TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

More detail can be found at [the end of the book.]

BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IV^TH.
and under the Patronage of
Her Majesty the Queen.
HISTORICAL RECORDS,
OF THE
British Army
Comprising the
History of every Regiment
IN HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE.
By Richard Cannon Esq^re.
Adjutant Generals Office, Horse Guards.
London
Printed by Authority:

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE FOURTEENTH,
OR,
THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REGIMENT
OF
FOOT:

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,

AND OF

ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1845.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:

PARKER, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,

MILITARY LIBRARY, WHITEHALL.

M.DCCC.XLV.

London:
Harrison and Co., Printers,
St. Martin's Lane.

THE FOURTEENTH,

OR

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

REGIMENT OF FOOT,

BEARS ON ITS REGIMENTAL COLOUR,

"TOURNAY"—"CORUNNA"—"WATERLOO"—
"JAVA"—"BHURTPORE,"

AND

THE ROYAL TIGER SUPERSCRIBED "INDIA,"

IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS DISTINGUISHED SERVICES ON THE
CONTINENT OF EUROPE, AND IN THE EAST INDIES.

The Regiment also bears on the Caps of the Grenadiers and Drummers,
The White Horse, with the motto Nec aspera terrent.

CONTENTS.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

PLATES.

HISTORICAL RECORDS

OF

THE BRITISH ARMY.

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 civilized 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.

14th Regiment.

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE FOURTEENTH,

OR

THE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE REGIMENT

OF

FOOT.

1685

In the summer of 1685 England was in a state of tranquillity; the minds of men were not, however, at ease respecting the religion of their king, James II., but they put the best construction on his conduct, and manufactures and commerce were flourishing; when suddenly James Duke of Monmouth invaded the western shores with a few followers, and asserted his claim to the sovereignty of the realm. The din of hostile preparation instantly resounded throughout the kingdom, and thousands of His Majesty's subjects laid aside the pursuits of industry, and arrayed themselves under the royal standard, to oppose the invader and his adherents. At this juncture Sir Edward Hales, Baronet, of Woodchurch, in the county of Kent, stood forward in the support of the Crown, and raised a company of one hundred musketeers and pikemen, for the king's service, at Canterbury and in its vicinity. Companies were also raised by the following loyal gentlemen:— —— Boynton, Esq., Robert Middleton, Henry Vaughan, Richard Brewer[1], William Broom, John Gifford, Thomas Gifford, Mark Talbot, John Chappell, and Rowland Watson, and these companies were constituted a regiment, of which Sir Edward Hales was appointed colonel, —— Boynton lieutenant-colonel, and Robert Middleton major, by commissions dated the 22nd of June, 1685; and the corps thus formed now bears the title of the Fourteenth Regiment of Foot. The general rendezvous of the regiment was at Canterbury; two companies had their rendezvous at Rochester and Chatham, and others at Sittingbourne and Feversham.

While the formation of the regiment was in progress, the rebel army was defeated at Sedgemoor, and the Duke of Monmouth was captured and beheaded. Sir Edward Hales's regiment was, however, one of the corps which the King resolved to retain in his service; the establishment was fixed at ten companies of sixty men each, and in the middle of August the regiment was encamped on Hounslow-heath, where it was reviewed by His Majesty; it afterwards marched to Gravesend and Tilbury, detaching two companies to Jersey, one to Guernsey, and two to Windsor.

1686

On the 1st of January, 1686, the establishment was estimated at the following numbers and rates of pay, viz.:—

1687

The regiment was again encamped on Hounslow-heath in the summer of 1687, and a grenadier company was added to its establishment. At this period the following officers were holding commissions in the regiment, viz.:—

After passing in review before the King and Queen, and other members of the royal family, the regiment struck its tents and marched to Plymouth, where it was stationed during the winter.

1688

From Plymouth the regiment marched to London in June, 1688, and took the duty at the Tower until the middle of August, when it was relieved by the Royal Fusiliers, and marched to Canterbury, and in September to Salisbury.

In the mean time the measures adopted by King James II. to establish Papacy and arbitrary government had filled the country with alarm. Among other proceedings the King claimed the power of dispensing with the oaths, required by law, on appointment to office; the colonel of the Fourteenth Regiment, Sir Edward Hales, had espoused the Roman Catholic religion; he, therefore, could not take the oaths, and was not eligible for his commission; he was prosecuted and convicted at Rochester assizes; but he moved the case into the Court of the King's Bench, and had judgment in his behalf; eleven of the twelve judges taking part with the King against the law. Many of the nobility solicited the Prince of Orange to aid them in opposing the measures of the court, and when the Prince arrived with a Dutch army, the King assembled his forces at Salisbury. The result may be told in a few words:—the English army refused to fight in the cause of Papacy and arbitrary government; the King, accompanied by Colonel Sir Edward Hales, and Quarter-Master Edward Syng, of this regiment, attempted to escape to France in disguise; but they were apprehended on board of a Custom-house vessel at Feversham, and Sir Edward Hales was afterwards confined in the Tower of London. The King made a second attempt, and arrived in France in safety. The Prince of Orange issued orders for the regiment to occupy quarters at Waltham, in Hampshire, and conferred the colonelcy on William Beveridge, an officer of the English brigade in the Dutch service, by commission dated the 31st of December, 1688.

1689

The accession of William Prince of Orange and his consort to the throne was opposed in Scotland, and in the spring of 1689 the regiment was ordered to march towards the north; it was stationed a short time at Berwick, where it was inspected on the 14th of June by the commissioners for re-modelling the army: in August it received orders to march to Edinburgh.

1690
1691

The regiment was employed in various services in Scotland and the north of England until the insurgent clans had lost all hope of success, and in 1691 they tendered their submission to the government of King William III.

1692

In the spring of 1692, the regiment embarked for Flanders, to take part in the war in which the British monarch was engaged, to preserve the liberties of Europe against the ambitious projects of the court of France. Scarcely had it arrived at the seat of war, and taken post in one of the fortified towns of West Flanders, when the French monarch assembled his army near La Hogue, and prepared a fleet to convey the troops to England, for the purpose of replacing King James on the throne. The regiment was immediately ordered to return, and having landed at Greenwich in the early part of May, it was held in readiness to repel the invaders, should they venture to land on the British shores; but while the menace of invasion was producing considerable alarm in England, the French fleet sustained a decisive defeat off La Hogue, and the danger instantly vanished: the hopes of the Jacobites were frustrated, and the ascendancy of Protestant principles insured. The regiment was afterwards encamped near Portsmouth, and it formed part of an expedition under the Duke of Leinster, afterwards Duke Schomberg, against the coast of France; but the French naval force having been nearly annihilated at the sea-fight off La Hogue, Louis XIV. expected a descent, and had drawn so many troops from the interior to the coast, that the Duke of Leinster did not venture to land. After menacing the French shores at several points, to produce a diversion in favour of the confederate army in the Netherlands, the fleet sailed to the Downs, from whence it proceeded to Ostend, where the troops landed: they took possession of and fortified the towns of Furnes and Dixmude, and several regiments afterwards returned to England.

On the 14th of November Colonel William Beveridge was killed in a duel with one of the captains; and King William afterwards conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel John Tidcomb, from the Thirteenth Foot.

1693

The Fourteenth was one of the regiments which remained in Flanders, and it took the field in May, 1693, to serve the campaign of that year with the confederate army, commanded by King William in person, who took possession of the camp at Parck, near Louvain, to prevent the designs of Louis XIV. on Brabant.

After taking part in several movements, the regiment was in position at Landen, on the morning of the 19th of July, when the French army, of very superior numbers, commanded by Marshal Luxembourg, advanced to attack the forces under King William. On this occasion the Fourteenth Regiment had its first opportunity of proving its prowess in action with the enemy, and it gave presage of that gallantry for which it afterwards became distinguished. The French commenced the action with great spirit, but were repulsed several times; their superior numbers enabled them to bring forward fresh troops, and they eventually carried the village of Neer-Winden. The King ordered a retreat, which was executed with difficulty, and was attended with serious loss.

The Fourteenth Regiment had Captains Van Burgh, Cassin, and Henriosa, and Lieutenant Worley, killed; Lieutenant Nicholson died of his wounds; Captains Devaux and Stanwix, Lieutenants Campbell, Forbes, and Pettitpiere, Ensigns Revison and Perrott, wounded; Lieutenant-Colonel Graham taken prisoner: the number of non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the regiment, killed and wounded, has not been ascertained.

