Historical Record of the Sixty-first, or the South Gloucestershire Regiment of Foot / Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1758, and of its subsequent services to 1844.

by Richard Cannon

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

SIXTY-FIRST,

OR

THE SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT

OF

FOOT.

---

1755
1756

In the early part of the eighteenth century, the British Colonies in North America were extended along the coast;—at the same time, the Indian trade drew many persons into the interior of the country, where they found a delightful climate, and a fruitful soil; and a company of merchants obtained a charter for a tract of land beyond the Allegany Mountains, where they commenced establishing a settlement. The French laid claim to this part of the country, drove away the settlers, and erected a fort to command the entrance into the lands on the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers. These aggressions giving indication of an approaching war, the British army was augmented in the winter of 1755-6, and that distinguished veteran corps, the Third Regiment of Foot, or the Buffs, was increased in numbers to twenty-two companies, and was divided into two battalions in 1756.

1757

In the summer of 1757, the Third Regiment formed part of an expedition against the coast of France, the land forces being under General Sir John Mordaunt, and the fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Edward Hawke. The Isle of Aix was captured in September, and an attack on Rochefort was contemplated; but the wind proved unfavourable, and the fleet returned to England.

1758

In the spring of 1758, the SECOND BATTALION of the Buffs was constituted the “Sixty-first Regiment,” under the command of Major-General Granville Elliott, from the Austrian service, by commission dated the 21st of April; the lieut.-colonelcy was conferred on Major John Barlow, of the Buff’s, and the majority on Captain Christopher Teesdale, senior captain of the Buffs. The Regiment, being thus formed from the Third Foot, was permitted to assume the Buff facing.

After its formation, the regiment was encamped at Chatham, with the Thirty-seventh and Sixty-fifth, under Major-General the Earl of Panmure.

The following officers were holding commissions in the regiment:—

Colonel, Major-General Granville Elliott.
Lieut.-Colonel, John Barlow.
Major, Christopher Teesdale.
	Captains.
James Patterson	Roger Crowle
A. Singleton	William Buckley	Captain-Lieutenant.
Thomas Hardcastle	John Barford	William Gunning
M. Brabazon
	Lieutenants.
John Acklom	Peter Maturin	D. Gilchrist
W. Peyton	S. Pearce	Thomas Brown
John Rowland	John Poole	G. V. Chetwode
John Waugh	William Wilson	R. Beatson
John Read	F. Blomberg	R. Kelly
N. Doolan	A. Leishman	J. Badger
	Ensigns.
John Skinner	John Keir	James Savage
John Ireland	Edward Crowe	John Arbuthnot
Jarvis Palmer	Samuel Horner
Chaplain, George Shaw; Adjutant, William Gunning;
Surgeon, Peter Johnston; Quarter-Master, Samuel Grey.

Towards the end of the year the regiment embarked for the West Indies, with the armament sent against the French West India Islands, under Major-General Hopson and Commodore Moore.

1759

On the 16th of January, 1759, the troops landed on the island of Martinico; but so many difficulties were encountered, that they were re-embarked, and the attack on this island was abandoned.

From Martinico the fleet proceeded to Guadeloupe, and the forts and batteries on the shore having been silenced by the ships-of-war, the troops landed on the 24th of January, and took possession of the town and citadel of Basse-Terre; the French soldiers and inhabitants, with their armed negroes, retired to the mountains, and prepared for a desperate defence of the interior of the island.

For three months hostilities were continued on the island, and during this period the officers and soldiers of the Sixty-first evinced valour and perseverance in carrying operations against, and making attacks on, the posts occupied by the enemy. Captain William Gunning, of the regiment, was killed at the attack of a hill near Fort Louis; “he was an excellent officer, and universally lamented by the army[1].” Lieut.-Colonel Barlow distinguished himself at the head of a detachment at the capture of St. Maries, when a party of the Sixty-first penetrated a thick wood, and gained the rear of a strong post, from which the French were soon driven. The regiment also made a very determined effort to penetrate the woody mountains, and turn the enemy’s main position, and the operations of the day were successful. After much desultory fighting, the French were forced to surrender the island. The Sixty-first had a number of men killed and wounded; and others died from the effects of the climate: the loss of the regiment in officers was Capt.-Lieutenant William Gunning killed; Lieutenant John Rowland wounded; Ensign Samuel Horner died. The conduct of the officers and soldiers of the Sixty-first was commended in orders.

On the decease of Major-General Elliott, he was succeeded in the colonelcy of the regiment by Lieut.-Colonel George Gray, from the first troop, now first regiment, of Life Guards.

1760
1763

The regiment, having become considerably reduced in numbers, returned to England to recruit, and in the summer of 1760 it was encamped at Chatham; in 1761 it proceeded to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, where it was stationed until the termination of the seven years’ war; and in 1763 it proceeded to Ireland, where it remained seven years.

On the 9th of May, 1768, Major-General Gray was removed to the Thirty-seventh Regiment; and King George III. conferred the colonelcy of the Sixty-first on Major-General John Gore, from lieutenant-colonel in the Third Foot Guards.

1771

Three years afterwards the regiment was removed from Ireland, and stationed at the island of Minorca, which had been captured by the British in 1708, and was ceded to Queen Anne by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

1778

Lieut.-General Gore was removed to the Sixth Foot in 1773, when the colonelcy of the Sixty-first was conferred on the lieut.-colonel of the regiment, Colonel John Barlow; who was succeeded, in 1778, by Major-General Staates Long Morriss, whose regiment, the Eighty-ninth, had been disbanded at the termination of the seven years’ war.

1772
1779
1781

In the mean time the American war had commenced; France had united with the revolted British provinces in their resistance; and Spain also commenced hostilities against Great Britain, and undertook the siege of Gibraltar in 1779. The capture of Minorca was also contemplated by the court of Spain; and in the middle of August, 1781, a powerful Spanish and French armament appeared before the island. The British troops employed on the detached stations were withdrawn, and the whole assembled in the citadel of St. Philip, the garrison of which place consisted of the Fifty-first and Sixty-first Regiments, two corps of Hanoverians (viz., Prince Ernest’s and Goldacker’s regiments), and a proportion of artillery, the whole amounting to two thousand five hundred men, commanded by Lieut.-General the Hon. James Murray, and Lieut.-General Sir William Draper, K.B. The combined French and Spanish forces mustered sixteen thousand men, commanded by Lieutenant-General the Duke of Crillon, who proved an officer of ability. The British garrison, however, made a resolute defence of the fortress intrusted to their charge; and the King of Spain, losing patience with the slow progress of the siege, caused a large sum of money to be offered to the British general, to induce him to betray his trust, which was rejected with indignation[2].

1782

For several months the British soldiers defended St. Philip with great gallantry; but at length the scurvy, a putrid fever, and the dysentery, broke out among them with so much violence, that in the beginning of February, 1782, there was not a sufficient number of men able to bear arms for one relief of the ordinary guards, and not one hundred men free from disease. Under these circumstances the governor capitulated.

Lieut.-General the Honorable James Murray stated, in his despatch,—“I flatter myself that all Europe will agree that the brave garrison showed uncommon heroism, and that thirst for glory which has ever distinguished the troops of my royal master.... Such was the uncommon spirit of the King’s soldiers, that they concealed their diseases and inability rather than go into the hospital; several men died on guard, after having stood sentry: their fate was not discovered until called upon for the relief, when it came to their turn to mount sentry again.... Perhaps a more noble, nor a more tragical scene was ever exhibited than that of the march of the garrison of St. Philip through the Spanish and French lines. It consisted of no more than six hundred decrepid soldiers; two hundred seamen, one hundred and twenty royal artillery, twenty Corsicans, and twenty-five Greeks, &c. Such was the distressing appearance of our men, that many of the Spanish and French soldiers are said to have shed tears.”

