINALLY NUMBERED AS THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH HIGHLAND
REGIMENT ON ITS FORMATION IN 1778,

AND AFTERWARDS NUMBERED THE SEVENTY-SECOND
HIGHLAND REGIMENT IN 1786.

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1778

The Highlanders of Scotland have long been celebrated for the possession of every military virtue, and the services of the warlike natives of North Britain have been consequently sought by foreign potentates on many and important occasions, when the less martial spirit of the people of other states would not enable them to contend against their oppressors. The achievements of the Scots regiments, which fought in the armies of France and Sweden, and of the celebrated Scots Brigade in the service of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, are recorded in the military histories of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and the annals of the last hundred years abound in instances in which the Scots troops in the British army have displayed, in every quarter of the globe, the qualities of intrepidity, valour, and temperance, which adorn the national character of the natives of North Britain. The Seventy-second regiment, or The Duke of Albany’s own Highlanders, is one of the corps which has performed valuable services to the crown and kingdom; its formation took place in 1778, under the following circumstances:—

William, fifth Earl of Seaforth, having engaged in the rebellion of 1715, was afterwards included in the acts of attainder, and forfeited his title and estate. His eldest son, however, became a zealous advocate for the Protestant succession, and supported the government during the rebellion in 1745; his grandson, Kenneth Mackenzie, was permitted to re-purchase the estate from the Crown,—and was created an Irish peer, in 1766, by the title of Baron Ardeloe, in the county of Wicklow, and Viscount Fortrose, in Scotland,—and in 1771, he was advanced to the dignity of Earl of Seaforth, which had been long enjoyed by his ancestors. The American war commenced in 1775, and the Earl of Seaforth, in gratitude for the favours he had received, made an offer to His Majesty, to raise a regiment of foot on his estate, which, in former times, had been able to furnish a thousand men in arms. This offer was accepted in December, 1777; the Earl of Seaforth received a letter of service to raise a regiment of foot, of which he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel Commandant, and in January, 1778, the following officers received commissions:—

Lieut.-Col. Commandant, Kenneth, Earl of Seaforth.

Major, James Stuart, (from Capt. 64th Regt.).

Captains.

Thos. F. Mackenzie Humberston
Robert Lumsdaine
Peter Agnew
Kenneth Mackenzie[6]

George Mackenzie
Hugh Frazer
Hon. Thomas Maitland
Charles Halkett[7]

Captain Lieutenant, Thomas Frazer.

Lieutenants.

Donald Moody
William Sutherland
Colin Mackenzie
Kenneth Mackenzie
Patrick Haggard
Thomas Mackenzie
George Innes
Charles Mc Gregor
David Melville
George Gordon
James Gualie

George Mackenzie
Charles Gladoning
William Sinclair
Charles Mackenzie
John Campbell
James Stewart
Robert Marshall
Philip Anstruther
Kenneth Macrae
John Mc Innes

Ensigns.

James Stewart
James Finney
Aulay Mc Aulay
Malcomb Mc Pherson

Robert Gordon
John Mitchell
Ewen Mc Linnan
George Gordon

Staff.

Chaplain, Wm. Mackenzie
Surgeon, —— Walters

Adjutant, James Finney
Quar.-Mr. George Gunn

The establishment was to consist of fifty serjeants, two pipers, twenty drummers and fifers, and a thousand and ten rank and file.

The men were principally raised from the clan of “Caber Fey,” as the Mackenzies were called from the stag’s horns on the armorial bearings of Seaforth. Five hundred men were from the Earl of Seaforth’s own estates, and about four hundred from the estates of the Mackenzies of Scatwell, Kilcoy, Applecross, and Redcastle, all of whom had sons or brothers holding commissions in the regiment: the officers from the Lowlands brought upwards of two hundred, of whom seventy-four were English and Irish. The clan Macrae had long been faithful followers of the Seaforth family, and on this occasion the name was so general in the regiment, that it was frequently designated the regiment of “the Macraes.”

On the 15th of May the Earl of Seaforth’s regiment assembled at Elgin, in Moray, amounting to one thousand and forty-one rank and file; it was inspected by Major-General Robert Skene, adjutant-general in North Britain, and the men were found so remarkably effective and fit for His Majesty’s service, that nearly every one was accepted: the corps was placed on the establishment of the regular army under the designation of “Seaforth’s Highlanders;” the supernumerary men were formed into a recruiting company, and the regiment received orders to march southward, for the purpose of embarking for the East Indies. It soon afterwards obtained the numerical title of the “Seventy-eighth Regiment.”

Towards the end of July, the regiment was ordered to Edinburgh Castle; and on its arrival there, the men began to show symptoms of dissatisfaction; the result of investigation proved that some of them had not received their bounty, and that others had contrived to obtain it twice, which was the more easily accomplished in consequence of so many men being of the same name. Full attention being paid to their claims, they embarked at Leith shortly afterwards, with much cheerfulness, being highly gratified in consequence of their commander, the Earl of Seaforth, being about to accompany them on service.

The departure of the regiment was however delayed. The king of France had taken part with the revolted British provinces in North America, and had commenced hostilities against Great Britain; when the French settlements in Bengal were seized by detachments of troops from Calcutta, and Pondicherry was besieged and captured with so little loss, that it did not appear necessary to send additional troops to India at that time. The regiment was ordered to Jersey and Guernsey, where it arrived towards the end of November, five companies being stationed at each island.

1779

On the 1st of May, 1779, a French naval force approached the island of Jersey, and made preparations for landing a body of troops in St. Owen’s bay; when the five companies of Seaforth’s regiment, with some of the militia of the island, hastened to the spot, dragging some artillery with them through the heavy sands, and opened so well-directed a fire, that the French soldiers returned to their ships, and quitted the coast, followed by several British vessels of war, which inflicted a severe loss on the enemy. The defeat of the enemy’s designs on this occasion was in a great measure owing to the zeal and efforts of Major Thomas Frederick Mackenzie Humberston of Seaforth’s regiment, who had been promoted from captain to second major, on the 22nd of March, 1779.

1781

The regiment remained at Jersey and Guernsey during 1780, and the early part of the following year, in which time, circumstances had occurred in India, which occasioned its removal to that part of the British dominions.

Hyder Ali, a soldier of fortune, had risen to the chief command of the army of the ruler of Mysore, and when the rajah died, leaving his eldest son a minor, the commander-in-chief assumed the title of guardian of the young prince, whom he placed under restraint, and seized on the reins of government. Having a considerable territory under his control, he maintained a formidable military establishment, which he endeavoured to bring into a high state of discipline and efficiency, and he proved a man possessed of activity, courage, and talent. He soon evinced decided hostility to the British interests in India, and formed a league with the French. Hostilities had also commenced between Great Britain and Holland, and the British troops were employed in dispossessing the Dutch of their settlements in Bengal, and on the coast of Coromandel. Thus three powers were opposed to the British interests in India, and Seaforth’s Highlanders were ordered to reinforce the British army in that country.

Towards the end of April, 1781, the regiment was removed from Jersey and Guernsey, to Portsmouth, where it embarked on the 1st of June, for the East Indies, mustering nine-hundred and seventy-five rank and file, all in excellent health.

During the passage the Earl of Seaforth died suddenly in August, and was succeeded in the commission of lieut.-colonel commandant, by Thomas Frederick Mackenzie Humberston, from lieut.-colonel commandant of the one hundredth regiment, by commission dated the 13th of February, 1782.

1782.

At that period the passage to India occupied about ten months; the accommodation in the ships was very limited, and the provision issued to the troops not of good quality; this was attended with serious results, and the regiment lost two hundred and forty-seven men, of scurvy and other diseases, during the passage to India; which is now frequently performed in less than half the time, and under superior regulations, without the loss of a man.

On arriving at Madras in the beginning of April, 1782, the regiment only mustered three hundred and sixty-nine men fit for duty; the pressure of the service did not, however, admit of delay, and all who were able to march, advanced up the country under the command of Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart, and joined the army commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote, K.B., at Chincleput, a town and fortress on the north-east bank of the Palar river, thirty miles from Madras. Chincleput served as a place of arms, and a refuge for the natives, during the war with Hyder Ali. The soldiers of the regiment suffered from having been so long on salt provision; they were also sinewy and robust men, and were more susceptible of the sun’s violence than men of slender habits. Sir Eyre Coote ordered them into quarters, leaving the few, who were healthy, attached to M^c Leod’s Highlanders (now seventy-first regiment) the only European corps then with the army. The men gradually recovered, and in October six hundred rank and file were fit for duty; their constitutions became accustomed to the climate, and their health and efficiency were afterwards preserved under fatigues and privations calculated to exhaust the physical powers of Europeans when endured under an Indian sun.

1783

Six hundred gallant Highlanders appeared in the field, arrayed under the colours of the regiment, to engage in Indian warfare, and on the 10th of April, 1783, when they joined the army assembling under Major-General Stuart, their appearance excited great interest. This force consisted of the seventy-third, and SEVENTY-EIGHTH Highlanders, the hundred and first regiment, a considerable body of native troops and a detachment of Hanoverians, under Colonel Wangenheim; it was destined for the attack of the fortress of Cudalore in the Carnatic, situate on the western shore of the bay of Bengal, which had been taken by the French in 1782. On the 6th of June, 1783, the army took up a position two miles from the town, having its right on the sea, and its left on the Bandipollum hills; the enemy under General Bussy occupied a position half a mile in front of the fort.

On the 13th of June a general attack was made on the French line, on which occasion the gallant bearing of the Highlanders was conspicuous, and the ardour and intrepidity they evinced, gave presage of that renown which the two corps (now seventy-first and SEVENTY-SECOND) afterwards acquired. The action commenced about four o’clock in the morning, and was continued until near two in the afternoon, during which time the French were driven from the principal defences on their right. Major-General Stuart designed to renew the attack on the following morning; but the French retreated into the fortress during the night.