In the autumn, when the army separated for winter quarters, the regiment marched into garrison at Bruges; at the same time parties were sent to England to procure recruits, to replace the losses sustained during this campaign.

1694

When the army took the field in the spring of 1694, the regiment was left, with several other corps, under Brigadier-General Sir David Collier, encamped near Ghent, to form a guard for the artillery, which was conveyed by water to Malines. The regiment joined the army at the camp near Louvain, on the 4th of June, and on the 6th it was reviewed by His Majesty, who was pleased to express to Colonel Tidcomb his high approbation of its appearance. The regiment was afterwards employed in several movements, and it formed part of the splendid body of troops encamped at Mont St. André, near the village of Ramilies, where the forces of the confederate states were assembled under King William III., and presented a magnificent spectacle of war.

The Fourteenth was one of the corps which attempted, by a forced march, to pass the enemy's fortified lines, and penetrate French Flanders; but by extraordinary exertions the French gained the pass first, and thus preserved their country from an invasion. The regiment was subsequently encamped near Rousselaer, forming part of the covering army during the siege of Huy. The vicinity of the camp was infested by detachments of the enemy, and on one occasion the waggons conveying the bread to the army were attacked, when a detachment of the Fourteenth, forming part of the guard, was engaged, and the regiment had Captain Sacheverel mortally wounded, who was the only British officer killed by the enemy during this campaign.

Having to remain in the field during cold and wet weather, the soldiers erected huts of wood and straw, and on the 1st of October the huts of the Fourteenth Regiment were accidentally set on fire, and destroyed: the Second Foot Guards had experienced the same misfortune a few days previously. The fortress of Huy having surrendered, the army separated for winter quarters, and the regiment returned to Bruges in the second week in October.

1695

From Bruges, the regiment marched, in May, 1695, to Dixmude, where it pitched its tents, and remained several days. The Duke of Wirtemberg took the command of the troops assembled at this point, and advancing to the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, encamped before the fortress of Kenoque, upon which an attack was made for the purpose of drawing the French army that way, for the protection of their lines in West Flanders. The Fourteenth Regiment took part in this service; its grenadier company was engaged in driving the French from the intrenchments and houses near the Loo canal, and in repulsing the attempts of the enemy to regain possession of them. A redoubt was afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected in the works at the bridge, in which services the regiment had several men killed and wounded. This demonstration having produced the desired effect, the strong fortress of Namur was exposed to an attack from the main army, and it was accordingly invested, and the siege commenced.

The attack on Kenoque was then desisted in; the Fourteenth Regiment was one of the corps withdrawn from West Flanders, and joined the covering army, under the Prince of Vaudemont, at Wouterghem.

From Wouterghem, the regiment marched towards Namur, to take part in the siege of that important fortress, which was deemed nearly impregnable, and was defended by a numerous garrison, under the celebrated Marshal Boufflers. On arriving before Namur the regiment pitched its tents at Templeux, from whence it advanced and took its turn of duty in the trenches.

On the 8th of July, the regiment was on duty before Namur, and it was ordered to support the attacks to be made that evening on the covered-way near the hill of Bouge: the storming party was commanded by Major-General Ramsay. About seven o'clock in the evening, the signal for the attack was given, and the storming party rushed forward with the most distinguished heroism. The Fourteenth moved forward to support the attack, and mingling with the combatants evinced signal intrepidity. The soldiers rushed up to the enemy's palisades, and placing the muzzles of their muskets between the staves, fired a volley, which put the French into some confusion. The palisades were afterwards broken;—the supporting corps joined in the assault,—the second covered-way was carried, and the French overpowered, driven from their works, pursued among the batteries on the brow of the hill, and many of them were killed in the stone pits in which they took refuge. This post having been thus captured, the Fourteenth Regiment retired, and being relieved from duty in the trenches, it returned to its camp at Templeux, a league and a half from Namur. Its loss was severe:—Lieutenant Ravisson was killed; Captain Carew and Ensign Perott died of their wounds; Captains Pope, Jackson, and Forbes, and Ensign Cormach, were wounded, but afterwards recovered.

The regiment quitted its post at Templeux, took its station in the lines of circumvallation, and mounted guard in the trenches, on the 10th of July; it was again on duty in the trenches on the 16th of July, when it had Captain Forbes and several private soldiers killed.

A detachment of the grenadiers of the regiment was engaged, on the 17th of July, in an attack upon the counterscarp; the assault was made about five o'clock in the evening; the French disputed the post with great bravery, defending the glacis for some time; but they could not withstand the prowess of the British grenadiers, who effected a lodgment, and obliged the enemy to abandon the counterscarp. Lieutenant Williams of the grenadier company of the regiment was killed, and Captain Devaux was wounded with the working party.

The regiment was again on duty in the trenches on the 19th and 24th of July. On the following day the town surrendered, the garrison retiring to the castle.

After the surrender of the town of Namur, the regiment quitted the lines of circumvallation, and joined the covering army under the Prince of Vaudemont, which encamped, on the 8th of August, near the village of Waterloo, and afterwards took up a position near Namur. A numerous French army commanded by Marshal Villeroy advanced to raise the siege of the castle, but the covering army occupied a position which was deemed too formidable to be attacked, and the French Marshal withdrew without hazarding an engagement.

A detachment from the grenadier company of the regiment quitted the covering army, and was engaged, on the 20th of August, in assaulting the breaches of the Terra Nova and Coharne, under the command of Lord Cutts. This proved a desperate service, particularly the assault of the Terra Nova, where the British grenadiers were engaged, and a serious loss was sustained in consequence of the regiments ordered to support the attack not advancing in time. The Fourteenth Foot had several men killed and wounded, and Lieutenant Sewell, who commanded the detachment from the grenadier company, was also wounded.

Preparations were made for a second assault, when Marshal Boufflers agreed to surrender on honorable terms, which were granted. Thus was captured this important fortress, which the French had boasted might be restored, but could not be taken; and the achievement reflected great credit on the confederate arms; it was the most important event of the war.

After the surrender of the castle of Namur, the regiment remained a short time in the field, and subsequently marched into cantonments in the villages near the Bruges canal.

1696

The French monarch not only found his career of conquest arrested, by the efforts of the sovereign of Great Britain, but the towns he had captured were also being re-taken, and it became a point of great importance to him to detach England from the confederacy, which could only be accomplished by re-placing King James on the throne. For this purpose measures were privately concerted for exciting a rebellion in England; the Duke of Berwick, and several other English officers in the French service, were sent across the Channel in disguise, and through their persuasions a number of men were prepared to rise at a moment's notice; at the same time a conspiracy was formed in London to assassinate King William, and fifty men were engaged and prepared with arms to commit the diabolical act: a French naval and land force was also held in readiness for a descent on the English coast, and King James was at Calais prepared to embark. At this juncture, the Fourteenth, and a number of other regiments, received orders to return to England, and they arrived at Gravesend in March, 1696. The conspiracy was, however, discovered; a British fleet was sent to blockade the French ports, and the designs of the King of France being thus defeated, King William was left at liberty to prosecute the war for the security of the civil and religious liberties of the nations of Europe. Several of the corps which had arrived from Flanders returned to the seat of war immediately; but the Fourteenth was one of the regiments selected to remain on home service; it landed at Gravesend on the 22nd of March, and proceeded to Canterbury and Feversham, from whence it was removed to London in November, and took the duty at the Tower.

1697

In 1697, King William saw his efforts for the preservation of national independence attended with success; the French monarch was humbled, and the treaty of Ryswick fixed the balance of power in Europe.

1698

Soon after the restoration of peace, the regiment received orders to proceed to Ireland, and it landed at Belfast and Cork in March, 1698; at the same time it was placed upon a peace establishment.

1701
1702

King James died in France in 1701, when Louis XIV. proclaimed the Pretender King of Great Britain by the title of James III.; this event, with the elevation of the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., to the throne of Spain, in violation of solemn engagements, was followed by a sanguinary war with France and Spain, during which the continent of Europe, and the peninsula of Portugal and Spain, became theatres for the display of British valour, but the Fourteenth Regiment was selected to remain in Ireland. The proclamation of the Pretender, and the death of King William III., in March, 1702, revived the hopes of the partisans of the Stuart family, who were conspiring to elevate the Pretender to the throne, and Queen Anne deemed it expedient to detain a few trusty corps, of approved devotion to the Protestant interest, in Ireland.

