TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Pages numbered to [xix] appear after those numbered [xxv] to [xxxii]; this numbering has been left unchanged.

Footnotes are referenced by [number], and have been placed at the end of each major section.

Some minor changes to the text are noted 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 General's Office, Horse Guards.
London.
Printed by Authority.

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,
OR
THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT,

CONTAINING

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1758,

AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1849.

COMPILED BY

RICHARD CANNON, Esq.,

ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:

PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,

30, CHARING-CROSS.

MDCCCXLIX.

London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,

OR

THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT,

BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR THE FIGURE OF THE

"ROYAL TIGER,"

WITH THE WORD "INDIA" SUPERSCRIBED, IN COMMEMORATION OF
ITS SERVICES IN INDIA FROM 1805 TO 1826;

ALSO THE WORD

"BARROSA,"

AS A TESTIMONY OF THE GALLANTRY DISPLAYED BY THE SECOND
BATTALION, AT THE BATTLE OF BARROSA, ON THE 5TH OF MARCH, 1811;

AND THE WORD

"PENINSULA,"

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE SERVICES OF THE SECOND BATTALION,
IN THE EAST OF SPAIN, FROM 1810 TO 1814.

THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,

OR

THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.

[CONTENTS] — First Battalion

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD.

[CONTENTS] — Second Battalion

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE SERVICES OF THE

SECOND BATTALION

OF

THE SIXTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF

THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,

OR

THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT.

PLATES.

GENERAL ORDERS.

HORSE-GUARDS,

1st January, 1836.

His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the 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 Honorable

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 honorable 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, being 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 everything 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.

INTRODUCTION
TO
THE INFANTRY.

The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is Intrepidity. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and, although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar's favourite tenth legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar's legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full development of the national character followed, and it shone forth in all its native brilliancy.

The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins.

The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of the military force; and this arme has since acquired, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period.

The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it was almost impossible to slay them.

The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries; and, owing to the inconvenient construction and imperfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century.

During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in every hundred men forty were "men-at-arms," and sixty "shot;" the "men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and thirty pikemen; and the "shot" were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his principal weapon, a sword and dagger.

Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150 to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe) in 1590 was:—the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on each flank of the halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes; half the archers on each flank of the musketeers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the company for skirmishing.[1] It was customary to unite a number of companies into one body, called a Regiment, which frequently amounted to three thousand men: but each company continued to carry a colour. Numerous improvements were eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seventeenth century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and the infantry were reduced to two classes, viz.: musketeers, armed with matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and pikemen, armed with pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.

In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of pikemen. He also adopted the practice of forming four regiments into a brigade; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English, French, and other European states; but so great was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not adopted until near a century afterwards.

In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled the Admiral's regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks. In this year the King added a company of men armed with hand grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was designated the "grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets, similar to those at present in use, were adopted about twenty years afterwards.

An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes.

King William III. incorporated the Admiral's regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans; ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]

During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand grenades; and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour: the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this reign.

About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the Seven Years' War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been limited to the musket and bayonet.

The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior numbers.

Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any arms. At Crecy, King Edward III., at the head of about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men; here British valour encountered veterans of renown:—the King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black Prince, defeated, at Poictiers, with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of France, and his son Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness, defeated, at Agincourt, the Constable of France, at the head of the flower of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men, and gained a complete victory.

During the seventy years' war between the United Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and firmness;[3] and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army under the great Marlborough was spread throughout the world; and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had been vainly styled Invincible, to evacuate that country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal Wellington; and the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British Government. These achievements, with others of recent dates, in the distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.

The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular frame,—intrepidity which no danger can appal,—unconquerable spirit and resolution,—patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities, united with an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command, whose presence inspires confidence,—have been the leading causes of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time.

The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the world where the calls of their Country and the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in active continental operations, or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.

