The combined French armies, commanded by Marshals Soubise and the Duke de Broglio, advanced against the allies; frequent skirmishes took place in the early part of July, and on the 15th of that month a furious attack was made upon the post occupied by the Marquis of Granby; but the enemy were repulsed and driven back to the woods, where the fire of the skirmishers was kept up throughout the night. The division of the allied army commanded by the Prince of Anhalt having been removed to support the Marquis of Granby, a body of British troops, under Lieutenant-General Conway, took possession of the ground vacated by the Prince, being an eminence, between Illingen and Hohenover; and here the brigade of Dragoon Guards, commanded by Major-General Douglas, was posted. On the following day the French drove in the skirmishers, and renewed the attack with additional forces, at the same time extending the sphere of their operations; and an attempt was made upon the post occupied by the brigade of Dragoon Guards. The assailants were, however, everywhere repulsed, and they were eventually driven back with the loss of above 5000 men, 9 pieces of cannon, and 6 colours. Unfortunately the nature of the ground prevented the cavalry from taking part in the engagement.
In August the Third Dragoon Guards were engaged in a general attack upon the enemy's posts, near the Dymel; and afterwards crossed that river and advanced to the vicinity of Cassel. In the early part of November they were engaged in dislodging a French corps from its post near Capelnhagen. On the 6th and 7th of that month they skirmished with the enemy's advanced posts at Eimbeck, in the Electorate of Hanover. On the same evening the Dragoon Guards, with several other corps, marched through a heavy snow, and the following morning arrived at Foorwohle, where they erected their tents; but just as the encampment was formed, an alarm was given by the out-posts of the advance of the enemy in force. The British horsemen instantly formed, attacked the enemy with their accustomed gallantry, and drove them back with loss. Prince Ferdinand was a spectator of this act of gallantry, and expressed great admiration of the spirited conduct of the officers and men.[50] This warfare by detached parties, which occasioned considerable loss in men and horses from fatigue and exposure to inclement weather, produced no decisive results; and in the beginning of November the Third Dragoon Guards went into quarters in East Friesland.
1762
In the spring of 1762 the allies made an excursion into the country of Berg, where they raised contributions. On the 18th of June the main army encamped at Brakel, where the First and Third Dragoon Guards formed a brigade under the command of Major-General the Earl of Pembroke. On the 20th of the same month the army advanced towards the Dymel; and the French, under Marshals d'Etrées and Soubise moved forward and encamped at Groebenstien; when a favourable opportunity presenting itself, Prince Ferdinand immediately made dispositions for attacking the enemy.
Moving from their camp at an early hour on the morning of the 24th of June the Third Dragoon Guards, forming part of the centre column, crossed the Dymel between Libenau and Silen, and took part in surprising the enemy in their camp, and in driving them from their ground, with the loss of their camp equipage and many prisoners. At the same time a French corps, consisting of the grenadiers of France, the Royal Grenadiers, the Regiment of Aquitaine, and other troops, under the command of General Stainville, threw themselves into the woods near Wilhelmsthal, to cover the retreat of the army; when the Third Dragoon Guards, with the main body of the allied army, surrounded the wood, and nearly every man of this French corps was either killed or taken prisoner, two battalions only escaping.
The Third Dragoon Guards afterwards pursued the main body of the French army in the direction of Cassel, and at night encamped on the heights between Holtzhausen and Weimar.
In the middle of July the regiment took part in an attack on the enemy's posts on the Fulda; and was subsequently engaged in several military operations on that river, and also on the Eder. By a succession of combined operations the allies compelled the enemy to evacuate a considerable portion of territory, and the campaign ended with the taking of Cassel. The success of the British army was followed by a suspension of hostilities, which took place in November, and the troops went into quarters in the Bishopric of Munster.
1763
The Third Dragoon Guards having received, in common with the whole army, the thanks of Parliament for their eminent and meritorious services during the war, commenced their march on the 27th of January, 1763, through Holland to Williamstadt, where they embarked for England: the numbers of the regiment on embarkation appear to have been 14 officers, 328 men, and 434 horses, with 32 officers' servants, and 33 women who had accompanied their husbands through these long and toilsome campaigns.[51]