From Harwich the regiment marched to Hitchin and its neighbourhood; and when passing through the several towns on its route it was hailed with acclamations by the inhabitants; almost every officer and soldier bore marks of bullets having passed through his accoutrements or clothing; the colours were perforated in many places, and were borne by Lieutenants Stuart and Graves, the two senior subalterns,—so many casualties had occurred among the officers. The achievements of the regiment had been made known, and it was everywhere congratulated on its gallant exploits.
In June the regiment pitched its tents at Warley, in Essex, and in July received orders to march to Nusthaling, near Southampton. On passing through Dartford, the band played the republican tune ça ira (which it played when the regiment charged the position at Famars, in 1793), when the inhabitants evinced their aversion to democracy by throwing stones at the musicians for playing so offensive a tune; but upon an explanation being given, the people responded with three cheers to the honour of the brave soldiers of the Fourteenth who fought at Famars.
The regiment afterwards embarked for Quiberon-bay, to support the French emigrants under M. Sombreuil, but being detained by contrary winds, it was directed to disembark and return to Southampton.
At this period an armament was fitting out to complete the deliverance of the French West India islands from the power of republicanism, and to reduce to obedience the insurgents of St. Vincent and Grenada. The Fourteenth Regiment joined the expedition, and sailed with the immense fleet of Indiamen, transports, and merchant-vessels, under the convoy of a squadron of the royal navy commanded by Admiral Christian, which, on quitting the British shores, presented a magnificent spectacle calculated to impress the mind with a just idea of British power; but the voyage had been delayed until a very late period of the year, and the fleet encountered so severe a storm that several ships foundered at sea, others were wrecked on the western coast of England, and the greater part returned to port. The fleet was re-fitted and again put to sea, but, after encountering severe gales, it returned to Portsmouth a second time. The "Calypso" transport, having part of the Fourteenth Regiment on board, was nearly run down during a heavy gale, by the "Charon" of forty-four guns, and lost the main yard; but this transport continued the voyage and arrived at Barbadoes in eleven weeks.
1796
Several of the regiments, which returned to port, had their destination changed; but the portion of the Fourteenth, which had put back, re-embarked in February, 1796, and arrived in April at Barbadoes, where four companies of the Twenty-eighth Foot were attached to the regiment.
The Fourteenth Foot constituted part of the expedition against St. Lucia, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby; and sailed from Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes, on the 22nd of April, for the rendezvous of the troops to be employed in the enterprise, at Martinique, from whence the expedition sailed, on the morning of the 26th of April, for St. Lucia, where the head quarters landed on the 27th, near Pigeon Island, and marched to Choque Bay, to cover the landing of the remainder of the troops. They continued in position there a short time, till the batteries against Morne Fortuné were completed, when they were ordered up to take part in the ulterior operations. Prior to landing, three companies were detached, with a force under Brigadier-General Perryn, on the side of the Grand Cul de Sac, to facilitate the investment of Morne Fortuné, and an attempt was made to drive the enemy from the batteries on the base of the mountain, on that side; and Major Donkin's battalion, consisting of three companies of the Fourteenth and four of the Twenty-eighth, formed part of the force employed on this service. This battalion supported the Forty-fourth Regiment, in the column commanded by Colonel Riddell. On advancing to the attack, the battalion was checked, at a sudden turn in a winding road cut on the side of a steep hill, by an abattis occupied by French troops, when Captain James Graves sprang up the bank by the aid of a branch, and being assisted by Captain Henry Cox, and Lieutenant George Morris, he helped a few soldiers to climb up the side of the hill, who fired down upon the flank of the troops in the abattis, who instantly abandoned it, and the Fourteenth continued their advance. On arriving on more open ground, the fire of the enemy's batteries was heavy; when Captain James Graves, of the Fourteenth, and Captain John Frederic Brown, of the Twenty-eighth, stormed the lower battery, called Chapuis, with a few men of the two regiments. Captain Brown, Lieutenants William F. Dalton and John Grady, with several private soldiers, fell wounded in the advance, but the battery was captured, and was held by Captain Graves, Lieutenant John Hutchinson, and about forty rank and file. The soldiers being fired upon from a house, it was forced by a few men under Lieutenant Owen, and all the defenders bayonetted. The firing on the right indicating a retrograde movement on the part of the British troops at that point, Serjeant Shaw of the Fourteenth was detached to reconnoitre; he returned wounded, and reported the retreat of the British, and the advance of a fresh column of the enemy. Under these circumstances the guns in the battery were spiked, and the soldiers retired, fighting their way through a woody country, until they joined the column under Brigadier-General Perryn. From the failure of part of the attacking force the operations were not successful.
The loss of the Fourteenth was limited to five men killed; Captain Cox, and one serjeant wounded. On sending a flag of truce, on the following day, to inquire for prisoners, the answer received was, "The republicans have made no prisoners."
An attack was afterwards made on the north side of Morne Fortuné; a battery opened its fire against the enemy's works on the 16th of May, and on the 24th the French desired a suspension of arms, which was followed by the surrender of the island.
After the surrender of St. Lucia, the Fourteenth formed part of the expedition against the island of St. Vincent, and a landing was effected on the 8th of June: the Caribs having surrendered, the French troops retired, in a body, to the strong fort of La Vigie. It having been ascertained that the fort was badly provisioned, and worse provided with water, it was clear that the garrison could not hold out many days; and the Commander-in-Chief shortly received information that they intended to effect an escape, by night, by descending along the course of a deep ravine, which led from the town through high and inaccessible rocks. A party of the Fourteenth, consisting of three officers, and one hundred men, was ordered out to occupy the pass:—they took up a position in the bed of the river, behind some large stones, over which the men rested their bayonets. The darkness of the night, and the position between the woods, precluded the possibility of seeing anything, and the rushing of the water prevented anything from being heard. The first intimation that the party in ambuscade received of the enemy's approach, was the fact of their actually pressing upon their bayonets. Immediately a desultory firing took place, which ceased only when the enemy were supposed to have retreated. When daylight broke, a horrid spectacle of killed and wounded presented itself. Such of the garrison as succeeded in returning to La Vigie surrendered the next day. Captain Powell, who commanded, Lieutenants Gibson and Beavan, and the whole party, received the thanks of Sir Ralph Abercromby.