From the foregoing remarks it will readily be perceived that the desire of the Compiler of this book is not to destroy, but to revive, everything connected with every Regiment in the service, and, although omissions may be noted, it is hoped it contains no errors.
There are many conflicting statements as to when Regiments were first numbered. Their rank was first regulated by a board of General Officers assembled by King William the Third in the Netherlands, on the 10th June 1694.
Queen Anne assembled another board in 1713, to decid=e on the rank of Regiments raised subsequently to 1694, and King George the First assembled a third in 1715 for the same purpose.
Cannon, in his “History of the Marine Corps,” tells us, “These boards recommended that English Regiments raised in England should take rank from the date of their formation, and that English, Scots, and Irish Regiments raised for the service of a foreign power, should take rank from the date of their being placed on the English Establishment.”
“The numerical Titles of Regiments, as fixed on the principles laid= down in the Reports of the boards of General Officers above alluded to, were confirmed by the Warrant issued by authority of King George the Second, dated the 17th July 1761; and also by the Warrant of King George the Third, dated 19th December 1768; previously to which, Regiments were generally designated by the names of their Colonels.”
The year 1751 has, therefore, been taken as the date on which the Regiments of the Army were first recognized officially by a number.
The date of the raising of the different Regiments is given as that of the commission of its first Colonel, taken from the official “Succession of Colonels.”
The greatest difficulty has been the compiling of the lists of Campaigns, &c. in which the various Regiments have borne a part.
All those that appear on the Colours have been given, although many are of inferior importance to many that do not; moreover many Regiments have received distinctions for actions in which others shared who do not possess any record of the fact upon their Colours.
The dates given are those in Haydn’s “Dictionary of Dates,” which is assumed to be correct, and, in the case of a capture of a place, the last day of the siege or capture is given.