Information had been received in England that the garrison of the city of Cadiz was weak in numbers, the fortifications out of repair, and that the inhabitants of that part of Spain were favourable to the house of Austria. This fortress had been captured by a British armament in the reign of Queen Elizabeth,[15] and, in the anticipation of a similar result, an expedition was fitted out, and the Queen's (now fourth) regiment of foot embarked[16] from Plymouth (mustering upwards of eight hundred men) to join in the enterprise.
When the fleet arrived on the Spanish coast, some delay was occasioned by the Admiral, Sir George Rooke, on pretence of seeking for information; but the troops landed in the middle of August, and dispersed a body of Spanish cavalry which was drawn up to oppose them, on which occasion the grenadier company of this regiment was engaged.
After landing, the Queen's regiment took part in the operations by which the capture of the towns of Rota and Port St. Mary's, and also Fort St. Catherine, was effected; it also took part in the siege of the fort of Matagorda; but the delay in landing had given the Spaniards time to recover from their first surprise, and Cadiz was found better prepared for resistance than was expected. The expedition proving too weak for the capture of this fortress, the troops retired to Rota, where they re-embarked, and afterwards sailed for England.
Nothing gives rise to more painful feelings in the breasts of British soldiers than the failure of an attempt of this nature. Though their honour and fame were untarnished, and their personal bravery had been conspicuous throughout, yet their fondly cherished hopes and sanguine expectations were blighted; the palm of victory and glory of conquest, which had appeared almost within their grasp, had vanished, and they were returning to England (where the anticipations of the people had been incautiously heightened by paragraphs in the Gazette expressive of the certainty of success) without having achieved anything to answer the expectations of their sovereign and country. The remembrance of their disappointment, however, suddenly vanished on the receipt of information of the arrival of a Spanish fleet from the West Indies, under a French convoy, at the harbour of Vigo in Gallicia. The prospect of capturing this prize gave new life to the seamen and troops, and the squadron immediately bent its course thither.
The French Admiral, M. Chateaurenaud, had placed his shipping and the galleons within a narrow passage, the entrance to which was defended by a castle on one side, and by platforms mounted with cannon on both sides of the river; and a strong boom was laid across the entrance. These obstructions, instead of daunting the British and Dutch, raised their energies and gave new vigour to their movements. The fleet passed Vigo under a heavy cannonade from the works, and anchored within four miles of Rondendella. The Duke of Ormond landed with two brigades, in one of which was the Queen's regiment of foot, in a sandy bay on the south side of the river, two leagues from Vigo; and captured the platforms and castle by storm in a most intrepid and gallant manner; while the fleet forced the boom, and bore down upon the enemy's men-of-war and galleons, which were all captured or destroyed. In this brilliant enterprise the troops had only two officers and forty men killed, and four officers and thirty men wounded; among the latter was Colonel Seymour of the Queen's regiment.
The Duke of Ormond took possession of the town of Rondendella, and being inspired with confidence from this success, he was desirous of capturing Vigo, and of passing the winter with the troops in Spain, in order to follow up the advantage he had acquired in the spring; but the admiral could only supply the troops with two months' provision, and could not leave more than six frigates on the coast; the design was consequently laid aside and the expedition returned to England with its booty. Queen Anne went in state to St. Paul's cathedral to return thanks for this success, and each of the regiments of infantry received £561 10s. prize money.
1703
After its return to England, the regiment was again stationed at Plymouth with four detached companies in village cantonments; a thirteenth company was added to its establishment, and in the summer of 1703 the nature of its services was changed, and it became a corps of Marines.
A corps was raised for SEA service by King Charles II., in 1664, and designated the admiral's regiment; and during this reign battalions for sea service were formed as the occasions of the state required, of drafts from the land forces, and embarked on board the fleet. In 1689 King William III. incorporated the admiral's regiment in the second foot guards, and two marine regiments were established for service on board the fleet. These regiments were disbanded in 1698; but on the breaking out of the war of the Spanish succession, six regiments of marines were raised, and six regular regiments of foot were placed on the establishment of the navy for sea service.[17] In May, 1703, the Queen's regiment, commanded by Colonel Seymour, was constituted a corps of Marines; and its colonel was appointed to the care and command of Her Majesty's marine forces.
The uniform of the regiment underwent some alteration on this occasion, and the three-cornered cocked hats, worn by the officers and men, were replaced by high-crowned leather caps, covered with cloth of the same colour as the facing of the regiment, and ornamented with devices, the same as the caps worn at this period by the grenadiers.[18]