The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of this arme, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances of service, are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time been introduced, to insure that simplicity and celerity by which the superiority of the national military character is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations of the world, have in a great measure been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country at heart, the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:—

20	20	20	30	20	30	20	20	20
Harquebuses.		Muskets.		Halberds.		Muskets.		Harquebuses.
	Archers.		Pikes.		Pikes.		Archers.

The musket carried a ball which weighed ¹/₁₀th of a pound; and the harquebus a ball which weighed ¹/₂₅th of a pound.

[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the siege of Barcelona in 1705.

[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed in 1590, observes:—"I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field, let them be chosen where they list." Yet at this time the Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during the Seventy Years' War, see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or Buffs.

[4] Vide the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot.

[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty."—General Orders in 1801.

In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated:—"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves: and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,—that no circumstances can appal,—and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means."

Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand

For Cannon's Military Records

HISTORICAL RECORD
— First Battalion

OF

THE SIXTY-SEVENTH,

OR

THE SOUTH HAMPSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

1756

The French Government having failed to fulfil the conditions stipulated in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, and having committed certain encroachments on the British Territories in North America, and other acts of aggression, King George II. again prepared for war, which was proclaimed against France on the 18th of May, 1758. The Army and Navy were consequently increased, and, among other augmentations, fifteen of the regiments of infantry were authorised to raise second battalions from the 25th of August, 1756.[6]

1758

In 1758, these additional battalions were formed into distinct corps, and numbered from the sixty-first to the seventh-fifth regiments. By this arrangement the second battalion of the Twentieth regiment was constituted the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, and His Majesty was pleased to confer the colonelcy on Colonel James Wolfe, on the 21st of April of that year, from the Twentieth (Kingsley's) regiment in which he had served from 1749, and which had acquired, under his command, a high character for its exactness of discipline and other useful qualities.

The SIXTY-SEVENTH, being thus formed from the Twentieth regiment, assumed the pale yellow facing as worn by the Twentieth, which it has since retained.

The following officers were appointed to commissions in the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on its formation from the 21st of April, 1758.

Captains.

Lieutenants.

Ensigns.

1759

After its formation as a distinct regiment, the SIXTY-SEVENTH remained at various stations in England during the years 1759 and 1760. Its Colonel, James Wolfe, had been appointed, in January, 1758, Brigadier-General in North America, and afterwards distinguished himself in the operations preceding the capture of Cape Breton, which surrendered on the 26th of July, 1758, and again in the expedition against Quebec, when he died of the wounds received at the battle on the heights of Abraham, above Quebec, on the 13th of September, 1759.

On the 24th of October, 1759, His Majesty was pleased to confer the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment on Lieut.-Colonel Lord Frederick Cavendish, from the First Foot Guards, in succession to Major-General James Wolfe, deceased.

The decease of King George II. occurred on the 25th of October, 1760, and on the day following His Majesty George III., grandson of the late Sovereign, was proclaimed King of Great Britain and Ireland.

1760

On the 30th of October, 1760, His Majesty King George III. was pleased to remove Colonel Lord Frederick Cavendish to the Thirty-fourth regiment, and to appoint Major-General Sir Henry Erskine, Bart., to succeed him as Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment.

1761

In the spring of 1761 the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment formed part of the force selected to proceed, under the command of Major-General Studholme Hodgson, against Belle-Isle, a French island in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of Brittany. Major-General Hodgson had the undermentioned officers and regiments placed under his orders, which amounted to nearly nine thousand men:—

Major-General John Craufurd; Brigadier-Generals William Rufane, Hamilton Lambert (afterwards Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH), Guy Carleton, Honorable William Howe, Robert Douglas, and Philip Jennings; Deputy-Adjutant-General Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, Bart.; Deputy-Quartermaster-General Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Thomas.

