FOOTNOTES:
[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:—
 | |||||||||
| 20 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |
| Harquebuses. | Muskets. | Halberds. | Muskets. | Harquebuses. | |||||
| Archers. | Pikes. | Pikes. | Archers. | ||||||
The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.
[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the siege of Barcelona in 1705.
[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed in 1590, observes:—"I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field, let them be chosen where they list." Yet at this time the Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during the Seventy Years' War, see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or Buffs.
[4] Vide the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot.
[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty."—General Orders in 1801.
In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated:—"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves: and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,—that no circumstances can appal,—and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means."
Madeley lith. 3 Wellington St. Strand
For Cannon's Military Records
HISTORICAL RECORD
— First Battalion
OF
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.
1756
The French Government having failed to fulfil the conditions stipulated in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and having committed certain encroachments on the British Territories in North America, and other acts of aggression, King George II. again prepared for war, which was proclaimed against France on the 18th of May, 1758. The Army and Navy were consequently increased, and, among other augmentations, fifteen of the regiments of infantry were authorised to raise second battalions from the 25th of August, 1756.[6]
1758
In 1758, these additional battalions were formed into distinct corps, and numbered from the sixty-first to the seventh-fifth regiments. By this arrangement the second battalion of the Twentieth regiment was constituted the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, and His Majesty was pleased to confer the colonelcy on Colonel James Wolfe, on the 21st of April of that year, from the Twentieth (Kingsley's) regiment in which he had served from 1749, and which had acquired, under his command, a high character for its exactness of discipline and other useful qualities.
The SIXTY-SEVENTH, being thus formed from the Twentieth regiment, assumed the pale yellow facing as worn by the Twentieth, which it has since retained.
The following officers were appointed to commissions in the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on its formation from the 21st of April, 1758.
| Colonel, | James Wolfe | from 20th Regt. |
| Lieut.-Colonel, | Robert Robinson | from 20th Regt. |
| Major, | Thomas Bowyer | from 14th Foot. |
Captains.
| Chas. Veaitch, from | 20th Regt. | Thos. Osborne, | from | 20th Regt. |
| Edw. Goodenough, | ditto | John Baldwin, | from | 51st Regt. |
| William Delaune, | ditto | Geo. Sherwin, | from | 20th Regt. |
| James Dunne, | ditto |
Lieutenants.
| James Nesbitt, from | 20th Regt. | George Smith, | from | 20th Regt. |
| William Dughe, | ditto | William Yorke, | ditto | |
| William Edwards, | ditto | Philip Hales, | ditto | |
| Francis Raper, | ditto | Henry Nesbit, | ditto | |
| Freeheville Dykes, | ditto | Thos. Wilkinson, | ditto | |
| Marmaduke Green, | ditto | Alexander Rose, | ditto | |
| John Gardner, | ditto | John Matson, | ditto | |
| John Cane, | ditto | Despard Croasdale, | ditto | |
| Richard Faulkner, | ditto |
Ensigns.
| Wm. Massey, from | 20th Regt. | George Sladdan. | |
| Thomas Barker, | ditto | Robert Griffiths. | |
| Joseph Collings, | ditto | Thomas Lowe. | |
| Royston Barton, | ditto |
| Quarter-Master, | James Kirkman. |
| Chaplain, | George Carleton. |
| Surgeon, | Joseph Harris, from 20th Regiment. |
| Adjutant, | James England,ditto |
1759
After its formation as a distinct regiment, the SIXTY-SEVENTH remained at various stations in England during the years 1759 and 1760. Its Colonel, James Wolfe, had been appointed, in January, 1758, Brigadier-General in North America, and afterwards distinguished himself in the operations preceding the capture of Cape Breton, which surrendered on the 26th of July, 1758, and again in the expedition against Quebec, when he died of the wounds received at the battle on the heights of Abraham, above Quebec, on the 13th of September, 1759.
On the 24th of October, 1759, His Majesty was pleased to confer the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment on Lieut.-Colonel Lord Frederick Cavendish, from the First Foot Guards, in succession to Major-General James Wolfe, deceased.
The decease of King George II. occurred on the 25th of October, 1760, and on the day following His Majesty George III., grandson of the late Sovereign, was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Ireland.