In the articles of capitulation the Duke of Crillon stated,—“No troops ever gave greater proofs of heroism than this poor worn-out garrison of St. Philip’s Castle, who have defended themselves almost to the last man.” Beatson, the historian of these wars, states,—“The zeal, bravery, and constancy, displayed by all the corps composing the garrison of St. Philip, under an accumulation of misfortunes, may have been equalled, but never exceeded.”

1783

Returning to England after the surrender of Fort St. Philip, the regiment was engaged in recruiting its numbers until the termination of the war; in August, 1782, it received the county title of the Sixty-first, or the South Gloucestershire Regiment: and in 1783, it proceeded to Ireland.

1792

The regiment was stationed in Ireland until the spring of 1792, when it proceeded to Gibraltar.

1793
1794

While the regiment was at Gibraltar the French revolutionary war commenced, and in 1794 the French West India islands of Martinico, St. Lucia, and Guadeloupe were captured. The French republican government fitted out an expedition for the recovery of the conquered islands, and some success attended their efforts. This occurrence occasioned an order to be received for the Sixty-first Regiment to be embarked from Gibraltar to reinforce the British troops in the West Indies, where it arrived in December, and landed at the island of Martinico.

1795

From Martinico the regiment proceeded to St. Lucia, and was engaged in the attack of the French troops on that island in April, 1795, under the orders of Brigadier-General Stewart. Some severe fighting took place; the regiment had several men wounded on the 14th of April; and on 22nd of that month it had nine men killed; Captains Riddle and Whelan, Lieutenants Grant and Moore, Ensign Butler, seven serjeants, two drummers, and fifty-three rank and file wounded; five rank and file prisoners. A series of actions followed, in which considerable loss was sustained. The enemy being reinforced, obtained so great a superiority of numbers, that it was found necessary to evacuate the island in June, when the regiment returned to Martinico.

1796

In the following year an armament, under Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby re-captured St. Lucia and other islands. The Sixty-first Regiment having lost nearly four hundred men by disease, killed in action, died of wounds, &c., it embarked for England, where it arrived in October, and commenced recruiting its ranks.

1797

The regiment embarked for Guernsey in 1797.

1798
1799

Holland had, in the mean time, become united to France, and in 1795 the Cape of Good Hope was captured by a British armament. A rebellion breaking out on the frontiers of the colony, the Sixty-first embarked for the Cape of Good Hope in the summer of 1798; the regiment arrived at that settlement in January, 1799, and was stationed there upwards of two years.

During its stay at the Cape of Good Hope, the regiment was employed against the hardy and warlike tribes of Kafirs, who committed depredations in the colony. On one occasion the light infantry company marched upwards of forty miles in one day, to support a detachment of the Eighth Light Dragoons, in an attack upon the Kafirs, and the timely appearance of the soldiers of the Sixty-first contributed to the success gained on that occasion.

1800

The Sixty-first Regiment, with a detachment of the Eighty-first, built a block-house, and threw up works at Algoa Bay, and thus commenced the formation of a settlement at that place, which has since risen into importance.

On the decease of General Morriss, King George III. conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General George Hewitt, from Colonel-Commandant of the second battalion of the Fifth Regiment, by commission dated the 4th of April, 1800.

1801

In February, 1801, four companies of the Sixty-first Regiment embarked from the Cape of Good Hope, for a secret service; but they were afterwards directed to join the Indian army commanded by Major-General Baird, destined to proceed up the Red Sea, traverse the Desert, and co-operate, with the troops from Europe, in the expulsion of the French “Army of the East” from Egypt. The remaining six companies of the regiment sailed from the Cape of Good Hope on the 30th of March, under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Carruthers, to join the expedition in the Red Sea.

The army from India arrived at the port of Cosseir on the Red Sea in June, and marched through the Desert to Kenna on the Nile, by divisions. The four companies of the Sixty-first Regiment, a detachment of the Tenth Foot, and a party of the Eighth Light Dragoons, mustering five hundred and eighty-two soldiers, under Lieut.-Colonel Barlow, of the Sixty-first[3], commenced their march from Cosseir through the Desert on the 18th of July; they suffered much from excessive heat, thirst, and the fatigue of a long march through a sandy desert, and arrived at Kenna in ten days. The other companies landed at Cosseir on the 10th of July, and commenced their march on the 20th of that month for Kenna, where they arrived in nine days, with the loss of only one man, a drummer, who died of fatigue. When the company, to which the drummer belonged, arrived at camp, he was missed, and Private Andrew Connell asked permission to return, notwithstanding the previous fatigue he had undergone, and assist the drummer: his humane exertions were, however, unavailing, as he found the drummer dead. This humane conduct brought Andrew Connell into notice, and he was eventually promoted to a commission in the regiment.

On the 2nd of August the regiment embarked in seventeen d’jirms (boats), and proceeded down the river Nile, about four hundred miles, to Cairo, which city had surrendered to the British troops a short time previously. The regiment afterwards continued its route down the Nile to the vicinity of Rosetta. The siege of Alexandria was carried on with vigour, and the deliverance of Egypt was completed by the surrender of the French garrison in the beginning of September.

The Sixty-first received, in common with the other corps which served on this expedition, the honor of bearing on their colours the word “Egypt” with the Sphinx, as a distinguished mark of His Majesty’s royal approbation of their conduct: the officers were permitted to accept of gold medals from the Grand Seignior.

After the departure of the French troops, the regiment was quartered a short time at Alexandria, and afterwards in Fort Charles.

1802

The deliverance of Egypt was followed by a treaty of peace, which was concluded in the spring of 1802. In this year the regiment quitted Fort Charles, and encamped near Alexandria.

1803

Hostilities were resumed with France in 1803; and in March of the same year the regiment embarked from Egypt for the island of Malta, where it was stationed two years.

Napoleon Bonaparte having assembled a numerous army at Boulogne, and made preparations for the invasion of England, the British military establishment was considerably augmented, and a second battalion was formed and added to the Sixty-first Regiment; it was composed of men raised in the counties of Durham and Northumberland, under the provisions of the Army of Reserve Act, passed in the summer of 1803, and was placed on the establishment of the army on the 9th of July.

1804

The strength of the second battalion was augmented in 1804, with the men raised in the county of Northumberland under the provisions of the Additional Force Act, passed in July of that year. On the 10th of October the battalion embarked from Ramsgate for the Island of Guernsey, where it was stationed during the following year.

1805

While the first battalion was at Malta, Bonaparte was elevated to the dignity of Emperor of France and King of Italy, and in 1805 he marched his armies into Germany to crush the combination forming against his interests.

At this memorable period the regiment embarked from Malta, and sailed for Italy with the force under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig, designed to support the interests of the allies in that quarter.

A treaty of neutrality had been concluded between France and Naples, by which Napoleon agreed to withdraw his troops from the Neapolitan territory, where they had been stationed since the commencement of the war with England; and the King of Naples was bound not to admit the fleet or armies of any state at war with France into his ports or territory. These articles were, however, violated; an English and Russian armament appeared in the Bay of Naples in November, 1805, and the Sixty-first, and several other British regiments, landed at that city. This provoked the wrath of Napoleon; and the great success of the French arms in Germany having enabled their ambitious sovereign to assume the tone of a dictator, on the morning after the signature of the peace of Presburg, he issued a proclamation declaring, “The Neapolitan dynasty had ceased to reign,” and denouncing vengeance against the family he had thus resolved to dethrone, in terms which left no hope of accommodation.

1806

The Russians withdrew from Naples; and the British, under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig, were too few in numbers to think of defending the kingdom against the powerful armies which Napoleon sent against that devoted country, in the early part of 1806, under Joseph Bonaparte.

