A History of the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own)

by Sir J. W. Fortescue

While the bulk of this force was quartered at Halifax, the Seventeenth lay, for convenience of obtaining forage, at Windsor, some miles away. In June the 16th light Dragoons arrived at Halifax from England with remounts for the regiment; but it is questionable whether they had any horses to spare, for we find that out of 950 horses 412 perished on the voyage. About the same time arrived orders for the increase of the Seventeenth by 1 cornet, 1 sergeant, 2 corporals, and 30 privates per troop; but the necessary recruits had not been received by the time when the campaign opened. On the 11th June the regiment, with the rest of Howe’s army, was once more embarked at Halifax and reached Sandy Hook on the 29th. Howe then landed his force on Staten Island, and awaited the arrival of his brother, Admiral Lord Howe, who duly appeared with a squadron and reinforcements on the 1st July. Clinton with his troops from Charleston arrived on the 1st August, and further reinforcements from England on the 12th. Howe had now 30,000 men, 12,000 of them Hessians, under his command in America, two-thirds of whom were actually on the spot around New York.

Active operations were opened on the 22nd August, by the landing of the whole army in Gravesend Bay at the extreme south-west corner of Long Island. The American army, 15,000 strong, occupied a position on the peninsula to the north-west, where Brooklyn now stands—its left resting on the East River, its right on a stream called Mill Creek, and its front covered as usual by a strong line of entrenchments. From this fortified camp, however, they detached General Putnam with 10,000 men to take up a position about a mile distant on a line of heights that runs obliquely across the island. After a reconnaissance by Generals Clinton and Erskine, the latter of whom led the brigade to which the Seventeenth was attached, General Howe decided to turn the left flank of the Americans with part of his force, leaving the rest to attack their front as soon as the turning movement was completed. At 9 P.M. on the 26th August the turning column, under the command of Howe himself, marched across the flat ground to seize a pass on the extreme left of the enemy’s line, the Seventeenth forming the advanced guard. On reaching the pass it was found that the Americans had neglected to secure it, being content to visit it with occasional cavalry 1776. patrols. One such patrol was intercepted by the advanced party of the Seventeenth; and the pass was occupied by the British without giving alarm to the Americans. At nine next morning, Howe’s column having completely enveloped Putnam’s left, opened the attack on that quarter, while the rest of the army advanced upon the centre and right. The Americans were defeated at all points and driven in confusion to their entrenchments; but Howe made no effort to pursue them nor to storm the camp, as he might easily have done. He merely moved feebly up to the enemy’s entrenchments on the following day, and began to break ground as if for a regular siege. On the 29th the Americans evacuated the camp, and retired across the East River to New York; and this they were allowed to do without hindrance, though the British army of 20,000 men stood on their front, and a navigable river, where a British seventy-four could have anchored, lay in their rear. Thus deliberately were sacrificed the fruits of the battle of Brooklyn. This was the first action in which the Seventeenth was under fire. The regiment at its close received the thanks of Generals Erskine and Clinton.

The possession of Long Island gave the British complete command of New York by sea; and Howe set himself to transport his army to New York Island, an operation which was completed on the 15th September. The Americans then evacuated New York town and retired to the northern extremity of New York Island, where Washington fortified a position from Haarlem to Kingsbridge along the Hudson River in order to secure his retreat across it to the mainland. The English warships now moved up the Hudson to cut off that retreat; and Howe having left four brigades to cover New York town, 12th Oct. embarked the rest on flat-bottomed boats to turn Washington’s position. The flotilla passed through Hell Gate; and Howe 18th Oct. having wasted a deal of time in disembarking the troops first at the wrong place, landed them finally at Pell’s Point, the corner which divides East River from Long Island Sound, and 1776. forms the extreme point of the spit of continent that runs down to New York Island. The advanced parties of the Seventeenth were engaged in a trifling skirmish at Pelham Manor, a little to the north of Pell’s Point, shortly after disembarkation; but the British advance was practically unopposed, and the army was concentrated at New Rochelle, on Long Island Sound, on the 21st October. Washington now changed front, throwing his left back, and distributed his army along a line parallel to the march of the British; his right resting at Kingsbridge on the south, and his left at Whiteplains on the north. The two armies were separated by a deep river called the Bronx, which covered the whole of Washington’s front. Howe continued his march northward, doubtless with the intention of getting between Washington and the mainland; but Washington had already sent parties to entrench a new position for him at Whiteplains, to which he moved on the 26th October. This change of position brought the Americans from the left flank to the front of the British advance, and it was plain that an action was imminent. On the 28th, Howe’s army, advancing in two columns, came up with the Americans, and found them to be some 18,000 strong. The right of Washington’s main position rested on the Bronx River; but for some reason a detached force of 4000 men had been posted on a hill on the other side of the river, which detachment, owing to the depth and difficulty of the stream, was necessarily cut off from the rest of the line. Howe decided to attack this isolated body at once. The Seventeenth being detailed as part of the attacking force, moved off to a practicable ford, the passage of which was carried in the face of heavy fire; and the infantry then advancing drove the enemy brilliantly from their entrenchments, from whence the Seventeenth pursued them towards the main position at Whiteplains. The regiment lost one man and five horses killed, Cornet Loftus, four men and eight horses wounded, in this action; which unfortunately led to no result. On the 30th August a general attack on the American entrenchments was ordered, but 1776. was countermanded in consequence of a tremendous storm of rain; and on the 1st September the Americans quietly retired northward across the river Croton, on which they took up a position from which it was hopeless to attempt to dislodge them.