The regiment had Captain George Mackenzie and nine rank and file killed; Lieutenants Patrick Grant and Malcomb M^c Pherson, two serjeants, and twenty-eight rank and file wounded; two men missing.

Major-General Stuart stated in his public despatch—“Nothing, I believe, in history, ever exceeded the heroism and coolness of this army in general, which was visible to every one, for the action lasted from four in the morning to two in the afternoon.” The Major-General also stated in Orders:—“The Commander-in-chief, having taken time minutely to investigate the conduct and execution of the orders and plan in attacking the enemy’s posts, lines, and redoubts, on the 13th instant, with the comparative strength in numbers and position of the enemy, composed almost entirely of the best regular troops of France, takes this occasion to give it as his opinion to this brave army in general, that it is not to be equalled by anything he knows, or has heard of, in modern history.” The conduct of Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart of the regiment was commended in the Major-General’s despatch and in Orders.

On the morning of the 25th of June the French made a sally from the fortress; but were repulsed with severe loss; Colonel the Chevalier de Damas was among the prisoners taken on this occasion.[8]

The siege of Cudalore was soon afterwards terminated by the arrival of news from Europe of a treaty of peace having been concluded between England and France.

In the meantime Hyder Ali had died, in December, 1782, and was succeeded, in the government of the Mysore, by his son, Tippoo Saib; who, being deprived of his French allies by the peace, entered into negociations for terminating the war between Mysore and the British, and an armistice took place.

Colonel Humberston was wounded in an action at sea, on the coast of India, and died, in his twenty-eighth year, universally lamented, as a young man of superior accomplishments, and of great promise in his profession. He was succeeded, as lieut.-colonel commandant of the regiment, by Major-General James Murray, by commission dated the 1st of November, 1783.

The regiment was detached from Cudalore, with other troops amounting to about fifteen thousand men, under the command of Colonel Fullerton, and, marching southward, was employed in reducing to obedience several refractory chiefs. The colonel afterwards purposed penetrating the country of Mysore, and advancing upon Seringapatam; but he halted during the armistice with Tippoo Saib. Negociations for peace having been broken off, and hostilities resumed, Colonel Fullerton pursued his original design of penetrating into the Mysore, and he resolved to take the fortress of Palacatcherry, which commanded a pass between the coasts, and secured a communication with a great extent of fertile country. This place he designed to occupy as an intermediate magazine, and a stronghold upon which to retreat in case of a repulse. During the march the army encountered much difficulty from woods and heavy rains, and a detachment under Captain Hon. Thomas Maitland of the SEVENTY-EIGHTH (now SEVENTY-SECOND) Highlanders performed valuable service by acting on the flanks, and preserving a communication through thick woods and a broken country. After taking several small forts, the army arrived, on the 4th of November, before Palacatcherry, and on the 13th two batteries opened their fire against the works. At night a heavy storm of wind and rain occasioned the Mysoreans to take shelter, and leave the covered way exposed, when Captain Hon. Thomas Maitland of the regiment dashed forward with his flanking corps, surprised and overpowered the Mysoreans, who fled into the fortress, leaving the first gateway open. Captain Maitland pursued, but was stopped at the second gateway; but he defended the post he had captured until additional troops arrived; and the garrison, becoming alarmed at the apprehension of a general assault, surrendered a fortress capable of a long defence under more resolute troops.

After this success the army marched to Coimbetore, where it arrived on the 26th of November, and the garrison surrendered before a breach was made. Preparations were then commenced for further conquests, and the capture of Seringapatam, with the subversion of Tippoo’s power, was in full view; but at the moment when arrangements were made for an advance, the commissioners appointed to treat with Tippoo, sent orders for a retrograde movement.

1784
1785

Peace was concluded with the ruler of the Mysore in March, 1784. Seaforth’s Highlanders having been raised on condition of serving three years, or during the war, four hundred and twenty-five men claimed their discharge at the peace, and returned to Scotland; the remainder volunteered to remain in India, receiving a bounty of ten guineas; the regiment received many volunteers from the ninety-eighth, one hundredth, and one hundred and second foot, which corps were ordered to return to England for reduction (among whom was a considerable number of Highlanders who had enlisted into the hundredth regiment with Colonel Humberston), and the effective strength was seven hundred men; which was augmented, in 1785, by volunteers from different corps, and by recruits from Scotland, to nearly eleven hundred non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

1786
1787
1788

Many senior corps having been disbanded, the regiment was numbered, in 1786, the SEVENTY-SECOND foot; at the same time the commission of lieut.-colonel commandant was changed to that of colonel; and in December, 1787, the establishment was fixed at forty-four officers, and eight hundred and four non-commissioned officers and soldiers. Success continued to attend the recruiting of the regiment, and the arrival of strong healthy young men from Scotland, preserved it in a high state of efficiency, and its discipline and moral conduct were particularly exemplary.

1789

The insatiable ambition of Tippoo Sultan, the powerful ruler of the Mysore, soon involved the British government in India in another war; he appeared near the confines of the country of Travancore, at the head of a powerful army, made unreasonable demands on the rajah, a British ally, and commenced hostilities towards the end of December, 1789.

1790

The SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders, mustering nearly a thousand officers and soldiers, healthy and acclimated, pitched their tents on the plain of Trichinopoly, where an army was assembled, in the early part of 1790, to exact full reparation of Tippoo Sultan for his wanton and unprovoked violation of treaty in attacking the rajah of Travancore. Major-General Medows assumed the command, and the SEVENTY-SECOND, commanded by Captain Frazer, with the seventy-first, and first East India Company’s European battalion, formed the second European brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Clarke; Lieut.-Colonel Stuart of the SEVENTY-SECOND commanded the left wing of the army.

Advancing from Trichinopoly plain, on the 26th of May, and penetrating the country of the enemy, the army arrived, on the 15th of June, at the fort of Caroor, where the troops encamped eighteen days, while provisions were being collected, and a magazine formed. Leaving this place on the 3rd of July, the army marched to Daraporam, which was abandoned by the enemy; a garrison was left at this place, and the army marched through a beautiful country in a high state of cultivation, to the city of Coimbetore, which was found evacuated, and some valuable stores left behind by the enemy. On the 23rd of July, Lieut.-Colonel Stuart was detached, with the fourth brigade of native infantry, a number of pioneers, &c. against Palacatcherry, leaving the SEVENTY-SECOND at the camp at Coimbetore; he was impeded by heavy rains, and, his force proving insufficient for the capture of the place, he rejoined the army. He was afterwards detached, with another body of troops, against Dindigal, a strong fortress on a rock, which surrendered on the 22nd of August. He was subsequently directed to proceed a second time against Palacatcherry; and the flank companies of the seventy-first and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments were ordered to traverse the country and take part in the siege, when Captain Frazer of the SEVENTY-SECOND resigned the command of the regiment, for that of the flank companies detached on this service.[9] These companies left Coimbetore on the 6th of September, were joined by Lieut.-Colonel Stuart’s division, at Podoor,[10] on the following day, and arrived on the 10th, before the fortress of Palacatcherry, which had been strengthened and improved since its capture in 1783: the siege was immediately commenced. The regiment remained at Coimbetore.

At that time the army was separated in three divisions;—one at Coimbetore, one at Sattimungal, sixty miles in advance, and one besieging Palacatcherry, thirty miles in the rear; and Tippoo resolved to attack, and if possible destroy, the division in advance before the main body could arrive to its support; but its commander, Colonel Floyd, fell back and took up his positions in retreat, with so much ability, that the Sultan failed in his object. The SEVENTY-SECOND, and other corps, advanced from Coimbetore to support Colonel Floyd’s division, and a junction was formed at Velladi, on the 15th of September, when Tippoo retired. On that day the flank companies, commanded by Captain Frazer, were suddenly ordered to make a forced march to Coimbetore: if the enemy had taken the place, to endeavour to re-capture it by surprise; if it was invested, to force their way into it, and to defend it to the last extremity. The march was commenced at four o’clock in the afternoon, and the flank companies arrived at the gates of Coimbetore at half past two o’clock on the following morning; the enemy had not approached the place, and the companies took possession of the fort, Captain Frazer assuming the command of all the troops at that place.

The army returned to Coimbetore on the 23rd of September, when the flank companies rejoined the regiment; and Lieut.-Colonel Stuart, having captured and garrisoned Palacatcherry, arrived on the 26th of that month.

Disappointed in his object of destroying the divisions of the British army in detail, the Sultan resolved to attack the chain of depôts; he gained possession of Erroad, and the stores at that place, and afterwards marched southwards. The English army advanced from Coimbetore on the 29th of September, and, arriving at Erroad on the 4th of October, found the place abandoned, and Tippoo’s army gone. He had marched in the direction of Coimbetore, but, hearing that the garrison was augmented, he advanced rapidly upon Daraporam, of which he gained possession on the 2nd of October.

The British army marched in search of the Sultan, traversing extensive tracts of country, and undergoing much fatigue under an Indian sun. In these services the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders preserved a high state of discipline and efficiency. Lieut. Campbell of the regiment stated in his journal, “We perform our journeys with ease and comfort; marching is become familiar and agreeable to us.” In the middle of November the army traversed the difficult pass of Tapoor, winding through deep valleys, and dragging the guns over precipices. On emerging from the pass, Tippoo’s camp was seen at a distance; it was supposed to be that of the Bengal division, under Colonel Maxwell, and three guns were fired as a signal, when the Sultan struck his tents and made a precipitate retreat. Colonel Maxwell’s division joined two days afterwards, and the seventy-first, SEVENTY-SECOND, and seventy-fourth regiments were formed in brigade under Lieut.-Colonel Clarke, with six twelve-pounder and six six-pounder guns attached to them.

