A pontoon bridge having been prepared, several regiments were ordered to cross the river at daybreak of the 16th of September. The Royal Dragoons took the lead; and Brigadier-General Clifford,[32] who commanded four regiments of King James's dragoons, being taken by surprise, made little opposition: some infantry, however, attempted to make a stand; but a squadron of the Royal Dragoons dashed forward and routed them in an instant. Two or three French and Irish battalions retired to a bog and wood in their rear, from whence they were driven with the loss of several men killed, and a French lieut.-colonel, a captain, and a number of men made prisoners. The regiments which had passed the river advanced upon the enemy's camp, where a curious spectacle presented itself:—many of the Irish were running about in their shirts, some were pulling down tents, others driving away cattle, many were making their escape into the town, and others hurrying towards the mountains; a regiment of dragoons, whose horses were two miles distance at grass, dispersed in confusion: at the same time a party of horse buckled on their arms and made a show of fighting; but they fled on the advance of the English, who took possession of the camp, where they found a quantity of beef, brandy, and corn, with the saddles and appointments of three hundred dragoons. The Royal Dragoons were commended by Lieut.-General De Ginkell for their gallant conduct, and they returned to the other side of the river on the same day.[33]
On the 22nd of September the regiment, with several other corps, crossed the Shannon into the county of Clare; when the advance-guard, which consisted of eighteen men of the Royal Dragoons, was attacked by a squadron of the Irish cavalry: this small party sustained the first onset with admirable firmness, but were forced to retire; part of the regiment, however, soon advanced to their assistance, when the enemy was defeated and chased under the range of their batteries, and three small pieces of brass ordnance were captured. Orders were then given for the infantry to attack the works which covered Thoumond bridge. These works were carried after a sharp struggle; when the troops which had defended them endeavoured to enter the town; but the drawbridge had been raised, and they were left to the mercy of the English, who slaughtered such numbers, that the dead bodies lay in heaps on the bridge higher than the parapet walls. Five colours were taken on this occasion, and so many men slain, drowned, and taken prisoners, that the enemy surrendered the place in a few days afterwards.
1692
1693
The conquest of Ireland having been effected, the Royal Dragoons returned to England, where they arrived in January, 1692, and marched into dispersed cantonments in Leicestershire; and during a part of the summer a detachment was stationed in garrison at Portsmouth. The regiment was subsequently stationed, on revenue duty, in the maritime towns on the southern coast of the kingdom; and in the autumn of 1693 it had the honour of furnishing a relay of escorts to attend King William from Margate to London, when His Majesty returned from Holland.
1694
The war with France, which was commenced in 1689, had been continued with varied success; and in the spring of 1694 the Royal Dragoons were ordered to proceed on foreign service. They left England in May; joined the army encamped near Tirlemont in South Brabant, on the 21st of June, and were reviewed by King William on the following day. On arriving at this camp they were ordered to take post in front of the village of Camtich, and this quarter being much exposed to attacks from the enemy, they were reinforced by two regiments of Dutch infantry. The army marched from Tirlemont on the 13th of July, and encamped at Mont St. André and Ramilies, where the regiment was formed in brigade with the royal Scots and Fairfax's (now second and third) dragoons, under the command of Brigadier-General Matthews, and this brigade was encamped on the left of the line. The French army encamped near Huy, with their left upon the Mehaine. On the 17th of July a foraging party of the allies crossed the river, and, meeting with several French squadrons, a skirmish ensued, when the Royal Dragoons lost eight horses and had three men wounded. On the 28th of the same month another foraging party encountered a detachment of the enemy, when the regiment had two men and several horses killed. The allied army was again in motion on the 8th of August: much manœuvring, and some skirmishing took place between the hostile squadrons, but no general engagement occurred. On the 29th of August the Royal Dragoons were stationed at Wacken—a post situate at the junction of the Mandel and the Scheldt; and in October they marched into cantonments in the villages between Ghent and Sans-van-Ghent.[34]
1695
In the spring of 1695 the Royal Dragoons marched to Dixmude, forming part of a division of the army commanded by Major-General Ellenberg, and were brigaded with Lloyd's (now third) dragoons and a regiment of Danish cavalry. On the 7th of June the Duke of Wirtemberg took command of this division, and attacked the French forts at Kenoque as a diversion to conceal King William's design upon the strong and almost impregnable fortress of Namur, which he commanded to be invested shortly afterwards. The Royal Dragoons joined the covering army towards the end of June; but were detached to Bruges in July: they were subsequently recalled from thence and joined the camp between Genappe and Waterloo, from whence they proceeded to the vicinity of Namur, to protect the troops employed in the siege from a threatened attack of the French army. After the surrender of the important fortress of Namur, the regiment marched into cantonments behind Ghent.
1696