"His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief returns his thanks to Major-General Abercrombie, Colonel Leigh, and Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle, for the gallantry they showed on the attack last night."
Haying been constantly exposed to the cannon of the town for seven weeks, the men had acquired great steadiness under fire, the attack was made with signal intrepidity and resolution, and the out-works were carried in gallant style.
The regiment had one serjeant and three rank and file killed; one officer, one serjeant, and fourteen rank and file wounded; the flank companies also lost seven men.
Three days afterwards the garrison capitulated, and this important fortress was delivered up to the Duke of York.
After the surrender of Valenciennes the British troops marched towards Cambray, and they subsequently separated from the Austrians, taking with them a few Imperial regiments, for the purpose of undertaking the siege of Dunkirk. On arriving at Menin, it was ascertained that the French had driven the Dutch from Lincelles; that post was recaptured by the British Foot Guards under Major-General Lake, on the 18th of August. The Fourteenth Regiment was one of the corps ordered to support the Foot Guards, and was left in possession of the village, after its capture, until that post was restored to the Dutch.
The army resumed its march towards Dunkirk on the following day, and on the 24th of August, the Fourteenth Foot took part in driving the French out-posts, between the canal of Furnes and the sea, into the town, on which occasion the soldiers had to force their way through strong double hedges, and across deep ditches full of water. A deep ditch, surrounding the garden of a chateau, obstructed the progress of the grenadier company of the Fourteenth, when Lieutenant Thomas Green Clapham leaped into the ditch, where he stood up to his breast in water, that the grenadiers might pass swiftly over it, by stepping upon his shoulders, and pursue the French, which they did with great alacrity. The light infantry company also displayed distinguished ardour, and captured three pieces of artillery. Finally the French were driven into the town, and the siege was commenced. The loss of the regiment was limited to a few private soldiers killed and wounded.
On the 6th of September, the French made a sortie from Dunkirk, in great strength, directing their attack principally against the right of the besieging army, when the Fourteenth Foot, commanded by Major Alexander Ross, (Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle being ill) was ordered forward to support that part of the position. As they passed the flank of the regiment of Esterhazy, the Germans cheered the Fourteenth, and the gallant soldiers rushed into the fight with great energy, overthrowing all opposition, and chasing the French up the covered way. The regiment had one serjeant, one corporal, and eight private soldiers killed; Captains Cochrane and Garnier, Lieutenants Mackenzie, Powell, and Elrington[5], Ensigns Smith and Williams, Volunteer McGrath, one serjeant, one corporal, and thirty-six private soldiers, wounded.
The arrival of the heavy artillery for the siege, and the naval force intended to co-operate with the army, in the reduction of Dunkirk, was so long delayed, that the French had time to convey from every part of France, by coaches, waggons, and other vehicles, such an immense body of troops, to the vicinity of Dunkirk, that the Duke of York had little chance of success.
Another sortie was made by the garrison on the 8th of September, when the Fourteenth and Thirty-seventh Regiments advanced to attack the French; as the two corps passed the regiment of Joseph Colloredo, they were cheered by the Austrians, and they succeeded in repulsing the enemy: but no chance of final success remained, and the siege was raised, the Fourteenth Regiment marching by Furnes and Ypres, to Menin.
The regiment marched, in October, to Oudenarde, where it furnished a guard over two thousand French prisoners; it was sent forward, several times, to take the out-post duty, and upon a movement in advance, by the enemy, upon Menin and Wevelghem, it repulsed an attack upon the out-post at Vervicke.