History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Vol. 2 / Compiled from the Original Records

by Francis Duncan

Embarkation Returns, dated Woolwich, 26 Nov. 1797.

2	Captains.	2	Staff-Sergeants.
3	Subalterns.	12	Non-Commissioned Officers.
1	Assistant-Surgeon.	92	Gunners.
		51	Drivers.
		6	Artificers.
		1	Trumpeter.

177 horses (and 13 from Driver Corps).

8 guns.

15 ammunition waggons.

N.B.—The guns were two 12-pounders, two 5½-inch howitzers, four 6-pounders.

The total strength of Horse Artillery left in England was as follows: 968 of all ranks, 920 horses, 42 guns, and 72 waggons.

This included a reserve of 5 guns at Woolwich.

After the rebellion had been quelled, the men of the Royal Artillery, who during the operations had been under the Irish Branch of Ordnance, returned to England; and the following table gives the distribution and strength of the Royal Irish Artillery in the succeeding year. (See pp. 80 and 81.)

Returning to England, the student will find not a few matters of domestic interest which occurred during this period, and which are worthy of being chronicled. A new organisation of the Ordnance Medical Department took place; and on a recommendation of a committee it was i B. O. Proceedings, 5 May, 1797. resolved, on the 5th May, 1797, that, after the 1st July following, the system of obliging surgeons to furnish the medicines for the troops out of a fixed money allowance should cease, and that one of the Ordnance chemists should be appointed Regimental apothecary. An increase of pay was also granted to the medical officers.

A.	Lieut.-Colonels.	B.	Majors.	C.	Captains.
D.	Capt-Lieutenants.	E.	1st Lieutenants.	F.	2nd Lieutenants.
G.	Staff Sergeants.	H.	Sergeants.	I.	Corporals.
J.	Bombardiers.	K.	Drummers.	L.	Gunners.

Distribution of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery, October 1799.

			A.	B.	C.	D.	E.	F.	G.	H.	I.	J.	K.	L.	Total.
Brigades	East	Two at Island Bridge	1	··	··	2	2	1	1	3	3	4	2	80	99
		One Naas	··	··	··	··	2	··	··	1	··	3	··	32	38
		One Arklow	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	2	··	2	··	29	35
		One Wexford	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	··	1	1	··	22	26
	North	Two Charlemont	··	1	··	··	··	3	··	2	3	5	1	73	88
		One Belfast	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	1	1	2	··	36	42
		One Omagh	··	··	··	1	1	··	··	··	2	2	··	32	38
		One Strabane	··	··	··	··	2	··	··	··	4	··	··	32	38
		One Coleraine	··	··	··	1	1	··		··	1	1	2	32	38
		One Dundalk	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	··	2	2	··	32	38
		One Enniskillen	··	1	··	··	··	2	··	1	··	3	··	32	39
	South	One Clonme	1	··	1	1	··	1	··	1	1	4	1	50	61
		Two Cork	1	··	1	1	2	··	1	2	5	3	1	80	97
		One Bandon	··	··	··	1	1	··	··	2	··	1	··	32	37
		One Limerick	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	1	1	1	1	32	38
		One Tarbert	··	··	··	1	1	··	··	··	1	2	··	32	37
		One Waterford	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	··	2	2	··	29	35
		One Kilkenny	··	··	··	··	1	1	··	1	2	1	··	31	37
	West	Two Athlone	1	··	1	··	1	1	1	1	4	4	··	81	95
		One Galway	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	1	2	1	1	32	39
		One Carrick-on-Shannon	··	··	··	1	1	··	··	··	1	··	··	18	21
		One Castle-bar	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	··	2	··	16	19
	Batteries.	Charlemont	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	12	13
		Carrickfergus	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	1	··	7	9
		Cromie Head	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	1	··	10	12
		Tanitt	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	9	10
		Cork Harbour	··	··	1	··	1	··	··	1	7	2	2	78	92
		Charles Fort	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	2	··	··	12	15
		Duncannon	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	1	··	··	··	9	11
		Bantry	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	1	2	1	··	16	21
		Tarbert	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	13	14
		Total	4	2	11	10	26	9	2	25	49	53	8	1,031	1,232
	Five Companies in West Indies.	Present	··	··	2	5	7	··	··	4	17	15	9	340	399
		Sick, leave, &c.	··	··	2	1	2	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	5
		To return to Ireland	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1
		Under orders to proceed from Ireland	··	··	··	··	1	3	··	··	··	··	··	··	4
		Wanting	··	··	··	··	··	2.	··	6	3	5	1	75	92
		Total	··	··	4	7	10	5	··	10	20	20	10	415	501
	Invalid Company.	On command Duncannon	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	1	··	10	12
		On command Charlemont	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	4	5
		Sick—absent	··	··	1	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1
		Employed in the Line	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1
		Serving in the Militia	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	1	2
		At the Powder-mills	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	2	2
		Totally unfit for any duty	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	22	22
		In and about Head-quarters	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	··	1	1	1	4	7
		Wanting to complete	··	··	··	··	··	1	··	··	··	··	··	··	1
		Total	··	··	1	··	1	1	··	1	2	3	1	43	53
	Joined lately from West Indies, and notincluded in any of above numbers		··	··	··	··	··	··	··	4	1	2	1	11	19

A change was also made in the Paymasters of the Regiment. It will be remembered that Mr. Cox had been appointed Paymaster to the Artillery in 1759. He was Cleaveland’s MSS. succeeded in 1783 by Mr. Adair, who was followed by Messrs. Meyrick. On the 1st July, 1797, the Paymastership Letters from D. A. G. was resumed by Messrs. Cox and Greenwood, and continued in that house (subsequently Messrs. Cox and Co.) until Confirmed by J. C. Woollacott, Esq. abolished on the 30th September, 1858, since which date they have been agents to the Corps.