The Sultan resolved to leave the British army in his own country, and to invade the Carnatic, which would bring the English back for the defence of Trichinopoly. Major-General Medows was about to carry offensive plans into execution, when the movements of Tippoo rendered it necessary to return to the Carnatic, and the army arrived at the vicinity of Trichinopoly in the middle of December. The Sultan’s success was limited to devastations and the capture of a few posts; he was pursued as far as Trincomalee; the British army afterwards turned off to Arnee, where the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment arrived on the 12th January, 1791, and was encamped several days.

1791

General Charles Earl Cornwallis, K.G., assumed the command of the army, and some alteration was made in the disposition of the troops; the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders, commanded by Captain Frazer, continued to form, with the seventy-first and seventy-fourth regiments, the second European brigade, under Lieut.-Colonel Clarke, in the left wing of the army: Lieut.-Colonel Stuart, of the SEVENTY-SECOND, commanded the right wing. The army advanced to Vellore, where it arrived on the 11th of February, 1791. Tippoo was ready to oppose any attempt to penetrate into the country under his dominion by the easiest passes; but Earl Cornwallis contrived the appearance of a march towards Amboor, which completely imposed upon the Sultan, and then turning suddenly to the north, traversed the difficult pass of Mooglee, without the enemy having power to offer the least obstruction, and arrived on the 20th of February on the table-land of the Mysore. On the 22nd of February the troops commenced their march towards the strong fortress of Bangalore, where Tippoo had built a splendid palace, with extensive gardens; and the safety of his harem, &c., so engrossed his attention, that he marched with his army to accomplish the removal of his women and valuables from the palace, and left the English at liberty to continue their march unmolested, until they arrived within ten miles of the town. He made an attempt on the baggage on the 5th of March, but was frustrated, on which occasion the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders had a few men wounded: in the evening the army took up a position before the town.

On the 7th of March the pettah was stormed by the thirty-sixth regiment, supported by the third brigade of sepoys; and the siege of Bangalore was immediately commenced. During the night, the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders were posted under the outer pettah wall, close to the gate. “The enemy kept up a sharp fire; their shots, which were many of them thirty-two pounders, came very close to the regiment, making a great rattling in the trees and bamboo hedge, near the line; but no casualties occurred.”[11]

On the evening of the 10th of March, the regiment was on duty in the trenches, the grenadier company taking the advance post, and many of the men of the other companies working at the batteries; it was relieved on the evening of the 12th.

During the night of the 15th of March, the troops were ordered under arms, in consequence of circumstances indicating the approach of Tippoo’s army; a flight of rockets came into the camp, and the grenadiers of the SEVENTY-SECOND rushed towards the spot from whence the rockets came; but the Mysoreans fled without waiting the attack. At five o’clock on the following evening the regiment marched into the pettah, and relieved the thirty-sixth on duty in the trenches. Soon after midnight a crowd of Mysorean musketeers entered the thick jungle near the pettah, and commenced a sharp fire; the SEVENTY-SECOND formed behind a mud wall expecting their post to be stormed every moment by thousands of enemies, whom they were prepared to receive with fixed bayonets: but the Mysoreans did not venture on so desperate an enterprise; many of the soldiers’ bayonets were hit by bullets, but not one man injured. On the evening of the 18th the regiment was relieved and returned to camp.

At four o’clock on the afternoon of the 20th of March six companies of the regiment marched into the trenches; and on the evening of the following day the regiment was ordered to prepare to take part in storming the fortress; the grenadier company was to join the storming party appointed to advance by the left approach; the light company that by the right approach, and the battalion companies were formed on the right of the parallel, to support the grenadiers: three of the SEVENTY-SECOND grenadiers joined the forlorn hope under Serjeant Williams of the seventy-sixth regiment. Lieutenant Campbell of the regiment states in his Journal,—“The storming party primed and loaded, and sat down on their arms; our batteries, both gun and mortar, kept firing frequently during the evening. At a quarter before eleven we got into motion; an opening was made in the centre of the second parallel; the signal for storming was given (three guns in quick succession), and out we rushed. The covered way instantly appeared as a sheet of fire, seconded from the fort, but with no aim or effect; our batteries answered with blank cartridge; and we were in the covered way in a moment, and on the breach as quick as thought. I pushed on, carried forward by a powerful impulse, and found myself at the top of the breach with the front files. The grenadiers immediately turned off to the right with a huzza; their progress was suddenly stopped by an opening; the fort was hung with blue lights, a heavy fire was opened upon us, but with little effect: the difficulty was overcome, and our troops ascended the ladders with every possible expedition. The grandest, and most striking sight I ever beheld, was the rushing up of the troops to the top of the breach, and the ascent of the grenadiers in crowds by the scaling-ladders. We now heard the grenadiers’ march beating in every quarter; our soldiers shouted with joy, and we swept round the ramparts with scarce anything to oppose us: every enemy that appeared had a bayonet in him instantly; the regiments that supported us came in by the gateway, and cleared the town below, where numbers were killed; in two hours we were in thorough possession of the fort, and Lieutenant Duncan, of the seventy-first regiment, pulled down the flag and put his own sash in its place. The union-flag was afterwards hoisted, and the troops gave three cheers.” Very extensive stores were found in the place, particularly of ammunition. The kiledar, or governor, was killed while fighting with three grenadiers; he was dressed in a white gown, over which he wore a jacket of quilted purple satin.

The regiment had six rank and file killed; one serjeant and twenty-three rank and file wounded, on this occasion.

In the Orders issued on the following day, it was stated—“Lord Cornwallis feels the most sensible gratification in congratulating the officers and soldiers of the army on the honorable issue of the fatigues and dangers they have undergone during the late arduous siege. Their alacrity and firmness in the execution of their various duties has, perhaps, never been exceeded, and he shall not only think it incumbent on him to represent their meritorious conduct in the strongest colours, but he shall ever remember it with the sincerest esteem and admiration.

“The conduct of all the regiments, which happened, in their tour, to be on duty that evening, did credit in every respect to their spirit and discipline; but his Lordship desires to offer the tribute of his particular and warmest praise to the European grenadiers and light infantry of the army, and to the thirty-sixth, SEVENTY-SECOND, and seventy-sixth regiments, who led the attack and carried the fortress, and who, by their behaviour on that occasion, furnished a conspicuous proof, that discipline and valour in soldiers, when directed by zeal and capacity in officers, are irresistible.

“Lieut.-colonel Stuart (SEVENTY-SECOND regiment) maybe assured that Lord Cornwallis will ever retain the most grateful remembrance of the valuable and steady support which that officer afforded him, by his military experience and constant exertions to promote the public service.”

After the capture of the fort, the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders were posted at the breach; they were relieved on the morning of the 23rd of March, by the fifty-second regiment, and returned to the camp.

On the 28th of March, the army quitted Bangalore, to join the forces of the Nizam, sent to co-operate with the English in this war; and, as the troops approached the ground they purposed encamping upon after the first march, they saw the forces of Tippoo striking their tents, and commencing a precipitate retreat; when the seventy-first, SEVENTY-SECOND, and seventy-fourth regiments formed line, and advanced, supported by the native infantry of the first line, but were unable to come up with the enemy. “The nature of the country at this place, which presents continual ridges at almost equal distances, made the pursuit particularly interesting; for every new view we gained of the enemy, enlivened the soldiers afresh, and occasioned them to push on with infinite eagerness and ardour.”[12] A fine new brass nine-pounder gun was captured, with a great quantity of cattle and forage; but the Sultan’s army could not be overtaken.

The Nizam’s troops joined on the 13th of April, amounting to about fifteen thousand horsemen, some of them, from Affghanistan, being celebrated for valour. The army afterwards returned to Bangalore, where preparations were made for the siege of Seringapatam, and the army advanced upon the capital of the Mysore, on the 4th of May. The troops marched through a difficult country destitute of forage, and the cattle employed in conveying stores and baggage died in great numbers; provision for the troops also became scarce.

As the army approached Seringapatam, the Sultan resolved to hazard an engagement, and his formidable position was attacked on the 15th of May, when the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders had another opportunity of distinguishing themselves. The Mysoreans stood the fire of artillery with steadiness, and kept up a cannonade with much effect, but the instant an attempt was made to charge them with bayonets, they made a precipitate retreat. They were driven from every post; and towards the close of the action the SEVENTY-SECOND ascended an eminence and captured a round redoubt. The army was thanked in Orders for its gallant conduct. The regiment had about twenty men killed and wounded: Captain Braithwaite and Lieutenant Whitlie wounded.

On the following day, some sharp firing was heard at the advance-posts, when Major Frazer obtained permission to proceed to their support with the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders; he afterwards sent the adjutant to Earl Cornwallis to request his Lordship’s authority to storm a fortified pagoda, but permission was not granted. On the 18th of May, when the army moved towards the fords of the river, Major Frazer obtained the post of honour for the regiment, in covering the rear, expecting Tippoo would hazard an attack, but no such event occurred.

