SUCCESSIONS OF COLONELS

THE THIRTEENTH

REGIMENT

LIGHT DRAGOONS.

Richard Munden,

Appointed 22nd July, 1715.

Richard Munden served under King William III. in the Netherlands, and also under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1706. On the 6th of May, 1709, he succeeded Lord Lovelace in the colonelcy of a regiment of foot, which served in the war of the Spanish succession, and after distinguishing itself at Saragossa in 1710, it was surrounded and made prisoners in the mountains of Castille, by the army under the Duke of Vendosme. In 1711 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general; but the peace of Utrecht being concluded soon afterwards, his regiment was disbanded, and he remained unemployed until the summer of 1715, when he was commissioned to raise a corps of dragoons—now the Thirteenth regiment of Light Dragoons. He distinguished himself in the attack of the rebels at Preston, in Lancashire, in November, 1715; and was removed to the eighth dragoons in 1722. He died in 1725.

Sir Robert Rich, Baronet,

Appointed 19th November, 1722.

Sir Robert Rich entered the army in 1700, and gave such signal proofs of courage and skill in the wars in the reign of Queen Anne, that, on the 24th of October, 1709, he was advanced to the command of a regiment of foot. At the peace of Utrecht his regiment was disbanded, and he remained for some time unemployed; but being distinguished for his loyalty and steady attachment to the Protestant succession, he was commissioned to raise, in the summer of 1715, a regiment of dragoons, which was instrumental in suppressing the rebellion which broke out that year; but in 1718 it was disbanded. The services of Sir Robert Rich were, however, not forgotten; he was appointed one of the grooms of the bedchamber to the Prince of Wales (afterwards George II.): and on the 19th of November, 1722, King George I. appointed him colonel of the Thirteenth Dragoons; from which he was removed, in September, 1725, to the eighth dragoons; and on the 1st of January, 1731, to the seventh horse, now sixth dragoon guards. He was again removed in 1733 to the first troop of horse grenadier guards; and in 1735 to the fourth dragoons; he was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1735, to that of lieut.-general in 1739, general in 1745; and in 1757 he was advanced to the rank of field-marshal. He was a member of Parliament, and governor of Chelsea Hospital. He died in 1768.

William Stanhope,

Appointed 20th September, 1725.

William Stanhope, youngest son of John Stanhope of Elvaston, served several years in the third regiment of foot guards, in which corps he obtained the command of a company, with the rank of lieut.-colonel, and on the 17th of March, 1711, he was promoted to the colonelcy of a regiment of foot, which served in Spain, but was disbanded in November, 1712. In the summer of 1715, when the kingdom was menaced with internal war, by the partizans of the Pretender, he raised a regiment of dragoons for the service of King George I.; and when the commotions, which followed, were suppressed, his corps was disbanded. In 1717, he was employed in a diplomatic character in Spain; hostilities with that country commenced in 1719, and he subsequently served as a volunteer with the French army, commanded by Marshal Duke of Berwick. He concerted a plan for the destruction of three Spanish ships of the line, and a great quantity of naval stores, in the port of St. Andero, which was effected by an English squadron; Colonel Stanhope contributed to the execution of this enterprise by accompanying a detachment of troops, which Marshal Berwick sent, at his solicitation, and was the first that leaped into the water when the boats approached the shore. At the termination of the war, he was again appointed envoy at the Spanish court, and while employed in this service King George I. conferred on him the colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons. At the commencement of the war with Spain, 1726–7, he returned to England, and was appointed vice-chamberlain to the King; he was also nominated one of the British plenipotentiaries at the congress at Soissons; and he subsequently proceeded to Spain and concluded the treaty of Seville. His distinguished merits in these negotiations, were rewarded, in November, 1729, with the title of Lord Harrington, in the county of Northampton; and on the resignation of Lord Townshend, he was nominated secretary of state, which was followed by his vacating the colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons. In the office of secretary of state, his Lordship's knowledge of foreign affairs, with his application to business, moderation, good sense, and integrity, rendered him a valuable servant to the crown. On the change of the ministry he was appointed lord president of the council; and in February, 1742, he was advanced to the dignity of Viscount Petersham, and Earl of Harrington. In 1744 he was again appointed secretary of state; and in 1746 he was constituted lord lieutenant of Ireland. He died in 1756.

Henry Hawley,

Appointed 7th July, 1730.