The Sixty-first embarked from Naples in January, 1806; the King and Queen quitted their capital, and proceeded to the island of Sicily, which was preserved in their interest by the British; the Sixty-first were landed at the city of Messina, on the north-east side of Sicily, and were stationed there several weeks. The Neapolitans abandoned their royal family to its fate, and submitted to the dictates of Napoleon, who issued a decree conferring the crown of Naples on his brother Joseph: the city of Naples was illuminated, and the nobles were eager to shew their attachment to their new King. Insurrections occurred in several places; but the French arms were successful, and the provinces became tranquil.

On the 26th of February the second battalion embarked from Guernsey for Ireland, and landed at Cork in March.

It was important to England that Sicily should not fall under the dominion of France, and the restoration of Ferdinand IV. to the throne of Naples, was never lost sight of. Preparations being made on the opposite coast of Calabria, for the invasion of Sicily, Major-General Stuart, commanding the British troops in Sicily, formed the design of cutting off the French division under General Regnier: the flank companies of the Sixty-first[4] were formed in flank battalions, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel James Kempt and Lieut.-Colonel R. W. O’Callaghan, and being employed on this enterprise, they had the honor of distinguishing themselves at the battle of Maida, on the 4th of July.

On this occasion the light battalion, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel James Kempt, of which the light company of the Sixty-first formed part, was directly opposed to the celebrated French regiment, Le 1^er Leger; the two corps fired a few rounds at about a hundred yards’ distance, and then advancing simultaneously to the charge, both preserved great steadiness until the bayonets began to cross, when British prowess proved victorious; the French faced about and fled; they were pursued, and great slaughter made with the bayonet. British valour was triumphant at every part of the field, and the boasted invincible legions of Napoleon were proved to be inferior to the English in close combat with the bayonet.

The British minister at Palermo, writing to the Secretary of State, observed,—“The battle of Maida, upon the 4th of July, will long be remembered in this part of Europe, as a remarkable proof of the superiority of British courage and discipline over an arrogant and cruel enemy. Of the nine thousand men whom General Regnier commanded in the province of Calabria ulterior, not more than three thousand are left to attempt their retreat towards Apulia; the remainder are all either killed, wounded, or made prisoners. Every fort along the coast,—all the stores, ammunition, and artillery prepared for the attack upon Sicily, are become the prey of the victors; and what, perhaps, may be considered of still more consequence than these advantages, an indelible impression is made in this country of the superior bravery and discipline of the British troops.”

In forwarding a vote of thanks to Major-General Stuart, and the troops under his orders, from the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor stated,—“Reflecting upon the disasters which have fallen upon powerful princes, and populous territories, under the pressure of the vast armies of France, I recollect, at the same time, that they were not defended by British soldiers, and that, when the triumphal monuments of Paris shall record the victories of Austerlitz and Jena, it shall appear upon the less ostentatious journals of a British Parliament, that upon the plains of Maida her choicest battalions fell beneath the bayonets of half the number of our brave countrymen, under your direction and that of the officers who were your glorious companions.”

Major-General Stuart was rewarded with the dignity of a Knight of the Bath; and was created Count of Maida by the King of the Two Sicilies. Medals were given to commanding officers,—the first instance in the British army. The word “Maida,” on the appointments of the grenadiers and light infantry of the Sixty-first, commemorates the gallant conduct of the flank companies on this occasion.

Shortly after the victory at Maida, the battalion companies of the Sixty-first quitted Messina, and proceeded to Scylla and Calabria.

1807

The second battalion, after remaining in Ireland ten months, received orders to return to England; it embarked from Dublin on the 4th of February, 1807, and landed at Liverpool two days afterwards.

1808

At this period the decrees of Napoleon, Emperor of France, for the annihilation of British commerce, were in operation, and the French emperor demanded that the court of Portugal should exclude British shipping from their ports, and confiscate the property of British merchants. This being refused, a French army under Marshal Junot, (afterwards Duke of Abrantes,) advanced to invade Portugal: when the Sixty-first Regiment embarked from Sicily, with the troops under Major-General Moore, to aid the Portuguese; but arriving at Gibraltar in December, it was there ascertained that the royal family of Portugal had abandoned the country, and fled to the Brazils: under these circumstances the regiment landed at Gibraltar, where it remained during the year 1808, receiving reinforcements from time to time from the second battalion, which was removed to Guernsey in the summer of this year.

While the regiment was at Gibraltar, Portugal was delivered from the power of France by British skill and valour; but Spain was subject to the oppression of Napoleon, who had removed his brother Joseph from the throne of Naples, and caused him to be proclaimed King of Spain.

1809

In the summer of 1809, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Portugal, to take part in the attempt to deliver the Peninsula; it embarked from Gibraltar on the 9th of June, arrived at Lisbon in eleven days, and advancing up the country, joined the army commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, at Oropesa, where it was attached to Brigadier-General Cameron’s brigade, in the first division, commanded by Major-General Sherbrooke.

The regiment shared in the movements and privations which preceded the battle of Talavera; and when the army formed in position, it was posted, with its division, in the front line, and near the centre of the British troops, with the light infantry among the underwood and trees in front of the line. On the evening of the 27th of July, the enemy made a determined attack on the height on the left of the position, when the Sixty-first Regiment was moved to the support of the troops attacked, who repulsed their opponents with the bayonet, and the regiment returned to its former post, having lost three men killed; Major Robert John Coghlan, and three soldiers wounded. Another attack on the left was repulsed early on the following morning.

About mid-day on the 28th of July, the numerous artillery of the enemy opened a heavy fire, under the cover of which the columns of attack advanced against the British line. The French bullets smote the ranks of the Sixty-first with fatal effect, and one shell killed four grenadiers and wounded three others. The French battalions cleared the ravine, and ascended the position in full assurance of victory; but they were received with a general fire of all arms, and charged with bayonets with so much vigour, that they were speedily forced back: the Sixty-first closed on their adversaries with distinguished gallantry, and following up their first advantage, drove the French beyond the ravine. Having become broken by a rapid advance over rugged ground abounding with obstructions, the regiment re-formed its ranks under a heavy fire. The distinguished conduct of Corporal Rose, on this occasion, was rewarded with the rank of serjeant in the field, and a subsequent display of zeal for the service, procured him a commission.

The French were repulsed at all points, and they retired during the night.

Major Henry Francis Orpen, Captain Henry James, Lieutenant Daniel James Hemus, one drummer, and forty-two rank and file were killed; Captains Andrew Hartley, William Furnace, James Laing, and David Goodman, Lieutenants Graves Collins, H. T. Tench, George McLean, and James Given, Ensign William Brackenbury, Adjutant Richard Drew, ten serjeants, and one hundred and eighty-three rank and file wounded; sixteen rank and file missing.

Lieutenant-Colonel Saunders and Major Coghlan received gold medals; and the royal authority was given for the regiment to bear the word “Talavera” on its colours, to commemorate its distinguished conduct on this occasion.

At the battle of Talavera full proof was given of the qualities of British soldiers; but the superior numbers which the enemy was afterwards enabled to bring forward, prevented the victory being followed by decisive results, and retrograde movements became necessary. On the advance of the enemy, the Spaniards abandoned Talavera, and the wounded officers and soldiers of the Sixty-first fell into the hands of the French. During the retreat much suffering was endured from the want of provision, and while the army was in position on the Guadiana, a fever broke out which thinned the ranks. In the autumn the Sixty-first were gratified, amidst their sufferings and losses, by the arrival of Major Coghlan and Adjutant Drew, who had escaped from prison at Madrid.

1810

Three hundred men joined from the second battalion in February, 1810, and thus restored the regiment to its former numbers. In April the second battalion proceeded from Guernsey to Ireland.

Continuing with the first division of the allied army, the regiment proceeded to the northern frontiers of Portugal to meet the French invading army, under Marshal Massena, who boasted that he would drive the English into the sea, and plant the eagles of France on the towers of Lisbon; and he possessed so great a superiority of numbers, that the allied army was forced to retreat before him. Suddenly the rugged rocks of Busaco were seen sparkling with British bayonets, assembled to oppose his advance, and the desperate attempts made by the French veterans to force the position, on the 27th of September, were met by a resistance which they could not overcome. The Sixty-first were in position on this occasion, and the light company skirmished with the French marksmen; but the regiment was not seriously engaged.