1760
On the 30th of October, 1760, His Majesty King George III. was pleased to remove Colonel Lord Frederick Cavendish to the Thirty-fourth regiment, and to appoint Major-General Sir Henry Erskine, Bart., to succeed him as Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment.
1761
In the spring of 1761 the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment formed part of the force selected to proceed, under the command of Major-General Studholme Hodgson, against Belle-Isle, a French island in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of Brittany. Major-General Hodgson had the undermentioned officers and regiments placed under his orders, which amounted to nearly nine thousand men:—
Major-General John Craufurd; Brigadier-Generals William Rufane, Hamilton Lambert (afterwards Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH), Guy Carleton, Honorable William Howe, Robert Douglas, and Philip Jennings; Deputy-Adjutant-General Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, Bart.; Deputy-Quartermaster-General Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Thomas.
| Regiments. | Commanding Officers. | Men. | |
| 16th Light Dragoons | Lieut.-Col. | Burgoyne | 200 |
| 9th Foot | " | R. Phillips | 800 |
| 19th ditto | " | R. Douglas | 800 |
| 21st ditto | " | Edw. Maxwell | 800 |
| 30th ditto | " | John Jennings | 800 |
| 67th ditto | " | Thomas Shirley | 800 |
| 69th ditto | " | Christopher Teesdale | 800 |
| 76th ditto[7] | " | D. Erskine | 1300 |
| 85th ditto, 1st Batt.[7] | " | Viscount Pulteney | 700 |
| 90th ditto[7] | " | Hugh Morgan | 500 |
| 97th ditto[7] Lieut.-Col. | Commandant | J. Stuart | 600 |
| 98th ditto[7] | " | Major Purcell | 600 |
| —— | |||
| 8,700 | |||
| —— | |||
The expedition appeared before Belle-Isle on the 7th of April, and a landing was attempted on the following day; but the whole island appeared like one vast fortress;—the little which nature had left undone by rocks and crags, having been supplied by art; so that when the grenadiers gained the shore, the enemy was discovered so strongly fortified, that no efforts of the few men which could be landed at once, were of any avail. A boat of Erskine's grenadiers (SIXTY-SEVENTH), commanded by Captain Thomas Osborne, landed at a point, and drew up undiscovered. His situation flanked the enemy, but no other boat followed. The French immediately came out, and Captain Osborne advanced to meet them. Twice brought to the ground by a shot, he pressed on, and approached so close to the enemy, that he exchanged thrusts with the French officer in command. The English fired, and then charged with the bayonet. The commanders on both sides were killed, when the English, being without leaders, were unable to maintain their position.—Attempts to secure a landing on other points of the island being also unsuccessful, orders were given to desist from the attempt, and the men returned to the boats, and proceeded back to their several ships. Many of the boats were destroyed or damaged in this attempt, and about five hundred men were lost in killed, wounded, and missing.
Commodore Keppel stated in his letter, of the 13th of April, 1761, to the Right Honorable Mr. Secretary Pitt, afterwards created the Earl of Chatham, that
"One of the flat boats landed sixty of Erskine's grenadiers (SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment), who got up a very difficult place to the top of the hills, where they formed with great skill, but were so immediately routed by a much more numerous body of the enemy, that all attempts to succour them were ineffectual, any further than the boats bringing from the rocks about twenty of them." On the 8th of April, 1761, the SIXTY-SEVENTH had Captain Thomas Osborne and Lieutenant John Gardner killed. Lieutenants Marmaduke Green and William Herdsman were taken prisoners. The other casualties were, two serjeants, one drummer, and six rank and file killed; and sixteen rank and file wounded.
Major-General Hodgson subsequently received the following reinforcements:—
| Regiments. | Commanding Officers. | Men. |
| 3rd Foot. | Major J. Biddulph | 800 |
| 36th ditto. | Lieut.-Col. W. Preston | 800 |
| 75th ditto[8] | " C. Parry | 800 |
| 85th ditto, 2nd Batt.[8] | Major Sir Hugh Williams | 600 |
| —— | ||
| 3000 | ||
| —— |
and another attempt to effect a landing was resolved upon. Brigadier-General Hamilton Lambert, on the 22nd of April, 1761, effected a landing on the rocks near Point Lomaria, where the difficulty of ascending the precipice had made the enemy least attentive to that part. Beauclerk's grenadiers (Nineteenth foot), with Captain Patterson of that regiment, gained the summit before the enemy saw what was intended, who immediately marched a body of three hundred men to attack them; the grenadiers, however, maintained their ground till the remainder of Brigadier Lambert's troops arrived. The success, thus gained, was promptly followed up; the French were eventually repulsed, and three brass field-pieces, with a few prisoners, were captured.
