FOOTNOTES:

[6]

Colonel Thomas Saunderson’sMarine Corps,now 30th Regiment.
Colonel George Villiers’sdo.now 31stdo.
Colonel Edward Fox’sdo.now 32nddo.
Colonel Harry Mordaunt’sdo.disbanded in 1713.
Colonel Henry Holl’sdo.do.do.
Colonel Viscount Shannon’s.do.do.do.

[7] Minorca, an island in the Mediterranean, on the eastern coast of Spain, is about thirty miles in length and twelve in breadth, and is chiefly valuable for the excellent harbour of Port Mahon. In September, 1708, Minorca was taken by Admiral Leake and a land force under Lieut.-General Stanhope, after a siege of about three weeks. The island was ceded to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht, and remained in its possession until 1756, when, in April of that year, it was besieged by the French, under Marshal the Duke de Richelieu. After a brave defence by the Governor, General Blakeney, the garrison, consisting of the 4th, 23rd, 24th, and 34th regiments, surrendered, and, in consideration of their gallantry, were permitted to march out with all the honors of war. At the peace of Fontainebleau, in 1763, Minorca was restored to the English in exchange for Belle-Isle. In February, 1782, the garrison, under the Governor, Lieut.-General the Honorable James Murray, after suffering severely from sickness, surrendered to the Duke de Crillon, the Commander-in-Chief of the combined French and Spanish forces, and Minorca was retained by Spain at the peace of 1783. Minorca again surrendered to a British force under General the Honorable Charles Stuart, on the 15th of November, 1798; and at the peace of Amiens, in 1802, Minorca was restored to the Spaniards, under whose sway it remains at the present period.

[8] The nature of the services on which the Marine Corps were employed has since obtained for them the Royal authority to bear the motto, “Per mare, per terram.”

[9] “On the morning of Sunday, the 10th of June, 1688, a day long kept sacred by the too faithful adherents of a bad cause, was born James Francis Edward Stuart, the most unfortunate of princes, destined to seventy-seven years of exile and wandering,—of vain projects,—of honours more galling than insults,—and of hopes such as make the heart sick.”—‘History of England,’ by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Vol. ii. page 363.

[10] James Francis Edward, “The Pretender,” son of James II., and of Mary, daughter of the Duke of Modena, his second wife; was born on the 10th June, 1688. He married, in 1719, Mary Clementina, daughter of Prince James Sobieski, and granddaughter of John Sobieski, King of Poland. He died on the 1st June, 1766 (aged 78 years), leaving issue two sons:—

1. Charles Edward Louis Cassimir, termed in England “The Young Pretender;” born on the 30th November, 1720, who married the Princess Stohlberg of Germany, and died at Rome, without issue, on the 31st January, 1788.

2. Henry Benedict, called The Cardinal York; born on the 24th March, 1725. When the last grand effort for the restoration of his family, in 1745, proved abortive, he took holy orders, and was elevated to the Purple by Pope Benedict XIV. in 1747, and died at Rome in 1807. The Cardinal was the last male branch of the House of Stuart.

[11] From the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, in April, 1718, until 1739, the only events that appeared at times to threaten the general tranquillity of Europe which prevailed during the above period, arose from the Rebellion in Scotland, in favour of the Pretender, in 1715, which was suppressed by the Battle of Sheriffmuir, on the 13th of November of that year. Charles XII., of Sweden, also espoused the cause of the Pretender in 1717, but the death of King Charles, in the following year, put an end to the projected expedition to Great Britain. In 1719 Spain supported the Pretender with troops, which were, however, defeated at Glenshiel, on the 10th of June, 1719. This was followed by the British expedition against Spain, but in January, 1720, the Spanish Monarch accepted the conditions of Peace. In 1726 Spain made an unsuccessful attempt to recover Gibraltar, and in 1729 a treaty of Peace was concluded at Seville, which remained unbroken for the ten following years.

[12] The “Pragmatic Sanction” was published by the Emperor Charles VI. on the 17th of April, 1713, whereby, in case of his having no male issue, his daughters were to succeed to his hereditary dominions, in preference to the sons of his late brother, Joseph I.

[13] See list of British regiments which served in Flanders and Germany between 1742 and 1748, during the “War of the Austrian Succession.”—Appendix, [page 224].

[14] The following tradition has been preserved in the regiment:—The facings and breeches of the THIRTY-FIRST being of the same colour as those worn by the Third “Buffs,” King George II. mistook it for the latter regiment, and called out “Bravo, Buffs,” with a view of animating the men to further gallantry; and when reminded that it was the THIRTY-FIRST, and not the “Old Buffs,” His Majesty then rejoined, “Bravo, Young Buffs;” and this name, valuable for the time and manner of its being conferred, has been since retained by the Regiment.

[15] Although the results of the Battle of Dettingen, fought on the 27th of June, 1743, were not equal to those attending the victories gained over the French by Edward the Third and Henry the Fifth, yet there are circumstances which render the conflict at Dettingen similar to those of Creçy and Agincourt. At Creçy, on the 26th of August, 1346, King Edward the Third and his son Edward the Black Prince were present; and at Dettingen, King George the Second was accompanied by his son the Duke of Cumberland. It was the début of both the Royal Princes on the tented plain, and the chivalrous bearing of the Black Prince, particularly his behaviour to the prisoners, finds a parallel in the conduct of the Duke of Cumberland, who refused to have his wound attended to, until the surgeons had examined that of a French officer, the Count De Fenelon, who had been taken prisoner and conveyed to the Duke’s tent. “Begin,” said His Royal Highness, “with the wound of the French officer; he is more dangerously hurt than I am, and stands more in need of assistance.”

The disadvantage under which the British fought at Dettingen was equal to that at Agincourt, and the impetuosity of the enemy, in both instances, prevented the English army perishing from want of provisions.

All these battles are likewise noted for the number of the French Royal family and nobility who were present; and the battle of Dettingen is further remarkable as being the last action in which a British Monarch commanded the army.

The want of provisions and tents, unfortunately, compelled the victors to abandon the field of battle, otherwise Dettingen might have rivalled many of the achievements recorded in British History.