The French having turned the position by a flank movement, the British army withdrew to the fortified lines of Torres Vedras, where the invading army found its progress arrested by a barrier which it did not venture to attack, and after halting a few weeks before the lines in hopeless inactivity, retreated to a strong position at Santarem.

On arriving at the lines, the Sixty-first were removed to the fourth division, and stationed at the village of Caxaria, and it was in position every morning two hours before daylight to resist any attack the enemy might be disposed to make. The regiment was subsequently removed to the sixth division, with which its services are identified during the remainder of the war; it was united in brigade with the Eleventh and Fifty-third Regiments, commanded by Brigadier-General Hulse.

After the retreat of the French to Santarem, the regiment was stationed at the Convent of Alenquer, where several officers and men were taken suddenly ill, and the only remaining monk suggested, that it was probably occasioned by the water,—the French having, on their retreat, cast several dead men into the well in the centre of the square, to save the trouble of burying them: on examination this proved to be true,—and the sensations produced by the discovery may be easily conceived. In a few days afterwards the regiment was removed to the hamlet of Arunda.

1811

Unable to fulfil his menace of driving the English into the sea, and having consumed all the provisions he could procure, the French Marshal retreated from his position at Santarem, on the 5th of March, 1811, and the Sixty-first were engaged in following the retreat of the enemy to the frontiers of Portugal: they were afterwards employed, with their division, in the blockade of the fortress of Almeida, and were quartered at the village of Junca, from whence they furnished a daily piquet near the works.

The French army advancing to relieve Almeida, the Sixty-first quitted the blockade, and were in position when the French were repulsed at Fuentes d’Onor; but did not sustain any loss.

Resuming its quarters at Junca, the regiment again furnished piquets before Almeida. An unusual noise during the night of the 11th of May occasioned the regiment to assemble at its alarm post, and march towards Almeida; the grenadier company advanced to the walls, and Captain Furnace discovered a chasm in the works, at which he entered and ascertained that the French garrison had blown up a great part of the works, and evacuated the fortress; when Major Coghlan ordered a guard of one hundred men to take possession of the town, which was found much injured by the explosions.

Lord Wellington having undertaken the siege of Badajoz, Marshals Soult and Marmont marched the armies under their orders to the relief of that fortress, when the Sixty-first proceeded with their division to the Alemtejo, and were in position on the Caya. The French armies having separated, the regiment again traversed the country towards the Agueda; and in September the light company, under Captain Owen, distinguished itself by repulsing, by its steady fire, the attack of several squadrons of French dragoons, who had driven back a body of British cavalry near Ciudad Rodrigo, when Marshal Marmont relieved the blockade of that fortress.

After retiring a few miles before the superior numbers of the enemy, the regiment went into winter quarters, where it received a draft of two hundred men from the second battalion.

Colonel Saunders being promoted to the rank of major-general, Lieut.-Colonel Barlow arrived in Portugal to command the first battalion, and Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan proceeded to Ireland to command the second battalion. Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan had commanded the first battalion during two campaigns.

1812

In January, 1812, the regiment was employed in covering the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, which fortress was captured by assault during the night of the 19th of that month. The regiment afterwards traversed the country to the Alemtejo, from whence it advanced across the Guadiana, and was employed in Spanish Estremadura during the siege of Badajoz, which fortress was captured by assault on the 6th of April. After these brilliant enterprises were completed, the regiment returned to the northern frontiers of Portugal, and marched to sustain the troops which destroyed the French works at the bridge of Almarez.

Advancing into Spain, the allied army drove a French corps from the city of Salamanca, which was taken possession of amidst the rejoicings of the inhabitants, and the Sixty-first Regiment was one of the corps employed in the siege of the forts of San Vincente, St. Cajetano, and La Merced, in which the French had left garrisons. On the night of the 22nd of June the light company was engaged in an attempt to capture St. Cajetano and La Merced by escalade, when Captain John Owen led the assault with distinguished gallantry; he had gained the top of one of the ladders, and was in the act of entering the fort, when he was shot through the left arm, which was dreadfully shattered, and the next moment another shot in the shoulder precipitated him into the ditch. Private Charles Carr saw his Captain fall, and leaping into the ditch under a heavy fire raised the fallen Captain,—called a comrade to his aid, and they carried their officer to a place of safety. The attack failed. Captain Owen was promoted to the rank of major, and on receiving the usual pension for the loss of his arm, he settled an annuity upon Private Charles Carr.

The regiment sustained considerable loss on this occasion in killed and wounded, and among the latter was Lieutenant Given.

Some delay took place in the capture of the convents, from the want of ammunition; but a supply having been received, they were reduced before the end of June.

From Salamanca the regiment advanced to the banks of the Douro, and when the French army passed the river and advanced, the British fell back a few stages.

On the 22nd of July, the opposing armies manœuvred near Salamanca, and the French commander making a faulty movement, the British general ordered his divisions forward and commenced the battle. For some time the Sixty-first were formed, with their division, behind the village of Arapiles, to support the fourth division, which was engaged upon a rising ground beyond the village; the regiment was exposed to a heavy cannonade; and the village was soon in flames from the bursting of shells. The fourth division being pressed by very superior numbers, the sixth division advanced at a running pace to its support, and on passing the village of Arapiles the Sixty-first opened their fire; but the French soldiers were so mingled with the men of the fourth division, that the regiment ceased firing for fear of destroying friends as well as enemies. The French carried the hill, and, elated with success, rushed forward with great impetuosity; but the Eleventh and Sixty-first gave three cheers, fired a volley, and charged with bayonets with so much resolution that the torrent of battle was arrested, and, after a desperate effort, the French were overpowered, and the hill was re-captured. Lieut.-Colonel Barlow, Major Downing, eight other officers, and about a hundred soldiers had fallen; but the survivors pressed upon their opponents with the bayonet until ordered to halt on the low ground beyond the hill. The French rallied under a cloud of skirmishers, and appeared intent on attempting to recover the hill. At this moment the regiment was exposed to the fire of a number of sharpshooters, and a numerous artillery, it was threatened with a charge of infantry, and a hostile body of cavalry was manœuvring on its left, yet it was as steady as on an ordinary parade; the surviving officers and soldiers formed four divisions two deep, and prepared to charge with their gallant associates of the Eleventh Regiment. Colonel Napier states, in his History of the Peninsular War,—“The struggle was no slight one. The men of General Hulse’s brigade, which was on the left, went down by hundreds, and the Sixty-first and Eleventh Regiments won their way desperately, and through such a fire as British soldiers only can sustain.” The southern ridge was regained, and “the reserve of Boyer’s dragoons coming on at a canter, were met and broken by the fire of Hulse’s noble brigade. Then the changing current of the fight once more set for the British.” In this second advance the Eleventh and Sixty-first drove the enemy before them a considerable distance. The two regiments then halted, and being within range of the enemy’s artillery, Major-General Hulse directed the men to sit down; but the French fire occasioned many casualties, and the major-general called the commanding officers of regiments forward and directed them to acquaint their men with his intention of attacking the heights in front. This was answered by three cheers from the surviving officers and men, and an immediate advance, under a destructive fire from the French artillery and skirmishers; but the brigade pressed gallantly forward and speedily gained the summit. The French formed column. The Eleventh and Sixty-first changed front, and opening their fire, soon forced the enemy to retire. The officers and serjeants with the colours of the Sixty-first fell under the enemy’s fire, when the colours were seized by Privates William Crawford and Nicholas Coulson, who carried them to the top of the hill. Crawford was instantly promoted to serjeant; the same rank was offered to Coulson, but he answered that he was over-rewarded already by the cheers and thanks of his comrades, and the approbation of his officers. Serjeant Crawford fell a sacrifice to his gallantry in a subsequent engagement.