The cannon was afterwards landed from the ships and dragged up the rocks; the lines which covered the town of Palais were carried by assault, and the siege of the citadel was prosecuted with vigour. The garrison under their Governor, the Chevalier de St. Croix, made a gallant defence, but on the 7th of June were forced to surrender, and were permitted to march through the breach with the honours of war in consideration of their bravery. The capture of the island was thus achieved, with the loss of about eighteen hundred men killed and wounded.[9]
On the 29th of May, 1761, Major-General Sir Henry Erskine was removed to the Twenty-fifth regiment, and King George III. was pleased to promote Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Lambert, from the Thirty-first regiment, to the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, as a reward for his gallantry at the capture of Belle-Isle.
1762
While success attended the arms of Great Britain, in various parts of the world, the Sovereigns of France and Spain were negotiating a compact, which gave a new turn to the nature of the war; and the two crowns attempted to coerce Portugal to unite in their designs against Great Britain. Portugal at this period was particularly weak; the capital, Lisbon, had been destroyed by an earthquake five years previously, when nearly thirty thousand inhabitants had been buried in its ruins. This disaster had been followed by a conspiracy against the life of the King, while the country was shaken by internal commotions; at the same time the military force of the kingdom was weak in numbers, scantily furnished with arms, and without experienced officers. Notwithstanding these adverse circumstances, the King of Portugal resolved to adhere to his ancient alliance with Great Britain; and in consequence of this decision, France and Spain declared war against him. A powerful Spanish army assembled on the frontiers, and threatened to crush the Portuguese, when a military force, with artillery, arms, stores, provisions, and money, was furnished by Great Britain to assist its faithful ally; and the SIXTY-SEVENTH, which had returned with the expedition from the coast of France, was one of the regiments selected for service in Portugal.
The regiment proceeded to Portugal, and continued in that country until the termination of hostilities by the treaty of Fontainebleau, the preliminary articles of which were signed by the Duke of Bedford at Fontainebleau, on the 3rd of November, 1762.
1763
Peace was proclaimed in London on the 22nd of March, 1763, and by its provisions it was settled that the Island of Minorca, which had been captured by the French in April, 1756, should be restored to Great Britain. The SIXTY-SEVENTH and the Third foot from Portugal, the Eleventh, Thirty-third, and Thirty-seventh regiments from Germany, and the Fifty-seventh from Gibraltar, were embarked in order to form the garrison of Minorca.[10]
1768
1771
In the Royal Warrant of King George III. dated 19th of December, 1768, containing regulations for the colours, clothing, &c. of the regiments of foot, it was directed that the regimental colour of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment should be pale yellow, being similar to the colours of the Twentieth regiment, from which it was formed. The SIXTY-SEVENTH remained on duty at Minorca until July, 1771, when the Third, Eleventh, and SIXTY-SEVENTH regiments embarked for England, on being relieved by the Royals (second battalion), the Fifty-first and Sixty-first regiments.
1773
In the year 1773 the regiment proceeded to Scotland, where it remained until the year 1775.
1774
On the decease of Lieut.-General Hamilton Lambert in 1774, His Majesty was pleased to promote Lieut.-Colonel Edward Maxwell Brown, from the Twenty-first, Royal North British Fusiliers, to the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 11th of March, 1774.
1775
The regiment embarked for Ireland in 1775, to replace the Forty-second, Royal Highland regiment, and continued on duty in that country until the year 1785.
1782
On the 31st of August, 1782, His Majesty directed that the regiment should be designated the SIXTY-SEVENTH, or the South Hampshire regiment, with a view that a connexion might be cultivated between the corps and that county, in order to promote the success of the recruiting service.
1785
Early in the year 1785 the regiment embarked from Ireland for the West Indies, to relieve the Fifty-fifth regiment.
The regiment proceeded from Barbadoes to Antigua in the autumn of 1785.
1788
During the years 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, and 1792, the regiment was stationed at Grenada.