When the army had arrived at the extreme point of its operations, it had sustained the loss of nearly all its cattle from the want of forage; the supply of provisions for the men was nearly exhausted; the camp-followers were without food, and the rainy season had set in earlier than had been expected. Under these circumstances further success was become impracticable; the battering train and stores were destroyed, and on the 26th of May the troops commenced their march back towards Bangalore. Before commencing the retreat, the soldiers were thanked in Orders for their conduct throughout these services, and it was added,—“So long as there were any hopes of reducing Seringapatam before the commencement of the heavy rains, the Commander-in-chief thought himself happy in availing himself of their willing services; but the unexpected bad weather, for some time experienced, having rendered the attack of the enemy’s capital impracticable, until the conclusion of the ensuing monsoons, Lord Cornwallis thought he should make an ill return for the zeal and alacrity exhibited by the soldiers, if he desired them to draw the guns and stores back to a magazine, where there remains an ample supply of both, which was captured by their valour; he did not, therefore, hesitate to order the guns and stores which were not wanted for field service to be destroyed.”

The army retreated to the vicinity of Bangalore, being joined by the Mahratta forces on the march; and detachments were afterwards sent out to reduce several strong hill-forts, which were very numerous.

On the morning of the 9th of December, the fifty-second and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments, with the fourteenth and twenty-sixth Bengal sepoys, were detached, under Lieut.-Colonel Stuart of the SEVENTY-SECOND, against the fortress of Savendroog, situate on the side of a mountain, environed by almost inaccessible rocks;[13] the troops arrived before the place on the 10th, and during the night the grenadiers of the fifty-second and SEVENTY-SECOND, with a battalion company from each regiment, supported by the twenty-sixth sepoys, climbed a steep hill; traversed sheets of rock; descended into a valley by a path so rugged and steep that the soldiers let themselves down in many places by the branches of trees growing on the side of the rock; traversed the valley; ascended a rock nearly three hundred feet high, crawling on their hands and feet, and helping themselves up by tufts of grass, until they attained the summit, where they established themselves on a spot which overlooked the whole of the fortress, about three hundred yards from the wall. The batteries were speedily constructed; the flank companies of the seventy-first and seventy-sixth regiments arrived to take part in the siege; and practicable breaches having been effected, storming-parties paraded on the morning of the 21st of December. The right attack was made by the light companies of the seventy-first and SEVENTY-SECOND, supported by a battalion company of the SEVENTY-SECOND; the left attack by the two flank companies of the seventy-sixth and grenadier company of the fifty-second; the centre attack under Major Frazer of the SEVENTY-SECOND, by the grenadiers and two battalion companies of the SEVENTY-SECOND, two companies of the fifty-second, the grenadiers of the seventy-first, and four companies of sepoys, supported by the sixth battalion of sepoys; the whole under Lieut.-colonel Nisbitt, of the fifty-second regiment. The storming-parties proceeded to their stations; the band of the fifty-second took post near them, and suddenly striking up the tune Britons strike home, the whole rushed forward with the most heroic ardour. The Mysoreans made a feeble defence, and in less than two hours the British were in possession of the fort, with the trifling loss of five men wounded. The troops were thanked in General Orders, for their very gallant conduct, in which it was stated,—“Lord Cornwallis thinks himself fortunate, almost beyond example, in having acquired by assault, a fortress of so much strength and reputation, and of such inestimable value to the public interest, as Savendroog, without having to regret the loss of a single soldier.”

Two days after the capture of Savendroog, the troops advanced against Outra-Durgum: they arrived within three miles of the place that night, and, on the following day, summoned the garrison to surrender. Lieut.-Colonel Stuart, observing the people flying from the pettah to the fortress on the rock, directed the guns to open upon them, and two battalion companies of the fifty-second and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments, supported by the twenty-sixth sepoys, to attack the pettah by escalade, which was executed with so much spirit, that the soldiers were speedily in possession of the town.

“Lieutenant M^c Innes, senior officer of the two SEVENTY-SECOND companies, applied to Captain Scott for liberty to follow the fugitives up the rock, saying he should be in time to enter the first gateway with them. The captain thought the enterprise impracticable. The soldiers of M^c Innes’s company heard the request made, and not doubting of consent being given, had rushed towards the first wall, and were followed by M^c Innes. The gate was shut: but Lieutenant M^c Pherson arrived with the pioneers and ladders, which were instantly applied, and our people were within the wall, as quick as thought, when the gate was unbolted and the two companies entered. The enemy, astonished at so unexpected an attempt, retreated with precipitation. M^c Innes advanced to the second wall, the men forced open the gate with their shoulders, and not a moment was lost in pushing forward for the third wall; but the road leading between two rocks, was so narrow that only two could advance abreast; the pathway was, in consequence, soon choked up, and those who carried the ladders were unable to proceed; at the same time, the enemy commenced throwing huge stones in numbers upon the assailants, who commenced a sharp fire of musketry, and Lieut.-Colonel Stuart, who had observed from a distance this astonishing enterprise, sent orders for the grenadiers not to attempt anything further. Lieutenant M^c Pherson forced his way through the crowd, causing the ladders to be handed over the soldiers’ heads, from one to another, and before the colonel’s orders could be delivered, the gallant Highlanders were crowding over the third gateway. The enemy fled on all hands; the foremost of our men pursued them closely, and gained the two last walls without opposition (there were five walls to escalade). The garrison escaped by the south-east side of the fort, over rocks and precipices of immense depth and ruggedness, where many must have lost their lives. By one o’clock, our two companies were in possession of every part of the fort, and M^c Innes had planted the colours on the highest pinnacle, without the loss of a single man. The Kiledar and two of his people were taken alive. Colonel Stuart declared the business to be brilliant and successful, beyond his most sanguine hopes.”[14]

Thus was the important fortress of Outra-Durgum captured by two companies of Highlanders (Major Petrie’s, and Captain Hon. William M. Maitland’s) of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment; the officers with the two companies were Lieutenants M^c Innes, Robert Gordon, —— Getty, and Ensign Andrew Coghlan: Lieutenant M^c Pherson conducted the pioneers. The whole were thanked in General Orders by Earl Cornwallis, who expressed his admiration of the gallantry and steadiness of the officers and soldiers engaged in this service.

The regiment rejoined the army on the 26th of December. Its establishment had been augmented in March of this year to forty serjeants and a thousand rank and file, and so many recruits had arrived from Scotland that it was nearly complete. It was considered the most effective corps in the army.

1792

The rainy season being over, the army reinforced, the lost cattle replaced, and arrangements made for an abundant supply of provision, the army commenced its march, on the first of February, 1792, for Seringapatam. The Sultan took up a formidable position to cover his capital, and was attacked during the night of the 6th of February. The following statement of the share the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders had in this engagement, is from Lieutenant Campbell’s Journal:—

The regiment formed part of the left division under Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell, which advanced to the attack in the following order—Grenadier Company, SEVENTY-SECOND; Light Company, SEVENTY-SECOND, with scaling-ladders; Pioneers; Twenty-third Native Infantry; SEVENTY-SECOND Regiment; First and Sixth Native Infantry. “We (the SEVENTY-SECOND) moved from the left along the north side of the ridge of hills extending from the Carriagat pagoda to the Cappalair rocks; by ten at night we found ourselves near the base of the hill, where the officers were directed to dismount. When we were about two hundred yards from the lower entrenchment, our grenadiers filed off from the right with trailed arms, a serjeant and twelve forming the forlorn hope. When about fifty yards from the works, the sentinel challenged us, and instantly fired his piece, which was followed by a scattered fire from the rest of their party. We rushed among them, and those who did not save themselves by immediate flight, were shot or bayoneted. The greatest number of them ran down to the Carriagat pagoda, where they made a stand, and kept up a smart fire until we were almost close to them; then retired under our fire to the foot of the hill, where they were joined by a strong body from the plain, and made a stand at a small choultry, from which a flight of steps led to the bridge across the nulla. By this time the general attack on the enemy’s lines had commenced, and there was an almost connected sheet of fire from right to left; musketry, guns, and rockets rending the air with their contending noise. We sat upon the brow of the hill a few minutes, while our men were recovering their breath, and had a commanding prospect of the whole attack, though nearly three miles in extent, as we contemplated the scene before us, the grandest, I suppose, that any person there had beheld. Being rested a little, Colonel Maxwell led us down the hill under a smart fire; we rushed forward and drove the enemy across the nulla in great haste, although they stood our approach wonderfully. We crossed the bridge under a constant fire, the enemy retreating as we advanced; we crossed the Lokany river, the opposite bank of which was well covered by a bound-hedge, and their fire did execution: a serjeant of grenadiers was killed, Captain Mackenzie mortally wounded, Major Frazer and Captain Maitland shot through their right arms, besides other casualties. After we had penetrated the bound-hedge, the enemy took post behind an extensive choultry; but nothing could stop the ardour of our men,—we charged without loss of time, and soon dislodged the enemy, who retreated along the banks of the Cavery to a second choultry, where their numbers were reinforced. We had now got into their camp, upon the right flank of their lines; they retreated steadily before us, and our fire and bayonets did great execution among them, the road being strewed with their bodies. We charged and dislodged them from the second choultry; here Lieutenant M^c Pherson of the grenadiers was wounded; we pursued the enemy to a large pagoda; they attempted to cross the river, but the place was so crowded with guns, tumbrils, bullocks, elephants, camels, followers, and heaven knows what, that we were in the midst of them before they could escape, and for some minutes there was nothing but shooting and bayoneting. Colonel Maxwell came up with the twenty-third native infantry; the sepoys of the fourteenth native battalions advanced; they took us for the enemy, and fired, but their officers suppressed the fire before much injury was done: the seventy-first regiment also joined us, and preparations were made to cross the river and force the lines on the opposite side. Colonel Baird requested me to lead with twenty men; I instantly rushed into the stream, followed by twenty grenadiers of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment; we pushed on through holes, over rocks and stones, falling and stumbling at every step, the enemy’s shot reducing our numbers; and myself, with about half a dozen grenadiers, arrived at a smooth part of the stream which proved beyond our depth; five of us, however, got over; but the regiments did not venture to follow, and we returned with difficulty. An easy passage had been found out lower down; the seventy-first and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments had got into the island; the flank companies of the fifty-second, seventy-first, and seventy-fourth regiments forded higher up, and the enemy, seeing our troops on all sides of them, betook themselves to flight.