The expedition appeared before Belle-Isle on the 7th of April, and a landing was attempted on the following day; but the whole island appeared like one vast fortress;—the little which nature had left undone by rocks and crags, having been supplied by art; so that when the grenadiers gained the shore, the enemy was discovered so strongly fortified, that no efforts of the few men which could be landed at once, were of any avail. A boat of Erskine's grenadiers (SIXTY-SEVENTH), commanded by Captain Thomas Osborne, landed at a point, and drew up undiscovered. His situation flanked the enemy, but no other boat followed. The French immediately came out, and Captain Osborne advanced to meet them. Twice brought to the ground by a shot, he pressed on, and approached so close to the enemy, that he exchanged thrusts with the French officer in command. The English fired, and then charged with the bayonet. The commanders on both sides were killed, when the English, being without leaders, were unable to maintain their position.—Attempts to secure a landing on other points of the island being also unsuccessful, orders were given to desist from the attempt, and the men returned to the boats, and proceeded back to their several ships. Many of the boats were destroyed or damaged in this attempt, and about five hundred men were lost in killed, wounded, and missing.

Commodore Keppel stated in his letter, of the 13th of April, 1761, to the Right Honorable Mr. Secretary Pitt, afterwards created the Earl of Chatham, that

"One of the flat boats landed sixty of Erskine's grenadiers (SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment), who got up a very difficult place to the top of the hills, where they formed with great skill, but were so immediately routed by a much more numerous body of the enemy, that all attempts to succour them were ineffectual, any further than the boats bringing from the rocks about twenty of them." On the 8th of April, 1761, the SIXTY-SEVENTH had Captain Thomas Osborne and Lieutenant John Gardner killed. Lieutenants Marmaduke Green and William Herdsman were taken prisoners. The other casualties were, two serjeants, one drummer, and six rank and file killed; and sixteen rank and file wounded.

Major-General Hodgson subsequently received the following reinforcements:—

and another attempt to effect a landing was resolved upon. Brigadier-General Hamilton Lambert, on the 22nd of April, 1761, effected a landing on the rocks near Point Lomaria, where the difficulty of ascending the precipice had made the enemy least attentive to that part. Beauclerk's grenadiers (Nineteenth foot), with Captain Patterson of that regiment, gained the summit before the enemy saw what was intended, who immediately marched a body of three hundred men to attack them; the grenadiers, however, maintained their ground till the remainder of Brigadier Lambert's troops arrived. The success, thus gained, was promptly followed up; the French were eventually repulsed, and three brass field-pieces, with a few prisoners, were captured.

The cannon was afterwards landed from the ships and dragged up the rocks; the lines which covered the town of Palais were carried by assault, and the siege of the citadel was prosecuted with vigour. The garrison under their Governor, the Chevalier de St. Croix, made a gallant defence, but on the 7th of June were forced to surrender, and were permitted to march through the breach with the honours of war in consideration of their bravery. The capture of the island was thus achieved, with the loss of about eighteen hundred men killed and wounded.[9]

On the 29th of May, 1761, Major-General Sir Henry Erskine was removed to the Twenty-fifth regiment, and King George III. was pleased to promote Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton Lambert, from the Thirty-first regiment, to the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, as a reward for his gallantry at the capture of Belle-Isle.

1762

While success attended the arms of Great Britain, in various parts of the world, the Sovereigns of France and Spain were negotiating a compact, which gave a new turn to the nature of the war; and the two crowns attempted to coerce Portugal to unite in their designs against Great Britain. Portugal at this period was particularly weak; the capital, Lisbon, had been destroyed by an earthquake five years previously, when nearly thirty thousand inhabitants had been buried in its ruins. This disaster had been followed by a conspiracy against the life of the King, while the country was shaken by internal commotions; at the same time the military force of the kingdom was weak in numbers, scantily furnished with arms, and without experienced officers. Notwithstanding these adverse circumstances, the King of Portugal resolved to adhere to his ancient alliance with Great Britain; and in consequence of this decision, France and Spain declared war against him. A powerful Spanish army assembled on the frontiers, and threatened to crush the Portuguese, when a military force, with artillery, arms, stores, provisions, and money, was furnished by Great Britain to assist its faithful ally; and the SIXTY-SEVENTH, which had returned with the expedition from the coast of France, was one of the regiments selected for service in Portugal.