1793
In the year 1793 the regiment was stationed at Barbadoes, and in July, 1794, returned to Great Britain: the regiment subsequently proceeded to Ireland.
1796
On the 25th of February, 1796, the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked from Ireland for the island of St. Domingo. An expedition had proceeded to St. Domingo in 1794, in order to aid the planters against the persecution of the negro inhabitants, who had imbibed the doctrines of liberty and equality, propagated at that period. The distracted state of France afforded the inhabitants no prospect of relief, and they were therefore desirous of placing themselves under the protection of Great Britain. Much resistance was experienced from the negroes, and the English took possession of Port-au-Prince, the capital of St. Domingo, now the republic of Hayti; but no effectual steps could be taken for the reduction of the island, as the yellow fever destroyed the Europeans with frightful rapidity on their arrival on its fatal coast: the British evacuated the place in 1798.
1798
Towards the end of the year 1798 the regiment proceeded from St. Domingo to Jamaica, after having suffered severely by disease at the former island.
1801
On the 21st of October, 1801, the regiment embarked at Jamaica for England, greatly reduced in numbers from the effects of the climate of the West Indies.
1802
During the year 1802, the regiment was stationed in South Britain.
1803
On the 25th February, 1803, His Majesty was pleased to appoint Lieut.-General Francis D'Oyly, from Colonel Commandant of the Fifteenth foot, to the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the decease of General Edward Maxwell Brown; and on the 9th of March following General Peter Craig was appointed Colonel of the regiment, in succession to Lieut.-General D'Oyly, whose decease occurred on the 4th of March, 1803.
In consequence of the renewal of war with France, and the extensive preparations made in the ports of that country, particularly at Dunkirk and Boulogne, for carrying into effect the threatened invasion of Great Britain, the most active measures were adopted by the British Government to frustrate the designs of the French ruler. An Act of Parliament was passed in 1803 for raising men for limited service in Great Britain and Ireland, which was termed the Army of Reserve Act, and the men so raised were formed into additional and distinct battalions.
The SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, which had embarked for Ireland in the beginning of 1803, was authorised to receive men raised in Ireland under the Army of Reserve Act, and a Second Battalion was added to the establishment on the 9th of July, 1803.
On the 13th of October the first battalion embarked at Dundalk for Guernsey, where it arrived on the 25th of November following.
1804
About the middle of November, 1804, the regiment was removed from the island of Guernsey to Portsmouth, where it arrived on the 30th of November.
1805
On the 25th of March, 1805, the regiment was augmented to an establishment of 64 serjeants, 22 drummers, and 1200 rank and file.
From Portsmouth the first battalion embarked on the 22nd of April, 1805, for the East Indies, and arrived in the Presidency of Bengal on the 15th of September of the same year.
1807
In December, 1807, the SIXTY-SEVENTH proceeded from Fort William to Dinapore, at which station the regiment arrived in March following.
1810
The regiment marched for Benares, in January, 1810, and from thence to Ghazeepore.
1811
In January, 1811, the regiment again proceeded to Benares, and returned to Ghazeepore in the month of February of that year.
Lieut.-General Sir William Keppel, G.C.B., Colonel Commandant of the Sixtieth, was appointed by His Majesty Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 7th of February, 1811, on the decease of General Peter Craig.
1813
The regiment proceeded from Ghazeepore to Cawnpore in January, 1813.
1815
On the 10th of October, 1815, the regiment marched from Cawnpore to Meerut, where it arrived on the 7th of November.
1817
The first battalion of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment marched from Meerut on the 15th of October, 1817, on field service, and joined the army of reserve under the command of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony. On the 27th of November, the first battalion marched from Rewarree, with the reserve of the grand army, to Jeypoor, a city which derives its name from its founder Sevai Jye Singh, a celebrated Hindoo warrior and statesman.
1818
The battalion marched from Dungurter to Oojein in the middle of February, where it joined the Bombay division of the army, under Major-General Sir William Grant Keir, on the 7th of March. It proceeded from Oojein for Baroda on the 13th of March; and on the 9th of April following, marched from Baroda to Tankaira, being the first regiment of His Majesty's army that crossed the Peninsula of India. It embarked for Bombay, where the battalion arrived on the 23rd of April.
