To consider him in his military character, his bravery was as remarkable in the field of battle, as his milder virtues in the domestic circle: and he was particularly careful to prevent the various duties of religion and his profession from interfering with one another either in himself or others. He therefore abhorred every thing that should look like a contrivance to keep the soldiers employed about their horses and their arms at the season of public worship: far from that, he used to have them drawn up just before it began, and from the parade they went off to the house of God; where they behaved with as much reverence, gravity, and decorum, during the time of divine service, as any of their fellow-worshippers.
That this remarkable care to maintain good discipline among them might be the more effectual, he made himself on all occasions accessible to them, and expressed a great concern for their interest, temporal as well as spiritual; yet he had all the firmness requisite to the infliction of punishment where he judged it necessary.
We may notice one instance of his conduct which happened at Leicester. While part of his regiment was encamped in that neighbourhood, the Colonel went incognito to the camp in the middle of the night; for sometimes he lodged at his quarters in the town. One of the sentinels had abandoned his post, and, on being seized, broke out into some oaths and profane execrations against those that discovered him—a crime of which the Colonel had the greatest abhorrence, and on which he never failed to animadvert. The man afterwards appeared much ashamed and concerned for what he had done; but the Colonel ordered him to be brought up early the next morning to his own quarters, where he had prepared a piquet, on which he appointed him a private sort of penance; and while he was put upon it, he discoursed with him seriously and tenderly upon the evils and aggravations of his fault; admonishing him of the divine displeasure which he had incurred; and then urged him to argue upon the pain which he then felt, how infinitely more dreadful it must be to “fall into the hands of the living God,” and to meet the terrors of that damnation which he had been accustomed impiously to call upon himself and his companions. The result of this proceeding was, that the offender accepted his punishment, not only with submission, but with thankfulness; and spoke of it some years after in such a manner that there seemed reason to hope it had been instrumental in producing a change in his heart, as well as in his life.
Indeed, this excellent officer always expressed the greatest reverence of the name of the blessed God; and endeavoured to suppress, and, if possible to extirpate that detestable sin of swearing and cursing, which is every where so common, and especially among our military men. He often declared his sentiments with respect to this enormity at the head of the regiment, and urged his captains and their subalterns to take the greatest care that they did not give the sanction of their example to that, which by their office they were obliged to punish in others. His zeal on these occasions wrought in a very active, and sometimes in a remarkably successful manner, among not only his equals, but his superiors too.
Nor was his character less conspicuous than his zeal. The lively and tender feelings of his heart engaged him to dispense his bounties with a liberal hand: and above all, his sincere and ardent love to the Lord Jesus Christ, led him to feel, with a true sympathy, the concerns of his poor members. In consequence of this he honoured several of his friends with commissions for the relief of the poor; and esteemed it an honour which Providence conferred upon him, that he should be made the Lord’s almoner for the relief of such.
That heroic contempt of death which had often discovered itself in the midst of former dangers, was manifested now in his discourse with several of his most intimate friends. And as he had in former years often expressed a desire, “that if it were the will of God, he might have some honourable call to sacrifice his life in defence of religion and the liberties of his country:” so, when it appeared to him most probable that he might be called to it immediately, he met the summons with the greatest readiness. This appears from a letter which he wrote only eight days before his death: “The rebels,” says he, “are advancing to cross the Firth; but I trust in the Almighty God, who doeth whatsoever he pleaseth in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.”
These sentiments wrought in him to the last in the most effectual manner. But he was ordered to march as fast as possible to Dunbar; and that hasty retreat, in concurrence with the news which they soon after received of the surrender of Edinburgh to the rebels, struck a visible panic into both the regiments of dragoons. This affected the Colonel so much, that, on Thursday before the fatal action at Preston-pans, he intimated to an officer of considerable rank, that he expected the event would be as in fact it proved; and to a person who visited him, he said, “I cannot influence the conduct of others as I could wish, but I have one life to sacrifice to my country’s safety, and I shall not spare it.”