“About one o’clock in the morning the seventy-first, and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments advanced to the pettah, from which the inhabitants had fled, and we released a number of Europeans from prison. About seven o’clock the SEVENTY-SECOND marched into the famous Llal Baugh, or, as I heard it translated, ‘garden of pearls,’ and were posted in one of the walks during the day.”

A decisive victory was gained on this occasion over the army of Tippoo, and, perhaps, no regiment had performed a more distinguished part on this occasion than the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders; they had forced the passage of one nulla, and two rivers, and had charged nine successive times, overpowering their enemies on every occasion. Their loss was Captain Thomas Mackenzie and fourteen rank and file killed; Major Hugh Frazer, Captain Hon. William M. Maitland, Lieutenants M^c Pherson and Ward, one serjeant, two drummers, and forty rank and file wounded, one man missing.

In the General Orders issued on the 7th of February, it was stated—“The conduct and valour of the officers and soldiers of this army have often merited Lord Cornwallis’s encomiums; but the zeal and gallantry which were so successfully displayed last night, in the attack of the enemy’s whole army in a position that had cost him much time and labour to fortify, can never be sufficiently praised; and his lordship’s satisfaction on an occasion which promises to be attended with the most substantial advantages, has been greatly heightened by hearing from the commanding officers of divisions, that the meritorious behaviour was universal, through all ranks, to a degree that has rarely been equalled.”

The power of the Sultan being greatly reduced, and the siege of his capital about to commence, he solicited conditions of peace, and hostilities were suspended. He afterwards ceded half of his dominions to the allies, paid a large sum of money, and was permitted to retain the other half of his territory.

The war being thus terminated, and a great accession of territory made to the British dominions in India, the army quitted the island of Seringapatam, towards the end of March, and the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders proceeded to the cantonment of Wallajabad, where they arrived on the 28th of May. The Governor in Council evinced the high sense he entertained of the conduct of the troops, by presenting them with a gratuity out of the money paid by Tippoo Sultan, which was confirmed by the Court of Directors, and six months’ batta, or field allowance, added thereto.

1793
1794

The SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders remained at Wallajabad, with two companies detached to Arnee, upwards of twelve months, during which period the French Revolution, which commenced a few years previously, had assumed a character that called forth the efforts of other countries to arrest the progress of its destructive principles with the effects of its example in the world, and war commenced between Great Britain and France. News of this event arrived in India in May, 1793; in June the regiment was ordered to prepare to take the field, and on the 26th of that month, pitched its tents east of Shiveram Hill under the orders of Major Frazer; it marched soon afterwards against the French settlement of Pondicherry, on the coast of Coromandel, and arrived before the fortress in July,—being formed in brigade with the seventy-third, seventy-fourth, and third East India Company’s European regiment, under Lieut.-Colonel Baird; the troops employed on this service were commanded by Colonel John Brathwait. The siege of Pondicherry was commenced in the early part of August, the army encamping in a thick wood where tigers were so numerous that the natives durst not travel in the night. On the 11th of August the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders were on duty in the trenches, and had two men killed; they also lost two men on the following day;[15] and several others on the 22nd of that month, on which day a white flag was displayed by the garrison, with a request for permission to surrender. The French soldiers in the fortress had embraced democratical principles and were particularly insubordinate; they insisted that the governor should surrender, but after the white flag was displayed, they fired two shells, which killed several men, and wounded Major Frazer of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment. During the night they were guilty of every species of outrage, breaking into houses and becoming intoxicated. On the following morning, a number of them environed the governor’s house, and threatened to hang the governor, General Charmont, before the door, when application was made for English protection. The British soldiers rushed into the town, overpowered the insurgents, rescued the governor, and preserved the inhabitants from the further effects of democratical violence.

After the completion of this service, the regiment returned to the cantonment at Wallajabad, where it arrived on the 11th of September, and was stationed at that place during the year 1794.

On the decease of General Murray, the colonelcy was conferred on Major-General Adam Williamson, from the forty-seventh regiment, by commission dated the 19th of March, 1794.

1795

While the regiment was reposing in cantonments at Wallajabad, and the officers and soldiers were reflecting with exultation on the reputation they had acquired in the Mysore, circumstances occurred in Europe which occasioned them to be again called into active service. The Dutch people had imbibed the democratical doctrines of the French republic, and in the early part of 1795 Holland became united to France. When information of these events arrived in India, an expedition was immediately fitted out against the large and mountainous island of Ceylon, where the Dutch had several settlements, and the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders were selected to take part in the enterprise; the troops employed on this service were commanded by their Lieut.-Colonel, James Stuart, who was promoted to the rank of major-general at this period. The regiment embarked from Fort St. George on the 30th of July, and two days afterwards the fleet arrived on the coast of Ceylon; on the 3rd of August the troops landed four miles north of the fort of Trincomalee, and the siege of this place was commenced as soon as the artillery and stores could be landed and removed sufficiently near to the place. On the 26th of August a practicable breach was effected, and the garrison surrendered the place. The regiment had Ensign Benson, two serjeants, and seven rank and file wounded on this service.

The commanding officer of the regiment, Major Frazer, who was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy on the 1st of September, was detached against the fort of Batticaloe, which surrendered to him on the 18th of September. The two flank companies of the regiment were afterwards detached, with two companies of sepoys, under Captain Barbutt, against the fort and island of Manaar, which surrendered on the 5th of October.

1796

The regiment continued to be actively employed until the whole of the Dutch settlements in Ceylon were reduced, which was accomplished in February, 1796, when the governor, John Gerand Van Angelbeck, surrendered the fortress of Colombo to the British arms. The people in the interior of the island had not been deprived of their independence by the Dutch, and they were not interfered with by the British so long as they preserved a peaceful demeanour.

1797

As the island of Ceylon—which produces an astonishing diversity of vegetables, with the finest fruits—is celebrated for the number of cinnamon trees it produces—and abounds in most animals indigenous to the East, particularly in wild elephants—the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders remained until March, 1797, when they were removed to Pondicherry, preparatory to their return to England.

1798

The regiment transferred its men fit for service to the corps about to remain in India, and embarked at Madras in February, 1798. On arriving at Gravesend, it received orders to proceed to Perth, where it landed in August, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Hugh Frazer.

The services of the regiment in the East Indies were afterwards rewarded with the royal authority to bear the word “Hindoostan” on its colours.

On the 23rd of October, Major-General James Stuart, who had long commanded the regiment with reputation in India, was appointed to the colonelcy, from the eighty-second foot, in succession to General Adam Williamson deceased.

1799
1800
1801

The regiment was stationed at Perth two years, and its recruiting was not successful, not more than two hundred recruits having joined: in 1801 the regiment was removed to Ireland;[16] and its numbers were augmented by drafts from the Scots fencible regiments.

1802
1803

At the conclusion of the peace of Amiens in 1802, the establishment was reduced; but on the re-commencement of hostilities in 1803, it was again augmented: it was soon in a high state of efficiency and discipline, two-thirds of the men being Scots Highlanders, and about one-third English and Irish.

1804

Great efforts were made to repel the threatened French invasion in 1803 and 1804, and a second battalion was added to the regiment; it was formed of men raised in Aberdeen, for limited service, under the Additional Force Act, and was placed upon the establishment of the army from the 25th of December, 1804. It was embodied at Peterhead, and remained in Scotland some time.

1805

While the French army was at Boulogne menacing England with invasion, a coalition was forming in Germany to oppose the domination of Bonaparte, whom the French had elevated to the title of Emperor, and the first battalion of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment was appointed to form part of a secret expedition under Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote, K.B.; this enterprise was, however, laid aside, and in August, 1805, the regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Colquhoun Grant, embarked with a secret expedition under Major-General Sir David Baird, which sailed at the end of the month. At day-break on the 28th of September the fleet approached the island of Madeira, and the soldiers were gratified by the sight of its high mountains, covered on the lower slopes with vines, and on the loftier summits with forests of pine and chesnut, gilded with the rays of the rising sun; and about eight o’clock the whole anchored in the spacious bay, in the centre of which stands Funchal, the capital; the lofty black rocks adorned with brilliant verdure rising behind the town, form a striking contrast with the white houses, and present to the view a splendid landscape. At this place the fleet remained six days, and afterwards sailed to the Brazils, entering the harbour of St. Salvador on the 12th of November. Captain Campbell of the SEVENTY-SECOND stated in his Journal:—“The town was opening as we approached the inner part of the bay, and displayed the most gay and romantic scenery. It is built on the ridge of a hill, and some of the houses are showy and extensive; they are generally white with red tiles; but those in the lower part of the town consist of from five to seven flats, or stories, each; and, the streets being narrow, the houses almost meet above. The hills are enclosed as gardens, and whichever way one turns, the eye is equally gratified with the variety and luxuriance of the scenery.”

The regiments were landed in succession for a few hours; horses were procured for the cavalry, and some supplies obtained for the voyage. It was a remarkable circumstance that the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment had not one sick man.

On the 28th of November the fleet again put to sea, and directed its course towards the Dutch colony of the Cape of Good Hope, then in possession of the Batavian government, which was united with France in hostility to Great Britain.

