The regiment remained in Ireland until the unfortunate misunderstanding between Great Britain and her North American Colonies assumed an aspect so formidable, that it was deemed necessary to send additional forces to that country. The Fifth was one of the corps selected to proceed on this service; and, having embarked at Monkstown near Cork on the 7th of May, 1774, it landed in the beginning of July at Boston, the capital of the state of Massachusetts, which had recently been the scene of violence and outrage, particularly of the destruction of an immense consignment of Tea by the provincials. After landing, the regiment was encamped near the town for some time; a body of troops was assembled at this place under the Governor of the province, General Gage, and several fortifications were constructed.
1775
During the winter a determination to proceed to open resistance became general in the American States; they embodied a militia force, and in April 1775, a circumstance occurred which occasioned the display of these hostile designs. The occasion was the collection of some military stores at Concord, in Middlesex county, about eighteen miles from Boston; when General Gage sent the grenadiers and light infantry, including the companies of the Fifth, under the orders of Colonel Smith, to destroy those stores. This detachment embarked in boats on the evening of the 18th of April, and, having proceeded a short distance up Charles river, landed on the marshes of Cambridge and proceeded to the village of Lexington, where it arrived at day-break and found a company of the militia formed up near the entrance of the town. These men were ordered to lay down their arms, but they did not comply; some desultory firing immediately occurred, which was followed by a volley from the troops which laid ten of the militia dead upon the spot, wounded several others, and dispersed the remainder: thus was the first blood drawn in this unhappy contest. After this skirmish, the troops continued their march to Concord, detaching six Light Infantry companies to take possession of the bridges beyond the town, while the remainder of the detachment effected the destruction of the military stores. In the mean time the country had been alarmed by the firing of guns and the ringing of bells: and a division of provincial militia was seen advancing towards the bridges, but they avoided committing any hostile act until the light infantry companies had killed two men, when the Americans instantly opened a sharp fire, and by their superior numbers forced the King's troops to retire. The country now appeared swarming with armed men, who fired on the troops on all sides, while numbers followed in their rear, and during the six miles' march from Concord to Lexington, skirmish succeeded skirmish, and a continued but irregular fire was sustained until the detachment had expended nearly all its ammunition. Fortunately it was met at Lexington by Earl Percy (Colonel of the Fifth), who had been sent forward to support the detachment with his brigade and two pieces of artillery, and his lordship after a short halt made dispositions for continuing the march to Boston[31]. But the moment the troops were in motion the attacks became more frequent and more violent than before, the Americans hovering in hundreds upon the rear and keeping up a sharp fire from houses, from behind walls, trees, and other coverts, on both sides of the road; yet the troops, displaying a steady and noble bearing, united with a high state of discipline and undaunted spirit, marched under all these difficulties, in perfect order, a distance of fifteen miles to Charlestown, where they arrived at sunset, quite exhausted from a march of about thirty-five miles, on a hot day, and experiencing the extraordinary fatigues already mentioned. From Charlestown the troops crossed the river by the ferry to Boston, under cover of the fire of the men-of-war. The loss of the Fifth, in this day's skirmishes, was five men killed; with Lieutenant Thomas Baker, Lieutenant William Cox, Lieutenant Thomas Hawkshaw, and fifteen men wounded; also one man taken prisoner[32].
This affair was followed by the appearance of the whole province in arms;—an immense number of men invested Boston, where the King's troops were stationed, on the land side; and on the morning of the 17th of June, it was ascertained that they had constructed works on Bunker's Hill—a high ground beyond the river. A body of troops, of which the Fifth formed a part, was ordered to attack the heights; and this force, having embarked about noon, landed without opposition and formed up on some high ground near the shore. The enemy appearing resolved to defend this post, the ships of war opened their fire upon the works, while the King's troops, advancing under cover of the guns, went boldly to the attack; and commenced one of the most sanguinary actions on record. The Fifth, ever emulous of glory, was seen ascending the hill on the side next Charlestown with signal intrepidity, and bravely sustaining its ancient reputation. Captain Harris (afterwards the conqueror of the Mysore) while leading on the grenadier company, was severely wounded, and obliged to quit the field, but he had in Lieutenant Lord Rawdon (afterwards Marquis of Hastings) a successor in command, who emulated and equalled the intrepidity of his disabled captain. Eventually the troops were staggered by the resolute tenacity of the defence, and the superior numbers of the enemy; yet, recovering, they appeared in a moment fired by a new ardour, and with fixed bayonets they went cheering forward with determined bravery and resolution,—encountering the Americans in close combat and driving them, after a sharp contest, out of the works. The King's troops were now established on Bunker's Hill, which they afterwards fortified and occupied in force. The loss of the Fifth was 22 men killed; Captain Harris, Captain Jackson, Captain Downes, Captain Marsden, Lieutenant M'Clintock, Lieutenant Croker, Ensign Charleton, Ensign Ballaguire, 10 Serjeants, 2 Drummers, and 116 rank and file wounded[33]. General Burgoyne, in a letter written at the time to Lord Derby and subsequently published, says, in reference to Bunker's Hill, "The Fifth has behaved the best, and suffered the most[34]."
Notwithstanding this success, the army at Boston remained in a state of blockade, and the troops were eventually so distressed for fresh provisions and other necessaries, that live cattle, vegetables, and even fuel, were sent for their use from England. The shipping with these supplies were, however, many of them wrecked, or fell into the hands of the Americans, and, the distress of the troops increasing, much sickness and loss of life occurred.
1776
In the midst of this calamity, the provincial troops, being better supplied with necessaries, began to act offensively with vigour, and the appearance of new batteries with the opening of a heavy cannonade, occasioned the King's troops to evacuate the place. Accordingly, in the middle of March, 1776, the army embarked from Boston, and proceeded to Halifax in Nova Scotia, but after their arrival at that place the greater part of the troops remained on ship board, the town not being capable of providing quarters, nor of affording a sufficient supply of provisions.
The Fifth remained at Halifax about two months, and leaving that place early in June to engage in an extensive plan of operations, formed part of the force which effected a landing on Staten Island near New York on the 3rd of July. In the following month a reinforcement of British and Hessian troops arrived, and on the 22nd of August a descent was made on the south-west end of Long Island, when the enemy's detachments along the coast withdrew to the range of woody hills which intersect the country from east to west. In the manœuvres by which these hills were passed, and in the defeat of the provincial corps on the 27th of August, the Fifth took an active and spirited part, but did not sustain any loss. After this success, preparations were made to attack the enemy's lines at Brooklyn; but the Americans, impressed with a sense of the superiority of the King's troops, quitted their post during the night of the 28th, and passed the troops in boats across the East River to New York.
The reduction of Long Island having thus been effected with trifling loss, the Fifth was again embarked, and a landing was made on the 15th of September, on New York Island, within a few miles of the city; which General Washington immediately abandoned, and retired towards the northern end of the island, designing to remain on the defensive, and to avoid a general engagement. The Fifth was subsequently employed in several operations, and on the 28th of October, being on the march towards the American camp at White Plains, it was engaged, with the 28th 35th and 49th regiments, commanded by Brigadier-General Leslie, in forcing the passage of the Brunx's rivulet under a sharp fire, and having ascended the hill with admirable intrepidity, attacked and routed a division of Americans, chasing them from behind walls and other coverts, and driving them behind their entrenchments at the entrance of White Plains: from whence they subsequently retreated. The regiment only lost two men on this occasion, and had its commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Walcott, wounded.
1777