1703

Although the honorable distinction of being selected to remain in Ireland, prevented the regiment acquiring laurels in the field, yet it sent several drafts of men on foreign service, who had opportunities of distinguishing themselves. In the autumn of 1703 it furnished a draft of fifty men to complete Lord Montjoy's, and another draft of the same strength for Colonel Brudenel's regiments, (afterwards disbanded,) on their embarkation to accompany the Archduke Charles of Austria to Portugal. The regiment was in garrison at Dublin from the 7th of August to the 31st of December, 1703.

1705

In the autumn of 1704, and the spring of 1705, additional detachments were sent to Portugal, to serve under General the Earl of Galway; they were conducted thither by Captain Laffit, Ensigns Schackford and Blount, and three serjeants, whose expenses, amounting to 70l. 19s. 4½d., were directed to be paid by a warrant dated the 5th of July, 1705. In August of the same year the regiment furnished a captain, lieutenant, ensign, two serjeants, and fifty rank and file towards completing the regiments of Charlemont, George, and Caulfield, (afterwards disbanded,) on their embarkation with the expedition under General the Earl of Peterborough, who captured Barcelona, and had astonishing success in Catalonia and Valentia.

1706

The regiment was quartered at Dublin from March to November, 1706, and the private soldiers received a penny a day in addition to their pay, granted by King William III. in 1699, to all regiments employed on duty at Dublin. The Fourteenth had, however performed the duty of two regiments for some time, and the allowance was extended to all detachments, in consideration of the good conduct of the corps.

1707
1712

The Fourteenth Regiment remained in Ireland during the whole of the war, continuing to send detachments abroad from time to time, particularly to Portugal and Spain, and its excellent conduct on home service occasioned it to be held in high estimation by the Government.

1713

On the 14th of June, 1713, Lieutenant-General Tidcomb died at Bath; and Queen Anne conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Colonel Jasper Clayton, from the half-pay of a newly-raised corps which was disbanded a short time previously.

1714
1715

The decease of Queen Anne, and the accession of King George I., in 1714, was followed by renewed efforts on the part of the partisans of the Pretender to procure his elevation to the throne; these exertions began to assume an alarming appearance in the summer of 1715, when the well-known attachment of the Fourteenth Regiment to the Protestant succession, occasioned it to be recalled from Ireland, and ordered to Scotland, where the Jacobites were numerous, and it landed at Saltcoats in Ayrshire early in the summer.

In the autumn the Earl of Mar assembled his vassals, erected the standard of the Pretender in the Highlands, and summoned the clans to take arms. The royal forces in Scotland were encamped at Stirling under Major-General Wightman; the Fourteenth Regiment joined the camp in October, and the Duke of Argyle assumed the command; but his Grace had not four thousand men to confront ten thousand under the Earl of Mar.

When the rebel army advanced towards the Firth, the King's troops quitted the camp at Stirling and proceeded towards Dumblain; and on the morning of the 13th of November the hostile forces confronted each other on Sheriffmuir: the Fourteenth foot were posted in the left wing of the royal army. The rebels advanced to commence the engagement, and at that moment it was deemed necessary to make some alteration in the position of the royal forces; as the left wing was taking up the new alignment, it was attacked by a body of the clans of very superior numbers, and put into some confusion: at the same time the right wing of the royal army overpowered the left wing of the rebel host, and drove it from the field; each commander having one wing triumphant and one wing defeated. The Fourteenth, and several other corps on the left, resisted the charge of the clans a short time, but being attacked in the act of forming, and engaged by very superior numbers, they fell back a short distance; they thus became separated from the remainder of the army, and retiring beyond Dumblain, took possession of the passes to prevent the clans penetrating towards Stirling. Both armies retained their position during the day, and the rebels, being defeated in their design of penetrating southward, afterwards retired; when the King's troops returned to their camp at Stirling.

The Fourteenth Foot had one lieutenant and six rank and file killed; fourteen rank and file wounded; Captain Barlow, Lieutenant Griffin, and several private soldiers were made prisoners.

The Pretender arrived in Scotland soon afterwards, and his presence appeared to give new life to his adherents.

1716

Additional forces joined the army under the Duke of Argyle: the Fourteenth was formed in brigade with the Third, Twenty-first, and Thirty-sixth regiments, under Brigadier-General Morrison; and in January, 1716, the royal troops advanced, marching through snow, over ice, and exposed to severe weather, when the Pretender retreated, and losing all hope of success he escaped, with the leaders of the rebellion, to France: the Highlanders, finding themselves deserted by their commanders, dispersed. After pursuing the insurgents some distance, the Fourteenth was quartered a short time at Dunkeld.

1717
1718

The rebellion being suppressed, the regiment was stationed in garrison at Fort William, which was built in the reign of King William III., in a plain, on a navigable arm of the sea called Loch Eil, near the influx of the Lochy and Nevis, in the shire of Inverness. At this place the regiment was stationed during the year 1717, and in 1718 it marched from thence to Perth, and afterwards to Inverness, where it remained until June of the following year.

1719

In the mean time Scotland had not enjoyed a state of tranquillity; but the minds of the people had been constantly agitated by the projects of the friends of the Pretender. When the Earl of Mar's rebellion was suppressed, the King of Sweden made preparations for a descent in favour of the Pretender; and when that project failed, the King of Spain fitted out an armament to place the Pretender on the throne. The Spanish fleet was dispersed by a storm; but two ships arrived on the coast of Scotland, in April, 1719, and four hundred Spaniards, with about a hundred Scots and English gentlemen, landed at Kintail, on the main within Skye, and encamped opposite the castle of Donan, where they were joined by about fifteen hundred men of the clans. To oppose this force the Fourteenth left Inverness on the 5th of June, and being united with three troops of the Scots Greys, the Eleventh and Fifteenth Regiments, under Major-General Wightman, arrived about four o'clock on the afternoon of the 10th of June at Glenshiel, when the Spaniards and Highlanders retreated and formed for battle on the romantic mountain scenery of the pass of Straichell. The King's troops advanced, and at five o'clock the signal for battle was given, when the infantry climbed the rocky crags and opened a sharp fire of musketry, which was re-echoed in the hollows beneath; at the same time the Greys charged along the road to force the pass. The enemy returned the fire, but soon gave way, and were chased from rock to rock for some time; on gaining the top of the hill they made a momentary stand, but the King's infantry sent forward a shower of bullets and advanced at a running pace to charge with bayonets, when the Spaniards and Highlanders fled in every direction. The soldiers passed the night in the hills; the Spaniards surrendered on the following day; the Highlanders dispersed; and the Marquis of Tullibardine, the Earl of Seaforth, and other rebel leaders, fled to the continent.

1721

After this service the regiment marched to the castle of Bran, near Kainloch-Benchven, Inverness-shire; and in 1721 it proceeded to Edinburgh.

1722

The regiment quitted Scotland in May, 1722, and marched to Hungerford: in the summer it was encamped, with several other corps, on Salisbury-plain, where it was reviewed by King George I. on the 30th of August, and afterwards returned to Hungerford.

1723

Early in 1723 the regiment marched to Reading and Windsor; it was subsequently encamped in Hyde-park, and in the autumn marched to Bristol.

1725
1726
1727

In May, 1725, the regiment commenced its march for Berwick; in July, 1726, it was removed to Lancashire; and in January, 1727, it marched to Canterbury, from whence four companies were detached to Dover, Ashford, Sandwich, and Feversham.

At this period the Spaniards had commenced the siege of Gibraltar, which fortress had been captured by a British and Dutch armament in 1704, and had been ceded to Great Britain at the treaty of Utrecht, in 1713. The colonel of the Fourteenth, Jasper Clayton, was Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar; he proceeded thither in January, 1727, and took the command of the garrison, which opened its fire on the Spanish troops on the 21st of February; and in March the regiment embarked to take part in the defence of that important fortress, where it arrived on the 21st of April, together with a battalion of Foot Guards, and the Governor, General the Earl of Portmore. The regiment landed immediately, and it had the honor to take an active share in the successful defence of this valuable entrepôt to the Mediterranean. The Spaniards continued the siege until many men had perished in the attempt, and the tremendous fire of their artillery had produced little effect besides the bursting and damaging of their own cannon. In the early part of June the fire slackened, and on the 18th of that month hostilities ceased.