1806

On the 3rd of January, 1806, the lofty promontory which marks the southern extremity of Africa was seen, with its summit in the clouds, and at five o’clock on the afternoon of the following day, the fleet anchored off the Cape of Good Hope. At four o’clock on the morning of the 6th of January the signal was made for the seventy-first, SEVENTY-SECOND, and ninety-third regiments, forming the second or Highland brigade under Brigadier-General Ferguson, to enter the boats; and, moving to the shore, it effected a landing in Lospard’s Bay; the light companies of the seventy-first and SEVENTY-SECOND regiments driving the Dutch sharp-shooters from the contiguous heights, killing and wounding thirteen of the enemy.[17] After pursuing the enemy some distance, the troops halted near the Blue Mountains.

Before daylight on the following morning the SEVENTY-SECOND advanced, with one six-pounder, to surprise a body of the enemy, encamped at a small village; but the Dutch made a precipitate retreat, and the regiment returned to its camp, where it arrived about eight o’clock.

At three o’clock on the morning of the 8th of January the Blue Mountains echoed the sound of the British bugles summoning the soldiers to arms, and when the troops had advanced to the summit of the hills, the Batavian army was seen formed, with twenty-three pieces of cannon, in order of battle, in the valley in front. The grenadiers of the twenty-fourth regiment drove the Dutch mounted riflemen and jaggars from the high grounds on the front and on the flank, and the Highland brigade moved forward to engage the opposing army. Nineteen Dutch guns sent forward showers of bullets as the three British regiments advanced rapidly upon their opponents; when within five hundred yards, the enemy commenced with grape, and when at two hundred and fifty yards distance, the fire of musketry was opened along his whole front; but the advance of the brigade was too rapid for the enemy to take correct aim. Arriving within one hundred and fifty yards of the opposing line, the Highlanders levelled their muskets with steady aim, advancing and firing, until within sixty yards of their adversaries, when Brigadier-General Ferguson gave the word “CHARGE.” A loud British shout instantly rent the air, and the heroic Highlanders closed with bayonets upon their numerous adversaries, who instantly fled in dismay, pursued across the deep sands by the victorious Highland brigade. The Dutch marksmen on the right flank, with two guns, keeping up a constant fire, Captain Campbell of the SEVENTY-SECOND was detached against them with his grenadier company; he soon drove the Dutch sharp-shooters from the bushes, and was about to charge the guns, but they were removed with too much speed to be overtaken.

After gaining a complete victory, and pursuing the enemy three miles under a burning sun, and along deep sands, the Highlanders were ordered to halt, and the first brigade urged the pursuit.[18]

Major-General Sir David Baird stated in his public despatch:—

“The Highland brigade advanced steadily under a heavy fire of round shot, grape, and musketry. Nothing could resist the determined bravery of the troops, headed by their gallant leader, Brigadier-General Ferguson; and the number of the enemy, who swarmed the plain, served only to augment their ardour, and confirm their discipline. The enemy received our fire and maintained his position obstinately; but in the moment of charging, the valour of British troops bore down all opposition, and forced him to a precipitate retreat.”

“Your lordship will perceive the name of Lieut.-Colonel Grant among the wounded; but the heroic spirit of this officer was not subdued by his misfortune, and he continued to lead his men to glory, as long as an enemy was opposed to His Majesty’s SEVENTY-SECOND regiment.”

The loss of the regiment was limited to two rank and file killed; Lieut.-Colonel Grant,[19] Lieutenant Chrisholme, two serjeants, one drummer, and thirty-three rank and file wounded.

The word “Cape of Good Hope,” borne by royal authority on the colours of the regiment, commemorates its distinguished gallantry on this occasion.

After the action, the army took up a position in the Reit Valley; on the 9th of January, the troops advanced towards Cape Town, taking post on the south of Salt River, and the town surrendered. Lieut.-General Janssens had taken up a position in a pass leading to the interior of the country. On the 10th of January, the regiment marched to Wineberg barracks; and on the 11th, Lieutenant M’Arthur of the SEVENTY-SECOND was detached, with thirty men of the regiment, to take possession of Hout’s Bay. “After Lieutenant M’Arthur’s departure, it was ascertained that the enemy had a strong garrison at Hout’s Bay, and Major Tucker, of the SEVENTY-SECOND, was sent after him on horseback, to detain him until a reinforcement should arrive; but the lieutenant had reached the vicinity of the place with much expedition, and finding how matters stood, showed his men rank entire, and only partially, but to the most advantage. Having procured pen, ink, and paper, he summoned the garrison to unconditional surrender, otherwise he would blow the place about their ears, assault the works, and give no quarter. The Dutch immediately surrendered at discretion, and when the major arrived, he found Lieutenant M’Arthur in full possession of the works, consisting of a strong block-house and two batteries.”-See Captain Campbell’s Journal.

Wineberg-Camp, 12th January, 1806.

Brigade Order.—“In consequence of Brigadier-General Ferguson being ordered into Cape Town, he is under the necessity of taking a short leave of the Highland brigade. Short as his absence will be, he cannot go without returning his sincere thanks to every individual of the brigade he has the honor to command, for the zealous support he has received from the officers, and the uniform good behaviour of the men. Their conduct on the day of landing, the cheerfulness with which they have endured every fatigue and privation, and their distinguished bravery in the action of Blaw Berg, while it has gained them universal admiration, lays him under an obligation, which no time can obliterate from his memory.”

On the same day that this order was issued the regiment advanced up the country to co-operate with the troops under Brigadier-General Beresford, and in a few days the Batavian governor surrendered the colony to the British arms. From this period the important colony of the Cape of Good Hope has formed part of the possessions of the British Crown.

After the surrender of the Cape, the head-quarters of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment were established at Simon’s Town, where the Hottentots in the Dutch pay tendered their services to the British government, and were afterwards formed into a corps, now the “Cape Mounted Riflemen:” the regiment had also detachments at Muisenberg, Hout’s Bay, and Oliphant’s Bay, and in September it took the garrison duty at Cape Town.

1807
1808
1809

The regiment was stationed at Cape Town during the years 1807, 1808, and 1809: in April of the latter year King George III. approved of its discontinuing the Highland Costume.

In February of this year the second battalion proceeded from Scotland to Ireland.

1810

In February, 1810, the first battalion marched from Cape Town to Stellinbosch, and while stationed at this place it was selected to form part of an expedition, designed to co-operate with troops from India in the capture of the Mauritius. It embarked eight hundred men, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Monckton, from Simon’s Town, on the 22nd of September, 1810, but various circumstances occasioned a delay of nearly five weeks before it commenced the voyage, and a landing of the troops from India had taken place a few days before the division from the Cape arrived. Its appearance off the island was, however, particularly opportune, as the French governor had previously resolved to defend his lines before Port Louis, but when he saw the division from the Cape approach the island, he lost all hope of being able to make effectual resistance, and surrendered this valuable colony to the British arms.

The regiment landed at Port Louis on the 7th of December, and was selected to form part of the garrison of the island.

1811

On the 25th of September, 1811, the establishment of the first battalion was augmented to a thousand rank and file, and it was completed by drafts from the second battalion, then in Ireland.

1812
1814

After performing duty at the Mauritius upwards of three years, the regiment received orders to proceed to North America, war having commenced between Great Britain and the United States; and it embarked from Port Louis on the 27th of June, 1814, with orders to proceed, in the first instance, to the Cape of Good Hope. The following General Orders were issued on this occasion, by Lieut.-General Sir Alexander Campbell:—

“In obeying the orders of His Royal Highness the commander-in-chief, for the removal of the first battalion of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment from these islands to the Cape of Good Hope, the Commander of the Forces is impelled, not less by the calls of justice and public duty, than by his personal and private feelings, to express to Lieut.-Colonel Monckton, and all the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of that excellent, respectable, and valuable corps, how sensible he is of the loss this command sustains by their departure. The Lieut.-General, however, derives some consolation from the ardent hope he entertains that the regiment is proceeding to fields of glory, where opportunities will be afforded for sustaining the high character it has already established, and adding to its well-earned fame, by fresh deeds of valour, emulating those of our most distinguished battalions, whose prowess and discipline have rescued Europe from the tyrant’s grasp. He requests their acceptance of his best thanks for their most exemplary good conduct, during the period he has had the honor to have them under his orders, and which he shall not fail to communicate to His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, for our Sovereign’s information, and likewise to His Excellency the Commander of the Forces at the Cape of Good Hope, a station where their gallantry and orderly behaviour are so well known and appreciated.”

The design of sending the regiment to America was afterwards abandoned, in consequence of the termination of the war in Europe having rendered several other corps disposable: the SEVENTY-SECOND landed at the Cape of Good Hope, and was stationed At Cape Town.[20]

1815
1816

On the 26th of April, 1815, Lieut.-General Rowland Lord Hill, G.C.B., was appointed Colonel of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment, from the ninety-fourth foot, in succession to General Stuart, deceased.

After remaining at the Cape of Good Hope ten months, the regiment received orders to transfer its services to India, to take part in the war with the Rajah of Napaul. Some delay occurred in procuring transports; but on the 29th of June the head-quarters embarked for Bengal, under Lieut.-Colonel Monckton, and landed at Calcutta on the 5th of September; the remainder of the regiment arrived soon afterwards. The war had in the meantime terminated, and the regiment was ordered to return to the Cape of Good Hope, proceeding, in the first instance, to the Mauritius; the annexation of that island to Great Britain, by the treaty of peace which was concluded after the removal of Bonaparte from the throne of France, having been followed by circumstances which rendered the augmentation of the garrison necessary. The regiment embarked from Fort William in November, and arrived at Port Louis in the early part of January 1816; but the garrison had previously been reinforced by the fifty-sixth regiment from Madras, and the detention of the SEVENTY-SECOND was not necessary.