On the 30th of April, 1818, six companies embarked from Bombay for the southern Concan,[11] and were present at the siege and surrender of the strong fortress of Ryghur on the 10th of May following. This important stronghold is situated upon the Ghauts which bound the eastern frontier of the Concan, in a line between Poonah and Bancoote, and was one of the fortresses which the Peishwah, Bajee Rao, had surrendered on the 8th of May, 1817, as a pledge of his sincerity. Notwithstanding the stupendous height and extensive area on the top of the fortress, shells were thrown into every part of it, and the palace set on fire, which greatly tended to determine the enemy to surrender. The garrison held out a flag for terms, and after three days of communication and treaty, Lieut.-Colonel David Prother, C.B., of the Ninth Native Infantry, was induced to allow the garrison honorable terms, permitting them to march out with their arms and private property, on the 10th of May. The wife of His Highness the late Peishwah was found in the fort on taking possession, and public property, in specie, to the amount of five lacs.
Lieut.-Colonel Prother stated in Brigade Orders on the 12th of May—
"The surrender of the fortress of Ryghur having closed the operations, the Commanding Officer has peculiar pleasure in offering a public acknowledgment to the merits of those by whom this event has been so much accelerated....
"Although Major Benjafield and the detachment of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, did not arrive until nearly the end of the siege, yet the share taken by them fully deserves the Commanding Officer's thanks."
The six companies of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment returned to head-quarters on the 26th of May.
On the 11th of May, four companies embarked from Bombay for Surat, and were present on the 8th, 18th, 21st, and 28th of June, when possession was taken of the towns and forts of Nunderbar, Cokermundaye, Toulodah, and Kopriel.
In the middle of September the first battalion embarked in three divisions for the Deccan, and arrived at Seroor on the 5th of October following; on the 30th of October the regiment marched from Seroor, and arrived at Mallygaum, the head-quarters of the troops in Candeish, on the 11th of November. Colonel Huskinson,[12] of the SIXTY-SEVENTH, being the senior officer, assumed the command of the troops.
His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, was pleased, on the 24th of October, 1818, to appoint Lieut.-Colonel John Frederick Ewart, of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, to which he had exchanged from half-pay of the Fifth West India regiment, on the 5th of February, 1818, a Companion of the most Honorable Military Order of the Bath.
The force commanded by Colonel S. Huskinson, of which the SIXTY-SEVENTH formed part, marched on the 25th of November for the attack of the towns and forts of Amulneir and Behauderpore, which surrendered at discretion on the 30th of November and the 1st of December, and of which possession was taken, the first place by the flank companies of the regiment, and the latter by the auxiliary horse under Captain Swanton.
Colonel Huskinson, commanding the troops at Candeish, in his despatch to the Resident, the Honorable Mountstuart Elphinstone, dated Camp before Amulneir, 30th of November, 1818, stated,—
"It gives me the greatest satisfaction to have to announce to you, for the information of the Most Noble the Governor-General in India, that the fort of Amulneir surrendered unconditionally to the force I have the honor to command, about noon this day, where, as soon after as possible, Brevet Major Owen, of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, by my orders, occupied the whole of the gates and fort with part of the flank companies of that regiment. This service, I am happy to say, was effected without firing a shot. May I request your orders respecting the disposal of Ally Jemadar and his followers, who are now prisoners in camp."
Here the four companies, which left head-quarters in May, rejoined the regiment.
Leaving Amulneir on the 4th of December, the SIXTY-SEVENTH proceeded to Malligaum, where the battalion arrived on the 14th of that month.
1819
The SIXTY-SEVENTH marched for Amulneir, with the force under the command of Colonel Huskinson, on the 25th of February, 1819. On the 3rd of March eight companies of the regiment, under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell,[13] proceeded to Asseerghur, and joined the force under Brigadier-General Doveton, before the fortress of Asseerghur,[14] which, on account of its strength, has been designated the "Gibraltar of the East."
The fortress of Asseerghur, which had been held by one of Scindiah's refractory chiefs, is situated on a detached hill between the rivers Nerbudda and Tapty: it consists of an upper and lower fort; the upper one is of an irregular form, about 1100 yards from east to west, and about 600 from north to south; it crowns the top of the hill, which is about 750 feet in height; a perpendicular precipice from 80 to 120 feet, surmounted with a low wall full of loopholes, surrounds it, with the exception of one place, which is strongly fortified. Below are two lines of works, the outer one forming the lower fort, which rises directly above the Pettah,[15] and the entrance to which is protected by strong gateways and flanking works. Immense labour and great skill had been employed to render this naturally strong post almost impregnable; and at the siege of which the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment was present.