[16] “The Dutch, in their flight, breaking in on the English ranks, were fired upon by those troops, which did them considerable damage; a Highlander in Lord Semphill’s (forty-second) regiment being asked ‘Why he fired upon them; they were his friends?’ replied, ‘I am sure they are the greatest enemy we have seen this day.’”—Biggs’s Military History of Europe from 1739 to 1748.

[17] Vide List of Battles, Sieges, &c., inserted in Appendix, [page 223].

[18] The regiments which returned to England from Flanders, on this occasion, are specified in the List inserted in the Appendix, [page 224].

[19]

2nd Batt.Constituted2nd Batt.Constituted
3rd Foot,the 61st Regiment.24th Foot,the 69th Regiment.
4th ”the 62nd Regiment.31st ”the 70th Regiment.
8th ”the 63rd Regiment.32nd ”the 71st Regiment.
11th ”the 64th Regiment.33rd ”the 72nd Regiment.
12th ”the 65th Regiment.34th ”the 73rd Regiment.
19th ”the 66th Regiment.36th ”the 74th Regiment.
20th ”the 67th Regiment.37th ”the 75th Regiment.
23rd ”the 68th Regiment.

The 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments were disbanded after the peace of Fontainebleau in 1763.

[20] Major-General John Burgoyne was promoted, to the rank of Lieut.-General on the 20th of August, 1777.

[21] Martinique was captured by the English in 1762, but was restored to France at the Peace of Fontainebleau in 1763.

[22] Promoted to the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel on the 1st of March, 1794.

[23] Return of the Troops at Guadaloupe on the 1st of September, 1794.

Rank and File.
Corps.Fit for
Duty.		Sick.Total.
Grenadier Battalion152208360
Light Infantry Battalion33382415
35 Regiment47116163
39th Ditto24284308
43rd Ditto23176199
56th Ditto, three companies67..67
65th Ditto43209252
General Total38913751764

The Grenadier and Light Infantry battalions were composed of the flank companies of the 8th, 12th, 17th, 31st, 33rd, 34th, 38th, 40th, 44th, and 55th Regiments.

[24] While stationed at Jersey, a soldier of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment displayed the following example of courage and presence of mind:—On the 4th of June, 1804, a salute had been fired in honor of the anniversary of the birthday of King George III. The bombardier, whose duty it was to deposit the slow match in the magazine on the Town Hill at St. Heliers, after the performance of the ceremony, neglected to observe whether it was extinguished; it unfortunately was still alight, and set fire to the building; there were within the place three hundred and twenty-five barrels of powder, and, from its central situation, an explosion would have destroyed the greater portion of the town. Private William Pentenny, of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, assisted by two inhabitants of Jersey, broke open the magazine, when another moment’s delay would probably have been too late, the fire having nearly reached the spot where the powder was deposited, when he entered. With infinite coolness and decision, he carried the nearest barrels away in his arms, and continued so to act until the whole stock was removed out of danger. This important service was highly appreciated. The Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s awarded Private William Pentenny a pension of 20l. a year, while the states of Jersey conferred an additional 12l. upon this deserving soldier, and presented to him a gold medal, struck on purpose to commemorate the achievement, which he was permitted to wear. The Governor, Major-General the Honorable William Stewart, ordered a ring of silver lace to be worn round his arm as a further distinction.

[25] This extract is from an excellent pamphlet published in Edinburgh soon after the event, by a “Passenger.” It was written by Major Duncan M‘Gregor of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, who was afterwards the Lieutenant-Colonel of the ninety-third Highlanders.

[26] General Avitabile, one of the military instructors of the Sikhs, was a native of Italy, and at the conclusion of Napoleon’s bright, but evanescent career, sought employment in the East. He was handsomely rewarded by the Sovereign of the Punjaub, Runjeet Singh, together with another Italian officer, named Ventura, and two Frenchmen, Allard and Court, for introducing European tactics into the Sikh army. Runjeet Singh also conferred the governorship of Peshawur upon General Avitabile, and by his vigorous administration it was reduced from a state of anarchy to one of comparative security. Peshawur signifies “advanced post,” that name having been conferred upon it by its founder, the Mogul Emperor Akbar, in consequence of its being the frontier town of India towards Affghanistan.

Runjeet Singh died in 1839, and his son and successor, Kurruck Singh, being of weak intellect, was shortly afterwards deposed, when his son, Noo Nehal Singh, assumed the reins of Government. His death, which occurred in returning from his father’s funeral, caused the throne to be again vacant, and the crown was bestowed on Prince Shere Singh, a twin-son of Runjeet Singh. Shere Singh was a firm friend to the English, and by his interference Major-General Pollock was permitted to proceed with his army through the Punjaub to Cabool in 1842, although the Sikh Sirdars were disposed to attack the British troops.

[27] Vide Memoir of Lieut.-Colonel Skinner, Appendix, [p. 226].

[28] The Punjaub derives its name from two Persian words (punj, five, and aub waters), signifying five waters. In fact there are six rivers intersecting the country, namely the Indus, Jhelum, Chenaub, Ravee, Beas, and Sutlej. The course of the Beas is much shorter than the five other rivers, so that it appears to have been disregarded when the name of the Punjaub was bestowed.

[29] On the death of Assistant-Surgeon Gahan, Assistant-Surgeon Patrick Gammie, of the 80th regiment, was appointed to take medical charge of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment.

[30] Vide Memoir of Colonel Bolton, inserted in Appendix, [page 225].

[31] Vide Memoir of Major Baldwin, inserted in Appendix, [page 230].

[32] Shortly after the storming of the village of Aliwal, an European officer in the Sikh service was given in charge to the regiment, having surrendered himself as a prisoner to an officer of one of the cavalry regiments in the Company’s service. He said his servant had galloped off with his charger, and, being rather stout, preferred giving himself up to the chance of running away; his name was John Potter, a native of Maidstone in Kent; he had deserted from the Company’s Artillery twenty years before, and was at this period a Colonel of Artillery in the Sikh service, having a native wife and family at Lahore. At first he was kept a very strict prisoner, but the severity of his confinement was gradually relaxed, and when the army encamped before Lahore, he was released altogether. The Governor-General afterwards permitted him to hold an appointment in the Sikh service.