From the Mauritius the regiment continued its voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived in Table Bay on the 14th of February; but having touched at the Mauritius, where an epidemic disease prevailed, it was detained in quarantine until the 3rd of March, when it landed at Cape Town.

The termination of the war in Europe and North America had been followed by the reduction of the strength of the army, and the second battalion of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment was disbanded at Londonderry on the 3rd of January, 1816; the men were sent to the Isle of Wight for the purpose of joining the first battalion. The regiment had, however, returned from India, and its numbers being above the establishment of a corps on the Cape station, they were permitted either to volunteer to regiments not complete, or receive their discharge. The establishment, at this period, was fifty-four officers, one thousand and seventy-seven non-commissioned officers and soldiers; but a reduction of thirteen officers and two hundred and ten soldiers was soon afterwards made.

In October one company of the regiment was detached to the frontiers of the colony, to relieve a company of the eighty-third regiment, which had been detached a considerable period.

1817

Lieut.-General Lord Hill was removed to the fifty-third regiment, in February, 1817, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the SEVENTY-SECOND, by Major-General Sir George Murray, G.C.B., G.C.H.

On the 10th of June four companies of the regiment embarked at Simon’s Town, for Algoa Bay, where they arrived in fifty-four hours, and marched from thence to Graham’s Town, the frontier head-quarters, to relieve the twenty-first light dragoons, who were ordered to proceed to India. These companies were distributed in detachments along the bank of the Great Fish River, to occupy posts established a short time previously, and to construct others, in continuation of a chain, to protect the frontiers against the depredations of the warlike tribes of Kafirs, who maintained a constant state of preparation for aggression and acts of hostility, and whose propensities appear more suited to plunder and warfare, than the cultivation of their country. This proved an arduous and toilsome duty, in a country nearly devoid of resources, infested by savage animals and marauding Kafirs; the soldiers lived under canvas, were frequently exposed to the inclemency of the weather, especially while constructing new posts, and patrols were constantly moving from station to station; yet the men were preserved, by the care and attention of their officers, remarkably healthy, and the eldest soldiers, who had been long accustomed to the comparative ease and luxury of the service at the Mauritius and Cape Town, performed this difficult duty with facility.

1819

Notwithstanding every effort made to cover the country, depredations were frequently committed, and a party of Kafirs having succeeded in stealing a quantity of cattle from a Dutch farmer, in the beginning of February, 1819, the circumstance was reported to Captain Gethin, who was stationed at De Bruins Drift. The captain instantly pursued the robbers, with a few soldiers, accompanied by a number of Dutch farmers, mounted and armed; he came up with the cattle in a country covered with thick underwood, and trusting to the support of the armed farmers, in the event of an attack, he entered the bush with a few men, and was proceeding to drive out the cattle, when the party in advance was surrounded and attacked by a number of Kafirs armed with spears and clubs. The captain and his small party made a determined resistance; but the farmers stood aloof, leaving the soldiers to perish. Captain Gethin was overpowered, and fell pierced with thirty-two wounds; one serjeant and one private soldier were also killed on this occasion. Captain Gethin was a highly respected, brave, and intelligent officer; he had distinguished himself in the Peninsular war, particularly at the siege of St. Sebastian, and had been rewarded with promotion; his death was much regretted.

1821

A detachment of the regiment continued on the frontiers, and took an active part in the border warfare with the Kafirs, whose predatory habits it was found difficult to restrain; the head-quarters remained at Cape Town, with detachments at Simon’s Town and Robben Island, until December, 1821, when it was relieved by the sixth regiment, and embarked for England. Two companies remained behind three months for the want of transport, and fifty soldiers of good character who had claims to pension, were permitted to settle in the country.

On the departure of the regiment from the Cape, the Governor, General Lord Charles Somerset, was pleased to express, in orders, his approbation of the conduct of the corps during its stay at that colony, and to add, that he should not fail to make known its excellent behaviour to the Commander-in-Chief, and to recommend it to His Royal Highness’s particular favour and protection.

1822

In March, 1822, the regiment landed at Portsmouth, from whence it proceeded to Fort Cumberland, and in May to Plymouth, where the two companies left at the Cape, joined in June. In July the regiment embarked for Woolwich, where it occupied part of the Horse Artillery barracks.

1823

The regiment was removed to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey in May, 1823.

Major-General Sir George Murray was removed to the forty-second, the Royal Highland regiment, in September, 1823, and was succeeded by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope from the ninety-second regiment.

The excellent conduct of the regiment on all occasions, which had procured for it the commendations of the general officers under whom it had served, had been repeatedly brought before the Commander-in-Chief, His Royal Highness the Duke of York and Albany, by the commanders of the colonies in which it had served, and had been communicated to His Majesty, King George IV., who was graciously pleased to authorise, on the 11th of December, 1823, its resuming the Highland Costume, with this difference, that the officers and men should wear trews instead of kilts: at the same time the King was pleased to approve of its assuming, as a special mark of royal favour and approbation, the title of the “Seventy-second, or the Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders.”

1824

On quitting the islands of Jersey and Guernsey in April, 1824, the regiment received a vote of thanks and approbation from the principal inhabitants and public functionaries of the former, and a similar document from the Royal Court of the latter, expressing their high sense and admiration of its discipline, and of the peaceful and orderly behaviour of the non-commissioned officers and soldiers. The regiment embarked from Jersey and Guernsey in April, and proceeded to Plymouth, to relieve the sixty-first foot.

In June His Majesty approved of the regiment assuming, as a regimental badge, the Duke of Albany’s Cipher and Coronet, to be borne on the regimental colour.

From Plymouth, the regiment embarked for Scotland on the 31st of August: it landed at Newhaven on the 13th of September, and was met on the beach by its Colonel, Lieut.-General Sir John Hope, who marched into Edinburgh Castle at its head: the regiment afterwards sent detachments to Stirling, Fort William, and Dumbarton.

1825

New colours having been prepared for the Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders, the regiment was assembled at Bruntsfield Links, on the 1st of August, 1825, under Lieut.-Colonel Calvert. The new colours were presented to the Colonel, Lieut.-General Sir John Hope, by Lady Hope, with a suitable address; they were afterwards consecrated by the Chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Moon, in an eloquent prayer, in which he implored the God of Battles ever to crown them with honour and victory; Sir John Hope then presented them to the regiment, which was formed in square to receive them, and said:—

“In delivering to your charge these colours, which have been presented to the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment by Lady Hope, I am fully aware that I am not addressing a newly-raised corps, whose name and character have yet to be acquired. As it has pleased His Majesty to confer so distinguished an honour on the regiment, as to permit the SEVENTY-SECOND to assume the name of the Duke of Albany’s Own Highlanders, I cannot omit congratulating the corps on having received so flattering and honorable a mark of approbation, and expressing my conviction, that this additional badge, which is now placed on these colours, will afford a new and powerful inducement for maintaining the high character which the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment has so long and so deservedly possessed. I feel particularly gratified that the honour of delivering these colours has devolved on me, and that their presentation should also have taken place in the capital of the country where the regiment was first raised, and after its return from a long period of honorable and distinguished service. The country being now at peace, there is no opportunity for the SEVENTY-SECOND to gain fresh honours by victories in the field; but the regiment may deserve and obtain almost equal honour and credit by setting an example of discipline and good conduct on home service, which becomes now particularly incumbent when so highly distinguished by being named after His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, to whom the whole army is indebted for the present state of order and discipline to which it has attained. That the SEVENTY-SECOND will ever continue to deserve the approbation of His Royal Highness I make no doubt: and I have now to offer my most sincere good wishes for the prosperity of the corps collectively, and of every individual officer, non-commissioned officer, and private soldier of the regiment.”

Towards the end of July, routes were received for marching to Port Patrick, for embarkation for Ireland; and before quitting Edinburgh, the regiment received the thanks of the Lord Provost and Magistrates for its exemplary conduct; it landed at Donaghadee on the 26th of August; and the head-quarters were established at Belfast.

1826
1827

In September, 1826, the regiment marched to Londonderry, from whence nineteen detachments were sent out; and in May, 1827, the detachments were called in, and the whole proceeded to Dublin.

Orders were received in September to form six service and four depôt companies; the service companies embarked for Liverpool, from whence they proceeded to London, where they arrived on the 9th of October, and took the duty at the Tower.

1828

On the 5th of January, 1828, the first life guards, royal horse guards, four battalions of foot guards, and the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment, were reviewed on the parade in St. James’s park, by Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington, in presence of Don Miguel, Infant of Portugal.

In April the regiment marched to Canterbury, where it was inspected on the 2nd of June by General Lord Hill, commanding-in-chief, who was pleased to state,—“That although it had been his lot to see and serve with most of the regiments in the service, he felt he should not be doing full justice to the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders, if he did not express his particular approbation of every thing connected with them, and add, he had never before seen a regiment their equal in movements, in appearance, and in steadiness under arms.”

The regiment remained at Canterbury until the end of June, when it marched to Gravesend, where it embarked, under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Arbuthnot, for the Cape of Good Hope—a colony where the reputation of the corps was established, and it landed at Cape Town in September and October following.

1830

In May, 1830, the depôt companies were withdrawn from Ireland, and landing at Glasgow, were stationed in Scotland during the five following years.

1833

While the service companies were stationed in Cape Town, the aggressions of the Kafir tribes, which are divided into three nations,—the Amapendas, the Tambookies, and the Amakosa, assumed a formidable and an atrocious character previously unknown. The colonial boundary extended, on one side, to the Keiskamma, but a chief named Macoma, had been permitted to reside within the British territory. Owing to some atrocities committed by him and his followers on the Tambookies, which were attended with the shedding of human blood within the colony, he was deprived of the lands he held by sufferance in the British territory. His expulsion was, however, not strictly enforced until 1833, when he was removed beyond the boundary, and he became violently exasperated against the British. The predatory habits of the Kafirs also led to disputes, when the British were searching for stolen property, and the lenity observed towards the aggressors emboldened them, and occasioned them to become more audacious in their attacks.