Lieutenants Wolfe and Armstrong took charge of the colours, and the regiment continued to advance. The sixth division was engaged towards the close of the action, in forcing the French from the last height on which they ventured to make a stand: and when darkness put an end to the fight, the British were victorious at every part of the field; at the same time the broken remains of the French army were hurrying from the scene of disaster in confusion.

The loss of the Sixty-first on this occasion was very severe,—Lieut.-Colonel Barlow, Captains Stubbs, Horton, and Favell, Lieutenants Chawner and Parker, Ensign Bere, three serjeants, one drummer, and thirty-five rank and file, killed; Major Downing, Captains Oke, McLeod, and Greene, Lieutenants Falkner, Daniel, Chapman, Chipchase, Furnace, Gloster, Collis, Wolfe, Brackenbury, Royal, and Toole, Ensigns White and Singleton, twenty-two serjeants, one drummer, and two hundred and eighty rank and file, wounded. Major Downing died of his wounds[5].

Captain Annesley, who commanded the regiment at the close of the action, received a gold medal; and the word “Salamanca” was inscribed on the colours, by royal authority, to commemorate its distinguished gallantry on this memorable occasion.

Shortly after the battle of Salamanca the command of a brigade in the fifth division was conferred on Major-General Hulse, who took leave of the brigade he had previously commanded in the following orders:—“His Excellency the Commander of the Forces having been pleased to remove Major-General Hulse to the command of a brigade in the fifth division, the major-general cannot leave the officers and soldiers of the brigade he had the honor and happiness to command for nearly two years, without assuring them how fully satisfied he has ever been with their excellent conduct, both in quarters and in the field, during that period. The major-general wishes, most pointedly, to express how much he feels indebted to them for their steadiness and determined courage displayed in the action of the 22nd instant. It will ever be to him a source of the greatest pride to have had the honor to command them on that glorious day. Never did British troops acquit themselves in a more gallant style! and Major-General Hulse hopes all will accept his best thanks for their exemplary conduct, and his warmest wishes for their future welfare.”

After pursuing the broken remains of the French army to Valladolid, the British General marched to Madrid, leaving the Sixty-first, and a few other corps, at the town of Cuellar, situate on the declivity of a hill in the province of Segovia. The French army being reinforced, advanced down the Pisuerga valley, when the British infantry removed to Arevalo, and the French took possession of Valladolid. Lord Wellington returning from Madrid, the French again retreated, and the British advanced up the beautiful Pisuerga and Arlanzan valley to Burgos, and commenced the siege of the castle, in which service the Sixty-first were engaged; many of the officers and soldiers having recovered of their wounds, were again at the post of honor, and the regiment mustered about two hundred men, under Captains Sparrow, Greene, and Annesley, Lieutenants McLean, Furnace, Wolfe, Armstrong, and Harris. Lieutenant Stuart was attached to the engineer department, and was severely wounded.

For a short time the regiment was encamped about a mile from the fortress, but afterwards removed to the Hopital del Rey. Captain Annesley and a party of the regiment distinguished themselves at the storming of the outworks on the 4th of October, for which they were thanked in orders by Colonel Bingham, the field officer on duty in the trenches at the time. The distinguished gallantry of Private Edmonstone, on this occasion, was rewarded with the rank of serjeant.

On one occasion, the post occupied by a small piquet, under Lieutenant Armstrong, was destroyed by a mine, which killed and wounded two-thirds of the piquet; the enemy at the same time making a sortie. The lieutenant was thrown some distance by the explosion, but was not seriously injured; and he took possession, with the surviving men, of some houses, and by a steady fire forced the French to retire within their works;—Lieutenant Armstrong humorously observing, “My cloak is on the post, and the French shall not even possess that as a trophy.” On another occasion, Lieutenant Harris and a party of the regiment evinced great intrepidity on the glacis.

The concentration of the enemy’s numerous forces rendered it necessary for the British to raise the siege of Burgos Castle and retire, and the Sixty-first shared in the fatigues and privations of this retrograde movement. On one occasion the light company, under Lieutenant Wolfe, was employed in retarding the passage of a river by the enemy; and the regiment also aided in the destruction of one of the bridges across the Douro. The regiment arrived at the frontiers of Portugal, without losing more than one man during the retreat. It proceeded into quarters under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan; and was joined by a strong detachment from the second battalion during the winter.

1813

The progress of military organization in Portugal and Spain, with the arrival of reinforcements from England, enabled the British commander to take the field in May, 1813, with a formidable army. He drove the French from Salamanca, turned their positions on the Douro, and forced them back in disorder upon Burgos, when they destroyed the castle and retreated to the Ebro, the passage of which river they were prepared to defend; but he turned their position by a flank march, and obliged them to fall back upon Vittoria, where they formed for battle. The sixth division was left behind at Medina de Pomar, to cover the march of the magazines, and the Sixty-first were thus prevented sharing in the victory at Vittoria on the 21st of June. They were sufficiently near to hear the firing, and arrived at the field of battle on the following day, to take charge of the captured artillery and stores.

The regiment was subsequently employed in attempting to intercept the French division under General Clausel, and when this force had escaped to France, the regiment proceeded to Pampeluna, to take part in the blockade of that fortress, from which duty it was relieved by a Spanish corps, on the 14th of July, and advanced into the Pyrenean Mountains to San Estevan, situated in a beautiful valley, where it halted. Thus, after marching nearly six hundred miles in seven weeks, passing six great rivers, gaining one decisive battle, and investing the two fortresses of Pampeluna and San Sebastian, the allied army stood triumphant on the lofty Pyrenees, and the officers and soldiers panted for opportunities to acquire additional honors.

The French army having been reinforced, and reorganized, advanced under Marshal Soult, and attacked the British posts in the mountains, when the allied army fell back to a position in front of Pampeluna. The sixth division, to which the Sixty-first continued to belong, quitted San Estevan to support the troops first attacked; but when advancing, Lord Wellington rode up to the division, and ordered it to halt for the night. It afterwards retired through the mountain passes, and bivouacked, during the night of the 27th of July, in a pine-wood. At daybreak on the following morning it resumed its march, and joining the army in position in the mountains, formed for battle across the valley in the rear of the left of the fourth division, its right on the village of Oricain, and its left on some heights.

Soon after the regiment had taken its post, columns of attack were seen in motion to commence the battle of the Pyrenees, where the Sixty-first had another opportunity of distinguishing themselves. A body of French troops moved along the valley of Lanz towards the mountain at its extremity, and the Sixty-first, with two other British corps, were ordered to move at a running pace and occupy the mountain. The Sixty-first hastened up the hill on one side, as the French skirmishers ascended on the other; but the British gained the summit first, and opened their fire with terrible effect. The French were encompassed in the valley; two brigades smote them from the left, the Portuguese smote them from the right, and the sixth division forced them back with a terrible carnage. The enemy retreated behind the village of Sauroren. The Sixty-first, and two other regiments, advanced to a post near the village, and the fire of small-arms was kept up until dark.

No serious fighting occurred on the 29th of July; but on the morning of the 30th the British batteries opened from the heights, and a cloud of skirmishers advanced against Sauroren. The firing at this point afterwards subsided; but was eventually renewed, and the Sixty-first had the honor to participate in storming the village and heights of Sauroren, and in forcing the French from a position, which, from its natural strength and advantages, appeared almost impregnable. The pursuit was continued until night, and many prisoners were taken.

The regiment had seventy men killed and wounded; Captains Charleton and McLean, Lieutenants Wolfe and O’Kearney, and Volunteer Leebody, were wounded.

Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan received a gold medal; and the word “Pyrenees” was placed upon the colours of the regiment, as a mark of royal approbation of its gallant conduct.