[33] This officer was promoted from Quarter-master-Serjeant to Ensign after the battle of Ferozeshah.

[34] This part of the action is represented in the engraving of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment at the battle of Sobraon.

[35] In some copies of this General Order it was erroneously stated that Brigadier Hicks commanded the first brigade: he was not at the battle of Sobraon.

[36] Vide [pages 146] and [165] of Regimental Record.

[37] A beautiful silver inkstand has been recently presented to Lieut.-Colonel Spence, by the Officers of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment. It is an elegant testimonial, and is tastefully embellished with military trophies, a soldier of the regiment being introduced on the two extremities, in the position to receive cavalry,—the whole surmounted by the British Lion. The following inscription is engraved on the testimonial:—

Presented to
Lieutenant-Colonel Spence, C.B.,
By Lieutenant-Colonel Staunton and Officers of the THIRTY-FIRST Regiment,
As a token of their esteem and attachment,
On his leaving the Regiment, in which he had served for a period of forty-one years,
With high distinction to himself and honor to his Country.

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
SECOND BATTALION

OF THE

THIRTY-FIRST, OR THE HUNTINGDONSHIRE

REGIMENT OF FOOT.

1804

Napoleon Bonaparte, upon being raised in May 1804 to the dignity of Emperor of the French, increased his immense preparations to carry into effect his project for the invasion of England, that he might, by one great effort, crush the power of the British people, who appeared as a barrier to his ambitious designs. This menace of invasion had aroused the spirit of the British nation; patriotic enthusiasm pervaded all ranks; and among the measures of defence[38] adopted by the Government was the introduction of the “Additional Force Act” which was passed on the 14th of July 1804.

1805

Under this Act of Parliament, a second battalion was added to the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, which was to be formed of men raised in the county of Chester for limited service.

The second battalion was embodied by July 1805, and in October it proceeded from Chester to Winchester, where the first battalion was stationed.

1806

After the first battalion had embarked for Sicily in April 1806, the second battalion continued at Winchester until June following, when it proceeded to Gosport.

1807

On the 8th of January 1807, the second battalion embarked at Gosport for Guernsey, where it arrived on the 15th of that month. In May 1807, the battalion proceeded to Ireland, and was stationed at Limerick.

1808

In March 1808, the battalion was removed from Limerick to Dublin.

Important events had in the meantime occurred on the Continent, which occasioned the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment to be ordered on active service. Napoleon, having reduced Germany to submission to his will, and forced Russia to accede to his decrees, next attempted the subjugation of Spain and Portugal. The Spaniards and Portuguese rose in arms to assert their national rights, the French Emperor having conferred the crown of Spain on his brother Joseph, who relinquished the throne of Naples in favor of Marshal Murat.

In the summer of 1808, Portugal was delivered by a British army under Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley; and in the autumn Lieut.-General Sir John Moore received orders to advance with a body of British troops from Portugal into the heart of Spain; at the same time several regiments were embarked from the United Kingdom to co-operate in the enterprise.

The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST, which had proceeded in August to Fermoy, marched on the 8th of September to Monkstown for embarkation, and sailed in a few days afterwards to Falmouth, where a fleet was assembling with a force for service, the command of the troops being held by Lieut.-General Sir David Baird. In a short time, the fleet sailed, and arrived in the Bay of Corunna on the 23rd of October. The THIRTY-FIRST did not, however, land with the army, the battalion being despatched to Lisbon, where it arrived on the 5th of November.

Lieut.-General Sir John Cradock, who commanded in Portugal at this period, detached some regiments towards the frontier, with a view of reinforcing Lieut.-General Sir John Moore in Spain. The THIRTY-FIRST, being one of the corps destined for this service, marched with a force under the command of Brigadier-General Richard Stewart from Lisbon, on the 18th of December, upon Castello Branco, where the battalion arrived in ten days.

The communication with Lieut.-General Sir John Moore being at this period suddenly interrupted, Brigadier-General Stewart was ordered to halt, and unfavourable intelligence being received from Spain, Lieut.-General Sir John Cradock determined to concentrate his army near Lisbon, and the further advance was, therefore, countermanded.

1809

The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST, and the other corps of the division, commenced their march to the rear on the 1st of January 1809. On arrival at Santarem, the intelligence of Sir John Moore’s advance upon Sahagun had reached head-quarters, and the anticipated danger being thus drawn from the frontiers of Portugal, Brigadier-General Stewart was again ordered to halt. His head-quarters continued at Santarem, and the THIRTY-FIRST occupied cantonments in the neighbourhood of Bucellas. A month’s march in incessant rain had seriously damaged the appointments, and the men being indifferently provided with shoes, rendered a rest in this pleasant quarter of infinite benefit.

In the meanwhile, the army under Lieut.-General Sir John Moore had continued its retreat over two hundred and fifty miles of mountainous country, constantly repulsing the attacks of the enemy. The British army arrived at Corunna on the 11th of January, being closely followed by Marshal Soult, who occupied a position on a height above the town, in order to make an attack on the troops while proceeding to embark. This operation commenced on the 16th of January, and the French descending from the heights in three columns, a sanguinary action ensued. Lieut.-General Sir John Moore received a mortal wound from a cannon-ball, and his country was deprived of an officer, who, both in his professional and private character, had acquired universal esteem and admiration. Lieut.-General Sir David Baird lost an arm, and the command devolved on Lieut.-General Sir John Hope, who vigorously maintained the action, the British remaining masters of the field. The embarkation for England was effected on the following night, no further molestation being offered by the enemy.

No change was made in the disposition of the army in Portugal until the middle of March, when Lieut.-General Sherbrooke, and Major-General John Randoll McKenzie, with their corps arrived. The army was then drawn together between Lumiar and Sacavem, in which position it encamped until toward the end of April, when Lieut.-General Sir John Cradock commenced his advance towards Spain on the 24th of that month; and when Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, who had arrived at Lisbon with reinforcements, assumed the command of the army, the force was assembled at Leiria. The first object of Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley was to dislodge Marshal Soult from Oporto, and he accordingly marched towards that city at the end of April.