This officer served the crown in four successive reigns; and held a commission in the army during a period of sixty-five years. His first appointment was dated the 10th of January, 1694; and having signalized himself in the wars of Queen Anne, he obtained the rank of colonel by brevet dated the 16th of October, 1712. On the 19th of March, 1717, he was promoted from the lieutenant-colonelcy of the fourth dragoons to the colonelcy of the thirty-third regiment of foot; and on the 7th of July, 1730, he was removed to the colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons. In 1735 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general; in 1739 to that of major-general; and in the following year obtained the colonelcy of the royal dragoons. In 1742 Major-General Hawley proceeded with the army to Flanders, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the following spring, and served at the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy. In 1746 he commanded against the rebel Highlanders in Scotland, and the troops under his orders had a sharp encounter with the enemy near Falkirk, and sustained considerable loss. He was afterwards on the staff of the army in Ireland; and was many years governor of Portsmouth. He died on the 24th of March, 1759.

Robert Dalway,

Appointed 12th May, 1740.

Robert Dalway was appointed cornet in a regiment of cavalry on the 8th of March, 1704; he served several campaigns under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough, and was distinguished for gallantry in action, and a strict attention to duty. On the 1st of February, 1713, he was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of Harwich's horse, now seventh dragoon guards, and in 1739, King George II. promoted him to the colonelcy of the thirty-ninth foot, from which he was removed in 1740, to the Thirteenth Dragoons. He died in November of the same year.

Humphrey Bland,

Appointed 9th January, 1741.

This officer's first commission was dated the 4th of February, 1704, and he had the honour to serve under the renowned John Duke of Marlborough. At the augmentation of the army in the summer of 1715, he was appointed major of the eleventh dragoons, and he subsequently obtained the lieut.-colonelcy of that corps. He was employed in suppressing the rebellion which broke out in 1715, and was wounded at the attack of the insurgents at Preston, in Lancashire. He subsequently held a commission in the royal dragoons, and also in the King's horse, now first dragoon guards, and in June, 1737, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the thirty-sixth foot, from which he was removed to the Thirteenth Dragoons in 1741, and in 1743, he obtained the colonelcy of the third dragoons. He served as brigadier-general at the battle of Dettingen, in 1743, and at Fontenoy, in 1745. In the following winter he served as major-general under the Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland, where he signalized himself on several occasions, and commanded a regiment of cavalry at the battle of Culloden. He subsequently returned to the continent, and was wounded at the battle of Val, in 1747. In 1752, he was removed to the colonelcy of the first dragoon guards, which he retained until his decease in 1763.

James Gardiner,

Appointed 18th April, 1743.

James Gardiner, son of Captain Patrick Gardiner, who died while serving in Germany under the great Duke of Marlborough, in 1704, was born in 1688. At the commencement of hostilities, in 1701, he obtained a commission in one of the Scots regiments in the Dutch service, and in 1702, he was appointed ensign in a regiment in British pay. He served under the Duke of Marlborough, and at the battle of Ramilies, on the 23rd of May, 1706, he was at the head of the troops which attacked the French infantry posted in the church-yard, and while in the act of planting his colours on an elevated spot, and calling to his men to advance, he was shot in the mouth. He lay all night on the ground, and on the following day some foreign soldiers engaged to remove him to Huy; but being unable to bear the fatigue of the journey, they left him at a convent, where, owing to the kind care of the lady abbess, and the aid she procured, he recovered in a few months [12]. This year he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and he was soon afterwards removed to the Scots Greys, commanded by Lord John Dalrymple, afterwards Earl of Stair, who became much attached to Lieutenant Gardiner. On the re-formation of the seventh dragoons, in February, 1715, Lieutenant Gardiner was appointed captain-lieutenant in that corps, and in July following he was promoted to captain, in Stanhope's dragoons, of which regiment he was appointed major in 1717; but in the following year this corps was disbanded. During the war he was aide-de-camp to the Earl of Stair, and he was attached to the splendid retinue of that nobleman, while his lordship resided at Paris, as ambassador extraordinary at that court, from whence he was frequently despatched with important information to London. While thus employed he became changed, from a sprightly participator in all the gaieties of life, to one of the most sedate and pious men of the age in which he lived, and was remarkable for his punctilious observance of religious duties. His steady attachment to the protestant succession, and numerous services, were rewarded, on the 24th of January, 1730, with the lieut.-colonelcy of the sixth dragoons, and he performed the duties of commanding officer to this corps, many years, with the most exemplary care and zeal. He proceeded on foreign service with the Inniskilling dragoons, in 1742, and soon after his arrival in Germany, in 1743, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons. He commanded the regiment in Scotland, in 1745, when the rebellion, headed by the Pretenders eldest son, broke out in that country, and he eventually joined the troops under Lieut.-General Sir John Cope. During the night preceding the battle of Preston-pans, the army occupied a position near his own family residence, and he was attended by four of his domestic servants, whom he dismissed about three o'clock, on the following morning, with a pious exhortation to preserve their loyalty to their sovereign. He spent a considerable time in private devotion before the battle. At the commencement of the action, he was wounded in the left breast by a musket shot, which caused him to give a sudden spring in his saddle, when his servant, who held a spare horse, endeavoured to persuade him to withdraw, but he refused, saying it was only a wound in the flesh. In the charge, he behaved with the most heroic gallantry, and afterwards attempted to rally his men; but being unable to accomplish this, he joined some infantry, and while in the act of encouraging them, he was struck on the right arm by a Highlander with a scythe fastened to a pole. His sword dropped; other opponents came round him; he was unhorsed, and left for dead. About two hours after the engagement had ceased, his servant found him; he was alive, and the servant removed him in a cart to Tranent church, from whence he was conveyed to the minister's house, and put to bed; but he expired soon afterwards. "In person, Colonel Gardiner was strongly built and well-proportioned; in stature unusually tall; and in the expression of his countenance, intellectual and dignified. In calm heroism, he has never been excelled. The energy he displayed, notwithstanding his bodily infirmities, on the day preceding the fight, at Preston-pans, his pious exhortation to his domestics, his devotion before the battle, and his calm unflinching bravery during the contest, have thrown a romantic charm around his memory, by which it will, doubtless, be long and deservedly embalmed [13]."