Continuing the pursuit of the enemy to the extremity of the Pyrenees, the regiment ascended the summit of one of the highest mountains on the 2nd of August, and as the soldiers beheld the beautiful plains of France, which Napoleon had often declared to be inviolable, spread in rich landscape scenery before them, they experienced emotions of exultation in the anticipation of future conquests. In the afternoon the regiment encamped on a piece of high ground, surrounded by inaccessible rock, the only entrance to which was through a chasm; a beautiful stream ran along the hollow below, with a cannon foundry on its banks. Two days afterwards it marched to the vale of Los Alduides: and afterwards penetrated France some distance; but withdrew towards Maya, and relieved the second division on the heights commanding the pass of Maya, where the soldiers threw up breastworks. The prospect from these heights was particularly interesting: on the left was seen the sea, and the fortress of Bayonne; on the right the thickly wooded plains of Gascony, interspersed with towns and villages; in front was the French army; and in the rear of the right and left, the lofty Pyrenees crowned with the tents of the British army.

On the 1st of September the division drove the enemy from two heights in its front; and on the 9th of October, it again attacked the French, to favour the operations of the British troops which had passed the Bidassoa. Three companies of the Sixty-first were engaged on this occasion.

Invigorated by the mountain air, and impatient to win the fair plains of France before them, the soldiers received with joyful anticipations the orders to advance, and attack the enemy’s positions on the Nivelle. The Sixty-first descended from the mountains by moonlight on the night of the 9th of November, and lay concealed near the enemy’s piquets until the following morning. The day broke with great splendour, and as the first rays of light gilded the summits of the mountains, three guns gave the signal for the attack, and the French beheld with astonishment the allied army rise from its concealment, and rush to battle with an impetuosity they were not prepared to withstand. The Sixty-first passed the Nivelle river, and marched through a rugged country towards the bridge of Amotz, to attack the works at that place; the skirmishers of the regiment were in front under Lieutenant Harris. Advancing up a difficult ascent, covered with bushes, under a sharp fire, the regiment drove a body of French troops from a semicircular breastwork; several officers of the regiment outran the men, who had knapsacks to carry, and first jumped into the works:—Captain William Henry Furnace, who had repeatedly distinguished himself, fell a sacrifice to his gallantry; and Lieutenant Christopher Kellet was killed about the same time. The regiment pressed resolutely forward to storm a redoubt at the top of the hill; its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Coghlan, received a shot through the cap, which grazed the top of his head,—several officers and men fell, but the regiment continued its rapid advance, and Lieutenant Harris jumped across the ditch of the redoubt, when the French fled in dismay, and many of them were intercepted in the rear of the redoubt. Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill came up to the regiment, and thanked the officers and soldiers repeatedly for the very gallant manner in which they had ascended under the enemy’s fire. A second redoubt was captured at this part of the enemy’s line, and afterwards a third. The Sixty-first penetrated the enemy’s camp, which had been abandoned and set on fire. The light company of the regiment was detached on this occasion, and distinguished itself. A decisive victory was gained, and the British army established itself in the French territory. Captains James Horton, Marcus Annesley, and Hugh Eccles, Lieutenants Robert Belton, and Archer Toole, were all severely wounded.

Lieutenant-Colonel Coghlan received an honorary distinction; Major Oke was promoted to the rank of lieut.-colonel; and the gallantry displayed by the regiment on this occasion, was rewarded with the word “Nivelle” on its colours.

After this success, the regiment occupied quarters at Ustaritz, which was found an agreeable change; the bleak summits of the mountains, on which it had been long stationed, having become extremely cold. The moral and physical energies of the men were in full power, and nothing could have withstood their conquering progress had the weather been favourable.

Early in December a forward movement was ordered; and on the morning of the 9th of that month a beacon lighted on the heights above Cambo gave the signal for the attack, when the passage of the river Nive was forced, and the enemy driven back towards Bayonne. The sixth division passed the river on floating bridges. The advanced-guard (in which was the light company of the Sixty-first, formed in a light battalion under Captain Greene, of the regiment,) evinced great gallantry, and surprised the first French piquet, which fled in dismay. Some sharp fighting occurred; Captain Greene was wounded, and Captain Charleton was sent from the regiment to take command of the light battalion. The swampy nature of the country retarded the advance of the division, and gave time for the French troops to effect their retreat towards Bayonne. The enemy advanced and attacked the British troops on the three following days, but were repulsed.

At the passage of the “Nive” the regiment earned another honorary inscription for its colours; and Captain Greene received a medal. Its loss was limited to Captains Greene and Charleton wounded, and a few private soldiers killed and wounded.

1814

The regiment was stationed at Ville-Franque from the middle of November until the 22nd of February, 1814, assisting in the blockade of Bayonne. On one occasion, when the regiment had gone out for field exercise, leaving the officers, bât-men, pioneers, and the quartermaster-serjeant in quarters, a heavy fall of rain so swelled the stream of the Nive, that the pontoon-bridge of communication was detached from its moorings, and was seen floating down the stream. Quartermaster-Serjeant Rose (who distinguished himself at Talavera) and Private Thomas Dawson got hold of the bridge, and, at the hazard of their lives, succeeded in securing it, by which much inconvenience to the service was prevented. The quartermaster-serjeant was rewarded with a commission, and a sum of money was given to Private Dawson.

Quitting Ville-Franque, the regiment advanced up the country, and passing the river near Bereux, by a pontoon-bridge, on the morning of the 27th of February, it afterwards ascended by a narrow way between high rocks to the great road to Peyrehorade, which brought it into the presence of the French army, under Marshal Soult, in position near Orthes. The action commenced in the forenoon. The third and sixth divisions won, without difficulty, the lower part of the ridges opposed to them, and endeavoured to extend their left along the French front with a sharp fire of musketry. On the other flank the French defended their post with more resolution. During the early part of the day, the skirmishers only of the Sixty-first were engaged, and the regiment was in reserve; when the French army gave way, two fine battalions were seen attempting to cover the retreat, and Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan led the Sixty-first Regiment against them at a running pace. The two battalions fired a volley and retreated, pursued by the British light cavalry.

Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan received another honorary distinction for this battle; and the word “Orthes,” on the colours, commemorates the gallant bearing of the regiment on this occasion. Its loss was limited to one serjeant and ten men, killed and wounded.

Pursuing the retreating enemy on the following day, the regiment took some prisoners, and, being in advance, discovered part of the French army on an eminence near St. Sever; the enemy again retreated after dark, and was followed on the succeeding days. On one occasion the regiment lost a serjeant and seven men in a skirmish; and Lieutenant Furnace, of the light company, had a narrow escape, a ball having passed through the collar of his coat.

The regiment again came up with the enemy on the 16th of March, near Tarbes, and had a few men wounded. The weather was fine, the soldiers healthy, vigorous, and animated with their uninterrupted career of success, so that they were ready for any service; but the French continued their retreat without hazarding a serious engagement.