A corps of British and Portuguese was detached, previous to Sir Arthur Wellesley’s march upon Oporto, under Major-General McKenzie, to watch the right bank of the Tagus in observation of Marshal Victor in Estremadura. The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST joined this army, and remained posted at Thomar until after the famous passage of the Douro by the British General, and the fall of Oporto, which compelled Marshal Soult to retreat.

In the month of June the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST was at Cortiçada with Major-General McKenzie’s head-quarters, and in that officer’s division reached Placentia, whence on the 17th of July it commenced its march to Oropesa, where it arrived on the 20th. A junction with the Spanish army under General Cuesta was effected here, and on the 22nd the advanced guards, to which the THIRTY-FIRST belonged, moved forward to the attack on the French posts at Talavera. The enemy’s position was turned by the British cavalry and infantry, while the Spanish General drove the French on in front. On the 25th, in consequence of General Cuesta having followed the enemy, two divisions of infantry were sent across the Alberche to Casa Legas. The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST was in that commanded by Major-General McKenzie, and was brigaded with the twenty-eighth and forty-fifth regiments.

On the 27th of July, when General Cuesta had retreated from Alcabon under cover of Lieut.-General Sherbrooke’s divisions, Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley withdrew to the position of Talavera, leaving Major-General McKenzie on the Alberche to protect the movement. When the French, on the 27th of July, crossed this river, Major-General McKenzie’s division was posted near the Casa des Salinas, his infantry in the forest, and cavalry on the plain.

The attach was somewhat sudden, and the THIRTY-FIRST and eighty-seventh regiments, which were in the wood on the right of the Alberche, sustained some loss. As the enemy increased his numbers on the British side of the river, Major-General McKenzie fell back gradually, and entering the position by the left of the combined army, took up his ground in a second line, in rear of the foot guards. In the dusk of the evening the enemy commenced his attack on the British left, but failed; in the night the attack was repeated, and on the morning of the 28th of July the French renewed the attack on the height on the British left, and were again repulsed with considerable loss. After a pause of some hours the attacks were renewed upon the whole British front, and the action became general. Brigadier-General Alexander Campbell’s division, on the British right, sustained the assault of the enemy’s fourth corps, assisted by Major-General McKenzie’s brigade. “The English regiments, putting the French skirmishers aside, met the advancing columns with loud shouts, and breaking in on their front, and lapping their flanks with fire, and giving no respite, pushed them back with a terrible carnage. Ten guns were taken; but as General Campbell prudently forbore pursuit, the French rallied on their supports, and made a show of attacking again: vain attempt! The British artillery and musketry played too vehemently upon their masses, and a Spanish regiment of cavalry charging on their flank at the same time, the whole retired in disorder, and the victory was secured in that quarter.”[39]

The ten captured guns remained in possession of the British;—Major-General John Randoll McKenzie was killed;—and the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, under Major John Williams Watson, conducted itself in such a manner as to merit notice in the despatch, as well as approbation in General Orders. Major Watson received a medal, and was afterwards promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel for his conduct on this occasion.

The THIRTY-FIRST, in the actions of the 27th and 28th of July, had Captain William Lodge, two serjeants, and forty-two rank and file killed; Captains Nicolls and Coleman,—Lieutenants George Beamish, Adderley Beamish, and Girdlestone,—Ensigns Gamble and Soden,—Assistant-Surgeon Edwards,—eight serjeants, and one hundred and eighty-two rank and file, wounded. Most of the wounded fell into the hands of the French, on the abandonment of Talavera afterwards by the Spanish General. Assistant-Surgeon Edwards, who was left in charge of the wounded, died shortly afterwards.

The news of the brilliant victory of Talavera, gained over the French army commanded by Joseph Bonaparte in person, excited great joy in England, and Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley was raised to the peerage by the title of Viscount Wellington. The Royal Authority was afterwards given for the THIRTY-FIRST to bear the word “Talavera” on the Regimental Colour and Appointments, to commemorate the distinguished conduct of the second battalion on that memorable occasion.

After the battle of the 28th of July, the second battalion was posted to Major-General Tilson’s brigade, in the division commanded by Major-General Rowland (afterwards Viscount) Hill; and on the 3rd of August marched from Talavera, in order to oppose the French, who had entered Estremadura by Placentia.

On the 3rd of September, the head-quarters arrived at Badajoz, and the army was distributed about Elvas, Campo Mayor, and other places, the THIRTY-FIRST being in the division cantoned at Montejo. The troops had suffered greatly on the march from Talavera, generally from dysentery, brought on by bad food, fatigue, and exposure. When the second battalion had rested awhile in its position, the sickness that had been kept off in a great measure by the previous excitement, now visited the men severely, and a considerable number died.

1810

When Viscount Wellington broke up from the Guadiana in the month of December, and crossed the Tagus, he left Lieut.-General Hill, who had been appointed to serve on the Staff in the Peninsula as a Lieut.-General, after the battle of Talavera, with a force of ten thousand men, British and Portuguese, at Abrantes. Among the former was the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST; it continued at that place until February 1810, when Lieut.-General Hill, on the approach of Marshal Mortier on Badajoz, marched to Portalegre, and occupied that strong position. He made a move on the 23rd of April through the Sierra de St. Marmede, which had the desired effect of relieving General O’Donnell at Albuquerque, the enemy retiring to Merida. Lieut.-General Hill was once more at Portalegre on the 26th of April, and on the 15th of May he again quitted his cantonment, by which movement he disengaged Badajoz from the attention of the enemy, who had made a reconnoisance on the 12th of that place, and relieved General Ballasteros, returning in a few days afterwards to his old position.

