Historical Record of the Twelfth, or the East Suffolk, Regiment of Foot / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1847

by Richard Cannon

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

TWELFTH, OR EAST SUFFOLK

REGIMENT OF FOOT.

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Henry Duke of Norfolk, K. G.

Appointed 20th of June, 1685.

Henry Howard, son of Henry sixth Duke of Norfolk, sat in the House of Lords by the title of Lord Mowbray, in the lifetime of his father, and on the death of Prince Rupert, in 1682, he was nominated Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle and Warden of the forest at Windsor, also Lord-lieutenant of the counties of Berks and Surrey. On the decease of his father, in 1684, he succeeded to the dignity of Duke of Norfolk, and of Earl Marshal of England, and he was also constituted Lord-lieutenant of Norfolk. On the accession of King James II., he was one of the peers who signed the order for His Majesty's proclamation, and he was shortly afterwards elected a Knight Companion of the most noble Order of the Garter. He took an active part in favour of the King, on the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, and interested himself in the raising of a corps of pikemen and musketeers, now Twelfth foot, of which he was appointed colonel, and of which his garrison company at Windsor Castle formed a part. In a few months after tranquillity was restored, he relinquished the command of the regiment, but continued to attend at court, and witnessed, with painful emotions, the predilection of the King in favour of papacy and arbitrary government. On one occasion His Majesty gave the Duke of Norfolk the sword of state to carry before him to the Roman Catholic chapel; but on arriving at the door, His Grace stopped, not being willing to enter the chapel, when the King said, "My Lord, your father would have gone further;" to which the Duke replied, "Your Majesty's father was the better man, and he would not have gone so far."[21]

The Duke of Norfolk continued faithful to the interests of the Protestant religion, and was one of the peers who invited the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army to oppose the proceedings of the court. When the Prince landed, His Grace was in London, and signed the petition to the King for a free Parliament; His Majesty replied, "They should have a Parliament, and such a one as they asked for, when the Prince of Orange had quitted the realm:" and commenced his journey, on the same day, to place himself at the head of his army. His Grace set out for his seat in Norfolk, declared for the Prince of Orange, and brought over that, and some of the neighbouring counties, to the Prince's interest. On the accession of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne, His Grace was sworn a member of the privy council, and he took an active part in raising a regiment for the King's service, now the Twenty-second foot, of which he was appointed Colonel, by commission dated the 16th of March, 1689. He died on the 2nd of April, 1701.

Edward Earl of Lichfield.

Appointed 14th June, 1686.

Sir Edward Henry Lee, of Ditchley, Baronet, was advanced to the peerage by King Charles II., in 1674, by the titles of Baron of Spelsbury, in the county of Bucks, and Earl of Lichfield. He was appointed one of the Lords of the bedchamber to King James II., also Custos Rotulorum for the county of Oxford, high steward of the borough of Woodstock, and lord-lieutenant of Woodstock park. In 1686 he succeeded the Duke of Norfolk in the colonelcy of the regiment, now Twelfth foot, which he continued to command until November, 1688, when, being a staunch supporter of the measures of the court, he was removed to the colonelcy of the first regiment of foot guards, which he only held a few weeks, the Prince of Orange conferring that appointment on the Duke of Grafton. The Earl of Lichfield was not afterwards employed in a military capacity. He died on the 14th of July, 1716.

Robert Lord Hunsdon.

Appointed 30th November, 1688.

Sir Robert Carey, Knight, served in a military capacity in the reign of King Charles II., and succeeded, on the decease of John Earl of Dover without issue, to the dignity of Lord Hunsdon. He was one of the supporters of the measures of King James II., who appointed him Lieut.-Colonel of the old Holland regiment (now Third foot) in 1685, and in November, 1688, promoted him to the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, from which he was removed, at the Revolution, by the Prince of Orange. He died in 1692.

Henry Wharton.

Appointed 31st December, 1688.