1834

Towards the end of 1834 thousands of Kafirs rushed into the colony, and commenced the work of murder, rapine, and devastation by fire, among the settlers.

1835

The SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders were stationed at Cape Town, when the news of these alarming events arrived at the seat of government, and they were immediately ordered towards the frontiers. Three companies sailed for Algoa Bay, on the 2nd of January, 1835, and arrived at that place on the 10th; the other three companies advanced up the country by horse waggons; and as the regiment approached Graham’s Town, it traversed the scenes of outrage, and witnessed the ruins of once flourishing farms bearing marks of savage vengeance; the town was found barricaded, and the houses turned to fortifications. Ten thousand Kafirs had penetrated the colony, and the smoke of ruined farms, with the cries of widows and orphans, were seen and heard on every side.

Having advanced towards the frontiers, the head-quarters were established at Graham’s Town, and detachments were employed in chasing the vengeful marauders from the confines of the British possessions.

Preparations were made to carry hostilities into the heart of Kafirland, to visit with necessary chastisement the atrocious aggressions of the tribes, and to enforce such measures as should be calculated to prevent the recurrence of similar outrages. The force assembled for this service was divided into four columns: the first was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel John Peddie, K.H., SEVENTY-SECOND regiment; it consisted of a detachment of the royal artillery with two guns, a detachment of the Cape mounted riflemen, the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders, a provisional battalion, and the Swellendaham burghers; and in the middle of March it advanced to the right bank of the Keiskamma, from whence it penetrated into the interior of Kafirland. The predatory tribes were incapable of offering serious opposition; they were chastised for their atrocious conduct, subdued, deprived of a portion of their territory bordering on the frontiers of the colony, and such additional precautionary measures were adopted as appeared necessary to ensure the safety of the British subjects.

The SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders were employed in Kafirland during the months of April and May: the head-quarters were afterwards established at King William’s Town until October, when they were removed to Graham’s Town.

In June of this year the depôt companies proceeded from Scotland to Ireland.

1836

On the death of Lieut.-General Sir John Hope, the colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on Major-General Sir Colin Campbell, K.C.B., from the ninety-ninth foot, by commission dated the 15th of August, 1836.

1837
1838

The head-quarters of the service companies remained at Graham’s Town three years, furnishing detachments along the frontiers, occupying posts, and performing much trying and difficult service: in October, 1838, they were relieved from this duty, and returned to Cape Town.

In May, 1838, the depôt companies returned to Scotland.

1839

During the year 1839 the service companies were stationed at Cape Town, and the depôt companies at Paisley and Dundee.

1840

After taking part in the important duty of protecting the possessions of Great Britain at the Cape of Good Hope nearly twelve years, the service companies were relieved in April, 1840, and returned to England, and disembarked at Portsmouth on the 8th of June following: the regiment was subsequently stationed at Fort Cumberland: the depôt had proceeded from North Britain to Portsmouth in May, 1840.

The following general order was issued by Major-General Sir George Napier, K.C.B., commanding the forces at the Cape of Good Hope, on the 10th of April, 1840, upon the embarkation of the SEVENTY-SECOND for England:—

“His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief cannot permit the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders to embark for England, from the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, in which they have been stationed for the long period of twelve years, without his expressing his marked approbation of the conduct of this highly disciplined and exemplary corps while under his immediate command; and from the reports His Excellency has received from Colonel Smith, the Deputy-Quarter Master-General, under whose orders this regiment has been during the greater part of the above period, including a very arduous and active service in the Field, His Excellency is enabled to record, which he does with great satisfaction, the very meritorious services of the SEVENTY-SECOND Highlanders, in whatever duty they have been engaged, whether in the Field or in Quarters.

“His Excellency begs to assure Major Hope, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the SEVENTY-SECOND regiment, that he will ever feel a lively interest in their welfare.”

1841

In July, 1841, the regiment proceeded from Portsmouth to Windsor.

1842

On the 26th of January, 1842, new colours were presented to the SEVENTY-SECOND Highland regiment by Field-Marshal His Grace the Duke of Wellington, in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, the ceremony being honoured by the presence of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, the King of Prussia, and other distinguished personages. The following is the Duke of Wellington’s address to the regiment on this interesting occasion:—

“Colonel Arbuthnot,[21] and you, Gentlemen, Officers, and you, Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, of the SEVENTY-SECOND Highland regiment,—I have attended here this day, in compliance with the wishes of your Commanding Officer, and by permission of Her Majesty, to present to you your new colours. These colours have been consecrated by one of the highest dignitaries of our Church, and are presented to you in the presence of Her Majesty, and of her Illustrious and Royal Guest the King of Prussia, of Prince Albert, and a number of most distinguished personages. They are composed of the colours of the three nations, and bear the cipher of Her Majesty; and I have no doubt, from your previous character and your present high state of discipline, that you will guard them under every circumstance, to the utmost of your power. These Colours you are henceforth to consider as your Head-Quarters, and in every circumstance, in all times of privation and of distress, you will look to them as your rallying point; and I would again remind you, that their presentation is witnessed by the Monarch of one of the most powerful nations in Europe—a nation which boasts of an army which has heretofore been a pattern for all modern troops,—and which has done so much towards contributing to the general pacification of Europe. I have long known the SEVENTY-SECOND Highland Regiment. Half a century has now nearly elapsed since I had the pleasure of serving in the same Army with them in the Plains of Hindoostan; since that period they have been engaged in the conquest of some of the most valuable colonies of the British Crown; and latterly, in performing most distinguished services at the Cape of Good Hope. Fourteen years out of the last sixteen they have spent on Foreign service; and with only eighteen months at home for their re-formation and their re-disciplining, appear in their present high state of regularity and order. The best part of a long life has been spent by me in Barracks, Camps, and Cantonments, and it has been my duty, as well as my inclination, always to study how best to promote the health and discipline of the troops; and I have always found it only to be done by paying the strictest regard to regularity and good order, and the greatest attention to the orders of their Officers. I address myself now particularly to the older soldiers, and wish them to understand that their strict attention to their discipline, and respect to their superiors, will often have the best effect on the younger soldiers; and it is, therefore, their duty to set a good example to their juniors by so doing; and by these means alone can they expect to command the respect and regard of the community amongst whom they are employed. I have made it my business to enquire particularly, and am rejoiced to find that the SEVENTY-SECOND have always commanded that respect and regard, wherever they have been stationed, to which their high state of discipline and good order so justly entitle them. You will, I am sure, always recollect the circumstances under which these Colours are now given into your charge; having been consecrated by one of the highest dignitaries of the Church, in the presence of Her Majesty, who now looks down upon you, and of her Royal Visitor: and I give them into your charge, confident that at all times, under all circumstances, whether at home or abroad, and in all privations, you will rally round them, and protect them to the utmost of your power.”

Colonel Arbuthnot, in reply, said:—

“My Lord Duke,—It would be highly presumptuous in me, if I were to make any reply to the address which your Grace has delivered to us; but I cannot avoid stating that it is impossible for me, and indeed, I may add, out of the power of any one to express, how deeply I, my Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Men, feel the high honour which has been conferred on us, by having had our Colours presented to us by the greatest Soldier the world has ever seen, and that in the presence of our Sovereign, His Majesty the King of Prussia, and Field-Marshal His Royal Highness Prince Albert.”

The regiment remained at Windsor until April, 1842, when it proceeded to Salford Barracks, from thence to Blackburn, and in September to Bolton, Lancashire.

1843

In April, 1843, the seventy-second regiment proceeded to Dublin, and in August to Templemore, marching from thence to Fermoy in September.

1844

Quitting Fermoy on the 2nd of July, 1844, the regiment proceeded to Buttevant, and on the 28th of September to Cork, having been put under orders for Foreign service. The six service companies, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Lord Arthur Lennox, embarked for Gibraltar in Her Majesty’s troop-ship Resistance, from Cork, on the 27th of November, 1844, and disembarked at their destination on the 12th of December following.

1845
1846
1847

The depôt companies marched from Cork to Templemore in April, 1845, and to Nenagh in February, 1846. In September, 1847, they proceeded to Charles Fort, near Kinsale, and in December were removed to Scotland, and stationed at Paisley.

1848

The regiment remained at Gibraltar until February, 1848, and on the 15th of that month embarked for Barbadoes under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Gascoyne, on board the Bombay transport. The following letter was addressed by General Sir Robert Wilson, Governor of Gibraltar, to the Adjutant-General reporting the embarkation:—

Gibraltar, 15th of February, 1848.

“Sir,

“I have the honour to acquaint you that Her Majesty’s SEVENTY-SECOND regiment embarked this morning on board the transport Bombay, and I have the satisfaction to add, that up to the last moment this distinguished corps conducted itself so as to merit the highest approbation that could be bestowed on the commanding officer, officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates for military qualities, and general deportment towards the community at large.

I have, &c.
R. T. Wilson,
General and Governor.”

The SEVENTY-SECOND arrived at Barbadoes on the 14th of March, 1848.

The depôt companies continued in North Britain, until the 18th of May, when they embarked for England, under Lieut.-Colonel C. M. Maclean, and arrived at Sheerness on the 24th of May, at which period this Record is concluded.

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1848.

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SEVENTY-SECOND
OR
DUKE OF ALBANY’S OWN
HIGHLANDERS.
For Cannon’s Military Records
Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t Strand.