Marshal Soult concentrated the French troops under his command in a fortified position at Toulouse; and on the morning of the 10th of April, the Sixty-first Regiment was in motion with the fourth and sixth divisions, under Marshal Beresford, to turn the enemy’s right flank. The regiment being halted beyond the river Ers, while Lord Wellington and his staff reconnoitred the enemy, Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan took that opportunity to address the officers and men in a short and animated speech, which made a great impression on their minds. Immediately afterwards the regiment advanced; it crossed the river Ers, and marched along the left bank exposed to the enemy’s cannonade. On arriving at its destined point, the brigade was wheeled into line by Major-General Lambert, who led it forward to attack a formidable height occupied by French troops. The enemy descended with loud shouts to meet the advancing line, and opened a heavy fire of musketry; the Sixty-first rushed forward without firing a shot, the officers animating the men by their example, and answering the French shouts with a loud and confident huzza! They carried the height with fixed bayonets, but sustained severe loss. Many of the officers having outrun their men, who were retarded by the weight of their knapsacks, entered a French redoubt at the moment the defenders were quitting it, when a number of French soldiers turned round and fired with fatal effect: of the Sixty-first, Lieut.-Colonel Oke, Captain Charleton (who was calling to the enemy to surrender), and Lieutenant Arden, were wounded,—the latter mortally. The regiment advanced along the height until it was ordered to halt under an earthen fence, which partially sheltered it from the enemy’s guns. Early in the action its gallant commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan, was mortally wounded[6]. In the afternoon the regiment, much reduced in numbers, supported the attack of the Scots brigade on a range of redoubts, from which the enemy was driven with loss: and the Sixty-first were directed to occupy one of the captured redoubts. The French advanced to recover the redoubts; when Major-General Lambert directed a division of the Sixty-first to cross the road, which was commanded by the enemy’s fire, and reinforce the troops in another redoubt. This was a perilous movement; but Captain Charleton, whose wound was dressed in the field in time to enable him to rejoin and command the regiment in its second attack, placed himself in front of the division, exclaiming, “I will show the way!” Serjeant Fraser stepped to follow his captain, and, encouraged by this example, the division made the movement at a running pace; several officers and soldiers were, however, hit by the French marksmen. The regiment defended the post committed to its charge, and the French were driven from their works, and forced to take refuge in the suburbs of the city of Toulouse. At the termination of the action, the surviving men of the regiment were brought out of the field by Adjutant Bace, assisted by two ensigns and Serjeant Robert Hogg, whose name merits notice from his zealous exertions during the action.

The Sixty-first was included, in Lord Wellington’s despatch, among the corps which had sustained severe loss, and were highly distinguished throughout the day.

Lieut.-Colonel Coghlan, Lieutenant H. Arden, and Ensign W. A. Favell, were killed on this occasion; Major J. Oke, Captains W. Greene and E. Charleton, Lieutenants A. Porteus, N. Furnace[7], T. Gloster, D. O’Kearney, J. Wolfe, E. Gaynor, W. White[8], J. Harris, G. Stewart, and J. H. Ellison, Ensigns J. Wright, Cuthbert Eccles, and S. Bartlett, wounded. The regiment had also eight serjeants and one hundred and fifty-three rank and file killed and wounded.

Medals were conferred on Lieut.-Colonel Oke, Captain Charleton (who was twice wounded), and Adjutant Bace: and the word “Toulouse” was added to the inscriptions on the colours of the regiment.

The French retreated from Toulouse, followed by the British army, and at St. Felix five officers and seventy men joined the Sixty-first, from the second battalion in Ireland, under the orders of Captain Hamilton.

Hostilities were terminated a few days afterwards; the power of Bonaparte had been destroyed, and the Bourbon dynasty was restored to France. The gallant veterans of the Sixty-first were thus gratified with a complete triumph over the enemies of their country. They had traversed kingdoms, fought battles, and conquered powerful armies for the good of Europe; their valour had exalted the glory of the British arms, and preserved their native country from the presence of war: and the word “Peninsula” was added to the numerous inscriptions on their colours, to commemorate their heroic conduct.

After reposing a short period in quarters, the regiment marched for Bordeaux; and at Bazas the Portuguese brigade, which had long served with the sixth division, was separated from it to return to Portugal; a feeling of respect for these brave companions in war pervaded all ranks of the British army: many reciprocal acts of kindness had marked the estimation in which the soldiers of the British and Portuguese armies held each other.

On the 30th of June, the regiment embarked for Ireland, when the following order was issued:—“Major-General Lambert cannot allow the regiments composing the left brigade of the sixth division of the army under the Duke of Wellington, to separate without requesting the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, to accept his best thanks for their services while under his command. Though the period has not been long, yet it will be ever memorable; and the distinguished good conduct of the brigade, so repeatedly mentioned during this period, especially in the action of the 10th of April, will ever make him consider his appointment to the brigade as one of the most fortunate events of his military life.”

At the close of the services of the regiment in the Peninsula and South of France, the names of the following non-commissioned officers, whose meritorious services had been rewarded with commissions, were inserted in the Record Book,—

William Douglas.	William Bace.
William Hack.	Patrick Melvin.
James Nevin.	Andrew Connell.
John Abraham.	Thomas Williams.
John Robinson.	William Scott.
William Fortune.	Francis Begg.
George Armstrong.	Christmas Knight.
John Thompson.	John Bell.
Simon Musgrave.	George Tyrrell.
William Hall.	Samuel Rose.
John McKay.

The regiment landed at Cork in July, and marched to Dundalk, where the second battalion was disbanded on the 24th of October; the men fit for duty being transferred to the first battalion.

1815

From Dundalk the regiment marched to Newry, where it was stationed during the year 1815,—a period memorable in the history of Europe, on account of the return of Bonaparte to France,—his overthrow on the field of Waterloo,—and his removal to St. Helena.

1816

In June, 1816, the regiment embarked from Ireland, and proceeded to Portsmouth, where it landed, and was stationed during the summer months at Fort Cumberland. In the autumn it embarked for Jamaica, and arrived at Spanish-town in December.

1817
1821

The regiment was stationed at Spanish-town, Uppark camp, Stony-hill, and Kingston, in Jamaica, upwards of five years, during which period it lost by disease seven officers, and three hundred and fifty-six non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

1822

Having transferred the men who volunteered to remain in the country to other corps, the regiment embarked from Jamaica in March, 1822, and landed at Plymouth in May following.

1824

The regiment performed garrison duty at Plymouth until the spring of 1824, when it proceeded to Ireland; it was stationed at Cork until October, when it marched to Limerick.

1825

Leaving Limerick in 1825, the regiment proceeded to the counties of Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford, and Westmeath.

1826

In 1826 the head-quarters were established at Athlone, with detachments at various stations in the neighbouring counties.

1827

The regiment was assembled at Birr, in June, 1827, and in July marched to Richmond Barracks, Dublin, where it was divided into six service and four depôt companies; the service companies embarked in October for Liverpool, from whence they proceeded by canal to Fenny Stratford, and afterwards marched to Chatham.

1828

On the 30th of June, 1828, the service companies, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel G. E. P. Barlow, embarked from Gravesend for the island of Ceylon where, they arrived in November, and landed at Colombo.

Lieut.-General Sir Edward Barnes inspected the Sixty-first on their arrival at Ceylon, and inserted the following statement, in his own hand-writing, in the Record Book of the regiment:—

“Having inspected the Sixty-first Regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Barlow, it affords me much gratification to place upon the Records of the Regiment an expression of my admiration of its appearance and high order,—of the coolness, celerity, and precision, with which it performed the several evolutions, and of its system of interior economy: such a state of things evinces the great ability, assiduity, and perseverance of the commanding officer, and the able support of Major Wolfe and the rest of the officers, and is in the highest degree creditable to the non-commissioned officers and soldiers; and greatly enhances the pleasure which I feel in the renewal of my long acquaintance with the Sixty-first Regiment, and adds very materially and essentially to my satisfaction in having it under my command.

“E. BARNES, Lieut.-General.

“Colombo, December 18, 1828.”

1833
1836

The depôt companies were withdrawn from Ireland in November, 1833, and proceeded to Chatham; they returned to Ireland in 1836.

1834

The service companies remained at Colombo until 16th October, 1834, when they embarked for Trincomalee.

1837

On the 22nd May, 1837, the regiment sustained a loss of three officers, viz., Lieutenants Shaw and Harkness and Ensign Walker, who were unfortunately drowned, while on a shooting excursion, by the upsetting of a boat, in a squall off Cottiac.

The service companies re-embarked for Colombo in July, and after being inspected by Major-General Sir John Wilson, they marched for Kandy, where they arrived on the 22nd August, 1837.

