TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Some minor changes are noted at [the end of the book.]

HISTORICAL RECORDS

OF THE

BRITISH ARMY.

PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE ADJUTANT-GENERAL.

THE FIFTH,
OR
PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

LONDON:
Printed by William Clowes and Sons,
14, Charing Cross.

GENERAL ORDERS.

HORSE-GUARDS,

1st January, 1836.

His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following particulars: viz.,

—— The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations, in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from the Enemy.

—— The Names of the Officers and the number of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates, Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the Place and Date of the Action.

—— The Names of those Officers, who, in consideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.

—— The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.

And,

—— The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.

By Command of the Right Honourable

GENERAL LORD HILL,

Commanding-in-Chief.

John Macdonald,

Adjutant-General.

PREFACE.

The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.

Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication.

The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the 'London Gazette,' from whence they are transferred into the public prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.

It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services.

This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.

From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of war, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.

In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,—on their sufferings,—and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.

The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers.

In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.

These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.

There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps—an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great,—the valiant,—the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilised people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, "firm as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,—victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,—our brothers—our fellow-citizens in arms,—a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.

Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.

As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.

INTRODUCTION.

The ancient Armies of England were composed of Horse and Foot; but the feudal troops established by William the Conqueror in 1086, consisted almost entirely of Horse. Under the feudal system, every holder of land amounting to what was termed a "knight's fee," was required to provide a charger, a coat of mail, a helmet, a shield, and a lance, and to serve the Crown a period of forty days in each year at his own expense; and the great landholders had to provide armed men in proportion to the extent of their estates; consequently the ranks of the feudal Cavalry were completed with men of property, and the vassals and tenants of the great barons, who led their dependents to the field in person.

In the succeeding reigns the Cavalry of the Army was composed of Knights (or men at arms) and Hobiliers (or horsemen of inferior degree); and the Infantry of spear and battle-axe men, cross-bowmen, and archers. The Knights wore armour on every part of the body, and their weapons were a lance, a sword, and a small dagger. The Hobiliers were accoutred and armed for the light and less important services of war, and were not considered qualified for a charge in line. Mounted Archers[1] were also introduced, and the English nation eventually became pre-eminent in the use of the bow.

About the time of Queen Mary the appellation of "Men at Arms" was changed to that of "Spears and Launces." The introduction of fire-arms ultimately occasioned the lance to fall into disuse, and the title of the Horsemen of the first degree was changed to "Cuirassiers." The Cuirassiers were armed cap-à-pié, and their weapons were a sword with a straight narrow blade and sharp point, and a pair of large pistols, called petrenels; and the Hobiliers carried carbines. The Infantry carried pikes, matchlocks, and swords. The introduction of fire-arms occasioned the formation of regiments armed and equipped as infantry, but mounted on small horses for the sake of expedition of movement, and these were styled "Dragoons;" a small portion of the military force of the kingdom, however, consisted of this description of troops.

The formation of the present Army commenced after the Restoration in 1660, with the establishment of regular corps of Horse and Foot; the Horsemen were cuirassiers, but only wore armour on the head and body; and the Foot were pike-men and musketeers. The arms which each description of force carried, are described in the following extract from the "Regulations of King Charles II.," dated 5th May, 1663:—

"Each Horseman to have for his defensive armes, back, breast, and pot; and for his offensive armes, a sword, and a case of pistolls, the barrels whereof are not to be und^r. foorteen inches in length; and each Trooper of Our Guards to have a carbine, besides the aforesaid armes. And the Foote to have each souldier a sword, and each pikeman a pike of 16 foote long and not und^r.; and each musqueteer a musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, the barrels of which musquet to be about foor foote long, and to conteine a bullet, foorteen of which shall weigh a pound weight[2]."

The ranks of the Troops of Horse were at this period composed of men of some property—generally the sons of substantial yeomen: the young men received as recruits provided their own horses, and they were placed on a rate of pay sufficient to give them a respectable station in society.

On the breaking out of the war with Holland, in the spring of 1672, a Regiment of Dragoons was raised[3]; the Dragoons were placed on a lower rate of pay than the Horse; and the Regiment was armed similar to the Infantry, excepting that a limited number of the men carried halberds instead of pikes, and the others muskets and bayonets; and a few men in each Troop had pistols; as appears by a warrant dated the 2nd of April, 1672, of which the following is an extract:—

"Charles R.

"Our will and pleasure is, that a Regiment of Dragoones which we have established and ordered to be raised, in twelve Troopes of fourscore in each beside officers, who are to be under the command of Our most deare and most intirely beloved Cousin Prince Rupert, shall be armed out of Our stoares remaining within Our office of the Ordinance, as followeth; that is to say, three corporalls, two serjeants, the gentlemen at armes, and twelve souldiers of each of the said twelve Troopes, are to have and carry each of them one halbard, and one case of pistolls with holsters; and the rest of the souldiers of the several Troopes aforesaid, are to have and to carry each of them one match-locke musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, and also to have and to carry one bayonet[4], or great knife. That each lieutenant have and carry one partizan; and that two drums be delivered out for each Troope of the said Regiment[5]."

Several regiments of Horse and Dragoons were raised in the first year of the reign of King James II.; and the horsemen carried a short carbine[6] in addition to the sword and pair of pistols: and in a Regulation dated the 21st of February, 1687, the arms of the Dragoons at that period are commanded to be as follow:—

"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, strapt, with bright barrels of three foote eight inches long, cartouch-boxes, bayonetts, granado pouches, bucketts, and hammer-hatchetts."

After several years' experience, little advantage was found to accrue from having Cavalry Regiments formed almost exclusively for engaging the enemy on foot; and, the Horse having laid aside their armour, the arms and equipment of Horse and Dragoons were so nearly assimilated, that there remained little distinction besides the name and rate of pay. The introduction of improvements into the mounting, arming, and equipment of Dragoons rendered them competent to the performance of every description of service required of Cavalry; and, while the long musket and bayonet were retained, to enable them to act as Infantry, if necessary, they were found to be equally efficient, and of equal value to the nation, as Cavalry, with the Regiments of Horse.

In the several augmentations made to the regular Army after the early part of the reign of Queen Anne, no new Regiments of Horse were raised for permanent service; and in 1746 King George II. reduced three of the old Regiments of Horse to the quality and pay of Dragoons; at the same time, His Majesty gave them the title of First, Second, and Third Regiments of Dragoon Guards: and in 1788 the same alteration was made in the remaining four Regiments of Horse, which then became the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Regiments of Dragoon Guards.

At present there are only three Regiments which are styled Horse in the British Army, namely, the two Regiments of Life Guards, and the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, to whom cuirasses have recently been restored. The other Cavalry Regiments consist of Dragoon Guards, Heavy and Light Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers; and although the long musket and bayonet have been laid aside by the whole of the Cavalry, and the Regiments are armed and equipped on the principle of the old Horse (excepting the cuirass), they continue to be styled Dragoons.

