The Queen's regiment of foot formed part of a detachment of ten battalions sent from the main army on the 22d of August, under Lieut.-General Talmash, to join a body of troops which had arrived at Ostend from England, under the orders of the Duke of Leinster. These forces were afterwards joined by a body of cavalry, and, having summoned between two and three thousand of the country people with spades and shovels, took and repaired the fortifications of Furnes, a small town situated upon the canal, two leagues from Nieuport and five from Dunkirk. After placing this town in a condition to resist an assault, the troops proceeded to Dixmude, and fortified and garrisoned the town. The regiment subsequently marched to Bruges, and went into cantonments in the villages near the banks of the canal between that place and Ghent; but the French having advanced to Charleroi, the regiment quitted its village cantonments and joined the main army at Drongen. The French Marshal, Boufflers, bombarded the lower town of Charleroi, and afterwards retreated, when this regiment returned to its former quarters.

1693

During the winter a detachment was ordered to advance to the relief of Furnes, which was besieged by a French force under Marshal Boufflers; but the roads were so bad from heavy rains that, according to D'Auvergne, "several soldiers sunk almost to the middle in mud, and several horses remained stuck in it." This occasioned some delay, and the garrison surrendered on the 4th of January, 1693. The Dutch garrison at Dixmude, being alarmed at having the enemy so near them, withdrew from the place.

The detachment afterwards returned to its quarters, and in May the Queen's regiment took the field with the army, and was posted in the second line at the celebrated position of Parck camp, the possession of which enabled King William to defeat the enemy's designs on Brabant.

In the movements which preceded the battle of Landen, which was fought on the 19th of July, 1693, the regiment also took part; and on the night before the battle it was posted in the village of Neer-Landen, on the left of the position; but on the following morning, when the French columns were seen advancing to the attack, the Queen's and Prince George of Denmark's (now third) regiments were withdrawn from Neer-Landen, and ordered to take post in the village of Laér, to reinforce Brigadier-General Ramsay's brigade.

Scarcely had the regiment gained its post, when the glistening of bayonets and pikes, perceived at intervals above the undulations, gave indication of the approaching enemy; a cloud of light musketeers and grenadiers soon cleared the intervening space and attacked the village with great fury; and the defenders opened a most galling and destructive fire on their assailants. The enemy, by continually reinforcing the corps engaged, succeeded, after a severe struggle, in gaining some advantage; but the British troops renewed the conflict and regained their lost ground. Again the enemy brought forward his rallied forces, and a brigade of dragoons dismounting and joining in the attack, the village of Laér was carried. Brigadier-General Ramsay rallied his brigade, and after a short address, led the regiments to the attack. The French were exulting in their success, when suddenly a loud British huzza burst like a clap of thunder on their astonished ears, and the next moment the charging Britons broke through all opposition, forced the village, and in a short time cleared it of opponents.

The enemy, by his great superiority of numbers, was enabled to bring forward fresh troops, and he eventually succeeded in forcing the position at the village of Neer-Winden. The village of Laér was then no longer tenable, and the regiments were forced to retire, fighting, across the river Gheet. The King ordered the army to make a retrograde movement, which was not effected without considerable confusion and loss. The Queen's regiment had Captain Crofts and Lieutenant Woodstock killed; Captain Wharton wounded; and Captain Carroll and Lieutenant Cole wounded and taken prisoners: of its loss in non-commissioned officers and private men, no account appears to have been preserved.

The enemy's loss in killed and wounded was so great that he derived little advantage from the victory.

The Queen's regiment continued with the main army until the autumn, when it marched into garrison at Malines.

1694