1838

On the promotion of Colonel Edward Darley to the rank of major-general, on the 28th June, 1838, Major Charles Forbes was advanced to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and the command of the service companies devolved on Major Simmonds.

While on duty at Kandy, the following order was inserted in the Regimental Record Book, by Lieutenant-General Sir John Wilson, K.C.B., in his own hand-writing, viz:—

“Being on the eve of my departure from Ceylon, I feel much pleasure in adding to the honourable testimonies contained in the regimental records, the expression of my approbation of the general good conduct and military discipline manifested by the Sixty-first Regiment, during a period of seven years that it has served under my orders, it having been, during a great part of that time, under the command of the present Major-General Darley.

“It is gratifying to me to be able to state, that at the present half-yearly inspection, after a lapse of so many years, I find the regiment in the same high state of moral and military discipline, in which I had the satisfaction of finding it on my arrival to assume this command, and which had previously called forth the highest eulogiums from my predecessor.

“To have maintained this character during a period of more than ten years’ service in this colony, is a circumstance which cannot but be considered to reflect great credit on the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of this distinguished corps, and will, no doubt, meet with a just appreciation in their own country, to the shores of which (as the regiment is about to return home) I earnestly wish them a speedy and prosperous voyage.

“I cannot conclude without requesting the present commanding officer, Major Simmonds, to accept my best acknowledgments for the zeal and attention displayed by him in the command of the Sixty-first Regiment.”

(Signed) “JOHN WILSON, Lieut.-General,
“Commanding the Forces.”

Dated “Kandy, 27th December, 1838.”

1839

On the 12th February, 1839, the regiment marched to Colombo, preparatory to its embarkation for England; and on the 3rd March, Her Majesty’s troop-ship ship “Jupiter” came to anchor in Colombo roads, having on board the service companies of the Ninety-fifth Regiment, under the command of Colonel James Campbell, intended for the relief of the Sixty-first Regiment; but in consequence of disturbances in India, the embarkation of the regiment was directed to be delayed.

After performing duty in various parts of the island of Ceylon for eleven years, during which period the regiment lost six officers and three hundred non-commissioned officers and privates, it embarked for England on board of Her Majesty’s ship “Jupiter,” and the following general order was issued by the General Officer commanding, dated “Head Quarters, Colombo, 22nd October, 1839:”—

“In taking leave of the Sixty-first Regiment, which will embark to-morrow for England, Major-General Sir Robert Arbuthnot should not do justice to his own feelings, and this distinguished corps, whose gallantry he has so often witnessed in the field, if he did not express the great satisfaction he felt in assuming the command of this island, to find at his first and last inspection, that the same excellent system, discipline, steadiness under arms, and interior arrangements existed in time of peace, which had been the means of gaining them so great honour in time of war.

“In wishing Major Simmonds, the officers and soldiers of the regiment, a prosperous and speedy voyage to England, the major-general must express his warm acknowledgment to the former for the anxious zeal displayed by him while in command of the regiment; to the officers for the able support they have given him, ‘and which is so essential to the well-being of any corps,’ and to the non-commissioned officers and privates, who merit all the praise he can bestow, and who, in quitting the colony, leave behind them the regrets and good wishes of all classes, which of itself, after a residence of eleven years, is sufficient proof of the good system, discipline, and general respectability of a corps.”

1840

In consequence of meeting with stress of weather in the British Channel, Her Majesty’s ship “Jupiter” put into the Cove of Cork, on the 4th of March, 1840, and was towed over to Southampton, by the steam-frigate “Cyclops,” having on board the depôt companies from Ireland. The whole regiment landed at Southampton on the 12th of March, and proceeded by railroad to Winchester; where it was inspected by Major-General the Honorable Sir Hercules Pakenham, commanding the South-West district, and subsequently by Lord Hill, the General Commanding in Chief, both of whom were pleased to express their entire approbation of its appearance, discipline, and interior economy.

In August following it was removed to Woolwich, and performed the dockyard duties there, and at Deptford, until the summer of the following year.

General the Right Honorable Sir George Hewett, Bart., G.C.B., died a few days after the arrival of the regiment in England, and Her Majesty was pleased to confer the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General Sir John Gardiner, K.C.B., Deputy Adjutant-General of the Forces.

1841

In June 1841, the regiment proceeded by railroad to the Northern district, and was detached in the counties of Northumberland, York, and Lancaster.

In consequence of the reverses sustained by the British troops in Affghanistan, in the winter of 1841, the Sixty-first Regiment was ordered to recruit to the Indian establishment of one thousand rank and file, and to prepare, with the Fifty-eighth Regiment, to embark for India.

1842

The successful campaign of the following season, and the withdrawal of the troops from the Affghan territory, occasioned an alteration in the destination of the regiment.

In August, 1842, two companies, under the command of Major Burnside, were called upon by the civil authorities of Halifax, to suppress a formidable and organised riot which broke out in that town: numbers of the rioters had assembled from the adjacent towns, and were so confident in their strength and numbers as to attack a party of the Eleventh Hussars, several of whom were severely injured. The detachment of the Sixty-first Regiment was fired on by the mob, and Captain Hoey and five men were wounded with slugs. The order was then given to the Military to fire, when the peace of the town was speedily restored. The owners and occupiers of the mills and other property at Halifax, and in the neighbourhood, conveyed a vote of thanks to Major Burnside for his services on this occasion.

1843

In March, 1843, the regiment was directed to furnish, by volunteers, two hundred men to the Ninety-eighth Regiment, in China: the required number were immediately produced; and the detachment embarked on the 1st of April, at Newcastle-on-Tyne, for Winchester, to join the depôt of the Ninety-eighth Regiment.

In the spring of 1843, the regiment proceeded by railway to Carlisle, where it embarked for Ireland, and landed at Dublin on the 6th of April; and was shortly afterwards inspected by Lieutenant-General the Right Honorable Sir Edward Blakeney, Commander of the Forces in Ireland, who was pleased to express his approbation of the appearance of the regiment in the field, and of its conduct in quarters.

On the 3rd June, five companies, under the command of Major McLeod, embarked on board of Her Majesty’s steamer “Rhadamanthus” for Waterford, on a particular service: the detachment landed on the following day, and re-inforced the garrison in barracks until the 6th June, when it re-embarked and returned to Dublin.

During the stay of the regiment in the garrison of Dublin, Lieutenant-Colonel Forbes died after a protracted illness. This distinguished officer had commanded the Sixty-first Regiment five years, and by his impartial and temperate exercise of authority, he had rendered himself respected and beloved by all who had the good fortune to serve under his command. Upon his decease, Major Henry Burnside was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy on the 9th May, 1843.

In July, 1843, the regiment proceeded from Dublin to Limerick, where it is stationed at the commencement of the year 1844, to which period this record of its services is brought.

1844

On the 20th January, 1844, Her Majesty was pleased to remove Lieutenant-General Sir John Gardiner from the Sixty-first to the Fiftieth Regiment, in succession to Lieutenant-General Sir Hudson Lowe, deceased, and to appoint Major-General Sir Jeremiah Dickson, K.C.B., to the colonelcy of the Sixty-first Regiment.

Few regiments have been engaged in services which have called into exercise the moral and physical energies of the officers and soldiers to a greater extent than the duties in which the Sixty-first Regiment has been employed; and none have displayed the heroic virtues of the British military character more fully than this meritorious corps.

Whether at the Fort of St. Philip, in Minorca,—in the valley of the Tagus, at Talavera,—on the plains of Salamanca,—on the lofty Pyrenees,—or in the southern provinces of France, the same valour, constancy, patience, and perseverance, have shone forth with a splendour which has elevated the reputation of the corps; and its conduct in quarters has also elicited the commendations of the general officers under whom it has served. Deriving its origin from the Third Regiment of Foot, or the Buffs, the Sixty-first Regiment has inherited the same spirit which animated the officers and soldiers of that veteran corps during the wars of three centuries.

1844.