The old Regiments of Horse formed a highly respectable and efficient portion of the Army, and it is found, on perusing the histories of the various campaigns in which they have been engaged, that they have, on all occasions, maintained a high character for steadiness and discipline, as well as for bravery in action. They were formerly mounted on horses of superior weight and physical power, and few troops could withstand a well-directed charge of the celebrated British Horse. The records of these corps embrace a period of 150 years—a period eventful in history, and abounding in instances of heroism displayed by the British troops when danger has threatened the nation,—a period in which these Regiments have numbered in their ranks men of loyalty, valour, and good conduct, worthy of imitation.

Since the Regiments of Horse were formed into Dragoon Guards, additional improvements have been introduced into the constitution of the several corps; and the superior description of horses now bred in the United Kingdom enables the commanding officers to remount their regiments with such excellent horses, that, whilst sufficient weight has been retained for a powerful charge in line, a lightness has been acquired which renders them available for every description of service incident to modern warfare.

The orderly conduct of these Regiments in quarters has gained the confidence and esteem of the respectable inhabitants of the various parts of the United Kingdom in which they have been stationed; their promptitude and alacrity in attending to the requisitions of the magistrates in periods of excitement, and the temper, patience, and forbearance which they have evinced when subjected to great provocation, insult, and violence from the misguided populace, prove the value of these troops to the Crown, and to the Government of the country, and justify the reliance which is reposed on them.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] In the 14th year of the reign of Edward IV. a small force was established in Ireland by Parliament, consisting of 120 Archers on horseback, 40 Horsemen, and 40 Pages.

[2] Military Papers, State Paper Office.

[3] This Regiment was disbanded after the Peace in 1674.

[4] This appears to be the first introduction of bayonets into the English Army.

[5] State Paper Office.

[6] The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appears to have taken place in 1678; the Life Guards, however, carried carbines from their formation in 1660.—Vide the 'Historical Record of the Life Guards.'

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE FIFTH,

OR

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS:

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685;

WITH ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1838.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, ORME, AND CO.,

PATERNOSTER ROW;

W. CLOWES AND SONS, 14, CHARING CROSS;

AND TO BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.

1839.

Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street.

CONTENTS.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

PLATES.

THE FIFTH,

OR

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS,

BEARS UPON ITS STANDARDS
THE MOTTO

"VESTIGIA NULLA RETRORSUM;"

AND THE FOLLOWING
INSCRIPTIONS:

"SALAMANCA," "VITTORIA," "TOULOUSE,"
"PENINSULA."

FIFTH (THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S) REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

FIFTH,

OR

PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS.

1685

In the early periods of the history of this country a standing army was unknown; but as the kingdom increased in arts, sciences, and manufactures, and as national institutions, established upon sound principles, assumed an important character, a regularly organized military force was found necessary to protect the interests of society, and to guard colonial possessions; and when the other nations of Europe have from time to time augmented their standing armies, it has been found necessary to make similar additions to the regular force of Great Britain. After the Restoration in 1660, the army of the Commonwealth was disbanded, and a body of household troops, with a few garrison companies, were considered sufficient; but the acquisition of additional possessions, the ambitious designs of foreign potentates, and internal commotions in the kingdom, have occasioned numerous additions to be made to the regular army. It was one of the last mentioned causes, which, in the year 1685, gave rise to the formation of the corps which is the subject of this memoir, and which now bears the title of the Fifth, or Princess Charlotte of Wales's Regiment of Dragoon Guards.

A difference in religious views and opinions has often occasioned long and sanguinary wars; and the accession of a Roman Catholic Prince (James II.) to the throne of Great Britain, was an event so little congenial to the feelings of a Protestant people, that James Duke of Monmouth (natural son of King Charles II.) was induced, by the persuasions of men who were disaffected to the existing government, to make a daring attempt to dethrone his uncle, and to gain the sovereignty of the kingdom.

This event occurring at a time when the first feelings of alarm at the appearance of a Papist on the throne had subsided, and before the King had made any serious attack on the constitution or established religion, the people were not prepared to throw off their allegiance to their sovereign; consequently, while a few thousands of disaffected persons joined the standard of rebellion, much greater numbers arrayed themselves under the banners of royalty. Many noblemen and gentlemen exerted themselves in raising forces for the King; and it is stated in the public records, that a number of the respectable yeomen and others who volunteered their services in the royal cause, were incorporated into a troop of horse by Charles Earl of Shrewsbury, at Litchfield; another troop of horse was raised by Francis Lord Brudenel, at Kingston upon Thames; a third by Sir Thomas Grosvenor, at Chester; a fourth by Roger Pope, Esq., in the vicinity of Bridgnorth; a fifth by Mr. Francis Spalding, at Bristol; and a sixth by the Honourable John D'Arcy, (guidon of the second troop, now second regiment of Life Guards,) in London. These formed part of an extensive body of troops raised in a few weeks; but the rebellion was suppressed by the old corps which the King had in his service, without the aid of the new levies. His Majesty, however, looking forward to the commotions which would probably follow the execution of the attacks he was urged by his jesuitical councillors to make on the established religion and laws, resolved to retain a considerable portion of the newly-raised forces in his service; and these six troops of horse were, on the 29th of July, 1685, constituted a regiment of Cuirassiers, of which the Earl of Shrewsbury was appointed Colonel, the Honourable John D'Arcy Lieutenant-Colonel, and John Skelton, Esq., Major. This regiment ranked at that period as Seventh Horse; and is now the Fifth Dragoon Guards.

The uniform and equipment of this corps, like that of the other regiments of horse, were hats, long scarlet coats, jacked-leather boots, cuirasses, iron head pieces, swords, pair of pistols, and short carbines. Each corps had a distinguishing colour, then called its regimental livery, and now styled its facing, and the distinguishing colour of Shrewsbury's Cuirassiers was buff; the men had their coats lined with buff shalloon, and their waistcoats, breeches, ribands in their hats, and horse furniture, were of the same colour.

Soon after its formation the regiment marched into quarters near Hounslow, and experienced officers were appointed to teach the men the established military exercises; they formed two squadrons, three troops in a squadron; but each troop had a standard of buff-silk damask; and these loyal cavaliers, being mounted on strong horses, had not only a warlike appearance, but they were well calculated for a charge in line where weight and physical power were necessary. The Cuirassiers had succeeded the ancient Lancers (or Launces), formerly the highest class of military force in Europe, and celebrated for valour, prowess, and feats of chivalry. The Lancers were armed cap à pié, but the lance having, to a great extent, been laid aside before the middle of the seventeenth century, helmets, and armour on the limbs, were also discontinued soon afterwards. The regiments of Horse, having succeeded the ancient Lancers, were held in high estimation; and in the succeeding reigns they acquired great celebrity.

After having been twice reviewed by King James II. on Hounslow Heath, the regiment marched into quarters in Warwickshire, where it passed several months.

The King, having acquired some practical knowledge of military service in the civil war in France, and in the Netherlands, under Marshals Turenne and the Prince of Condé, established several useful regulations for the preservation of order and discipline in his army; two experienced officers, Sir John Lanier and Sir John Fenwick, were appointed Inspecting Generals of Cavalry; and the first half-yearly inspection of this regiment was made by Brigadier-General Sir John Fenwick, of the Life Guards, in its quarters in Warwickshire.