1729

The regiment was afterwards selected to form part of the garrison of Gibraltar, where it was stationed during the following fifteen years. Previously to quitting England, two companies were added to its establishment; these companies remained on home service; they were stationed in the south of England until 1729, when they were disbanded.

1739
1740
1742

War between Great Britain and Spain was resumed in 1739; and the claims of the Elector of Bavaria on the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, which were attempted to be enforced after the death of the Emperor, Charles VI., in 1740, involved Great Britain in hostilities with France and Bavaria. King George II. resolved to support the House of Austria; the garrison of Gibraltar was reinforced, and the Fourteenth Regiment, having been relieved from duty at that fortress, arrived at Portsmouth in September, 1742. After reposing a few days in barracks at Portsmouth, the regiment marched into quarters in Yorkshire, the head-quarters being at York.

1743

In the summer of this year, His Majesty sent an army to Flanders to support the House of Austria, and on the 16th of June, 1743, the colonel of the Fourteenth Foot, Lieutenant-General Jasper Clayton, who was employed on the staff of the British army in Flanders, was killed at the battle of Dettingen; he was an officer of distinguished merit; his fall was regretted by the King and the whole army, and his remains were interred, with great solemnity, in the Chapel of Prince George of Hesse. The King conferred the command of the regiment on Colonel Joseph Price, from the Fifty-seventh, now Forty-sixth Foot, by commission dated the 22nd of June, 1743.

1744

From Yorkshire the regiment marched into Northumberland, and was stationed at Berwick; in 1744, it marched to Dunstable and afterwards to Colchester.

1745

Immediately on the receipt of the news of the loss of the battle of Fontenoy, on the 30th of April, 1745, the regiment received orders to proceed to Flanders, to join the allied army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland; it embarked at Tilbury, on the 15th of May, landed in West Flanders, and joined the camp on the plain of Lessines, before the end of the month. The regiment took part in several operations; it was encamped at Grammont, and afterwards on the Brussels' canal, in order to cover Dutch Brabant; but the French had so great a superiority of numbers, that it was found impossible to prevent their capturing several fortified towns.

In the mean time, Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, had arrived in Scotland, and being guided by desperate and designing men, and joined by a number of the clans, he resolved on the romantic enterprise of attempting to dethrone a beloved monarch, to overturn the constitution of a brave and free people, and to establish the authority of a dynasty which had been removed for arbitrary attacks on the established religion and laws. The Fourteenth was one of the regiments ordered home on this occasion; it arrived in the north of England, and formed part of the army assembled by Field-Marshal Wade, at Newcastle, to prevent the rebels penetrating into South Britain; and, in the second week of November, it was detached to Berwick, where it arrived in time to prevent the rebels capturing that town. The regiment afterwards marched to Scotland, and when the clans made a precipitate retreat from Derby, back to Scotland, it took up its quarters in the city of Edinburgh.

1746

The young Pretender was joined by some new levies, and he procured a supply of artillery and ammunition, which enabled him to commence the siege of Stirling Castle: and Lieutenant-General Hawley, who commanded the King's troops at Edinburgh, resolved to attempt to raise the siege. For this purpose, the Fourteenth, and several other corps, advanced from Edinburgh on the 13th of January, 1746, under Major-General Huske, and drove a body of the rebels out of Linlithgow; on the following day another division marched to Borrowstounness; and on the 16th of January, the army encamped near Falkirk.

About mid-day on the 17th of January, the rebel army was seen moving towards some high ground on Falkirk-moor, and the King's troops quitted their camp-ground to engage the clans. Passing some rugged grounds, the soldiers diverged on the moor, and formed two lines; the Fourth and Fourteenth Regiments constituted Brigadier-General Cholmondeley's brigade, and were posted in the first line. As the King's troops advanced to battle a tremendous hurricane, with a heavy shower of rain, beat violently in their faces, and nearly blinded them; at the same time it beat on the backs of the clans, and caused them little annoyance; the soldiers could not see to take aim, very few muskets would give fire, and, under these circumstances, some confusion took place, and several regiments quitted the field; but the Fourth and Fourteenth Regiments under Brigadier-General Cholmondeley made a determined stand, and they withstood the fury of the charging Highland host with astonishing firmness, evincing the most heroic valour under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty. They were joined by the second battalion of the Royals, the Third and Forty-eighth Regiments; Major-General Huske assumed the command; and these five corps repulsed one wing of the rebel army, and maintained their post, on the field of battle, until night, when no enemy could be seen, and the soldiers being wet, and the night cold and stormy, they retired.

The King's troops retreated to Edinburgh, where His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland arrived, and assumed the command, and on the 31st of January the army again advanced, when the rebels raised the siege of Stirling Castle, and made a precipitate retreat towards Inverness. The royal army pursued the rebels as far as Perth, where it halted in consequence of severe weather; the march was resumed on the 20th of February; but heavy rains occasioned the army to make another halt at Aberdeen. The troops were again in motion in the early part of April, and on the 16th of that month, as they advanced in three columns towards Inverness, the rebel army was discovered in order of battle on Culloden-moor, when the royal forces formed three lines, the Fourteenth Foot taking post in the centre of the first line, under Lieut.-General the Earl of Albemarle. After a sharp cannonade, several clans rushed forward, with loud shouts, to attack the King's troops sword in hand; but they were assailed by a destructive fire of musketry, received on the point of the bayonet, and driven back with severe loss. The royal cavalry galloped forward, completed the rout and discomfiture of the clans, and pursued them with great slaughter several miles. This victory transformed the young Pretender from an imaginary monarch to an humble fugitive, and after wandering for some time in disguise in the isles, and among the mountains, he escaped to the continent.

The loss of the regiment at the battle of Culloden was limited to Captain Grosette, and one private soldier killed; Captain Simpson and nine rank and file wounded[2].

After returning from the pursuit of the rebels, the troops encamped near Inverness, from whence they advanced in May, and pitched their tents in a valley, surrounded by lofty mountains, near Fort Augustus. The Fourteenth Regiment was employed in guarding prisoners taken after the battle, and was afterwards stationed at Stirling, from whence it was removed to Glasgow.

1747

In June, 1747 the regiment marched from Glasgow to Perth, and in September to Inverness.

The colonel of the regiment, Brigadier-General Price, commanded a brigade in the Netherlands, and highly distinguished himself at the battle of Val, on the 2nd of July, 1747; he died at Breda in November of the same year; when King George II. conferred the colonelcy on the Honourable William Herbert, fifth son of Thomas, eighth Earl of Pembroke, from captain and lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot Guards.

1749
1750

The regiment remained in Scotland; in 1749 it was stationed at Fort William; and in 1750 at Glasgow, from whence it marched to Carlisle and Newcastle.

1751

In 1751 a royal warrant was issued regulating the clothing, colours, and standards of the several regiments of the army. In this warrant the first, or King's colour, of the Fourteenth Regiment, is directed to be the great union: the second, or regimental colour, to be of buff silk, with the union in the upper canton; in the centre of the colours XIV. in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk.

The uniform of the regiment at this period, was black three-cornered cocked hats, bound with white lace; scarlet coats faced with yellow, yellow cuffs and white lace; scarlet waistcoats and breeches; white gaiters, and white cravats; buff belts, and buff pouches. The drummers wore buff coats faced with scarlet. The grenadiers wore cloth caps with the king's cipher and crown in front; the "white horse," with the motto "Nec aspera terrent," on the flap; and the number of the regiment behind.

In August of this year orders were issued for the regiment to march to the south of England, and to furnish detachments on the coast of Sussex, to assist the officers of the revenue in the prevention of smuggling.

1752

The regiment called in its detachments in the beginning of April, 1752, and marching to Portsmouth, embarked for Gibraltar, where it was stationed during the following seven years.

1753

Colonel the Honorable William Herbert was removed to the Second Dragoon Guards in 1753, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Regiment by Colonel Edward Braddock, from lieutenant-colonel in the Second Foot Guards.

1755

In 1755, some disputes occurred between England and France, respecting the extent of the British dominions in America, and Major-General Braddock was mortally wounded at Fort du Quesne: he was succeeded by Lieutenant-General Fowke, governor of Gibraltar, from the Second Foot, by commission dated the 12th of November, 1755.

