The conquest of Ireland enabled King William to withdraw several regiments from thence to strengthen the allied army in the Netherlands, assembled to oppose the progress of the French conquests in that country. The Twelfth regiment marched from Galway on the 23rd of November, embarked at Kinsale towards the end of that month, and sailed to Plymouth, where it landed in the beginning of December.
1692
During the summer of 1692, the regiment was selected to form part of an expedition against the coast of France, under the command of the Duke of Leinster: it embarked at Southampton, and the expedition menaced the French coast at several places, occasioning much alarm; but the French had assembled so great a number of regiments to oppose the descent, that a council of war decided against landing. The troops afterwards sailed to Ostend, where they landed, and being joined by a detachment from the confederate army under King William III., they took possession of the towns of Furnes and Dixmude, which they fortified, to be occupied as frontier posts during the winter. After these places were put in a state of defence, the regiment returned to England.
1693
During the year 1693, the regiment remained in Great Britain; but the loss of the battle of Landen, by King William, rendered it necessary for the confederate army in Flanders to be augmented, and Colonel Brewer's was one of the regiments selected to proceed on service.
1694
The regiment embarked for Flanders in the spring of 1694; it was stationed at Malines a short time, and afterwards formed part of the escort which accompanied the train of artillery to the army at Tirlemont, where it arrived on the 6th of June; on the 10th the regiment was reviewed by the King, who expressed his approbation of its appearance and discipline. It was formed in brigade with a battalion of the Royal, the third, fourth, seventh, and nineteenth regiments, under Brigadier-General Erle, and was engaged in the toilsome operations of the campaign, which was passed in manœuvring, without a general engagement. The regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege of Huy, and after the capture of this fortress it was stationed at Bruges.
1695
The progress of the French conquests had been arrested, and in 1694 the current of success flowed in favour of the Confederates. In 1695, King William resolved to undertake the siege of Namur. As a preparative measure, the Twelfth, and several other regiments, marched to Dixmude, in May; in June an attack was made on the fort of Kenoque,—a strong post situate at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, to draw the French forces to that part of their line of fortifications. The Twelfth were engaged in this attack; and they were formed in brigade with the fourteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth regiments, under Colonel Leslie; they had several men killed and wounded. The French troops having taken post behind their lines, leaving Namur exposed, the King seized the favourable moment and invested the town. The attack on fort Kenoque was then discontinued, and the Twelfth marched into garrison at Dixmude, where three British and five Dutch regiments of foot, and the Queen's (now third) dragoons, were stationed under a Dutch officer,—Major-General Ellemberg.
A powerful French army, commanded by Marshal Villeroy, approached the town of Dixmude, and on the 15th of July the place was invested by a strong division under General de Montal. The trenches were opened on the same night, and on the following day a battery of eight guns and three mortars commenced a heavy fire. The works beginning to crumble under fire, Major-General Ellemberg called a council of war of the commanding officers of regiments, and suggested the necessity of surrendering, using, at the same time, various arguments to induce the other officers to agree to his proposal. Colonel Brewer, of the Twelfth foot, remonstrated against this measure, and recommended a resolute defence of the town to the last extremity; but a majority in the council of war voted for surrendering. The garrison expected to march out with the honors of war; but the French King sent orders to make the whole prisoners of war. The soldiers in garrison were anxious to be permitted to defend the town; many of them broke their arms sooner than deliver them up to the French, and several stands of regimental colours were destroyed by the men, that they might not become trophies in the hands of the enemy. The regiments in garrison were all made prisoners of war, and were marched into the territory subject to France, Louis XIV. refusing to deliver them up on the conditions of the cartel previously agreed upon.