1686

While in these quarters, its establishment was fixed, by a royal warrant dated the 1st of January, 1686, at the following numbers:—

The following officers were at this period holding commissions in the regiment:—

The Earl of Shrewsbury's Cuirassiers were withdrawn from their country quarters in the summer of this year, and were encamped with other forces on Hounslow Heath; where they were practised in military evolutions, under the direction of Lieutenant-Generals the Earls of Craven, Feversham, and Dumbarton; and were several times reviewed by King James II.: in August they struck their tents and marched to Buckingham and Wendover.

1687

The King, being surrounded by Roman Catholic priests, soon gave indication of his designs against the reformed religion; the Earl of Shrewsbury, who was a stanch Protestant, resigned his commission, and afterwards proceeded to Holland and joined the Prince of Orange, to whom the nation began to look for deliverance from popish tyranny. His Majesty appointed, in January, 1687, Marmaduke Lord Langdale, to the Colonelcy of the regiment, who was succeeded in the following month by the Honourable Richard Hamilton, a Roman Catholic officer, from the Colonelcy of a regiment of dragoons in Ireland.

1688

From this period until that great national event, the Revolution in 1688, few circumstances occurred, in which Hamilton's regiment was particularly concerned, worthy of being recorded in this memoir. It was encamped on Hounslow Heath in the summer of 1687, and also in that of 1688; and its Colonel being a Papist, the attempt made by the King to introduce officers and soldiers of that religion into the army, would, doubtless, meet with no obstruction in this corps. The majority of the officers and men were, however, firmly attached to the Protestant cause.

The King had raised and equipped a fine army for the purpose of making it subservient to his insidious designs; but the troops proved faithful to the interests of their country and religion, and an association of officers was secretly formed at the camp on Hounslow Heath, in favour of the Prince of Orange, who was preparing an army to invade England and to rescue the kingdom from the power of the Papists.

Information having been received of the designs of the Prince of Orange, Hamilton's Cuirassiers were ordered to Ipswich, where the Earl of Arran's regiment (now Fourth Dragoon Guards), and the Queen's (now Third) Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Alexander Cannon, were assembled under the orders of Major-General Sir John Lanier, to preserve Landguard Fort, and to prevent the Prince landing there; and two regiments of horse and one of dragoons were stationed at Colchester to support this force, if necessary. Sir John Lanier is stated by King James, in his memoirs, to have been one of the associated officers, and to have resolved to seize on the Earl of Arran, and Colonels Hamilton and Cannon, and to have joined the Prince with the three regiments; but this arrangement, in which King James states, in his memoirs, most of the officers had agreed to co-operate, was rendered void by his Highness landing at Torbay.

Hamilton's Cuirassiers were afterwards ordered to march to the metropolis, and from thence to Salisbury; but a general defection appearing in the army, the King fled to France; the Prince of Orange ordered the regiment to march to Fenny Stratford, and its Colonel, the Honourable Richard Hamilton, was confined in the Tower of London, for holding a commission for which he was disqualified by law, he being a Papist.

On the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on the Lieutenant-Colonel, John Coy; and during the eight succeeding years it bore the title of Coy's Horse, or Cuirassiers.

All the Papists having been dismissed, the regiment received a draft of one hundred men and horses from the Marquis of Miremont's regiment of horse,—a corps which had been recently raised, and was now disbanded.

1689

These events were followed by the accession of William and Mary, the Prince and Princess of Orange, to the throne; and the first duty in which the regiment was called upon to engage under the new dynasty, was the patrolling of the public roads to prevent highway robberies, which, owing to the commotions recently experienced in society, had become very frequent. It also furnished a detachment to protect the King's herd of deer in the Forest of Dean against the depredations of organized bands of deer-stealers.

From these duties Coy's Horse were soon relieved to engage in military operations in Ireland, which country had become the theatre of intestine war. The Papists were in arms in favour of King James, who had arrived in Ireland with a body of troops from France; and, following that system of cruelty which has invariably been practised when religion has been the subject of contention, the hapless Protestants, being the weaker party, had been made to feel the full weight of Catholic vengeance. Many of the Protestants, particularly in Inniskilling and Londonderry, had taken arms. King William sent a body of troops under Duke Schomberg to their aid, and Coy's Horse embarked at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the middle of August, 1689, for the same service.

After landing at Belfast, the regiment was employed in covering the siege of Carrickfergus, and had its post in the lines before the town. This place having surrendered on the 28th of August, a detachment of the regiment, commanded by Captain Sir William Russel, escorted the garrison, consisting of two regiments of foot, "all stout fellows, but ill clothed," the first stage from the town; and such cruelties had been practised by the Papists, that, according to Story, who was an eye-witness, the troopers experienced some difficulty in preserving the Catholic soldiers from being torn to pieces by the country people, who were stimulated to revenge by the remembrance of past injuries.

The regiment afterwards advanced with the army towards Newry, where a party of the enemy was assembled, who, on the approach of the English, set fire to the town, and retreated over the mountains to Dundalk. The English passed the mountains on the following day, when the enemy quitted Dundalk and retired to Atherdee, where the main body of King James's army was assembled.

Marshal Duke Schomberg, finding Dundalk to be a strong situation, with a convenient harbour for obtaining supplies from England, and knowing that the enemy's army was more than double his own in numbers, formed an intrenched camp, where he resolved to continue during the remainder of the campaign; but the ground where the troops were encamped being low, and the weather proving wet, this injudicious choice of situation proved so fatal to his army, that the infantry corps lost half their men from disease. Coy's Horse remained at Dundalk upwards of a month, and afterwards proceeded to Carlingford for the convenience of forage. During the winter, detached parties had frequent encounters with the bands of armed Papists who prowled the country, committing every description of outrage; and an out-guard of the regiment, posted in the pass of Newry, was sharply engaged with a party of the enemy, who attempted to force the pass, but were repulsed with loss, the gallant English Cuirassiers proving more than a match for their antagonists.

1690

In June, 1690, King William arrived in Ireland to command the army in person, and the regiment was now called upon to serve under the eye of its sovereign. This circumstance is said to have given rise to a laudable feeling of emulation in all ranks of the army, and the troopers longed for an opportunity to distinguish themselves in presence of their King. The desired opportunity soon occurred; the King, advancing up to the banks of the Boyne, found the enemy in position on the opposite side of the river, and the troops prepared for battle. This regiment was with His Majesty on the evening preceding the battle, while reconnoitring the enemy's position, and was exposed to a cannonade, on which occasion the King was wounded in the shoulder, and the regiment had three men and nine horses killed.

Early on the 1st of July, as the rays of morning-light shed their lustre on the camp, the English and Dutch troops appeared in motion, every man displaying a green branch in his hat; and soon the columns were seen advancing towards the Boyne, their glittering arms, waving plumes, and floating banners, exhibiting all the pomp of war: the French and Irish stood to their arms and prepared to defend their post. Coy's Horse, forming part of the cavalry of the right wing, were in the column which forded the river near Slane Bridge; some opposition was made by a regiment of Irish dragoons, which was attacked, and its commanding officer and about 70 men killed. After passing the river, the troops advanced through large corn-fields, crossed several deep ditches, and overcoming every obstacle with an ardour which bespoke the valour and confidence which glowed in every breast, the enemy's left wing was dismayed and retreated towards Duleck. Coy's Horse were amongst the squadrons which galloped forward in pursuit, and charging the Irish foot, cut them down with a great slaughter. While these events were transpiring on the right, King William passed the river with the main body of his forces: the enemy was overpowered at every point, and His Majesty stood triumphant on the field of battle. King James fled to Dublin, and afterwards to France, and was followed by the French troops; but the Irish Papists resolved to maintain his cause to the last extremity.