However, there was still an American garrison of 3000 men, which had been left by Washington in his entrenchments at Kingsbridge to hold the passage of the Hudson; and of these Howe determined to make sure. His attack was delivered by four columns simultaneously. The third of these crossed the Haarlem Creek in boats under a heavy fire, and by the capture of a strong post at the other side turned the left of the American position. The ground was unfavourable for cavalry, however; and the Seventeenth, which was attached to this column, lost but one man. The result of the whole operation was the surrender of the Americans, which was bought with the loss of 800 British killed and wounded.

Three days later Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson with 4000 men, and marched against the American fort which commanded the passage of the river from the Jersey side. The Americans promptly evacuated it and retreated, with Cornwallis at their heels in hot pursuit. He was on the point of overtaking them and striking a severe blow, when he received orders from General Howe to halt—orders which he very reluctantly obeyed. A party of the Seventeenth, probably a sergeant’s party for orderly duties, seems to have accompanied Cornwallis on this march, and through the gallant behaviour of one of the men has made itself remembered.

One day Private M’Mullins, of this detachment, was despatched by Lord Cornwallis with a letter of some importance to an officer of one of the outposts, and while passing near a thicket on his way was fired at by the rebels. He instantly pretended to fell from his horse, hanging with head down to the ground. The Americans, four in number, supposing him killed, ran out from their cover to seize their booty, and had come within a few 1776. yards of him, when, to their great astonishment, Private M’Mullins suddenly recovered his seat in the saddle and shot the first of them dead with his carbine. He then drew his pistol and despatched a second, and immediately after fell with his sword upon the other two, who surrendered as his prisoners. Whereupon Private M’Mullins drove them triumphantly before him into camp, where he duly delivered them up. Lord Cornwallis did not fail to report such bravery to General Howe, who in his turn not only promoted M’Mullins to be sergeant, but brought the exploit before the notice of the King. As all Light Dragoons of whatever regiment felt pride in their comrades, the story of Private M’Mullins found its way into the standard contemporary work on that branch of the service, and remains there embalmed to this day. Let it be noted that this feat of leaning out of the saddle almost to the ground is treated as one which “all Light Dragoons accomplished with the greatest ease.” We should probably never have known this but for Private M’Mullins of the Seventeenth.

With the recall of Cornwallis from New Jersey the campaign of 1776 came to an end. Since the American evacuation of New York, Howe had captured 4500 prisoners and 150 guns; but he had also thrice let slip the opportunity of capturing the whole American army. One further operation was insisted upon by the Admiral, namely, the capture of Rhode Island, which was effected 8th Dec. without loss by a small force under General Clinton. One troop of the Seventeenth accompanied Clinton on this expedition, and remained at Rhode Island for the next twelve months.

The rest of the Seventeenth went into winter quarters in New York, the total strength of the regiment at the close of the campaign being 225 men. Though its casualties had been light, it had done a good deal of hard work and established for itself a reputation. Howe himself testifies in his despatches to “the good service they have performed in this campaign,” and adds that “the dread which the enemy have of the Dragoons has been experienced on every occasion.” It is a significant indication of 1777.the nature of their work, that Howe begs for remounts of Irish horses for them, as being “hardier and better accustomed to get over fences.”

The rest of the army in the winter of 1776–77 was split up into detachments, and scattered along an extended line from the Delaware to New York. The Americans fully expected Howe to cross the Delaware as soon as the ice permitted and attack Philadelphia, but Howe as usual did nothing. He might have destroyed the American army without difficulty; but so far from attempting it, he allowed Washington with an inferior force to cut off two detached posts and do a great deal of damage.

Howe’s operations in the campaign of 1777 were little more satisfactory. After making every preparation to cross the Delaware and advance into Pennsylvania he brought back the army to New York, and embarked for the Chesapeake in order to approach Philadelphia from that side. In September he won the battle of Brandywine, and took possession of Philadelphia on the 26th. This occupation of Philadelphia was the sole result of the campaign; and it was, in fact, a political rather than a military enterprise, the object being to overawe the American Congress. It was a fatal mistake, for while Howe was wasting his time in Pennsylvania, Burgoyne was moving down from Canada to open the line of the Hudson from the north, in the hope of co-operation from Howe’s army in the south. No such co-operation was forthcoming. Howe’s army was engaged elsewhere; Clinton, though, as will be seen, he did make on his own responsibility a slight diversion on the Hudson, yet dared not weaken the garrison of New York. The result was that 16th Oct. Burgoyne with his whole force of 7000 men was overpowered and compelled to surrender at Saratoga.