TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Some minor changes are noted at the [end of the book.]
HISTORICAL RECORDS
OF
THE BRITISH ARMY.
GENERAL ORDERS.
HORSE-GUARDS,
1st January, 1836.
His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following particulars, viz.,
—— The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations, in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from the Enemy.
—— The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the Place and Date of the Action.
—— The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.
—— The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
—— The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Commanding-in-Chief.
John Macdonald,
Adjutant-General.
[PREFACE.]
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the "London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of war, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,—on their sufferings,—and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps—an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great,—the valiant,—the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, "firm as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,—victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,—our brothers,—our fellow-citizens in arms,—a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE THIRTEENTH
REGIMENT OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS;
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF
THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1715,
AND OF
ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO
1842.
LONDON:
JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND.
M.DCCC.XI.II.
LONDON:
HARRISON AND CO., PRINTERS,
ST. MARTIN'S LANE.
THE THIRTEENTH
LIGHT DRAGOONS
BEAR ON THEIR CHACOS AND APPOINTMENTS
THE MOTTO
VIRET IN ÆTERNUM;
AND THE WORDS
"PENINSULA," AND "WATERLOO,"
TO COMMEMORATE THE SERVICES OF THE REGIMENT IN
PORTUGAL, SPAIN, AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE,
FROM 1810 TO 1814;
AND AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, ON
THE 18TH JUNE, 1815;
UNDER
FIELD MARSHAL THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.
[CONTENTS.]
| Year | Page | |
| 1715 | Formation of the Regiment | [9] |
| —— | Names of the Officers | [10] |
| —— | Rebellion of the Earl of Mar.—Action at Preston | — |
| 1718 | The Regiment proceeds to Ireland | [12] |
| 1742 | Returns to England | [13] |
| 1745 | Rebellion in Scotland | [14] |
| —— | Battle of Preston-Pans | [15] |
| 1746 | ———– Falkirk | [18] |
| 1749 | Embarks for Ireland | [20] |
| 1751 | Description of the Clothing and Guidons | — |
| 1783 | Constituted Light Dragoons | [25] |
| 1784 | Clothing changed from Scarlet to Blue | — |
| 1795 | Two Troops embark for Jamaica | [28] |
| 1796 | The Regiment proceeds to Barbadoes | — |
| —— | Services in the Island of St. Domingo | [29] |
| —— | —————————– Jamaica | — |
| 1798 | Returns to England | [30] |
| 1803 | In readiness to repel the projected French Invasion | [31] |
| 1807 | Reviewed by the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York | [32] |
| 1809 | Ditto, ditto, and other Members of the Royal Family | [33] |
| 1810 | Embarks for Portugal | [34] |
| —— | Joins the Army in the Alemtejo | — |
| 1810 | Capture of a party of French Dragoons at Ladoera | [35] |
| —— | Battle of Busaco | [39] |
| —— | Lines of Torres Vedras | [40] |
| 1811 | Action at Campo Mayor | [41] |
| —— | Party Surprised near Olivenza | [46] |
| —— | Covering the Siege of Olivenza | [47] |
| —— | Action near Los Santos | — |
| —— | Covering of the Siege of Badajoz | [48] |
| —— | Battle of Albuhera | — |
| —— | Action at Usagre | — |
| —— | ———– Arroyo de Molinos | [50] |
| —— | Skirmish between La Nava and Merida | [51] |
| 1812 | Covering the Siege of Badajoz | [52] |
| —— | Attack on the French post at Almaraz | [53] |
| —— | Action at Usagre | [54] |
| 1813 | The French driven from Salamanca | [56] |
| —— | Battle of Vittoria | — |
| —— | ———– the Pyrenees | [58] |
| —— | ————— Nive | [59] |
| —— | Action at Hasparen | — |
| 1814 | ———– Sauveterre | [60] |
| —— | Battle of Orthes | [61] |
| —— | Rencounter at Ayre | [62] |
| —— | Action at St. Gaudens | [63] |
| —— | Battle of Toulouse | [65] |
| —— | Returns to England | — |
| —— | Embarks for Ireland | [66] |
| 1815 | Proceeds to Flanders | [67] |
| —— | Battle of Waterloo | [68] |
| —— | Advances to Paris | [71] |
| 1816 | Returns to England | [71] |
| 1819 | Embarks for India | [72] |
| —— | Stationed at Arcot | [73] |
| 1820 | Removes to Bangalore | — |
| 1826 | Returns to Arcot | — |
| 1828 | Proceeds to Arnee | — |
| 1829 | Marches to Bangalore | — |
| 1832 | Resumes wearing Scarlet Clothing | — |
| 1833 | Authority to retain the motto Viret in æternum | [74] |
| 1836 | Facings changed to Green | — |
| 1839 | Action at Zorapoor | [75] |
| 1840 | Orders issued previous to quitting India | [76] |
| —— | Returns to England | [79] |
| —— | Blue Clothing, with Buff Facings, resumed | — |
| 1841 | Inspected by the Duke of Cambridge | — |
| 1842 | Attends as a Guard of Honor to the King of Prussia on his Visit to England | [80] |
| —— | The Conclusion | [81] |
[SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.]
| Year | Page | |
| 1715 | Richard Munden | [82] |
| 1722 | Sir Robert Rich, Bart. | [83] |
| 1725 | William Stanhope | [84] |
| 1730 | Henry Hawley | [85] |
| 1740 | Robert Dalway | [86] |
| 1741 | Humphrey Bland | [87] |
| 1743 | James Gardiner | — |
| 1745 | Francis Ligonier | [90] |
| 1746 | Philip Naison | [91] |
| 1751 | Sir Charles Armand Powlet, K.B. | [92] |
| —— | Hon. Henry Seymour Conway | — |
| 1754 | John Mostyn | [93] |
| 1758 | Archibald Douglas | [94] |
| 1778 | Richard Pierson | [95] |
| 1781 | Francis Craig | — |
| 1811 | Hon. Sir Henry George Grey, G.C.B., G.C.H. | — |
| 1715 } | ||
| to } | Succession of Lieut.-Colonels | [96] |
| 1842 } |
THIRTEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS.
[To face page 1.