Coy's Horse advanced with King William to Dublin, and were afterwards with the army before Limerick, during the unsuccessful siege of that place, when His Majesty returned to England, the regiment went into quarters near Cork.

1691

In the depth of the winter an incursion into the enemy's cantonments was resolved upon; and the regiment having joined the forces selected for that service, advanced, on the 31st of December, into the county of Kerry. On arriving near Brewsterfield, the van-guard, consisting of a troop of this regiment and one of Eppinger's Dragoons, encountered a party of 160 of the enemy's cavalry. Coy's Horse and the dragoons instantly drew their swords, and advanced to charge their opponents, who fled in a panic. Continuing its route, the detachment took a number of prisoners, also drove seven troops of Irish horse and twenty-one of dragoons from Tralee, and afterwards returned to its quarters.

When the army took the field in the summer of 1691, Coy's Horse were left in dispersed quarters in the county of Cork to overawe the disaffected, and to check the depredations of the bands of Papists, whose proceedings were very injurious to the Protestants; the regiment was, consequently, not at the battle of Aghrim, but it afterwards joined the army near Limerick, and was employed in the siege of that place.

On the 16th of September, a squadron of the regiment, with a strong party of dragoons and infantry, crossed the Shannon by a pontoon bridge before break of day, surprised and defeated a body of the enemy, and captured a standard; also surprised the troops in the camp near the town, and forced them to make a precipitate flight to the mountains. On the 24th of the same month, a cessation of hostilities took place, which ended in a treaty, and the authority of King James was extinguished in Ireland.

1692
1693

The regiment, having thus performed its part in reducing Ireland to submission to the authority of King William, embarked at Belfast in the beginning of 1692, and after its arrival in England it was quartered at Huntingdon, Chester, and St. Ives; from whence it proceeded to the vicinity of London, and, for a short time, assisted the Life Guards in performing the escort duty for the royal family. It was, however, allowed but a short period of home service before it was called upon to take the field against a foreign enemy.

King William was engaged in a war to restrain the ambitious designs of Louis XIV. of France, who sought to become the dictator of Europe and the destroyer of the reformed religion. After the severe loss sustained by the confederates at the battle of Landen, in 1693, the British monarch gave orders for Colonel Coy to proceed with his regiment of horse to the Netherlands, and to join the army in that country.

1694

On its arrival in Flanders, the regiment was placed in quarters at Ghent; from whence it marched to Tirlemont, and, joining the army commanded by King William in person, took part in the operations of the long and toilsome campaign of 1694, but was not engaged in any action of importance.

1695

In the following year the regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege of the strong and important fortress of Namur, which was superintended by King William in person. Two magnificent armies confronted each other, and manœuvred, the one to prevent, and the other to ensure, the capture of this strong fortress; and it was eventually taken by the forces commanded by His Britannic Majesty. About a month after the surrender of the castle of Namur, the regiment marched into quarters at Ghent.

1696

King William reviewed the regiment near Ghent, in May, 1696, and expressed his approbation of its appearance. During this summer it formed part of the army of Flanders, under the orders of the veteran Prince of Vaudemont, and was encamped for several months on the canal between Ghent and Bruges, and its services were limited to defensive measures for the preservation of these two places, and the maritime towns of Flanders from the attacks of the enemy. On the 4th of October, the regiment returned to its former station at Ghent.

1697

From Ghent the regiment marched in May, 1697, to join the army of Brabant, and was encamped a short time at St. Quintin Linneck. The French besieged the town of Aeth; and a body of troops was sent out, under Brigadier-General Lumley, to make a reconnoissance towards Enghien, with the view of attacking the French army and raising the siege. A detachment of Coy's Horse, commanded by Sir William Russel, formed the advance-guard on this occasion; and when on the march, he encountered a party of French hussars, carabiniers, and dragoons. Upon notice of the approach of the enemy, the main body of the British force concealed itself in the wood, and formed an ambush; and the advance-guard retiring, the French advanced boldly forward, and were nearly every man killed or taken prisoner.

The design of relieving Aeth was afterwards laid aside; King William retired, and subsequently took up a position before Brussels.

Colonel John Coy having obtained His Majesty's permission to dispose of the Colonelcy of the regiment to Charles Earl of Arran,[7] brother of the Duke of Ormond, his lordship was appointed to the regiment on the 1st of July, 1697; and during the succeeding five years it was styled Arran's Horse.

King William, after waging war for the good of Europe a period of nine years, had the satisfaction of seeing his endeavours succeeded by a treaty of peace, which was signed at Ryswick in September of this year.

1698

Shortly after this event, Arran's Horse were ordered to return to England, where they arrived in January, 1698, and were quartered at Coventry, Daventry, and Towcester.

1699
1700

The army in England having been reduced by the House of Commons to the low establishment of seven thousand men, King William was under the necessity of disbanding several corps, and of sending others to Ireland. This regiment was one of the corps selected to proceed to Ireland, where it arrived in the summer of 1700, and its numbers were reduced to thirty-six private men per troop.

1701

The repose granted to Europe by the treaty of Ryswick was, however, of short duration. Louis XIV. of France, procured the accession of his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain; this virtual union of two powerful states, rekindled the flame of war; and the Earl of Arran's regiment was one of the cavalry corps ordered to be augmented to fifty-seven private men per troop, and held in readiness to proceed on foreign service; but so great was the difficulty experienced in raising an army of sufficient numbers to meet the exigence of the nation on this sudden emergency, that only three troops of the regiment could, in the first instance, be spared from Ireland.

1702

These three troops landed at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the beginning of March, 1702, and marching to London, embarked in transports on the river Thames in the beginning of April, and sailed for Holland.

The decease of King William, who might justly be styled the protector of the reformed religion, and the accession of Queen Anne, produced no alteration in the foreign policy of the British court. The war was prosecuted with vigour, and the three troops of Arran's Horse, forming one squadron, were attached to Brigadier-General Wood's regiment (now Third Dragoon Guards), and served the campaign of this year under the Earl of Marlborough. The British horse, had, however no opportunity of signalizing themselves in action this year; their services being limited to out-post duty, and covering the sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde, Stevenswaert, and the famous city of Liege, which fortresses were captured by the British commander.

1703

The Earl of Arran having been promoted to the Colonelcy of the third troop of Life Guards, Queen Anne conferred the command of the regiment on Brigadier-General Cadogan (afterwards Earl Cadogan), from the Sixth, or Inniskilling Dragoons, by commission, dated the 2d of March, 1703.

The three troops of the regiment on foreign service, now bearing the title of Cadogan's Horse, continued to serve throughout the campaign of this year with Brigadier-General Wood's regiment. In a slight skirmish near Haneff, in the beginning of June, a small detachment evinced the martial spirit and valour of British troopers; and in the various movements of the army before the enemy, the national character was fully sustained. The French commanders avoided an engagement, and after covering the sieges of Huy and Limburg, Cadogan's Horse went into quarters for the winter in Holland.