Henry Wharton served in the foot guards in the reign of King Charles II., and in the summer of 1685, when the Duke of Monmouth raised the standard of rebellion in the west of England, he raised a company of foot for the service of King James II., which was incorporated in the Duke of Norfolk's regiment. He proved a very zealous and determined supporter of the interests of the Protestant religion, and on the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange promoted him to the Colonelcy of the regiment. He served in Ireland under Marshal Duke Schomberg, signalized himself at the siege of Carrickfergus, and evinced, on all occasions, so much personal bravery and spirit of enterprise, united with a generous disposition and a kind regard for the interests of his soldiers, that he was beloved by his regiment. He died at Dundalk in October, 1689, much regretted by the officers and men of his regiment.

Richard Brewer.

Appointed 1st November, 1689.

Richard Brewer raised a company of pikemen and musketeers for Sir Edward Hales's regiment, now Fourteenth foot, in the summer of 1685, and served in that corps until the Revolution. He prized the established religion and constitution of his country too highly to permit himself to aid in their destruction, and he espoused the principles of the Revolution with great warmth. On the 31st of December, 1688, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, with which corps he served in Ireland, and evinced signal bravery on several occasions, for which he was rewarded with the Colonelcy of the regiment on the 1st of November, 1689. He commanded the Twelfth regiment, at the battle of the Boyne in 1690, also in the action at Lanesborough, and was appointed commandant at Mullingar, near which place the troops, under his immediate command, had several rencounters with detachments of the enemy. He continued to serve in Ireland until the deliverance of that country from the power of King James was accomplished, and in 1692 he commanded his regiment in the expedition under the Duke of Leinster. He also served at the head of his regiment in the Netherlands, during the campaign of 1694; in the attack on Fort Kenoque, and the defence of Dixmude in 1695 (on which last-mentioned occasion he opposed the Governor, in the resolution to surrender), and in the protection of the maritime towns of Flanders in 1696. After the peace of Ryswick, he proceeded with his regiment to Ireland; and on the breaking out of the war, in the reign of Queen Anne, he retired from the service.

John Livesay.

Appointed 28th September, 1702.

This officer was appointed Lieutenant in the royal fusiliers in 1685; he served in the army during the wars of King William III., and was distinguished for gallantry and a strict attention to duty on all occasions, and these qualities were rewarded by Queen Anne, in September, 1702, with the colonelcy of the Twelfth regiment, which he commanded in the West Indies in 1703, 1704, and 1705. On the 1st of January, 1707, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and on the 1st of January, 1710, to that of Major-General. Political events, connected with the removal of the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough from the command of the army, and the measures pursued by the new ministry of Queen Anne, occasioned Major-General Livesay to retire from the command of the regiment in 1712. He died on the 22nd of February, 1718.

Richard Phillips.

Appointed 16th March, 1712.

Richard Phillips entered the army in September, 1669, and at the augmentation of the army, on the declaration of war against France and Spain, in 1702, he was promoted to the command of a company in one of the corps raised on that occasion. He proceeded with his regiment (Brettons, afterwards disbanded) to the relief of Barcelona in 1706; served in Spain under the Earl of Galway, in 1707, and was taken prisoner at the battle of Almanza. He subsequently served with his company on board the fleet as marines, and was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the regiment. Queen Anne rewarded his services, in 1712, with the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, from which he was removed, in 1717, to the fortieth regiment, then newly formed of independent companies, at Placentia, Annapolis, and other parts of America. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General in 1735, to that of Major-General in 1739, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1742. In 1750, he was removed to the thirty-eighth foot. He died in January, 1751.

Thomas Stanwix.

Appointed 25th August, 1717.

Thomas Stanwix served in the Netherlands, with reputation, under King William III., and afterwards in Holland and Germany under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. In April, 1706, he was commissioned to raise, form, and discipline a regiment of foot, in Ireland, with which corps he embarked from Cork, in May, 1707, for Portugal, where he served under the Marquis de Montandre, the Marquis de Fronterira, and the Earl of Galway. In 1709 he was at the battle of the Caya, where his regiment highly distinguished itself, and in 1710 he commanded the storming party at the capture of Xeres de los Cavaleras: at the peace of Utrecht his regiment was disbanded. In 1715, when the partisans of the Pretender sought to elevate him to the throne, Colonel Stanwix was commissioned to raise a regiment of foot, for the service of King George I., and in July, 1717, he was removed to the thirtieth regiment, which he only commanded five weeks, when he was appointed to the Twelfth foot. He died 14th of March, 1725.