Francis Ligonier,

Appointed 1st October, 1745.

Francis Ligonier, descended from the ancient family of Ligonier, many years resident in Languedoc, in France. Being of the Protestant religion, he withdrew from that country in the time of Louis XIV., and, with his brother John, (afterwards Earl Ligonier,) entered the British service. In his first commission he was designated Francis de Ligonier, but the de was afterwards discontinued. He was appointed major of the eighth horse, now seventh dragoon guards, in 1729, and lieut.-colonel in 1737, and under his care that regiment became celebrated for efficiency and exemplary conduct in quarters and in the field. He commanded the eighth horse at the battle of Dettingen, where he highly distinguished himself, and was wounded; and he was rewarded in April, 1745, with the colonelcy of the forty-eighth foot, from which he was removed in October to the Thirteenth Dragoons. He served under Lieut.-General Hawley, in Scotland, in January, 1746, and while suffering from an attack of the pleurisy, he quitted his bed to command the cavalry at the battle of Falkirk, where he again signalized himself; but fatigue, and exposure to the cold and wet, brought on a disease, of which he died a few days afterwards, much regretted by all who knew him.

Philip Naison,

Appointed 17th February, 1746.

This officer entered the army in 1708, and he acquired a reputation for attention to his duties and for personal bravery. He was many years in the royal dragoons, and commanded that regiment at the battle of Dettingen, where it captured the standard of the Mousquetairs Noirs. He was also wounded at the head of the royal dragoons at the battle of Fontenoy; and in 1746 King George II. rewarded him with the colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons. He died in 1750.

Sir Charles Armand Powlet, K.B.,

Appointed 26th January, 1751.

Charles Armand Powlet, choosing the profession of arms, obtained a commission as cornet of horse in 1710; he served many years in the household cavalry, and was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the first troop of horse grenadier guards by King George II., who afterwards rewarded him with the colonelcy of the ninth regiment of marines, by commission dated the 27th of December, 1740. At the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle his regiment was disbanded; and in November, 1749, he was appointed colonel of the ninth foot; he was also promoted to the rank of major-general, was honoured with the dignity of a knight of the bath, and held an appointment in the establishment of the Prince of Wales. In 1751 he was removed to the Thirteenth Dragoons: he died in November of the same year.

The Honorable Henry Seymour Conway,

Appointed 25th December, 1751.

The Honorable Henry Seymour Conway, second son of Lord Conway, and brother of Francis Earl of Hertford, was appointed lieutenant in the first foot guards in 1737, captain and lieut.-colonel in 1741, and in 1746 he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland, and promoted to the colonelcy of the fifty-ninth (now forty-eighth) foot. He was removed to the thirty-fourth foot in 1749, to the Thirteenth Dragoons in 1751, and to the fourth horse, now seventh dragoon guards, in 1754. In 1756 he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in 1759 to that of lieut.-general, and he was removed to the royal dragoons in the same year. He commanded a division of the allied army in Germany under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in 1761; and the British forces in Germany were placed under his orders during the absence of the Marquis of Granby. He was also one of the grooms of the bed-chamber to his majesty, and a member of parliament; and having voted against ministers on the great question of military warrants, in 1764, he resigned his court appointment and military commands; but in 1768 he was appointed colonel of the fourth dragoons. In 1770 he succeeded the Marquis of Granby in the colonelcy of the royal regiment of horse guards; in 1772 he was promoted to the rank of general, and in 1793 to that of field-marshal. He died in 1795; at which period he was eldest general officer, and first field-marshal in the army.

John Mostyn,

Appointed 8th July, 1754.