1704

In the beginning of the following year the other three troops of the regiment were withdrawn from Ireland, and after occupying quarters a short time at Northampton, embarked (4th April, 1704) for Holland.

The six troops were thus united in time for the whole regiment to take part in the glorious exploits of the campaign of 1704, in which that noble ardour and chivalric spirit which has raised Britain to its present exalted station among the nations of Europe, were displayed by the army under the Duke of Marlborough in a signal manner. Confidence in the commander has always given additional life and vigour to innate valour, and the troops having already proved the military virtues of their leader, the great Marlborough was enabled to march his forces from the ocean to the Danube, and to gain new honours in the heart of Germany.

This enterprise was undertaken in consequence of the armies of France and Bavaria having united against the Emperor of Germany, and the British general advanced to the aid of the house of Austria, which was thus menaced by a force which it was unable to withstand. Quitting the territory of the Dutch republic the army crossed the Rhine, and traversed the various states of Germany with a degree of order and regularity which bespoke a high state of discipline, united with excellent arrangements, while the nations of Europe gazed with astonishment at the undertaking.

Having arrived at the theatre of war and joined the Imperial army, the first action of importance was the attack of a body of French and Bavarians commanded by the Count d'Arco, at their entrenched camp on the lofty heights of Schellenberg, on the 2d of July. On this occasion the cavalry supported the attacks of the infantry, and when the enemy was forced from the entrenchments, the brilliant charge of the English horse, and Royal Scots Dragoons (the Greys) completed the overthrow; the hostile army lost its colours, cannon, and baggage, and numbers of French and Bavarians fell beneath the conquering sabres of the British horsemen, who chased their adversaries to the banks of the Danube, and captured many prisoners. Cadogan's Horse were commanded on this occasion by Lieutenant-Colonel George Kellum, and had Major Napier,[8] Lieutenant Tettefall, and several private men wounded; and sustained a serious loss in troop horses, from having been exposed to a heavy cannonade: their Colonel, Brigadier-General Cadogan, was also wounded.

This action was the precursor of a greater overthrow to the forces of the enemy, who made efforts to retrieve his affairs; new armies and new generals appeared; but these only served to augment the splendour of victory, and to enhance the value of the conquerors in the estimation of the world. The action was fought in the valley of the Danube, near the village of Blenheim, on the 13th of August, and the English horsemen, who during the two preceding campaigns had panted for an opportunity to signalize themselves, had a fair field in which to display their valour and prowess, and they gave undeniable proofs of their good qualities. The Gallo-Bavarian army was destroyed; its commander, Marshal Tallard, and many entire battalions and squadrons were made prisoners of war; and the field of battle was literally covered with trophies.

The victory was most complete and decisive, and it was not gained over new levies; but over an army of veterans fully instructed in the art of war,—select troops flushed with former successes, and commanded by generals of great bravery and experience.[9] This regiment had only one officer (Lieutenant Groubere) killed; its loss in non-commissioned officers and private men has not been recorded.

The regiment took part in the subsequent operations of the main army; and after covering the siege of Laudan, it marched back to Holland for winter quarters.

1705

In the following summer the regiment marched with the army through the Duchy of Juliers, and crossed the Moselle and the Saar, in order to carry on the war in Alsace; but the Duke of Marlborough, being disappointed of the promised co-operation of the Imperialists, marched back to the Netherlands.

The French had, with much labour and art, constructed a line of fortifications of many miles extent to cover their recently acquired territory in the Spanish Netherlands, and Cadogan's Horse having been selected to form part of the division to be employed in forcing these lines, had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves, and their valour shone forth with as bright a lustre as in any of the heroes in the ancient days of chivalry. The British commander, having by skilful movements succeeded in drawing the main body of the French army from the point selected for the attack, forced the lines at Helixem and Neer-Hespen at day-break on the morning of the 18th of July, and the pioneers levelled a space for the cavalry to pass over; but scarcely had the British horse passed the barriers, when the Marquis d'Allegre appeared with fifty squadrons of cavalry and twenty battalions of infantry to drive back the British forces. The sun had risen, and the French army was in full march to oppose this sudden attack on their lines; hence every moment was of importance, and a sharp fire of musketry having forced the enemy from a hollow way, the Duke of Marlborough ordered forward his heavy cavalry to charge the hostile horsemen. The two squadrons of this regiment led the attack with their characteristic gallantry, and were opposed to adversaries of valour and renown,—the famous Bavarian Horse Grenadier Guards. Against these celebrated antagonists Cadogan's Horse advanced; the weight and power of their compact line were irresistible, and the Bavarians were broken at the first shock; but they soon rallied, and renewing the conflict with increasing ardour, gained a temporary advantage. At this critical juncture the Duke of Marlborough was separated from his troops and in imminent danger, when Cadogan's Horse, exasperated at the momentary repulse, and still more so at the peril of their renowned chief, returned to the charge; the grand spectacle of two spirited corps of heavy cavalry rushing upon each other with reckless fury, was soon followed by the clash of swords and shouts of the combatants as they fought hand to hand with sanguinary fury; but British prowess and British valour soon proved triumphant, and the Bavarians were overpowered and fled before the conquering sabres of Cadogan's troopers, who chased their adversaries from the field, took many prisoners, and captured four standards. In their flight the hostile horsemen rode over two battalions of their own foot, and these battalions were severely handled by the British horse. Finally, the enemy was routed; the Marquis d'Allegre, and many officers and men were made prisoners, and this gallant enterprise was attended with complete success.

On this occasion the regiment, which forms the subject of this memoir, gained great honour; the Duke of Marlborough observed in one of his letters,—"Never men fought better!" and in his public despatch he states, "They acquitted themselves with a bravery surpassing all that could have been hoped of them." The author of the Annals of Queen Anne observed:—"All the troops of the confederates behaved themselves with great bravery and resolution; but among the Horse the regiment of Brigadier Cadogan distinguished themselves, having had the honour to charge first, which they did with that success, that they defeated four squadrons of Bavarian Guards, drove them through two battalions of their own foot, and took four standards; and this with the loss only of Lieutenant Austin and some few men killed."

The following description of the standards captured on this occasion is copied from the London Gazette.

"Nine standards of blue satin, richly embroidered with the Bavarian arms; six belonging to the Elector's own troops, and three to those of Cologne, having the following devices and mottoes."

1st. A laurel; motto, Aut Coronari aut rumpi.

2d. An olive-tree on a rock; motto, Per Ardua Laurus.

3d. A pillar reaching to the clouds; motto, Tantum Umbra movetur.

4th. A bear rampant; motto, Ex Vulnere Crudelior.

5th. A dove with a laurel branch; motto, Uni servo fidem.

6th. A chaos; motto, Obstantia firmant.

7th. A helmet with a feather on a pedestal; motto, Ex duris Gloria.

8th. An olive-tree shading serpents; motto, Nocet Umbra nocenti.

9th. A standard of the Elector's guards with the colour torn to pieces.

Four of these standards were taken by Cadogan's Horse; the corps which captured the other five standards are not specified.