The Hyderabad division was encamped at Neembolah, about seven miles from Asseerghur, and negotiations having failed, about twelve o'clock on the night of the 17th of March five companies of the Royal Scots (First regiment of foot) with the flank companies of the Thirtieth, SIXTY-SEVENTH, and Madras European regiment, five companies of native infantry, and a detachment of sappers and miners, the whole commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser, of the Royal Scots, and a reserve commanded by Major Dalrymple, of the Thirtieth, assembled at the camp for the attack of the pettah of Asseer; another party was also directed to co-operate in this service from Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm's division.
The column commenced its march between one and two o'clock, advancing up the bed of a deep nullah, or small river, nearly dry at the time; the assaulting party arrived unobserved within five hundred yards of the pettah, then rushed upon the gate with the greatest ardour and steadiness, the Royal Scots leading the way. The enemy was surprised, and, after discharging a few rounds of grape, retired. The head of the attacking column forced the gate, and proceeding up the main street, encountered an advanced piquet of the enemy, which retired to the lower fort, firing occasionally at the head of the column. Major Charles MacLeod, of the East India Company's service, Deputy-Quartermaster-General, acted as guide on the occasion; by his direction the leading files of the Royal Scots pursued the enemy close under the walls of the fortress, from whence an incessant fire of artillery and matchlocks was kept up; a few ill-directed rockets were also discharged.
The leading sections of the Royal Scots, which had pursued the enemy up the hill, were joined by one or two files of the Thirtieth and SIXTY-SEVENTH regiments, the whole amounting to about 25 or 30 men. As soon as the enemy saw the small force before which he had so precipitately fled, he immediately rallied, and came shouting down the hill with augmented numbers to attack this small party, but was repulsed by a spirited charge with the bayonet, which, with a few rounds of musketry, obliged him to retreat within the works, some of which were within about fifty yards of this handful of men, leaving the Chief, who was shot in the melée, and several men on the field.
The pettah of Asseerghur was thus captured on the morning of the 18th of March, with trifling loss; but on the evening of the following day a desperate sally was made by a part of the garrison on the advanced post of the troops in the pettah, on which occasion Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser, of the Royal Scots, was unfortunately killed, while gallantly rallying the party under his command, and keeping the advance in their position. The enemy was, however, immediately driven back, and compelled to retire into the fort.
During the progress of constructing new batteries on elevated and commanding situations, the dragging of ordnance into many of them was performed by the European soldiers, who literally worked like horses; during the whole of the time they were annoyed by a constant fire of matchlocks from the walls of the upper fort (the lower fort had been taken possession of on the 30th of March, by part of Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm's division), but which was too distant to prevent the execution of this Herculean labour, which was performed with that ardour and cheerfulness so characteristic of British soldiers, when necessity demands from them any extraordinary exertions.
On the 31st of March, part of the Bengal army, consisting of 2200 native troops, with 22 pieces of heavy ordnance, commanded by Brigadier-General Watson, joined the besieging force; and these guns were soon placed in battery, and opened on the fort. The storm of war now raged furiously round Asseerghur, and a breach was soon effected in the outer wall at the only assailable part of the fort; at the same time two batteries were directed against the inner wall. This unremitting fire was continued until the 6th of April, when the garrison forced the Killedar to sue for terms, namely, "liberty to preserve their arms, and to depart with their personal property."
These conditions were refused, and hostilities recommenced; the Killedar, however, accepted the terms offered on the 8th, and agreed to surrender the fort on the morning of the 9th, when the firing ceased; but as he stated that he could not answer for the garrison, the control of which he had lost, preparations were made for renewing operations in case of refusal.
The garrison surrendered unconditionally on the 9th of April, and five hundred men of the SIXTY-SEVENTH, under the command of Major Benjafield, with the 7th Madras light cavalry, and the second battalion of the 13th Madras native infantry, took possession of the fortress, on the garrison marching out and laying down their arms on the public parade.
The following was the return of ordnance, &c. taken in the fortress of Asseerghur by the troops under the command of Brigadier-General Doveton. Brass and iron ordnance, 128; about 36,000 stone and iron shot, of different sizes; two hundredweight of gunpowder; 2000 wall-pieces, of different sizes; and about four hundredweight of grape-shot.