During the continuance of the division at Portalegre, it was always on the alert, owing to General Regnier’s movements in Estremadura. In the beginning of July, Lieut.-General Hill concentrated his corps at Campo Mayor, previously to an expedition into Estremadura in conjunction with the Marquis de Romana. General Regnier had, however, frustrated this plan, by quitting Merida on the 10th of July, and marching upon Aleonete and Almaraz, effected the passage of the Tagus on the 16th. Lieut.-General Hill made a parallel movement, and crossing the river at Vilha Velha, was at Castello Branco on the 21st; he encamped at Sarzedas, in front of the Sobreira Formosa, remaining some time in observation between the Estrella and the Tagus.

Upon Marshal Massena concentrating his force for the invasion of Portugal, Lieut.-General Hill fell back from his position at Sarzedas, and on the 21 st of August, arrived on the Alva. On the 26th, the THIRTY-FIRST in Lieut.-General Hill’s corps, crossed the Mondego, arrived on the Sierra de Busaco, and was posted on the right, across the road leading over the mountain ridge to Peña Cova, but the battalion was not engaged in the action.

When General Regnier attacked the position held by the third and fifth divisions, Lieut.-General Hill withdrew towards his left to support them; it was unnecessary however, these divisions having repulsed the enemy, and he therefore continued in his original position.

After the battle of Busaco, fought on the 27th of September, the army withdrew from the Sierra, and Lieut.-General Hill’s division marched on Thomar, arriving there on the 4th of October; whence continuing its retreat by Santarem, it took up its ground, on the 8th, on the right of the Torres Vedras lines at Alhandra, on the right of the Tagus, in which position the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST had several skirmishes with the enemy, without sustaining much loss. The battalion remained at Alhandra, opposite which was the second French corps under General Regnier.

On the 17th of November, the second division crossed the Tagus at Villada upon Abrantes, where the French were in retreat. Upon Marshal Massena taking up a position at Santarem, it halted at Chamako, where the head-quarters were stationed; the troops being so distributed as to have an eye to the enemy, and prevent his crossing to the south of the Tagus. Lieut.-General Hill returned to England on account of ill health in December, and Marshal Sir William Carr (now Viscount) Beresford succeeded him in the command of his division, which amounted to fourteen thousand men, British and Portuguese.

1811

The hostile armies remained in the same positions until the beginning of March, when Marshal Massena broke up from Santarem, and Major-General the Honorable William Stewart, with a body of troops, of which the THIRTY-FIRST formed part, crossed the Tagus at Abrantes, and moved to Thomar, while Marshal Beresford remained at Barla, and did not join in the pursuit of Marshal Massena.

Towards the end of March, Sir William Beresford arrived at Portalegre with twenty thousand infantry, two thousand cavalry, and eighteen guns, with orders to relieve Campo Mayor, and besiege Olivenza and Badajoz. The first object was effected on the 25th of March; it was an affair of cavalry only. On the 6th of April, the passage of the Guadiana took place at Jurumenha, and the army occupied a position on a strong range of hills. On the 9th of April, Olivenza was summoned, and not surrendering the army encamped round it. General Latour Maubourg having retired to Llerena, Marshal Beresford leaving the fourth division, with Colonel Madden’s cavalry, opposite Olivenza, took post on the 11th at Albuhera, the infantry being on the 16th drawn nearer to Badajoz, which place was invested on the 8th of May.

On the 8th and 10th of May, the French made two sorties, but were driven back with considerable loss. Marshal Soult’s approach to relieve Badajoz having been ascertained, the siege was raised on the night of the 12th, and moving to Albuhera, the British were in position on the 15th of May.

The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST was on the left of Lieut.-Colonel Colborne’s brigade, in the division under Major-General the Honorable William Stewart, which was drawn up, in one line, behind the village of Albuhera; its right on a commanding hill, over which the Valverde road passed; its left on the road to Badajoz.

On the morning of the 16th of May, the grand attack was made by the French on the right of the position, and in a line at right angles to it: this point was contested by the Spaniards without success,—they gave way, and the French columns pushing on, seized the crown of the hill, and bringing up their reserves, established their batteries in position on it. At this moment Major-General the Honorable William Stewart brought forward Lieut.-Colonel Colborne’s brigade, and arrived with it at the foot of the hill, while all was in confusion above. The Major-General rushed on in open column of companies, attempting to form his line in succession as the battalions arrived. The THIRTY-FIRST, the left of the brigade, was still in column, when four regiments of hussars and lancers, which had been concealed by the heavy rain falling at the time, passed by the right flank to the rear of the line.

“One battalion only (the THIRTY-FIRST) being still in column, escaped the storm, and maintained its ground, while the French horsemen, riding violently over everything else, penetrated to all parts.”[40]

Major-General the Honorable William Lumley sent some squadrons of cavalry to take the attention of the Lancers, but the THIRTY-FIRST continued to hold the height, while the Spaniards would not advance, and Marshal Soult still kept his columns together on the point he had assailed. Major-General Hoghton’s brigade coming up in good order, under Major-General the Honorable William Stewart, and being soon afterwards reinforced by a portion of the fourth division, relieved the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST from the difficulty of its position.

The THIRTY-FIRST had two serjeants and twenty-six rank and file killed; and Captains Fleming and Knox, Lieutenants Butler, Gethen, and Bolton; Ensigns Wilson and Nicholson; four serjeants, and one hundred and sixteen rank and file, wounded.

Major George Guy Carleton L’Estrange, who commanded the battalion, at the battle of Albuhera, was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel in the army for his conduct on that day, and received a medal. Viscount Wellington alluded to his gallantry in the following terms:—

“There is one officer, Major L’Estrange, of the THIRTY-FIRST, whom I must recommend, in the strongest manner, for promotion in some way or other. After the other parts of the same brigade were swept off by the Cavalry, this little battalion alone held its ground against all the ‘colonnes en masse.’”

Captain Peter Fearon, of the THIRTY-FIRST, distinguished himself on the same day in command of the Lusitanian legion, and received a medal for his conduct.

The Royal Authority was afterwards given for the THIRTY-FIRST to bear the word “Albuhera” on the regimental colour and appointments, to commemorate the distinguished conduct of the second battalion on that memorable occasion.