Brigadier-General Cadogan's Horse forcing the French Lines, 18th July, 1705:—
NOW FIFTH (THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S) REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

1706

After this victory the regiment was employed in several manœuvres; but it was not engaged in any action of importance until the battle of Ramilies, fought on Whit-Sunday, the 23d of May, 1706, when the French, Bavarians, and Spaniards, commanded by Marshal Villeroy and the Elector of Bavaria, sustained another decisive overthrow, and Cadogan's Horse acquired new laurels in the contest. On this occasion the English cavalry were kept in reserve near the heights of Foulz until towards the close of the action, when they were brought forward, and the weight and fury of the charge of these heavy horsemen were irresistible; the enemy's squadrons and battalions were broken; and the British troopers,—strong men on powerful horses,—smote their antagonists to the ground with a dreadful slaughter. The victorious squadrons pursued their adversaries throughout the night, capturing officers and soldiers, colours, standards, and cannon; and thus, in a few hours, the French monarch's fine and well-appointed army was nearly annihilated, and its commanders escaped from the field with difficulty.

This glorious victory was followed by the submission of a great part of Spanish Brabant and Flanders to the house of Austria; and in a few days after the battle, this regiment was selected to form part of a detachment commanded by its Colonel, Brigadier-General Cadogan, sent from the main army, to summon Antwerp, which place was surrendered on the 7th of June.

The regiment was subsequently employed in the blockade of Dendermond, and continued before that town until its surrender on the 5th of September.

1707

During the campaigns from 1702 to 1706 the British regiments of horse had not worn cuirasses. In the preceding century armour had, as already stated, fallen, to a great extent, into disuse; several English regiments of heavy cavalry delivered their cuirasses into the Tower of London in November, 1688; but subsequently had them returned: they were, however, again placed in store after the peace of Ryswick. The French and other continental nations had continued the use of defensive armour, and it having been observed that the English heavy cavalry, though they proved victorious, frequently sustained a very serious loss in killed, they were, in order to place them on an equality with their antagonists, again supplied with cuirasses in the spring of 1707.

In the summer of this year, when the regiment took the field, it again appeared as a corps of Cuirassiers: the campaign was passed in manœuvring; and the French acting on the defensive, a few skirmishes between detached parties was all the fighting which took place.

1708

The following campaign was, however, distinguished by more important events. The enemy assembled an immense army, and advancing from behind their lines, gained possession of Ghent and Bruges (which places had been wrested from them in 1706), and advanced to Oudenarde, with the design of besieging that town. The Duke of Marlborough sent Major-General Cadogan forward with three brigades of infantry and eight squadrons of Hanoverian cavalry, and following with the main army, this movement brought on a general engagement, which was fought in the ground near the banks of the Scheldt on the 11th of July. The reputation already acquired by the British regiments of horse, occasioned them to be accounted a choice body of troops; and they were kept in reserve ready to advance at the moment when a powerful charge of heavy cavalry was likely to prove decisive. For a short time they were formed in column behind the right wing; and advancing from thence, supported the attacks of the infantry; but the enemy was overpowered, and darkness put an end to the conflict before this compact body of Cuirassiers was called upon to charge.

After this victory, the Duke of Marlborough was joined by a body of Germans, under the orders of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and, to the astonishment of all Europe, these two commanders resolved to besiege the important fortress of Lisle. Cadogan's Cuirassiers formed part of the covering army, and the attempts of the enemy to raise the siege were all frustrated.

Six hundred waggons, laden with necessaries for the army, were advancing from Ostend towards Lisle, under an escort commanded by Major-General Webb; and the enemy having detached twenty-two thousand men to intercept this convoy, the Duke of Marlborough sent Major-General Cadogan with a body of horse to reinforce the guard, and this regiment formed part of the force sent forward. The enemy attacked the convoy in the wood of Wynendale, and Major-General Webb made a most skilful and gallant defence. As this regiment approached the wood, the noise of combat was heard; the squadrons galloped forward, and the moment they arrived at the scene of conflict, the French desisted, and made a precipitate retreat; and the waggons were brought in safety to the camp. The fate of Lisle depended, in a great measure, on the safe arrival of this convoy; and Major-General Webb was rewarded with the thanks of Parliament and the approbation of Queen Anne for his conduct.

The siege of Lisle was continued, and the enemy being unable to relieve the place, resolved to make an attack upon Brussels. The covering army, of which Cadogan's Cuirassiers formed part, was put in motion; and having forced the passage of the Scheldt, the Elector of Bavaria raised the siege of Brussels and retreated. The citadel of Lisle surrendered on the 9th of December, and Ghent and Bruges were also recaptured before the army entered into winter quarters.

1709

In the summer of 1709, when the siege of the strong fortress of Tournay was resolved upon, this was one of the regiments which first invested the town on the 27th of June, 1709. After the capture of this place, the army advanced towards Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault, with the design of capturing that important city. The French army, commanded by Marshals Villiers and Boufflers, manœuvred to prevent the loss of Mons, and this brought on the sanguinary battle of Malplaquet, where the British regiments of horse encountered enemies who fought with greater spirit and obstinacy than on any former occasion during this war. This battle was fought on the 11th of September, 1709. The enemy had an advantageous position, covered by thick woods, protected by barriers of trees cut down and laid across each other, with a treble entrenchment, batteries, and pallisades; and within these formidable works were collected the choicest troops of France under commanders of renown. This post was attacked with a bravery which overcame all opposition; the woods were pierced, the obstacles were overcome, and the fortifications were trampled down. The position having been forced, the Duke of Marlborough led the British Cuirassiers and Prussian cavalry against the French gens d'armes, who were routed and chased from the ground; but scarcely were these squadrons overcome, when the British and Prussian horse encountered a compact line of French cavalry of the royal household, and were driven back in some disorder. The British horse soon rallied, and returning to the charge, overcame their celebrated adversaries, and the French squadrons were driven from the field. The allies were victorious, but they sustained a severe loss in killed and wounded.

Cadogan's Horse were afterwards employed in covering the siege of Mons, which was terminated by the surrender of the place on the 20th of October.

1710

During the campaign of 1710, the regiment was employed in covering the sieges of Douay, Bethune, Aire, and St. Venant, and in protecting convoys of military stores to the besieging troops.

1711

In the summer of 1711, the imperialists, under Prince Eugene, having returned to Germany, the Duke of Marlborough confronted the French army with the forces under his orders. The French had constructed very extensive and strong lines of fortifications to cover their frontiers, and within these lines they had collected a numerous army. The Duke, by a skilful device, induced them to destroy their fort at Arleux; and then, by menacing their lines between the head of the Sanzet and Hesdin, caused them to withdraw part of their garrisons from Arras and Cambray, with the troops which guarded the lines in the direction of Arleux. In the mean time his grace was continually sending detachments towards Douay, where a considerable body of troops was assembled without attracting notice, and amongst these forces were the two squadrons of Cadogan's Cuirassiers. Having reconnoitred the lines on the 4th of August, the Duke gave orders for the troops to prepare for the attack on the following morning, and the French army prepared to receive him with eclat; but at the dead of the night, Lieutenant-General Cadogan, having advanced with great secrecy with the troops from Douay, passed the lines at the causeway of Arleux, which the French commander, in his anxiety to collect all the troops he could to resist the menaced attack, had left unguarded; and the main army struck its tents in the night, and marched in the same direction. When Marshal Villiers heard that his lines were passed, he was astounded. He took with him the household cavalry, and, ordering his army to follow as quickly as possible, rode with all speed, until he came within the English out-guards, and his feelings were so excited, that he was nearly surrounded by a troop of Cadogan's Horse before he was conscious of danger; he had proceeded with such rapidity that the whole of his escort, except a hundred of the best mounted dragoons, was left behind; he ordered these dragoons to throw themselves into the old castle of Oisy, which was at hand, and himself and two officers of his staff escaped; but the dragoons were surrounded and made prisoners.