1756

War commenced between Great Britain and France in 1756, when a French armament attacked the island of Minorca, which was captured in 1708, and ceded to the British crown at the peace of Utrecht in 1713. Lieutenant-General Fowke received orders to send a detachment from Gibraltar, to reinforce the garrison of Port Mahon; but he called a council of war, which passed a resolution against sending the detachment. He was sentenced to be suspended for nine months, for disobeying the order, and King George II. dismissed him from the service. His Majesty afterwards conferred the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Regiment on Colonel Charles Jefferies, from colonel-commandant of the third battalion of the Sixtieth Regiment, who had distinguished himself in the defence of Port Mahon.

1759
1760
1761

In December, 1759, the regiment was relieved from garrison duty at Gibraltar, and embarking for England, arrived, in January, 1760, at Plymouth, from whence it marched to Canterbury, and in the summer it was encamped, with the Nineteenth and Twenty-first Regiments, on Barham Downs under Lieutenant-General Campbell. In October the Fourteenth struck their tents, and marched to Dover Castle, where they remained during the following year.

1762
1763

The regiment marched to Maidstone, and furnished a guard over French prisoners of war at Sissinghurst in October, 1762; in December it proceeded to Exeter; from whence it was removed in March, 1763, to Plymouth.

1764

Leaving Plymouth in March, 1764, the regiment proceeded to the vicinity of London, and was reviewed on Wimbledon Common: on the 7th of May it was reviewed in Hyde Park by King George III., who was pleased to express his high approbation of its appearance and discipline; after the review it marched to Chatham and Dover.

1765

Major-General Jefferies died in May, 1765, and the King conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General the Honorable William Keppel, fourth son of William Anne, second Earl of Albemarle, from the Fifty-sixth Foot.

At this period, three companies of the regiment were employed on duty at Windsor and Hampton Court, and their good conduct attracted the attention of the King, George III., who was always ready to confer marks of his royal approbation on corps and individuals. His Majesty made some alterations in the clothing, and directed the "white horse," with the motto "Nec aspera terrent," to be placed on the black bear-skin caps to be worn by the grenadiers, and on the white caps to be worn by the drummers[3].

1766

Towards the end of May, 1766, the regiment marched into village quarters near Hounslow Heath, where it was reviewed on the 4th of June by the King, who was graciously pleased to express his royal approbation of its appearance and movements in the field. After the review the regiment marched to Salisbury and adjacents.

1771

In June the regiment embarked at Portsmouth for North America, and was stationed in Nova Scotia and Canada until 1771, when it embarked from Halifax for the West Indies, to take part in reducing to submission to the British government, the refractory Caribbees in St. Vincent's.

1772
1773

The island of St. Vincent's was captured from the French in 1762, and was ceded to Great Britain at the peace in 1763; it was found to contain two tribes of natives called the red and black Caribs, the former being the Aborigines, and the latter having sprung from a cargo of African slaves, who escaped from a vessel which was wrecked on the island. The Caribbees were devoted to the French interest; they were dangerous and troublesome neighbours to the English planters, and it was found necessary to restrain their conduct, and enforce obedience to a few salutary regulations. They were, however, of a determined spirit, possessed many thickly-wooded fastnesses, and so resolutely resisted all attempts to restrain their roving propensities and mode of life, that it was found necessary to augment the military force on the island. The Fourteenth Foot were employed against the refractory Caribbees in 1772 and 1773; numerous skirmishes occurred among the thickly-wooded parts of the country, and several soldiers were killed and wounded, in the bush fighting, which took place daily for some time. At length the Caribbees were reduced to submission: and the regiment returned to North America, leaving a number of sick men and others in the West Indies.

1774
1775

The regiment was stationed at Virginia in North America, when the misunderstanding between Great Britain and these prosperous and wealthy colonies, produced open hostilities. The spirit which the colonists evinced in resisting the acts of the British parliament, for raising a revenue in their country, assumed a serious aspect in the years 1773 and 1774, and in 1775 hostilities commenced in the state of Massachusetts. The Fourteenth Regiment remained in the state of Virginia for some time afterwards; it was, consequently, not at Bunker's Hill; but it lost two promising officers at that battle, on the 17th of June, 1775, who were attending Major-General Howe during the engagement: viz., Lieutenant and Adjutant Bruce, who was killed, and Ensign Hesketh mortally wounded.

On the 18th of October, 1775, the colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on Major-General Robert Cunninghame, from the Fifty-eighth Foot, in succession to Lieutenant-General the Honorable William Keppel, removed to the Twelfth Dragoons.

The regiment was stationed at Norfolk, in Virginia, from whence a detachment of one hundred and twenty men, under Captain Fordyce, advanced at midnight on the 8th of December, against the American entrenchments at Great Bridge. At day-break the detachment crossed the bridge, and the grenadiers moved forward with great gallantry to storm the works, Lieutenant Batut being at the head of the leading section; but as they approached the entrenchments, a body of Americans, of very superior numbers, assailed them with a destructive fire of musketry: Captain Fordyce and twelve men were killed within a few yards of the breast-work; Lieutenant Batut and sixteen soldiers were wounded and taken prisoners, and the remainder of the detachment retreated across the bridge to a British fort, garrisoned by a detachment under Captain Leslie. The Americans buried Captain Fordyce with military honors.

1776

The American troops afterwards increased in numbers so fast, that the royal forces were withdrawn from Virginia, and the Fourteenth Foot proceeded to the army under General Sir William Howe, at New York, where they were joined by a detachment which had been left at Nova Scotia on the embarkation of the regiment for the West Indies. After arriving at New York, part of the regiment was stationed on Staten Island, and the remainder was employed in the general operations of the army.

1777

The regiment had sustained a serious loss at St. Vincent's, and being weak in numbers, it was directed to draft the private soldiers fit for duty to other corps, and return to England, where it arrived in the summer of 1777, and active measures were adopted to recruit its ranks.

1778
1779

During the year 1778 the regiment was stationed in the south of England; and in the summer of 1779 it pitched its tents on Coxheath, where a camp was formed of the Sixth, Fourteenth, Fiftieth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-ninth Regiments, with sixteen battalions of militia, under Lieutenant-General Pierson.

1780
1781

The regiment marched to Gosport in 1780, and pitched its tents at Stokes-bay, furnishing working parties at Fort Monkton, and a guard over the French, Spanish, and American prisoners of war, at Forton prison. In July the regiment embarked as marines on board the Channel fleet commanded by Admiral Darby, who, in 1781, relieved Gibraltar, which fortress was besieged by a combined French and Spanish force.

1782

Having completed its recruiting, and attained a state of efficiency, the regiment embarked from Portsmouth, in January, 1782, for Jamaica; it was on board of transports in the harbour of St. Lucia, during Admiral Rodney's engagement with the French fleet under Count de Grasse, on the 12th of April, and afterwards mounted guard over the Count, when a prisoner on that island.

The regiment proceeded to Jamaica, and was formed to receive Prince William Henry, (afterwards King William IV.,) then a midshipman, on his landing at Spanish Town, and mounted guard at his quarters during his stay on the island.

Soon after its arrival at Jamaica, the regiment received orders, dated the 31st of August, 1782, to assume the title of the "Fourteenth, or Bedfordshire Regiment of Foot," and to cultivate a connection with that county, so as to create a mutual attachment between the inhabitants of Bedfordshire and the regiment, which might, at all times, be useful towards recruiting the corps.

1787

On the 4th of April, 1787, Lieutenant-General Robert Cunninghame was removed to the Fifth Royal Irish Dragoons, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Foot, by Lieutenant-General John Douglas, who had commanded the Twenty-first Light Dragoons, which corps was disbanded in 1783.

1788

The Fourteenth Regiment attended the funeral of the Honorable Captain Chetwynd, of His Majesty's ship "Europa," in November, 1788, at which the Governor of Jamaica,—His Royal Highness Prince William Henry (then a captain of the Royal Navy),—the officers of the squadron, and a number of gentlemen in carriages, were present. The regiment marched at the head of the procession in funeral order, the band playing the Dead March; and the remains of this distinguished officer were interred in the chancel of the church at Spanish Town.

1789

Lieutenant-General Douglas having been removed to the Fifth Dragoon Guards, His Majesty conferred the colonelcy of the Fourteenth Foot on Colonel George Earl Waldegrave, by commission, dated the 27th of August, 1789. Earl Waldegrave died about six weeks after his appointment, and was succeeded by Colonel George Hotham, from captain and lieutenant-colonel of the First Foot Guards.