The army was again in position during the 17th of May, the enemy appearing to meditate another attack; the remainder of the fourth division, however, arrived by forced marches from Jurumenha, and on the 18th Marshal Soult retreated, followed by Marshal Beresford, who left the Portuguese to make a show of investing Badajoz. The infantry had no affair with the enemy during his retreat; and when he assumed a position at Llerena, the operations terminated.

Major-General Hill at this period rejoined from England, and the second siege of Badajoz commenced on the 30th of May.

The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST continued under Lieut.-General Hill, to which rank he was promoted on the 4th of June 1811, in the covering army, which was posted between Merida and Albuhera. Having been much reduced in the late action, it was formed, with the sixty-sixth regiment, into a Provisional Battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Colborne.

When Marshal Soult advanced, and the siege of Badajoz was raised, the covering army was once more concentrated on the position of Albuhera. The French Marshal did not, however, attack; on the 17th of June, the British crossed the Guadiana, and prepared for the probability of an engagement with the united corps of Marshals Marmont and Soult. In July, the British were relieved from their presence, and the Commander-in-Chief, Viscount Wellington, leaving Lieut.-General Hill to watch Estremadura, at Portalegre, Villa Viciosa, and Estremos, with ten thousand men, put the rest of the army into quarters near the Tagus.

The THIRTY-FIRST continued with Lieut.-General Hill in the second division: this part of the army was constantly on the alert, but nothing very important occurred until October.

On the 9th of October, Lieut.-General Hill’s force was concentrated behind Campo Mayor, and on the 22nd marched to drive Marshal Girard from Caçeres: at daylight on the 28th of October, the British General surprised the French Marshal at Arroyo dos Molinos, in which brilliant affair the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST was present.

The army returned to its cantonments about Portalegre immediately afterwards, and remained in them until the 24th and 25th of December, when it moved upon Merida, and arrived there on the 30th to surprise General Dombrouski, and attack General Drouet. They both retired, abandoning magazines of wheat, and Lieut.-General Hill took up his cantonments at Merida on the 6th of January, 1812.

1812

Immediately afterwards Lieut.-General Hill fell back upon the frontiers of Portugal, while the grand army was investing Ciudad Rodrigo, and occupied Portalegre.

In March, Badajoz was invested for the third time, and Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill’s[41] corps again formed part of the covering army. He halted at Almendralejos, while Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) took post at Zafra. Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill’s division then moved forward, and took post at Medellin. When the breaches at Badajoz were nearly practicable, Marshal Soult, having effected a junction with Generals Drouet and Daricau, advanced to relieve it. Viscount Wellington thereupon determined to fight him at Albuhera. Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Graham then fell back towards that place, and Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill having destroyed the bridge at Merida, marched from the Upper Guadiana to Talavera Real. Marshal Soult did not however advance in time, and Badajoz was taken on the 6th of April.

After the fall of Badajoz, when Viscount Wellington marched towards Beira, two divisions of British infantry, in one of which was the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST, remained with Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill in Estremadura, to cover Badajoz during the re-establishment of its works. Nothing occurred in the army until the 12th of May, when six thousand men, with twelve field-pieces, crossed the Guadiana at Merida, and joining the battering train and pontoons, formed the force destined to surprise the French at Almaraz.

The THIRTY-FIRST remained in position on the Guadiana, while the expedition proceeded to attack the French works on the Bridge at Almaraz, on the Tagus, which were captured on the 19th of May. The bridge having been destroyed, and the communication between the several divisions of the French army rendered more difficult, the British troops returned to the south of the Guadiana.

A great part of June was passed in operations against General Drouet, until he was reinforced on the 18th of that month with General Barrois’s division of infantry, and two divisions of cavalry. Hereupon Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill fell back gradually to Albuhera, and took up a position on the former field, awaiting an attack. The enemy did not advance, and on the 2nd of July, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill broke up from Albuhera, and moved upon General Drouet, who retired towards Cordova. At the end of July, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill was at Llerena, and the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, in Brigadier-General Byng’s brigade, was detached to Merida. General Drouet made a demonstration, but no action of infantry ensued.

After the victory gained by the army under Viscount Wellington on the 22nd of July at Salamanca, the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill penetrated the Spanish provinces: during the month of August they were engaged in the pursuit of General Drouet, and in the beginning of October they were on the Tagus, between Aranjuez and Toledo.

While the army under the Marquis of Wellington, which title was conferred upon him after the victory of Salamanca, was engaged in the siege of the Castle of Burgos, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment remained at Aranjuez. In consequence of the necessity of raising the siege of Burgos, and retreating, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill broke up from his ground on the Tagus, to effect a junction with the grand army, which commenced its retrograde movement from Burgos on the 21st of October.

On the 30th of October, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, having taken up a position of defence on the Jarama, was pressed by the enemy, who attacked the bridge of Aranjuez. The French were repulsed by Colonel Skerrett, with the forty-seventh (of which he was the Lieutenant-Colonel), and part of the ninety-fifth regiment, now the Rifle Brigade. The retreat continued without molestation; and on the 8th of November, the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill were at Alba, while the Marquis of Wellington occupied the heights of San Christoval. The brigade of the second division, in which the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST was posted, being in the neighbourhood of the fords of Encinas.

On the 14th of November, the enemy passed the river near that place, and the Marquis of Wellington moved with the second division to attack him, while the remainder of the troops were ordered towards the Arapiles in the evening. No engagement occurred. The enemy fortified himself at Mozarbes, on the ground he had taken up the night before, and moved bodies of cavalry and infantry to the communication with Ciudad Rodrigo. The superiority of numbers on the part of the French caused the British army to continue its march to Ciudad Rodrigo, which it reached on the 19th of November. Thus ended the retreat from Burgos. The men had suffered greatly on the march and required rest; the enemy had pressed the retreat closely with his cavalry, and made an attack upon the rear upon the passage of the Huebra; the roads were difficult, and in some parts impassable. The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST did not share in the hardships of the main retreat until it had crossed the Tormes.