Having thus passed these extensive lines, which the French commander had vauntingly called Marlborough's ne plus ultra, his grace besieged the strong and important fortress of Bouchain, situate on the Scheldt, in the taking of which place, difficulties of great magnitude had to be overcome. Marshal Villiers, by a secret march, during the night of the 9th of August, gained possession of the heights of Wavrechin, in order to preserve the line of communication which runs from thence, through a morass between the Scheldt and the Senset, to the town of Bouchain, that he might be enabled to relieve the garrison from time to time. The Duke of Marlborough, observing the enemy at work, throwing up entrenchments on the hill, ordered Lieutenant-Generals Cadogan and Fagel to march with a body of troops, of which Cadogan's Horse formed part, to dislodge the French. As the British grenadiers advanced to the attack, his grace rode forwards to reconnoitre the works on the hill; and observing that the entrenchment was a perfect bulwark, strong and lofty, and crouded with men and cannon, he gave orders for the troops to retire.

On the following day Marshal Villiers issued from the works with a hundred hussars, to observe the progress of his opponent, and encountered Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who was reconnoitering with a squadron of horse. A skirmish ensued, and four squadrons of French carabineers advanced to aid the marshal. Cadogan, being thus out-numbered, made a precipitate retreat, which occasioned the enemy to pursue with great eagerness. Meanwhile, Cadogan's Horse and two other squadrons, advanced from the camp, and formed up beyond the summit of a rising ground, where they were out of the enemy's sight; and the moment the French carabineers appeared on the top of the hill, they were charged by Cadogan's squadrons with such resolution, that they were immediately broken. Marshal Villiers was in danger of being surrounded and taken prisoner, but a French brigadier-general interposed, with singular bravery, and rescued the marshal. The gallant brigadier was severely wounded and taken prisoner, and most of his men cut down by the British Cuirassiers; and Marshal Villiers galloped back with his shattered squadrons with greater haste than he had advanced.

Fortifications were afterwards constructed, with a causeway through the inundations, and the communication between the town of Bouchain and the troops on the heights of Wavrechin was cut off. The siege was prosecuted with zeal and energy, and Marshal Villiers and a numerous French army were spectators of the capture of this important fortress. After the works were repaired and the place put in a state of defence, the troops were placed in winter quarters.

The splendid successes of the army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough, who never fought a battle which he did not win, nor besieged a town which he did not capture, had effected a complete revolution in the affairs of Europe, and the King of France saw his generals over-matched,—his armies beaten and dispirited,—his possessions wrested from him,—the barriers of his kingdom trampled down,—his fortresses captured, and a powerful army, with an invincible leader, ready to carry all the horrors of war into the heart of France: with his designs thus frustrated, and his kingdom thus menaced, the ambitious Louis XIV., who had thought to have dictated laws to christendom, became a negociator for peace.

1712

In the summer of 1712, while the conditions of the treaty were under consideration, the regiment again took the field, and, advancing to the frontiers of France, formed part of the army under the orders of the Duke of Ormond, and encamped at Cateau-Cambresis during the siege of Quesnoy.

A suspension of hostilities was soon afterwards published between the British and French, and the army retired from Cateau-Cambresis to Ghent, where the English Cuirassiers and several other corps were encamped for a short time, and afterwards were placed in quarters.

Political events connected with the amity which had been induced between the British and French courts, in consequence of a change of measures; the conditions of the treaty of peace then under consideration; and the disagreement between the Duke of Marlborough and Queen Anne; occasioned Lieutenant-General Cadogan, who was a stanch Protestant and a warm advocate for the succession of the house of Hanover, to be called upon to dispose of his commission; and he was succeeded in the Colonelcy of this regiment by Lieutenant-General George Kellum, who had been many years the Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, and whose commission as Colonel was dated 22nd of December, 1712.

1713
1714

The regiment, now styled Kellum's Horse, was placed upon the Irish establishment in June, 1713; but it remained in comfortable quarters in Flanders until the early part of the year 1714, when it embarked for Ireland. The treaty of peace having been concluded, the troopers of this regiment could look back with triumph and exultation at their brilliant career during the late eventful and important war; and although there were circumstances connected with the conduct of their government calculated to produce painful feelings, yet, conscious of their own merit and justly acquired fame, the officers and soldiers could rejoice that, by their well-directed exertions, they had humbled the enemies of their country, the British troops had become celebrated for valour and intrepidity throughout Europe, and that the turmoil and horrors of war were succeeded by the blessings and enjoyments of peace.

1715
1716

After its arrival in Ireland, the regiment was stationed for a short time at Dublin; and having been thus removed from the scenes of conflict and bloodshed in which it had for several years been engaged, to the more pacific and easy duties of home service, the Cuirasses were again returned into store. Ireland was not, however, in a state of internal tranquillity; the decease of Queen Anne and the accession of King George I. were followed by great exertions on the part of the friends of the house of Stuart, who were numerous in Ireland; and when the rebellion broke out in Scotland in 1715, and extended itself to England, this event gave buoyancy to the expectations of the malcontents in Ireland. The troops in Ireland were kept in a state of constant readiness for active service; several corps embarked for England, and the fidelity of the ARMY preserved the kingdom from anarchy and papal domination; by the exertions of the troops the rebellion was suppressed, and the country restored to tranquillity.

1717

In the spring of 1717, Lieutenant-General George Kellum retired from the service, and King George I. was graciously pleased to confer the Colonelcy on the Lieutenant-Colonel, Robert Napier, who was celebrated for his conduct at the head of the regiment in several actions in the Netherlands, and was wounded in the action at Schellenberg.

About this period, the distinguishing colour, or facing of the regiment, was changed from buff to green, and it has continued of this colour to the present time (1838); its lace was also changed from silver to gold. The men having green waistcoats, breeches, and horse furniture, the regiment was emphatically styled the Green Horse, and this appellation has been continued to the present time.

1718
1740

The regiment remained in Ireland performing a successive routine of court and country duties, at the establishment of twenty-five private men per troop, until 1740, when an augmentation of ten men per troop was made to its numbers.

After the decease of Lieutenant-General Robert Napier, King George II. conferred the Colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General Clement Neville, from the Eighth Dragoons, his commission bearing date the 6th of May, 1740.

1741
1742
1743
1744

Another war having broken out on the continent, the establishment of the regiment received a further addition of ten men per troop in 1741. In the following year a British army was sent to Flanders under Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair; but the necessity for retaining a considerable body of troops in Ireland, occasioned this regiment to remain in that country. It, however, sent a detachment of sixty men and horses to Flanders in the beginning of 1743, to complete the three regiments of horse on foreign service, and another detachment was sent in 1744.