This officer was appointed ensign on the 29th of February, 1732, and after a short service he was promoted to captain in the thirty-first foot, from which he was advanced in 1742 to the commission of captain-lieutenant in the second foot guards. He served with his regiment on the continent, and was wounded at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745. In 1747 he was appointed aide-de-camp to King George II.; in 1751 His Majesty gave him the colonelcy of the seventh regiment of foot, from which he was removed, in 1754, to the Thirteenth Dragoons, and in 1757 he was promoted to the rank of major-general: in 1758 he was removed to the fifth, royal Irish, dragoons. He commanded a brigade of infantry under Charles, Duke of Marlborough, in the expedition to St. Maloes, in 1758; in 1759 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general, and in 1760 he was removed to the colonelcy of the seventh dragoons. He served under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, in Germany, and signalized himself at many general engagements and skirmishes during the years 1759–60–61, and –62; and at the termination of the war he was appointed colonel of the first dragoon guards; in 1772 he was promoted to the rank of general. He died in March, 1779.

Archibald Douglas,

Appointed 18th October, 1758.

After a progressive service in the subordinate commissions, this officer was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the fourth dragoons in February, 1747; he was also advanced to the rank of colonel in the army, and honoured with the appointment of aide-de-camp to the King. In 1758 His Majesty conferred upon him the colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1759, and to that of lieut.-general in 1761. He died at Dublin, in October, 1778.

Richard Pierson,

Appointed 27th November, 1778.

Richard Pierson was many years an officer in the first foot guards, in which regiment he was appointed major, with the rank of colonel in the army, on the 21st of July, 1760. In 1762 he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in 1764 he was appointed colonel of the sixty-third regiment of foot, from which he was removed in the following year to the thirty-sixth regiment. In 1772 he was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general; he was also honoured with the dignity of a Knight of the Bath; and in 1778 he was removed to the Thirteenth Dragoons. He was taken suddenly ill on his return from the theatre on the night of the 12th of February, 1781, and died before the following morning.

Francis Craig,

Appointed 15th February, 1781.

Francis Craig obtained a commission of ensign and lieutenant in the second foot guards on the 22nd of April, 1742, and he served in that regiment upwards of thirty-three years. He served with the brigade of foot guards in Germany, in 1760–61, and –62, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the army in 1763. In 1775 he was advanced from first major of the second, to lieutenant-colonel of the first, foot guards, and promoted to the rank of major-general. In 1777 he attained the rank of lieutenant-general; he was appointed colonel of the Thirteenth Dragoons in 1781, and promoted to the rank of general in 1793. He was many years governor of Sheerness. He died in 1811, in the eighty-sixth year of his age.

The Hon. Sir Henry George Grey, G.C.B., G.C.H.

Appointed 30th December, 1811.

SUCCESSION OF LIEUTENANT-COLONELS, THIRTEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS.

NAMES.	Dates of Appointment.	REMARKS.


Clement Neville	22nd July, 1715	Colonel 14th Dragoons, 9th April, 1720.
Peter Ker	24th May, 1722
Shuckburgh Whitney	20th June, 1739	Killed at the battle of Falkirk.
John Toovey	19th Sep., 1747	Removed to the 1st Royal Dragoons in 1754.
James Johnston	2nd Dec., 1754	Ditto, ditto, 1759, afterwards Colonel 4th Dragoon Guards.
Henry Gore	7th April, 1759	Retired in 1764.
Thomas Crow	6th Feb., 1764	Ditto.
James Blaquiere	7th Dec., 1764
Sir James Steuart, Baronet	15th July, 1776	Colonel 12th Light Dragoons, 9th Nov., 1791.
Honorable William Cuffe	31st Dec., 1791	Died in 1792.
Honorable George Walpole	31st Oct., 1792	Retired in 1797.
Robert Bolton	7th June, 1797	Promoted Major-General, afterwards Colonel 7th Dragoon Guards.
Honorable John Browne	16th July, 1799	Retired in 1801.
Michael Head	4th June, 1801	Promoted Major-General.
Patrick Doherty	4th June, 1813	Retired in 1818.
* Theophilus Pritzler	5th Nov., 1818	Commandant at Maidstone; promoted Major-General.
Shapland Boyse	8th Dec., 1818	Retired in 1830.
* Sir John Browne, Kt.	9th May, 1820	Commandant at Maidstone; promoted Major-General.
Thomas Hawker	9th Aug., 1821	Held a superior command in India; promoted Major-Gen.
John Floyd Paterson	21st July, 1825	Retired in 1833.
* Sir T. Noel Hill, K.C.B.	22nd July, 1830	Commandant at Maidstone; died in 1833.
Richard Brunton	31st Dec., 1830	Commanding the Regiment since December, 1831.
William Persse	6th Dec., 1833	Removed to 16th Lancers in 1834.
Allan Thomas Maclean	11th July, 1834	To half-pay on the reduction of the establishment in 1840.

* The Officers, whose names are marked thus,*, were appointed to a regiment in India, in consequence of commanding the Cavalry Depôt at Maidstone;—but they did not join the regiment.