1696
Finding the progress of his arms arrested, and the fortune of war in favour of the confederates, the French monarch contemplated detaching England from the alliance against his interests, by replacing King James on the throne, for which purpose preparations were made for invading England, and a conspiracy was formed in London for assassinating King William. In consequence of the preparations in France, the NINETEENTH, and a number of other regiments, were ordered to return to England. The regiment embarked from Sas-van-Ghent in March, 1696, and sailed to Gravesend, where it landed. The assassination plot was discovered, and the designs of the French monarch frustrated.
1697
The regiment remained in England until the summer of 1697, when it again proceeded to Flanders, and joined the army encamped near Brussels on the 14th of July; two days afterwards it was reviewed by King William. The treaty of Ryswick was signed in September, and the British monarch saw his efforts for the preservation of liberty, and the balance of power in Europe, attended with success. The regiment returned to England in November.
1698
1702
In 1698 the NINETEENTH regiment was stationed in Ireland, where it remained until 1702, when the succession of the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., to the throne of Spain had produced another war.
Early in 1702 an expedition against the port and city of Cadiz was resolved upon by the British government, and the NINETEENTH regiment was withdrawn from Ireland to take part in the enterprise; the fleet was commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke, and the land forces were placed under the orders of the Duke of Ormond. The regiment proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where it embarked on board the fleet,[7] which sailed for Cadiz, and a landing was effected between Rota and Fort St. Catherine in the middle of August. Fort St. Mary's was taken possession of, and some advantages were gained; but the expedition proved of insufficient force for the reduction of Cadiz, and the troops re-embarked. The NINETEENTH regiment was detached from Cadiz to the West Indies with the squadron of the royal navy under Commander Walker.
1703
A powerful armament was prepared for the attack of the French and Spanish settlements in the West Indies in 1703, but this enterprise was afterwards laid aside. An unsuccessful attempt was made on Guadaloupe in March of this year, by a few men under Colonel Codrington.