Thomas Whetham.

Appointed 22nd March, 1725.

This officer obtained a commission in Sir William Clifton's regiment, now fifteenth foot, on the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, in June, 1685; and he served under King William in Ireland and Flanders, where he acquired a reputation for gallantry and attention to all his duties. On the 29th of August, 1702, Queen Anne rewarded him with the colonelcy of the Twenty-seventh regiment of foot, with which corps he served in the West Indies in 1703 and 1704, and was engaged in the unsuccessful attack on the island of Guadaloupe. In 1707 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and in 1710 to that of Major-General; he served in Spain during the latter part of the war of succession, commanded the garrison of the island of Minorca for a short period; and in 1715, and 1716, he commanded a brigade of infantry in Scotland, under the Duke of Argyle, during the rebellion of the Earl of Mar. In 1725, he was removed to the Twelfth foot, and in 1727 he obtained the rank of Lieut.-General; he was promoted to the rank of general in 1739, and was governor of Berwick and Holy Island for several years. He died on the 28th of April, 1741.

Scipio Duroure.

Appointed 12th August, 1741.

Scipio Duroure obtained a commission in the army in December, 1705, and he had the advantage of serving three campaigns under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. He served many years in the Twelfth foot, of which corps he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel on the 25th of August, 1734; he was also appointed captain and keeper of the castle of St. Maws (or Moss), and promoted to the colonelcy of the Twelfth regiment in 1741. He distinguished himself at the battle of Dettingen in 1743, and behaved with great gallantry, at the head of his regiment, at the battle of Fontenoy, in 1745, where he was mortally wounded.

Henry Skelton.

Appointed 28th May, 1745.

Henry Skelton entered the army in December, 1708, and served two campaigns in the Netherlands. He was many years an officer in the third foot guards, was promoted Major of the regiment with the rank of Colonel in the army, in 1739, and in April, 1743, he was advanced to Lieut.-Colonel in the same corps. In August following, King George II. rewarded him with the colonelcy of the thirty-second regiment; His Majesty also promoted him to the rank of Major-General, and removed him to the Twelfth foot in 1745, and advanced him to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1747. He died on the 9th of April, 1757.

Robert Napier.

Appointed 22nd April, 1757.

Robert Napier was appointed ensign in the second foot, on the 9th of May, 1722, and after performing regimental duty a few years, he was placed on the staff, and employed in the Quarter-Master-General's Department. In 1745, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and appointed Deputy Quarter-Master-General; in 1746, he was advanced to the rank of Colonel, and he was afterwards appointed Adjutant-General of the forces. In 1755, King George II. appointed him colonel of a newly-raised regiment, now fifty-first foot; in 1756 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and in 1757, he was removed to the Twelfth foot. In 1759, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died in November, 1766.

Henry Clinton.

Appointed 21st November, 1766.

Henry Clinton, grandson of Francis, sixth Earl of Lincoln, served in an independent company of foot at New York, and in 1751 he was appointed Lieutenant and Captain in the second foot guards, from which he was promoted, in 1758, to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in the first foot guards. He served in Germany during the seven years' war, was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1762, and in 1766 he obtained the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot. He was promoted, in 1772, to the rank of Major-General. On the commencement of the American war, in 1775, he was sent with reinforcements to Boston, with the local rank of Lieut.-General, and at the battle of Bunker's Hill he joined the troops engaged with additional forces from Boston during the conflict, and contributed materially to the gaining of the victory. He afterwards proceeded to North Carolina, with the local rank of General; assumed the command of the troops which arrived from Great Britain, and in 1776 he undertook the reduction of Charleston, but was not able to accomplish his object from the want of a sufficient force. He then joined General Sir William Howe, was engaged in the reduction of Long Island, and commanded the leading column of the army at the battle of Brooklyn. General Clinton also commanded the division which took possession of New York Island, was at White Plains and other engagements, also commanded the troops which took Rhode Island, and was rewarded with the dignity of Knight of the Bath. In 1777 he commanded at New York, and, in order to create a diversion in favour of General Burgoyne's army, he proceeded up the river and captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery. In the following spring he was nominated Commander-in-Chief in North America, and assuming the command of the army at Philadelphia, marched from thence to New York, repulsing the attacks of the enemy during the movement. In the winter of 1778, he was removed from the Twelfth foot to the command of a corps of Royal Highland Emigrants, and in 1779 he was appointed Colonel of the seventh, or Queen's Own Light Dragoons.