1791
1792

Having been relieved from duty at Jamaica, the regiment embarked on board of His Majesty's ship Dover, of forty-four guns, on the 9th of April, 1791, and landed at Portsmouth on the 10th of June. In the autumn it marched to Chatham, and afterwards to Canterbury; and on Friday, the 21st of November, it received their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York, at Dover, on their arrival from the Continent; the Duke of York having married, a few weeks previously, Frederica Charlotte Ulrica, Princess Royal of Prussia.

1793

Early in 1792 the regiment returned to Chatham, and was brigaded with the Third Foot (the Buffs) under the command of Colonel Fox; in June the two regiments encamped on Bagshot-heath, with several other corps, under the command of the Duke of Richmond: at this camp the regiment remained three weeks; it was reviewed several times by His Majesty, and afterwards returned to Chatham, where it remained several months.

In the meantime a revolution had taken place in France, where a republican party had seized the reins of government, beheaded their sovereign, and involved the country in anarchy and bloodshed. Not content with carrying the horrors of democracy into every part of France, the republicans endeavoured to propagate their doctrines in all countries, and to overturn the constitution of every monarchy in Europe. Under these circumstances, the British people became involved in war for the defence of the fixed rights of their sovereign, the preservation of their own civil and religious liberties, and of their honor as a nation.

The Fourteenth Regiment was one of the first corps completed to a war establishment, under the zealous and judicious arrangements of its excellent commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Welbore Ellis Doyle, who assumed the command on the arrival of the regiment from Jamaica in 1791; it was also one of the corps selected for foreign service at the commencement of the war; and embarking at Dover, on the 19th March, 1793, for Holland, to aid the Dutch in repelling an attack of the French, it landed at Helvoetsluys, in the island of Voorn, on the 25th of March, being the first regiment of the line which arrived at the scene of war. The success of the allied arms had removed the theatre of war from Holland to the confines of French Flanders; and the Fourteenth Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle, proceeded to Briel, where it embarked for Antwerp, whence it marched to Ghent, and was removed in canal boats to Bruges, where it halted a few days. From Bruges it marched to Tournay, where it arrived towards the end of April; and the flank companies, with those of the Thirty-seventh and Fifty-third Regiments, were placed under the orders of Major Mathews, of the Fifty-third, and detached to Marquain, to watch the motions of the enemy, in which service they were employed until the 20th of May.

The Duke of York assumed the command of the British and Hanoverian troops in Flanders, and co-operated with the Austrians under the Prince of Saxe-Cobourg. On the 23rd of May the Fourteenth Regiment was engaged in the attack of the enemy's fortified camp at Famars, and evinced great gallantry. Being composed principally of young soldiers, they rushed up the heights with great impetuosity to attack the enemy, but did not preserve sufficient order; Lieut.-Colonel Doyle galloped to the front, halted, and reformed the ranks, then bid the band play the tune "ça ira," and using a few encouraging expressions to the men, led them to the attack, when they rushed in compact order upon their opponents, and overpowered all opposition[4]. The French retreated across the Scheldt, and the allied army invested the fortress of Valenciennes. Lieutenant Charles W. Doyle, who performed the duty of brigade-major, was thanked for his conduct.

The loss of the regiment was limited to two serjeants and seven rank and file wounded; the Duke of York expressed his approbation of its conduct in orders.

The Fourteenth Regiment was employed at the siege of Valenciennes, under the Duke of York, and on the 25th of July, it furnished a detachment to take part in storming the horn-work. Lieut.-Colonel Doyle being appointed to the command of one of the attacking columns, obtained permission to place at the head of his party, one hundred volunteers of the Fourteenth Regiment, and having assembled the corps, he said, "Soldiers, one hundred volunteers from among you are to lead the column that I am to command upon a service of the greatest danger; I have thought it right to state this before I call upon you; such of you as volunteer this dangerous enterprise, recover arms:" when every man brought his musket to the "recover." The colonel was much affected by this display of devotion, and said, "Soldiers, I thank you from my heart; where all are equally desirous of facing the greatest danger, I cannot look, or wish, for volunteers. Officers, call out the first ten men for duty in each company."

On the 26th of July the following general order was issued.—

"His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief returns his thanks to Major-General Abercrombie, Colonel Leigh, and Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle, for the gallantry they showed on the attack last night."

Haying been constantly exposed to the cannon of the town for seven weeks, the men had acquired great steadiness under fire, the attack was made with signal intrepidity and resolution, and the out-works were carried in gallant style.

The regiment had one serjeant and three rank and file killed; one officer, one serjeant, and fourteen rank and file wounded; the flank companies also lost seven men.

Three days afterwards the garrison capitulated, and this important fortress was delivered up to the Duke of York.

After the surrender of Valenciennes the British troops marched towards Cambray, and they subsequently separated from the Austrians, taking with them a few Imperial regiments, for the purpose of undertaking the siege of Dunkirk. On arriving at Menin, it was ascertained that the French had driven the Dutch from Lincelles; that post was recaptured by the British Foot Guards under Major-General Lake, on the 18th of August. The Fourteenth Regiment was one of the corps ordered to support the Foot Guards, and was left in possession of the village, after its capture, until that post was restored to the Dutch.

The army resumed its march towards Dunkirk on the following day, and on the 24th of August, the Fourteenth Foot took part in driving the French out-posts, between the canal of Furnes and the sea, into the town, on which occasion the soldiers had to force their way through strong double hedges, and across deep ditches full of water. A deep ditch, surrounding the garden of a chateau, obstructed the progress of the grenadier company of the Fourteenth, when Lieutenant Thomas Green Clapham leaped into the ditch, where he stood up to his breast in water, that the grenadiers might pass swiftly over it, by stepping upon his shoulders, and pursue the French, which they did with great alacrity. The light infantry company also displayed distinguished ardour, and captured three pieces of artillery. Finally the French were driven into the town, and the siege was commenced. The loss of the regiment was limited to a few private soldiers killed and wounded.

On the 6th of September, the French made a sortie from Dunkirk, in great strength, directing their attack principally against the right of the besieging army, when the Fourteenth Foot, commanded by Major Alexander Ross, (Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle being ill) was ordered forward to support that part of the position. As they passed the flank of the regiment of Esterhazy, the Germans cheered the Fourteenth, and the gallant soldiers rushed into the fight with great energy, overthrowing all opposition, and chasing the French up the covered way. The regiment had one serjeant, one corporal, and eight private soldiers killed; Captains Cochrane and Garnier, Lieutenants Mackenzie, Powell, and Elrington[5], Ensigns Smith and Williams, Volunteer McGrath, one serjeant, one corporal, and thirty-six private soldiers, wounded.

The arrival of the heavy artillery for the siege, and the naval force intended to co-operate with the army, in the reduction of Dunkirk, was so long delayed, that the French had time to convey from every part of France, by coaches, waggons, and other vehicles, such an immense body of troops, to the vicinity of Dunkirk, that the Duke of York had little chance of success.

Another sortie was made by the garrison on the 8th of September, when the Fourteenth and Thirty-seventh Regiments advanced to attack the French; as the two corps passed the regiment of Joseph Colloredo, they were cheered by the Austrians, and they succeeded in repulsing the enemy: but no chance of final success remained, and the siege was raised, the Fourteenth Regiment marching by Furnes and Ypres, to Menin.

The regiment marched, in October, to Oudenarde, where it furnished a guard over two thousand French prisoners; it was sent forward, several times, to take the out-post duty, and upon a movement in advance, by the enemy, upon Menin and Wevelghem, it repulsed an attack upon the out-post at Vervicke.

1794

Early in 1794 the regiment left Oudenarde for Wevelghem, and remained on outpost duty until April, when the army assembled, and was reviewed by the Emperor of Germany, on the heights of Cateau, where His Royal Highness William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, was nominated to the command of the brigade composed of the Fourteenth, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Regiments.

In the general attack on the enemy's positions, on the 17th of April, the regiment formed part of the column under Lieutenant-General Sir William Erskine, and took part in the attack on the village of Prêmont, and the wood on its left.

The French having been driven from their positions, the siege of Landrécies was commenced, and the Fourteenth Regiment formed part of the covering army encamped on the heights of Cateau; this post was attacked on the 26th of April, by the French under General Chapuy, who were repulsed, with great slaughter, by the British cavalry, with the loss of many guns. On this occasion the light company of the regiment behaved with much gallantry, and, having advanced to a wood on the left, kept in check a considerable body of the enemy, who meditated an attack on the batteries.