1745

Lieutenant-General Neville died on the 5th of August, 1744, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Richard Viscount Cobham, who, when Sir Richard Temple, highly distinguished himself in the wars of Queen Anne. He was removed in 1745 to the Tenth Dragoons, when His Majesty conferred the command of this regiment on Major-General Thomas Wentworth, from the Twenty-fourth Foot.

1746

When this regiment was first raised, it ranked as Seventh Horse; in 1690, the Fifth regiment of Horse was disbanded in Ireland, and the Sixth Horse became Fifth, and this regiment obtained rank as Sixth Horse, which rank it held until December, 1746, when the First Horse,—the royal regiment of Horse Guards,—ceased to bear a number: the Second, Third, and Fourth Horse were then constituted the First, Second, and Third Dragoon Guards; and this regiment was styled the Second Irish Horse, and sometimes called the Green Horse from the colour of its facings.

1747

In 1747, Major-General Thomas Wentworth died at Turin, where he was employed in a diplomatic capacity, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the Second Irish Horse, by Major-General Thomas Bligh, from the Twelfth Dragoons.

1748
1749

On the conclusion of a treaty of peace at Aix-la-Chapelle, a considerable diminution was made in the strength of the regular army, and in 1749 the establishment of the Second Irish Horse was reduced to twenty-one private men per troop.

1751

From the period of the formation of the regiment, several alterations had, from time to time, been made in the uniform and standards. The practice of having a standard to each troop had been discontinued, and one to each squadron was substituted. In 1742, King George II. caused a series of coloured engravings, representing the uniform of the several regiments of the army to be executed; and, as a few alterations had subsequently been made, a warrant was issued on the 1st of July, 1751, regulating the standards, colours, and clothing of the several regiments, from which the following particulars have been extracted relative to the Second Irish Horse:—

Coats.—Scarlet, the facings and lapels of full green; the button-holes worked with yellow, the buttons set on two and two; and a long slash pocket in each skirt.

Waistcoats } full green.
Breeches }

Hats.—Three-cornered cocked-hats, bound with yellow lace, and ornamented with a brass loop and a black cockade.

Boots.—Made of jacked leather.

Trumpeters.—Clothed in full green coats, faced and lapelled with red, and ornamented with white lace, having a red stripe down the middle: their waistcoats and breeches of red cloth.

Horse Furniture of full green; the holster caps and housings having a border of broad white lace with a red worm down the centre, and II H embroidered on a red ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles on each corner of the housings; and on the holster caps, the King's cypher and crown, with II H underneath.

Standards.—The first, or King's standard, to be of crimson damask, embroidered and fringed with gold; the rose and thistle conjoined, and crown over them in the centre; and underneath, His Majesty's motto, Dieu et mon droit: the white horse in a compartment in the first and fourth corners, and II H in gold characters, on a full green ground, in a compartment in the second and third corners. The second and third standards to be of full green damask, embroidered and fringed with gold; the rank of the regiment in gold Roman characters on a crimson ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk, and the motto, Vestigia nulla retrorsum, underneath: the white horse on a red ground in the first and fourth compartments, and the rose and thistle conjoined upon a red ground in the second and third compartments.

Officers to be distinguished by narrow gold lace or embroidery to the binding and button-holes of their coats; sword knots of crimson and gold in stripes; and crimson silk sashes worn over the left shoulder.

1758
1759
1760

On the 23d of October, 1758, Lieutenant-General Bligh was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the regiment by Major-General the Honourable John Waldegrave (afterwards Earl Waldegrave), who was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards in the following year. The Colonelcy appears to have remained vacant from September, 1759, to November, 1760, when it was conferred by King George III. on Major-General the Honourable John Fitz-William from the Second, or Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot.

1762

Another war having commenced in 1756, between Great Britain and France, a British army was sent to Germany in 1758; the establishment of this regiment was augmented to forty-nine private men per troop; and in 1762 the order prohibiting the regiment recruiting in Ireland was rescinded.

1763

The success of the British arms in Canada, the West Indies, and Germany, was followed by a treaty of peace, and after the return of the cavalry regiments from Germany, in the beginning of 1763, the establishment of the Second Irish Horse was again reduced to twenty-one private men per troop.

1776
1783

At this low establishment the regiment continued until the breaking out of the unfortunate contest between Great Britain and her North American colonies, when an augmentation of ten private men per troop was made to its numbers. No further alteration appears to have been made until the conclusion of the war, when, the independence of the United States having been acknowledged, its establishment was reduced to its former numbers.

1788

At this establishment it continued until the spring of 1788; when King George III., having resolved to form the two troops of Life Guards and two troops of Horse Grenadier Guards into two regiments of Life Guards on a similar establishment to that of the old regiments of horse, and to reduce the four regiments of horse on the Irish establishment to the pay of dragoons, with the title of Dragoon Guards, His Majesty's pleasure was communicated to the regiments in Ireland, in a General Order dated the 14th of February, 1788; and the Second Irish Horse was thus constituted the Fifth Dragoon Guards. In consequence of the regiment being placed upon a decreased rate of pay, compensation was given to the officers; to the colonel 150l. per year; to the lieutenant-colonel a gratuity of 575l.; to the major 525l.; captains, each, 475l.; captain-lieutenant and lieutenants, each, 350l.; and the cornets, each, 250l. Every private man had the option of his discharge, or a bounty of two guineas if he continued to serve.

Several alterations were made in the uniform of the regiment. The officers were directed to wear an epaulette on each shoulder. The flask-string was removed from the pouch belt, and the width of the belts reduced from four inches and a half to three inches; and the equipment was assimilated, in every particular, to that of the regiments of dragoons.

The establishment was fixed at one colonel and captain, one lieutenant-colonel and captain, one major and captain, three captains, six lieutenants, six cornets, one chaplain, one adjutant, one surgeon, six troop quarter-masters, six serjeants, twelve corporals, six trumpeters, one hundred and fourteen private men, and six dismounted men. The several alterations having been completed, the change of establishment took place on the 1st of April, 1788, and from this date the regiment has borne the title of Fifth Dragoon Guards; but the appellation of Green Horse has never been entirely discontinued.

1789
1790

In the following year, the regiment lost its colonel, General the Honourable John Fitz-William, who was succeeded on the 27th of August, 1789, by Lieutenant-General John Douglas, from the Fourteenth Foot. Lieutenant-General Douglas died on the 10th of November, 1790, and was succeeded by Major-General Thomas Bland, from the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons.

1793

After passing a period of nearly eighty years in Ireland, the regiment, having previously had a considerable augmentation made to its numbers, was ordered to hold itself in readiness for foreign service. This event was occasioned by the revolution which had taken place in France, where a party of republicans had seized the reins of government, had imprisoned the royal family, and had brought their sovereign to the scaffold; a proceeding which disorganized the state of society in one of the most civilized parts of the world,—gave rise to the formation of a new dynasty,—removed the basis on which the sovereign power was established,—and involved the great European states in a succession of destructive wars for a period of more than twenty years. Great Britain joined the confederacy against the regicide government of France, and sent, in the spring of 1793, a body of troops to the Netherlands, under the command of His Royal Highness the Duke of York. At the close of the summer, reinforcements were sent to Flanders, and on the 18th and 19th of September, the Fifth Dragoon Guards embarked at Dublin for the same destination.