The departure of the French Fleet from North America enabled General Sir Henry Clinton to fit out an expedition against Charleston, which he captured in 1780, for which he received the thanks of Parliament, and this success was followed by important results in North and South Carolina; but the tide of success did not long flow in favour of the British cause, and some reverses taking place, he was succeeded as Commander-in-Chief in North America by General Carleton. He arrived in England in June, 1782, and afterwards published a vindication of his conduct. The appointment of Governor of Limerick was conferred upon General Sir Henry Clinton; he was also groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of Gloucester, and was many years a member of Parliament; in 1795, he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar. He died in December of the same year.

William Picton.

Appointed 21st April, 1779.

The first services of this officer were in the marines, in which corps he was promoted to the rank of Captain, in March, 1755, and in August, 1756, he was appointed Captain of the grenadier company in the Twelfth foot. He served at the head of his company, in Germany, during the seven years' war, and evinced great gallantry on numerous occasions. In 1762, he was promoted Major, and in 1765, Lieut.-Colonel of his regiment. He performed all the duties of commanding officer of the Twelfth regiment, in the United Kingdom and afterwards at Gibraltar, with reputation to himself and advantage to the service, for thirteen years, and in 1778 he was appointed Colonel of the seventy-fifth foot, then newly raised, and afterwards disbanded: in the following year he was removed to the Twelfth regiment.

King George III. frequently selected individuals of merit on whom he conferred distinguished marks of his Royal approbation, and the promotion of Colonel Picton furnishes an instance of His Majesty's attention to meritorious services, which had not the advantage of Ministerial or Parliamentary patronage. When appointed to the colonelcy of the Twelfth, Colonel Picton went to Court, and after kissing His Majesty's hand at the levee, he was admitted to an audience in the King's closet, when he acknowledged, in grateful terms, the honor conferred upon him; and His Majesty replied, "You are entirely obliged to Captain Picton, who commanded the grenadier company of the Twelfth regiment, in the late war in Germany;" at the same time alluding particularly to his gallantry at Zierenberg, for which he was thanked in general orders.[22]

After this interview, he joined his regiment at Gibraltar, and distinguished himself in the defence of that fortress, under General Eliott.

In 1782, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, in 1793 to that of Lieut.-General, and in 1798 to that of General. He died in 1811.

Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet.

Appointed 15th October, 1811.

Charles Hastings, natural son of Francis, tenth Earl of Huntingdon, was appointed Ensign in the Twelfth foot in July 1770, and joined the regiment at Gibraltar. In 1776 he was promoted Lieutenant, and he was permitted to serve with the twenty-third regiment in America, where he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Earl Percy, and afterwards to Sir Henry Clinton. He was at the actions at Pelham Manor and White Plains, and at the capture of Fort Washington; also in the successful expedition against the American magazines at Danbury. He accompanied Sir William Howe to Pennsylvania, was engaged at Brandywine and Germantown, and was twice wounded. In 1780 he was promoted Captain in the Twelfth foot, and joined his regiment at Gibraltar, where he had several opportunities of distinguishing himself during the siege of that fortress, and he evinced great gallantry at the sortie in November, 1781. In 1782, he was appointed Major in the seventy-sixth; in 1783 he was promoted to Lieut.-Colonel in the seventy-second, which regiment was disbanded in the same year. He obtained the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the thirty-fourth regiment in 1786, and was afterwards removed to the sixty-first, and subsequently to the sixty-fifth. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1796, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1803. In February, 1806, he was created a Baronet, of Willesley Hall, in the county of Derby; and in November following he was appointed Colonel of the fourth garrison battalion, from which he was removed to the seventy-seventh regiment in July, 1811; and in October following, to the Twelfth foot. In 1813 he was promoted to the rank of General. He died in 1823.

Honorable Robert Meade.

Appointed 9th October, 1823.