1694
The allies made strenuous exertions to raise new levies, augment the strength of their contingents, and to turn the balance of war in their favour; the Fifteenth foot was one of the corps selected to proceed on foreign service. The regiment embarked from Scotland in the spring of 1694, and landed at Ostend, marched from thence to Malines, where it was stationed until the army took the field.
In the beginning of June, the British train of artillery arrived at Malines, from whence it advanced under the escort of the twelfth, Fifteenth, and Buchan's (afterwards disbanded) regiments, and joined the army under King William in person, at the camp at Hertogendale, on the 6th of June. The tenth, fourteenth, Fifteenth, seventeenth, Castleton's, and Lauder's (afterwards disbanded) regiments, were formed in brigade under Brigadier-General Stuart, in the division under Major-General Bellasis.
The regiment took part in the operations of this campaign, and the numbers of the confederate forces were so far augmented, that the progress of French conquest was arrested, the enemy was forced to act on the defensive, and in the autumn the allies besieged and captured the fortress of Huy. The Fifteenth formed part of the covering army during the siege; and afterwards marched to Dixmude, where they halted a few days, and subsequently went into cantonments in the villages along the canal of Nieuport, where they were stationed during the winter.
1695
From these quarters, the regiment was called in May, 1695, to enter upon the active services of another campaign, and it pitched its tents near Dixmude, where a small force was assembled under Major-General Ellemberg; at the same time the main army took the field under King William. In June, the Duke of Wirtemburg took the command of the troops at Dixmude; reinforcements also arrived; and an attack was made on Fort Kenoque, situated at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, with the view of drawing the French forces to the Flanders side of their fortified lines, to favour the design of besieging Namur. On the 9th of June, the grenadiers of the Fifteenth, and other corps employed on this enterprise, drove the enemy from the entrenchments and houses near the Loo canal; and the attempts made by the French to regain this post were repulsed. A redoubt was afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected on the works at the bridge, in which service the regiment had several men killed and wounded. These attacks produced the desired effect; the fortress of Namur was invested, and the attack on Fort Kenoque was soon afterwards desisted from, when the Fifteenth regiment returned to Dixmude.
During the early part of the siege of Namur, the Fifteenth foot, commanded by their colonel, Sir James Lesley, were in garrison at Dixmude, a fortress of very little strength, under Major-General Ellemberg, a foreign officer. On the 15th of July, this place was invested by a strong division of the French army, under General de Montal, who commenced the siege with vigour. Major-General Ellemberg failed to make that spirited opposition to the enemy which the circumstances of the case called for: he appeared to view the progress of the besieging army with apathy; and eventually called a council of war, to which he advanced several reasons why the town could not be defended, and proposed to capitulate to save the garrison, which was agreed to by the majority of the council of war, although opposed by others. When the soldiers were informed they were to become prisoners of war, they became enraged at not being permitted to defend the place, many of them broke their arms to pieces, and some tore their regimental colours from the staves, that they might not be delivered to the enemy. D'Auvergne states, in his history of this campaign,—'The body of the garrison had the same heart and soul with their comrades which did such wonders before Namur;' but the soldiers were delivered into the power of the enemy against their will.
The soldiers of the Fifteenth were sent prisoners to Ypres; the conditions of the cartel were afterwards violated by the enemy; the British were sent to Arras, Bethune, Bouchain, &c., the officers were placed in close confinement, and attempts were made to induce the men to enter the French service.
When the castle of Namur surrendered, the garrison was permitted to march out with the honors of war; but Marshal Boufflers was arrested, and detained until the British and other soldiers of the allied army, kept prisoners contrary to the cartel, were released. This produced the desired effect; the Fifteenth rejoined the army, and marched into quarters at the town of Damme, where they received new arms and equipment.
All the officers concerned in the surrender of Dixmude, were tried by a general court-martial: Major-General Ellemberg was sentenced to be beheaded, and executed at Ghent on the 20th of November. Colonel Sir James Lesley, and several other officers were cashiered.