Marshal Soult having retired to the Upper Tormes, towards the pass of Banos, it was reported that he intended to invade Portugal by the valley of the Tagus. Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill’s division was therefore moved to the right as far as Robledo, to cover the pass of Perales. King Joseph, however, in December, took up his position for the winter, and the allied army was also distributed in quarters.

Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill’s division occupied Coria and Placentia, the THIRTY-FIRST being cantoned in the latter place.

1813

The allied army remained in cantonments until the month of May 1813; on the 19th of that month the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST, in the second division, broke up from its winter-quarters, and, forming a part of the right wing of the army, shared in the operations during the advance upon Burgos and Vittoria; in the plan for the action of the 21st of June, before Vittoria, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill’s corps, composed of Morillo’s Spaniards, Sylveira’s Portuguese, and the second British division, forming the right of the allied army, was to attack the enemy’s left, and forcing the passage of the lower Zadora, at Puebla, assail the French on the heights beyond, entering the plain of Vittoria, by the defile of La Puebla. The river was passed about ten o’clock A.M., and Morillo’s Spaniards assailed the mountain with his first brigade; but meeting with much resistance on the heights, called up his second brigade, which, the French being also reinforced, was supported by part of the second division, while Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, with the rest, passed through the defile, and, seizing the village of Subijana de Alava, held his ground: he thus connected his own right with the troops on the mountain, and maintained this forward position, although the French made great efforts to dislodge the allies from this vantage-ground.

Meanwhile the fourth division crossed by the bridge of Nanclares. The action on the British right was severe, and sustained with great gallantry. The French, being driven from all their defences, retreated with such precipitation towards Pampeluna as to abandon all their baggage, artillery, ammunition, military chests, and the court equipage of King Joseph, whose carriage being seized, he had barely time to escape on horseback. The defeat was the most complete that the French had experienced in Spain.

The bâton of Marshal Jourdan was taken, and the Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of his Majesty, appointed the Marquis of Wellington a Field-Marshal. In a most flattering letter, the Prince Regent thus conferred the honor:—“You have sent me among the trophies of your unrivalled fame, the staff of a French Marshal, and I send you in return that of England.”

During part of the day, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST was stationed to cover a brigade of guns: its loss was not very great, being one private killed, and thirteen wounded. Captain Girdlestone was the only officer of the THIRTY-FIRST who was wounded.

Lieut.-Colonel Leith received a medal for his conduct in command of the battalion, and the Royal Authority was afterwards given for the word “Vittoria” to be inscribed on the Regimental Colour and Appointments of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, to commemorate the gallantry of the second battalion in that battle.

The second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment shared in the pursuit of the enemy after his defeat at Vittoria, and, when the Marquis of Wellington marched on the 26th of June to intercept the French General Clausel, it remained with the other corps of the second division for the siege of Pampeluna.

Although the enemy had withdrawn his right and left into France, he maintained his centre in force in the rich valley of Bastan, which afforded numerous strong positions, and the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, having been relieved from the blockade of Pampeluna, advanced to dislodge the French. On the 4th of July, and the three following days, General Gazan was driven from the valley of Bastan by the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, and the positions abandoned by the enemy were occupied by the British. Major-General Byng’s brigade, of which the THIRTY-FIRST formed part, with some Spanish corps under General Morillo, took possession of the Pass of Roncesvalles on the 7th of July. In this celebrated valley the THIRTY-FIRST remained for a few days.

Marshal Soult having arrived at Bayonne on the 13th of July to command, as Lieutenant of the Emperor, the united French army of Spain, amounting to above seventy-eight thousand men, exclusive of garrisons, collected more than sixty thousand of his own left, and advanced on the 25th of July to force the Pass of Roncesvalles. The brigade which had been ordered to occupy the Pass, and of which the THIRTY-FIRST formed a part, kept the French in check for several hours, but was obliged to fall back, on perceiving that a strong body had succeeded in turning the position.

The THIRTY-FIRST had two privates killed, and three wounded, in the action on the 25th of July. On the 28th and 30th of July, the battalion was engaged in the attack made upon the enemy on the heights in front of Pampeluna, and had Captain Girdlestone, Ensign Smith, and Quarter-Master McIntosh, together with thirty-three rank and file, wounded:—two rank and file were killed.

Lieut.-Colonel Leith received a clasp, in addition to his former medal, for his conduct on these occasions.

The THIRTY-FIRST regiment subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “Pyrenees” on the Regimental Colour and Appointments, to commemorate the services of the second battalion in these several combats, which have been designated the “Battles of the Pyrenees.”

On the 31st of July, Major-General Byng’s brigade captured a large convoy near Elizondo, and made many prisoners.

The British troops resumed their position in the Pyrenees, awaiting the capture of St. Sebastian and Pampeluna. St. Sebastian was captured on the 31st of August, and on the 31st of October the French garrison of Pampeluna surrendered prisoners of war.

Pampeluna being captured, the right of the allied army, which had been employed in covering the blockade, became disengaged, and the British Commander looking down from the lofty Pyrenees on the well-guarded territory of France, resolved to carry the war into the heart of that country. The British army, early on the morning of the 10th of November, descended into the valleys on the French side; the division of which the THIRTY-FIRST formed part entered France by the Pass of Maya, having sustained some loss in the capture of one of the enemy’s redoubts. Only one man belonging to the battalion was killed, but Captain Girdlestone and eleven rank and file were wounded. Marshal Soult’s army was driven from his fortified position on the river Nivelle, and several guns and prisoners were captured. The French being pursued on the following day, retired to their fortified camp near Bayonne.

Captain Thomas Samuel Nicolls was promoted to the rank of Major in the army for his conduct on this day, and the THIRTY-FIRST afterwards received the Royal Authority to bear the word “Nivelle” on the Regimental Colour and Appointments, in testimony of the gallantry of the second battalion in that action.

The passage of the river Nive was effected on the 9th of December: the THIRTY-FIRST passed over without the loss of a man, one serjeant only being wounded.

Lieut.-Colonel Leith received an additional clasp for his conduct on this occasion, and Captains Patrick Dowdall and Peter Fearon were promoted to the rank of Majors in the army.