On Friday, Sept. 20, 1745, (the day before the battle which transmitted him to his immortal crown,) when the whole army was drawn up about noon, the Colonel rode through all the ranks of his own regiment, addressing them at once in the most respectful and animating manner, both as soldiers and as Christians, to engage them to exert themselves courageously in the service of their country, and to neglect nothing that might have a tendency to prepare them for whatever event might happen. They seemed much affected with the address, and expressed a very ardent desire of attacking the enemy immediately—a desire in which he and another gallant officer of distinguished character would gladly have gratified them, if it had been in the power of either; but they were overruled; and he spent the remainder of the day in making as good a disposition as circumstances would allow.
He continued all night under arms, wrapped up in his cloak, and sheltered under a rick of barley which happened to be in the field. About three in the morning he called his domestic servants to him, of whom there were four in waiting. He dismissed three of them with most affectionate Christian advice, and such solemn charges relative to the performance of their duty, and care of their souls, as seemed plainly to intimate that he apprehended, at least very probably, he was taking his last farewell of them. There is great reason to believe that he spent the little remainder of time, which could not be much above an hour, in those devout exercises of soul, which had so long been habitual to him. The army was alarmed at break of day by a noise of the rebels’ approach, and the attack was made before sunrise. As soon as the enemy came within gun-shot, they commenced a furious fire; and the dragoons, which constituted the left wing, immediately fled. The Colonel, at the beginning of the attack, which in the whole lasted but a few minutes, received a bullet in his left breast, which made him give a sudden spring in his saddle; upon which his servant, who had led the horse, would have persuaded him to retreat; but he said it was only a wound in the flesh, and fought on, though he presently received a shot in the right thigh. The Colonel was, for a few moments, supported by his men, and particularly about fifteen dragoons, who stood by him to the last. But after a faint fire, the regiment in general was seized with a panic; and though the Colonel and some gallant officers did what they could to rally them once or twice, they at last took a precipitate flight. Just in the moment when Colonel Gardiner seemed to be making a pause, to deliberate what duty required him to do in such a circumstance, he saw a party of the foot who were then bravely fighting near him, but had no officer to head them; upon which he rode up to them immediately, and cried out aloud, “Fire on, my lads, and fear nothing.” But just as the words were out of his mouth, a Highlander advanced to him with a scythe fastened to a long pole, with which he gave him such a deep wound on his right arm, that his sword dropped out of his hand; and at the same time, several others coming about him while he was thus dreadfully entangled with that cruel weapon, he was dragged from off his horse. The moment he fell another Highlander gave him a stroke, either with a broadsword, or a Lochaber axe, on the head, which was the mortal blow. All that his faithful attendant saw further at this time was, that as his hat was falling off, he took it in his left hand, and waved it as a signal to him to retreat, adding, (which were the last words he ever heard him speak,) “Take care of yourself:” upon which the servant immediately fled to a mill, at the distance of about two miles from the spot on which the Colonel fell; where he changed his dress, and, disguised like a miller’s servant, returned with a cart about two hours after the engagement. The hurry of the action was then pretty well over, and he found his much-honoured master not only plundered of his watch and other things of value, but also stripped of his upper garments and boots, yet still breathing; and adds, that though he was not capable of speech, yet, on taking him up, he opened his eyes, which makes it something questionable whether he were altogether insensible. In this condition, and in this manner, he conveyed him to the church of Tranent, whence he was immediately taken into the minister’s house and laid in a bed; where he continued breathing till about eleven in the forenoon, when he took his final leave of pain and sorrow. His remains were interred the Tuesday following, Sept. 24, at the parish church of Tranent (where he had usually attended divine service) with great solemnity.
When God reveal’d his gracious name,
And chang’d my mournful state,
My rapture seem’d a pleasing dream,
The grace appear’d so great.