On the fall of Landrécies, the British troops moved to the vicinity of Tournay, where they were attacked on the 10th of May by a numerous body of French, who were defeated with severe loss. The Fourteenth Foot lost only one man on this occasion.

At length a combined attack was made on the French positions, with the view of forcing them to evacuate Flanders, in which the Fourteenth Regiment had another opportunity of distinguishing itself; it left Tournay on the evening of the 16th of May,—took part in forcing the points of the French position it was destined to attack in the direction of Lisle, on the 17th of May, and was successful; but several Austrian columns failed to accomplish their part in the combined movements. The British troops, having penetrated the French position, and being left unsupported, became exposed to the attack of the enemy's very superior numbers. Early on the 18th of May the Fourteenth Regiment was environed and attacked by an overwhelming force, but it stood its ground, and by firing by wings and platoons with as much steadiness and regularity as on parade, held its assailants in check. Its veteran commanding officer, Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel Browne, became quite exhausted, and sat for some time on a chair behind the colours. At length an aide-de-camp arrived from Major-General Fox, commanding the brigade, with orders for the Fourteenth to retreat; and while performing this retrograde movement, they preserved an unbroken formation. Surrounded by enemies, fired upon by infantry and artillery, and menaced by cavalry, the regiment preserved its order with astonishing firmness, forming divisions in the rear against cavalry, and marching over ground covered with dead bodies. The road to Lannoy, by which the regiment had advanced on the preceding day, was found in possession of the enemy, with an abbatis and cannon formed across it, and the first discharge killed several grenadiers, when Major-General Fox said to Captain Clapham, "I fear we must lay down our arms." "No, sir," replied the captain, "the Fourteenth can cut through them." At this moment Corporal Gilbert Cimitiere[6], of the grenadiers, a French emigrant, well acquainted with the country, stepped forward, and undertook to conduct the brigade through the inclosures, and the troops quitted the main road under his guidance, being followed and assailed by the French. Lieutenant-Colonel Browne was shot through the body, and was carried in a blanket by four grenadiers, but he suffered so much pain that he requested them to stop, and he and they were made prisoners. The command of the regiment devolved on Captain Perry, of the light company, which was afterwards commanded by Lieutenant Graves. This officer, and Lieutenant Elrington, commanded the two rear companies of the column, and formed alternately to repulse the French cavalry. Although every road was fortified, and the hedges lined with troops, the brigade fought its way through the inclosures with astonishing gallantry and resolution, and gained the position at Templeuve, having, however, lost every piece of artillery with the column, excepting one of the battalion guns of the Fourteenth Regiment, under Lieutenant Phillott. The guide of the column, Corporal Gilbert Cimitiere, was rewarded with a commission.

The loss of the regiment, on this trying occasion, was one serjeant and thirteen rank and file, killed; twenty-two rank and file wounded: Lieutenant-Colonel Browne wounded and taken prisoner; three serjeants, two drummers, and sixty-eight rank and file, prisoners of war and missing, many of whom were taken in consequence of being wounded and unable to continue the retreat. Lieutenant-Colonel Browne died at Lisle on the following day, and was much regretted by the officers and soldiers he had commanded with distinguished bravery on many trying occasions. The conduct of the brigade was commended by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and its gallantry is recorded in the histories of the war[7].

The regiment resumed its post in front of Tournay, and was in position on the 22nd of May, when General Pichegru attacked the allied army with an immense body of troops, first assailing the right and afterwards the centre of the line. The Fourteenth being on the left, were not engaged during the early part of the day; but in the afternoon, the enemy carried the post of Pontechin, on the high road from Courtray to Tournay, and the fortune of the day was evidently flowing in favour of the French, when the brigade, formed of the Fourteenth, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Regiments, was ordered to the post of honor and danger.

As the Fourteenth quitted their post on the left, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay, the Duke of York addressed them in the most flattering manner, declaring his perfect reliance on their gallantry. The three regiments moved at a running pace; though weak in numbers, they were strong in valour and resolution, and being conscious of their own prowess, they rushed upon their numerous opponents fully determined to conquer or perish in the attempt. The Fourteenth charged along the chaussée,—overpowered all resistance,—carried the village,—re-formed beyond the houses under a heavy fire[8],—raised a loud shout, and rushed forward to storm a battery on a rising ground near a windmill, which the French defended a short time, but afterwards abandoned it, leaving the regiment in possession of several pieces of cannon. This sudden burst of British valour, coming like an explosion of thunder, amazed and confounded the French, who gave way before the superior prowess of the British soldiers, and the current of the battle flowed in favour of the allies. There was, however, a protracted resistance in an orchard, where the grenadiers and light infantry of the Fourteenth Foot were engaged, and several instances of individual contempt of danger occurred. A grenadier named Ryan refused to avail himself of the advantage of standing behind a tree, saying "They cannot touch me;" but the next moment he fell forward apparently dead, when Captain Clapham turned him over, and said, "Ryan, you are only shot through the face, you will do well yet;" "Is that all?" replied the grenadier, and jumping up and commencing loading his firelock, he added, "Then I will have another rap at them," and he was with difficulty prevailed upon to go to the rear[9]. The French were eventually driven out of the orchard; the British pressed upon their opponents, and a victory was gained over the Republican troops, who were forced to quit the field of battle with severe loss.

The Fourteenth Regiment gained great honor on this occasion; its loss was one serjeant and four rank and file killed; Captain Cochrane, Major of brigade, died of his wounds; one serjeant and twenty-eight rank and file wounded; five men missing. Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay's horse was killed, and the Lieutenant-Colonel received four musket balls through his hat.

The following general order, dated Tournay, 23rd of May, 1794, was published.—

"His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief desires to express his most particular thanks to Major-General Fox; to the Fourteenth Regiment under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay; to the Thirty-seventh Regiment commanded by Captain Lightburne; to the Fifty-third Regiment commanded by Major Wiseman, and to the detachment of artillery attached to them under the command of Captain Trotter, for that display of intrepidity and good conduct, which reflects the greatest honor upon themselves, at the same time that it was highly instrumental in deciding the important victory of the 22nd instant.

"His Royal Highness much laments the loss they have sustained; but flatters himself they feel it, in some measure, compensated by the credit they have gained."

In his public despatch the Duke of York, speaking of the Fourteenth, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Regiments, stated,—"Nothing could exceed the spirit and gallantry with which they conducted themselves, particularly in the storm of the village of Pontechin, which they forced with the bayonet." Historians have recorded the gallant conduct of the regiment[10]; and the royal authority was afterwards given for it to bear the word "Tournay" on its colours, to commemorate its distinguished conduct on this memorable occasion.

Notwithstanding these displays of valour, the enemy brought forward so great a superiority of numbers that it was found necessary to retreat, and a series of retrograde movements followed, during which little fighting occurred, and few corps had opportunities of distinguishing themselves. Various positions were occupied for short periods, and after quitting the Austrian Netherlands, attempts were made to defend Holland; but the people of that country had imbibed the doctrines of republicanism, and they made little effort to preserve the United Provinces from the French. In August the Fourteenth regiment was encamped near Antwerp; it was afterwards in position in the vicinity of Breda, from whence it retired to a post beyond Bois-le-duc, and, subsequently, to Nimeguen: it formed part of the garrison of Nimeguen for a short period, and when that town was evacuated, the regiment proceeded to Linden Castle; the army occupying a position beyond the Waal, for the defence of the passage of that river. Towards the end of December the river became frozen, and a body of the enemy crossed on the ice; but was driven back on the 30th of that month.

