Leveson's dragoons were afterwards employed in the siege of Galway. On the 2nd of August they were detached, with twenty-four men from each regiment of Horse, under the command of Brigadier-General Leveson, to scour the country and drive in the enemy's parties; and they arrived on the 4th, in the vicinity of Nenagh, where five hundred of the enemy, under Brigadier-General Carrol (commonly called Tall Anthony) were in garrison in an old castle, on the domain of the Duke of Ormond. Part of the garrison occupied a pass half a mile in front of the castle; but was driven from that post by the dragoons. The garrison made a precipitate retreat towards Limerick, but were overtaken at Cariganlis, and routed with the loss of several men, their baggage, and four hundred head of cattle.
The siege of Limerick commenced on the 25th of August, and the regiment was before the town until the 31st, when it was detached with a party of horse under Brigadier-General Leveson, and Major Wood of the eighth horse (now sixth dragoon guards) to reduce the small garrisons in the county of Kerry, where the whole country was found in arms, and Lords Merrion's and Bretta's regiments of Irish horse there to assist the rapparees. Leveson and Wood[11] were both daring aspirants for military fame, and had become celebrated for their zeal and valour, and for their abilities on detached services.—Having ascertained where the two Irish regiments were encamped, they marched all the night of the 1st of September; and about one on the following morning, rushed suddenly upon them with the horse and dragoons. The enemy, surprised and confounded, fled in every direction, pursued by the victorious dragoons, who sabred many men and captured a drove of oxen. A reinforcement of three hundred horse and dragoons and six pieces of cannon was afterwards sent to Brigadier-General Leveson, and he reduced several garrisons between Cork and Limerick, and sent numbers of oxen and sheep to the army. On the 22nd of September this gallant officer, with only two hundred and fifty horse and dragoons, attacked and dispersed two regiments of Irish dragoons and a body of rapparees nearly three thousand strong; when he again captured some cattle and sheep. It appears that the principal part of the provisions for the army encamped before Limerick was supplied by the activity of Leveson's corps, which continued to act as an independent force until the surrender of that city on the 3rd of October. In King James's declaration from St. Germains, Brigadier-General Leveson was especially exempted from the general amnesty.
1692
1693
With the fall of Limerick ended the war in Ireland[12]; and the regiment having embarked for England, landed at Barnstaple on the 18th of March, 1692. Its establishment was six troops, 360 men, and its expense 15,999l. 3s. 4d. per annum. During this and the following year it was stationed in the south and western counties of England.
1694
On the 19th of January, 1694, Brigadier-General Leveson was removed to the third horse, now second dragoon guards; and the colonelcy of the Queen's dragoons was conferred upon Thomas, Lord Fairfax, from lieut.-colonel of the second troop (now second regiment) of life guards.
At this period King William was engaged in a war with France, and the third horse and Queen's dragoons having been reviewed by His Majesty in Hyde Park, on the 26th of March embarked for foreign service. The Queen's dragoons landed at Williamstadt, in North Brabant, on the 16th of April 1694, joined the army encamped at Tirlemont on the 21st of June, and was again reviewed by His Majesty on the following day. Its excellent conduct in Ireland appears to have raised the regiment high in the King's estimation, and it was ordered to encamp beyond the defiles of the village of Roosebeck, to cover His Majesty's quarters[13].
The regiment served the campaign of this year in brigade with the royals and royal Scots dragoons, and was employed in manœuvring and skirmishing in the valleys of Brabant and in the verdant plains of Flanders. No general engagement occurred, and in October it went into quarters at Ghent.
1695