During the siege the SIXTY-SEVENTH had Lieutenants J. Adair and John Hannah severely wounded; Lieutenant Adair[16] was twice severely wounded by matchlock balls in the left arm and right side, on the 19th of March, in repulsing the sortie of the garrison of Asseerghur:—one serjeant, one drummer, and eleven rank and file were wounded.
Major Owen, who commanded the flank companies of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, was particularly mentioned in Orders by Brigadier-General Doveton, who also reported that "the fall of Asseer leaves to the Brigadier-General only the pleasing task of recording his sense of the merits and exertions of the officers and troops, and of bringing them to the notice of superior authority, where they can alone be fully and properly appreciated.
"To the means placed at the Brigadier-General's disposal, by the rapid advance of the division under the personal command of Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm, K.C.B., as well as of the troops from the Nerbudda field force and from Saugur, under the personal command of Brigadier-General Watson, C.B., to the science and skill of the engineer and artillery branches, and finally to the distinguished gallantry and persevering exertions of the whole of the officers and troops whom the Brigadier-General has the honor to command, are principally to be attributed the fall of so stupendous a fortress in eleven days from the opening of the trenches....
"He requests also that Lieutenant-Colonels MacDowell, Dewar, Ewart (Lieut.-Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment), Greenstreet, and Pollock, commanding brigades of infantry, will be fully persuaded of the high estimation in which he holds the eminent services rendered by them, as well as by the officers and men of their several brigades"....
Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm also reported:—
"I have to state my sense of the zeal and activity of my Aide-de-Camp, Ensign G. Pasley, of His Majesty's Fourteenth foot, and extra Aide-de-Camp Lieutenant J. Pasley, of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH foot."
On the 12th of April, the SIXTY-SEVENTH marched from Asseerghur, and arrived at Mallygaum on the 26th of the same month.
The decease of Major Nathaniel Benjafield, of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, occurred on the 2nd of June, 1819.
1820
The regiment proceeded on the 6th of December, 1820, from Mallygaum, in Candeish, and arrived at Sholapore, in the Deccan, on the 29th of that month.
1823
Colonel Samuel Huskinson, the Lieut.-Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, was promoted on the 19th of July, 1821, to the rank of Major-General, and on the 10th of January, 1837, was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
Marching from Sholapore on the 23rd of April, the regiment arrived at Poonah on the 10th of May, 1823.
1826
On the 2nd of January, 1826, the first battalion of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked in three divisions at Bombay for Calcutta, and arrived there on the 2nd of March following. On the 13th of March the battalion proceeded to Rangoon, and arrived opposite the town on the 27th of the same month. The battalion returned to Calcutta on 5th of April following.
Major S. B. Taylor, Captain W. Webster, and Lieutenant J. Hassall, of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, died at Fort William during April and May of this year.
The SIXTY-SEVENTH embarked for England in the ships Zenobia, Caroline, and Catherine Stewart Forbes, under the command of Major Poyntz on the 9th of June, 1826. The head-quarters and second division arrived at Gravesend on the 28th of November following, after an absence of twenty-one years in India; the remainder of the regiment arrived at Gravesend on the 16th of April, 1827.
On the 20th of December, 1826, the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment was authorised by His Majesty King George IV. to bear on its colours and appointments, in addition to any other badges or devices heretofore granted, the figure of the Royal Tiger, with the word "India" superscribed, in commemoration of its services in that part of the world from the year 1805 to 1826.
The regiment marched from Chatham to Windsor in December, 1826.
In March, 1827, the regiment proceeded from Windsor to Weedon, and in October the head-quarters were stationed at Bolton, in Lancashire.
1828
Towards the end of July, 1828, the regiment proceeded to Manchester, and in October it marched to Liverpool.
His Majesty King George the Fourth was pleased to appoint Major-General John Macdonald, C.B. (Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces) to the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 25th of August, 1828, in succession to General Sir William Keppel, removed to the Second or Queen's Royal regiment of foot.
1829
The regiment marched from Liverpool to Stockport in January, 1829, and in May following proceeded to Chester.
Major the Honorable H. R. Molyneux was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel in the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 9th of April, 1829, Lieut.-Colonel Nathaniel Burslem having retired from the service.