On the 13th of December, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment shared in the action at St. Pierre, near Bayonne, when the enemy abandoned two pieces of cannon, which were taken possession of by Captain Hemsworth’s company.

The Marquis of Wellington, in his despatch dated St. Jean de Luz, 14th December 1813, thus alluded to the conduct of the brigade under Major-General John Byng,[42] of which the THIRTY-FIRST formed part.

“I had great satisfaction, also, in observing the conduct of Major-General Byng’s brigade of British infantry, supported by the fourth Portuguese brigade, under the command of Brigadier-General Buchan, in carrying an important height from the enemy on the right of our position, and maintaining it against all their efforts to regain it.

“Two guns and some prisoners were taken from the enemy, who being beaten at all points, and having suffered considerable loss, were obliged to retire upon their entrenchment.”

In a very interesting life of the late Viscount Hill, by the Reverend Edwin Sidney, A.M. is the following account of the action at St. Pierre, near Bayonne.

“This great service was thus performed by Sir Rowland Hill. The enemy, who had failed in all their attempts with their whole force upon Lord Wellington’s left, withdrew to their entrenchments on the night of December 12th, and passed a large body of troops through the town of Bayonne. With these, on the morning of the 13th, they made a desperate attack on Sir Rowland Hill. This, as has appeared, was not unexpected; and Lord Wellington had placed at his disposal not only the sixth division, but the fourth division, and two brigades of the third. Soult’s objects were to gain the bridge of St. Pierre, to make himself master of the road to St. Jean Pied de Port, and to break through the position of the allies. For these purposes he put forth his whole strength, and was completely vanquished. Even before the sixth division arrived, Sir Rowland Hill had repulsed him with prodigious loss; and although he skilfully availed himself of a high ground in retreating, he could not stand against the famous charge of General Byng, and was entirely defeated. It was a battle fought and won by the corps of Sir Rowland Hill alone and unaided. At the instant of victory Lord Wellington came up, and in the ecstasy of the moment of triumph, caught him by the hand, and said, ‘Hill, the day is your own.’”

The THIRTY-FIRST had seven rank and file killed, and three serjeants, two drummers, and twenty-seven rank and file wounded.

Lieut.-Colonel Leith, who received a cross for his conduct, was slightly wounded. Ensign Hardy died of his wounds.

Brevet Major Peter Fearon, of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, who commanded the fifth Portuguese Caçadores, received an additional distinction to the medal which had been granted him for the battle of Albuhera.

The THIRTY-FIRST subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear on the Regimental colour the word “Nive,” to commemorate the gallantry of the second battalion in the actions which ensued on the passage of that river.

No further actions occurred during the few remaining days of the year 1813; and the army occupied winter-quarters.

1814

Leaving their cantonments at the village of St. Pierre, the THIRTY-FIRST advanced with the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, in the middle of February 1814, when the French corps, under General Harispe, were driven from Hellete, and afterwards forced from a position on the heights of Garris on the 15th of February. The battalion had one private killed, and six rank and file wounded. Brevet Major Peter Fearon, who commanded the fifth Portuguese Caçadores, died of his wounds. The other officer wounded was Captain Knox, who was subsequently promoted to the brevet rank of major.

On the 27th of February, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST, in Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill’s division, crossed the Adour, on the right of Orthes, with the loss of only two rank and file wounded.

Lieut.-Colonel Leith gained another distinction, and the THIRTY-FIRST afterwards received the Royal Authority to bear the word “Orthes” on the Regimental Colour and Appointments, in commemoration of the conduct of the second battalion in that battle.

Advancing rapidly against the enemy, Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill engaged him at Aire, on which occasion the THIRTY-FIRST had Ensign Hardcastle (Captain in the third Portuguese Caçadores) one serjeant, and two rank and file wounded.

On the 10th of April, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was in action with the French in the suburbs of Toulouse, and had one private wounded.

During the night of the 11th of April, the French army evacuated Toulouse, and the white flag was hoisted. On the day following, the Marquis of Wellington entered the city amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. In the afternoon of this day intelligence was received of the abdication of Napoleon; and had not the express been delayed on the journey by the French police, the sacrifice of many valuable lives would have been prevented. A disbelief in the truth of this intelligence occasioned much unnecessary bloodshed at Bayonne, the garrison of which made a desperate sortie on the 14th of April, and Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Earl of Hopetoun) was wounded and taken prisoner. Major-General Andrew Hay was killed, and Major-General Stopford was wounded. This was the last action of the Peninsular war.

The advance of the Allied troops into the heart of France led to a Treaty of Peace, by which Louis XVIII. was restored to the throne of that kingdom, and Napoleon Bonaparte was permitted to reside at Elba, the sovereignty of that Island having been conferred upon him by the Allied Powers.

The war being ended, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was ordered to return to England. It marched from Toulouse to Bourdeaux on the 3rd of June, and on the 12th of July embarked in the Rodney, disembarking on the 23rd at the Cove of Cork, whence it immediately marched to Middleton.

In commemoration of the services of the second battalion, the THIRTY-FIRST subsequently received the Royal Authority to bear the word “Peninsula,” on the Regimental Colour and Appointments, in addition to the names of the several actions in which the second battalion had taken a prominent part, during the war in Spain from 1808 to 1814, namely, “Talavera,” “Albuhera,” “Vittoria,” “Pyrenees,” “Nivelle,” “Nive,” and “Orthes.”

Lieut.-Colonel Alexander Leith was nominated a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his conduct in command of the second battalion during the Peninsular war.

Lieut.-Colonel George Guy Carleton L’Estrange, who was promoted from major in the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel in the twenty-sixth regiment on the 15th of December 1812, was nominated a Companion of the Order of the Bath for his conduct while serving with the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment.

On the 23rd of September, the second battalion proceeded to Portsmouth, where it was disbanded on the 24th of October 1814, the officers and men, fit for service, being transferred to the first battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, at that period stationed in Sicily.

1814

THE 31st REGt SUTLEJ TESTIMONIAL
ERECTED IN CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
For Cannon’s Military Records