1795

The frost afterwards became more severe, and on the 4th of January, 1795, another body of French troops passed the river on the ice. At this period, the Fourteenth Regiment was at Linden Castle, from whence it advanced to take part in a combined attack on the enemy, under Major-General David Dundas. On the 7th of January it traversed the Rhine on the ice at Rhenen, and proceeded to Bueren Castle. On the following morning Major-General Lord Cathcart advanced with the light companies, thirty hulans, and a detachment of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, to reconnoitre; and the Fourteenth and Twenty-seventh regiments were afterwards brought up to attack the enemy at Gueldermalsen. The Fourteenth formed on the ice, on the left of the dyke, and the Twenty-seventh across the inclosure on the right, supported by the piquets, hulans, and afterwards by a squadron of light dragoons; and the field pieces were protected by the grenadiers of the Fourteenth under Lieutenant Elrington, who marched before the guns. Advancing in this order, the troops drove the French before them, until they arrived at Gueldermalsen, where a protracted resistance was made. Lieutenant Elrington, with the grenadiers of the Fourteenth, charged the French artillery at the bridge, and bayonetted the enemy at the gun, carrying the post with great gallantry. The British battalion guns cleared the street; the soldiers rushed forward, and were engaged from house to house, until they had passed the village, when they were assailed by the enemy in force. The Fourteenth defended the streets; the Twenty-seventh, the church-yard; and the Twenty-eighth coming up most opportunely on the right, threw in a flanking fire, which compelled the enemy to retire[11]. The brigade remained in the village during the night; it was ordered to retire on the following morning, and the three regiments were thanked in orders for their distinguished conduct: Lieutenant Elrington, of the Fourteenth, was thanked by name for his gallantry at the attack of the bridge defended by a gun. The regiment had twelve rank and file killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Hope (afterwards General Sir Alexander Hope, G.C.B.), Captain Perry, one serjeant, and twenty rank and file, wounded: Lieutenant-Colonel Hope lost the use of his right arm from a wound in the shoulder[12]. Captain Perry died of his wounds.

After this action the regiment marched to Cullenburg, and was on duty about a week, on the banks of the Leek, without house, tent, or any other cover from the weather, which was particularly severe.

Numerical superiority gave the enemy so decided an advantage, that a retreat through Holland to Germany became necessary, which took place in the depth of winter, and was attended with severe privation and suffering. On one occasion, after a long march, the Fourteenth Foot found themselves on a dreary heath, on a dark night, exposed to severe frost, and a snowstorm; the men's limbs were so benumbed with cold, that the most fatal results were apprehended; but the discovery of a large farm-house, and a barn upon the heath, proved particularly fortunate to the soldiers. These hardships were aggravated by the mortifying reflection, that the regiment was retiring before an enemy, whom it had never encountered without proving victorious. At length the regiment arrived in Germany, where it obtained repose in comfortable quarters; it embarked at Bremen-lee on the 9th of April, and landed at Harwich on the 7th of May.

From Harwich the regiment marched to Hitchin and its neighbourhood; and when passing through the several towns on its route it was hailed with acclamations by the inhabitants; almost every officer and soldier bore marks of bullets having passed through his accoutrements or clothing; the colours were perforated in many places, and were borne by Lieutenants Stuart and Graves, the two senior subalterns,—so many casualties had occurred among the officers. The achievements of the regiment had been made known, and it was everywhere congratulated on its gallant exploits.

In June the regiment pitched its tents at Warley, in Essex, and in July received orders to march to Nusthaling, near Southampton. On passing through Dartford, the band played the republican tune ça ira (which it played when the regiment charged the position at Famars, in 1793), when the inhabitants evinced their aversion to democracy by throwing stones at the musicians for playing so offensive a tune; but upon an explanation being given, the people responded with three cheers to the honour of the brave soldiers of the Fourteenth who fought at Famars.

The regiment afterwards embarked for Quiberon-bay, to support the French emigrants under M. Sombreuil, but being detained by contrary winds, it was directed to disembark and return to Southampton.

At this period an armament was fitting out to complete the deliverance of the French West India islands from the power of republicanism, and to reduce to obedience the insurgents of St. Vincent and Grenada. The Fourteenth Regiment joined the expedition, and sailed with the immense fleet of Indiamen, transports, and merchant-vessels, under the convoy of a squadron of the royal navy commanded by Admiral Christian, which, on quitting the British shores, presented a magnificent spectacle calculated to impress the mind with a just idea of British power; but the voyage had been delayed until a very late period of the year, and the fleet encountered so severe a storm that several ships foundered at sea, others were wrecked on the western coast of England, and the greater part returned to port. The fleet was re-fitted and again put to sea, but, after encountering severe gales, it returned to Portsmouth a second time. The "Calypso" transport, having part of the Fourteenth Regiment on board, was nearly run down during a heavy gale, by the "Charon" of forty-four guns, and lost the main yard; but this transport continued the voyage and arrived at Barbadoes in eleven weeks.

1796

Several of the regiments, which returned to port, had their destination changed; but the portion of the Fourteenth, which had put back, re-embarked in February, 1796, and arrived in April at Barbadoes, where four companies of the Twenty-eighth Foot were attached to the regiment.

The Fourteenth Foot constituted part of the expedition against St. Lucia, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby; and sailed from Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes, on the 22nd of April, for the rendezvous of the troops to be employed in the enterprise, at Martinique, from whence the expedition sailed, on the morning of the 26th of April, for St. Lucia, where the head quarters landed on the 27th, near Pigeon Island, and marched to Choque Bay, to cover the landing of the remainder of the troops. They continued in position there a short time, till the batteries against Morne Fortuné were completed, when they were ordered up to take part in the ulterior operations. Prior to landing, three companies were detached, with a force under Brigadier-General Perryn, on the side of the Grand Cul de Sac, to facilitate the investment of Morne Fortuné, and an attempt was made to drive the enemy from the batteries on the base of the mountain, on that side; and Major Donkin's battalion, consisting of three companies of the Fourteenth and four of the Twenty-eighth, formed part of the force employed on this service. This battalion supported the Forty-fourth Regiment, in the column commanded by Colonel Riddell. On advancing to the attack, the battalion was checked, at a sudden turn in a winding road cut on the side of a steep hill, by an abattis occupied by French troops, when Captain James Graves sprang up the bank by the aid of a branch, and being assisted by Captain Henry Cox, and Lieutenant George Morris, he helped a few soldiers to climb up the side of the hill, who fired down upon the flank of the troops in the abattis, who instantly abandoned it, and the Fourteenth continued their advance. On arriving on more open ground, the fire of the enemy's batteries was heavy; when Captain James Graves, of the Fourteenth, and Captain John Frederic Brown, of the Twenty-eighth, stormed the lower battery, called Chapuis, with a few men of the two regiments. Captain Brown, Lieutenants William F. Dalton and John Grady, with several private soldiers, fell wounded in the advance, but the battery was captured, and was held by Captain Graves, Lieutenant John Hutchinson, and about forty rank and file. The soldiers being fired upon from a house, it was forced by a few men under Lieutenant Owen, and all the defenders bayonetted. The firing on the right indicating a retrograde movement on the part of the British troops at that point, Serjeant Shaw of the Fourteenth was detached to reconnoitre; he returned wounded, and reported the retreat of the British, and the advance of a fresh column of the enemy. Under these circumstances the guns in the battery were spiked, and the soldiers retired, fighting their way through a woody country, until they joined the column under Brigadier-General Perryn. From the failure of part of the attacking force the operations were not successful.

The loss of the Fourteenth was limited to five men killed; Captain Cox, and one serjeant wounded. On sending a flag of truce, on the following day, to inquire for prisoners, the answer received was, "The republicans have made no prisoners."

An attack was afterwards made on the north side of Morne Fortuné; a battery opened its fire against the enemy's works on the 16th of May, and on the 24th the French desired a suspension of arms, which was followed by the surrender of the island.

After the surrender of St. Lucia, the Fourteenth formed part of the expedition against the island of St. Vincent, and a landing was effected on the 8th of June: the Caribs having surrendered, the French troops retired, in a body, to the strong fort of La Vigie. It having been ascertained that the fort was badly provisioned, and worse provided with water, it was clear that the garrison could not hold out many days; and the Commander-in-Chief shortly received information that they intended to effect an escape, by night, by descending along the course of a deep ravine, which led from the town through high and inaccessible rocks. A party of the Fourteenth, consisting of three officers, and one hundred men, was ordered out to occupy the pass:—they took up a position in the bed of the river, behind some large stones, over which the men rested their bayonets. The darkness of the night, and the position between the woods, precluded the possibility of seeing anything, and the rushing of the water prevented anything from being heard. The first intimation that the party in ambuscade received of the enemy's approach, was the fact of their actually pressing upon their bayonets. Immediately a desultory firing took place, which ceased only when the enemy were supposed to have retreated. When daylight broke, a horrid spectacle of killed and wounded presented itself. Such of the garrison as succeeded in returning to La Vigie surrendered the next day. Captain Powell, who commanded, Lieutenants Gibson and Beavan, and the whole party, received the thanks of Sir Ralph Abercromby.