1830
On the 18th of May, 1830, the regiment proceeded from Chester to Liverpool, and embarked for Dublin, from whence it proceeded to Mullingar.
On the 23rd of December, 1830, the regiment proceeded from Mullingar to Newry, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel the Honorable Henry R. Molyneux.
1832
On the 14th of January, 1832, the SIXTY-SEVENTH, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel the Honorable H. R. Molyneux, embarked at Dublin in the Stentor and Prince Regent transports for Gibraltar, and the service companies arrived at that fortress on the 25th of February. The depôt companies of the regiment remained in Ireland.
1833
The service companies embarked in His Majesty's ship Revenge, from Gibraltar, on the 28th of February, 1833, for the West Indies, and arrived at Barbadoes on the 29th of March.
1834
1836
In May, 1834, the service companies proceeded to St. Christopher's; and in May, 1836, were removed to Demerara.
The depôt companies were removed from Cork to Sheerness, in August, 1836, and in September, 1839, proceeded from Gosport to Cork.
1837
The service companies remained at Demerara during the year 1837.
1838
In January, 1838, the service companies proceeded to Berbice, but returned to Demerara in June following.
1839
The service companies proceeded from Demerara to Barbadoes, in June, 1839.
1840
On the 21st of April, the service companies, consisting of 30 serjeants, 8 drummers, and 449 rank and file, embarked, under the command of Brevet Major T. C. Harpour, from Barbadoes for North America, in Her Majesty's ships Sapphire and Athol. The regiment disembarked at Chambly, in Canada, on the 21st of May.
During the year 1840 the depôt companies were stationed at Buttevant and Galway.
1841
The service companies proceeded from Chambly to Drummondville, in May, 1841.
In June, 1841, the depôt companies were removed from Galway to Templemore.
1842
The head-quarters, under the command of Major E. B. Brooke, marched from Drummondville on the 19th of May, and arrived at St. Helen's, Montreal, on the 25th of May, 1842. On the 3rd of November, 1842, the service companies embarked in the Pestonjee Bomonjee transport at Quebec, and disembarked at Plymouth on the 15th of December following.
The depôt companies joined the regiment on the 15th of December, 1842, having been removed from Ireland to Plymouth in October.
1843
In May, 1843, the regiment proceeded from Plymouth to Weedon, and in July marched to Manchester.
1844
Lieutenant-General John Clitherow was appointed by Her Majesty to be Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 15th of January, 1844, upon Lieutenant-General Sir John Macdonald, G.C.B. (Adjutant-General to the Forces), being removed to the Forty-second, Royal Highland, regiment.
In December, 1844, the regiment was removed from Manchester to Dublin.
1845
During the year 1845 the regiment continued to be stationed at Dublin.
1846
In January, 1846, the regiment marched to Limerick, and in May proceeded to Cork.
At this period the regiment was augmented to twelve companies, consisting of 67 serjeants, 25 drummers, and 1200 rank and file, and was subsequently organised into two battalions, preparatory to embarking on foreign service.
On the 9th of November, 1846, Colonel Thomas Bunbury, K.H., commanding the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and Major Edward Basil Brooke was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, vacant by the promotion of Major-General Bunbury.[17]
1847
During the year 1847 the SIXTY-SEVENTH continued at Cork.
1848
The first battalion embarked at Cork, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Edward Basil Brooke, in the Herefordshire freight-ship, on the 8th of January, 1848, and arrived at Gibraltar on the 19th of that month.
On the 20th of January, 1848, the reserve battalion of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel William Nesbitt Orange, embarked at Cork, in the Bombay freight-ship, and arrived at Gibraltar on the 8th of February following.
General Sir Robert Wilson, then Governor of Gibraltar, in his report, dated the 18th of May, 1848, on the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, remarked,
"It is a corps composed of a superior body of men, well regulated and well conducted, having had since its arrival but nine courts-martial.
"Its interior economy is carefully superintended by Lieutenant-Colonel Brooke.
"Her Majesty's Regulations are strictly observed in all the prescribed cases.
"It discharges every duty commendably, and is an efficient portion of the Garrison for every service."
The depôt company was removed from Cork to the Isle of Wight, in February, 1848.
1849
On the 1st of May, 1849, the period to which this Record has been continued, the two battalions of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment were stationed at Gibraltar.
1849.