The regiment proceeded to Portugal, and continued in that country until the termination of hostilities by the treaty of Fontainebleau, the preliminary articles of which were signed by the Duke of Bedford at Fontainebleau, on the 3rd of November, 1762.

1763

Peace was proclaimed in London on the 22nd of March, 1763, and by its provisions it was settled that the Island of Minorca, which had been captured by the French in April, 1756, should be restored to Great Britain. The SIXTY-SEVENTH and the Third foot from Portugal, the Eleventh, Thirty-third, and Thirty-seventh regiments from Germany, and the Fifty-seventh from Gibraltar, were embarked in order to form the garrison of Minorca.[10]

1768
1771

In the Royal Warrant of King George III. dated 19th of December, 1768, containing regulations for the colours, clothing, &c. of the regiments of foot, it was directed that the regimental colour of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment should be pale yellow, being similar to the colours of the Twentieth regiment, from which it was formed. The SIXTY-SEVENTH remained on duty at Minorca until July, 1771, when the Third, Eleventh, and SIXTY-SEVENTH regiments embarked for England, on being relieved by the Royals (second battalion), the Fifty-first and Sixty-first regiments.

1773

In the year 1773 the regiment proceeded to Scotland, where it remained until the year 1775.

1774

On the decease of Lieut.-General Hamilton Lambert in 1774, His Majesty was pleased to promote Lieut.-Colonel Edward Maxwell Brown, from the Twenty-first, Royal North British Fusiliers, to the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 11th of March, 1774.

1775

The regiment embarked for Ireland in 1775, to replace the Forty-second, Royal Highland regiment, and continued on duty in that country until the year 1785.

1782

On the 31st of August, 1782, His Majesty directed that the regiment should be designated the SIXTY-SEVENTH, or the South Hampshire regiment, with a view that a connexion might be cultivated between the corps and that county, in order to promote the success of the recruiting service.

1785

Early in the year 1785 the regiment embarked from Ireland for the West Indies, to relieve the Fifty-fifth regiment.

The regiment proceeded from Barbadoes to Antigua in the autumn of 1785.

1788

During the years 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, and 1792, the regiment was stationed at Grenada.

1793

In the year 1793 the regiment was stationed at Barbadoes, and in July, 1794, returned to Great Britain: the regiment subsequently proceeded to Ireland.

1796

On the 25th of February, 1796, the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked from Ireland for the island of St. Domingo. An expedition had proceeded to St. Domingo in 1794, in order to aid the planters against the persecution of the negro inhabitants, who had imbibed the doctrines of liberty and equality, propagated at that period. The distracted state of France afforded the inhabitants no prospect of relief, and they were therefore desirous of placing themselves under the protection of Great Britain. Much resistance was experienced from the negroes, and the English took possession of Port-au-Prince, the capital of St. Domingo, now the republic of Hayti; but no effectual steps could be taken for the reduction of the island, as the yellow fever destroyed the Europeans with frightful rapidity on their arrival on its fatal coast: the British evacuated the place in 1798.

1798

Towards the end of the year 1798 the regiment proceeded from St. Domingo to Jamaica, after having suffered severely by disease at the former island.

1801

On the 21st of October, 1801, the regiment embarked at Jamaica for England, greatly reduced in numbers from the effects of the climate of the West Indies.

1802

During the year 1802, the regiment was stationed in South Britain.

1803

On the 25th February, 1803, His Majesty was pleased to appoint Lieut.-General Francis D'Oyly, from Colonel Commandant of the Fifteenth foot, to the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the decease of General Edward Maxwell Brown; and on the 9th of March following General Peter Craig was appointed Colonel of the regiment, in succession to Lieut.-General D'Oyly, whose decease occurred on the 4th of March, 1803.

In consequence of the renewal of war with France, and the extensive preparations made in the ports of that country, particularly at Dunkirk and Boulogne, for carrying into effect the threatened invasion of Great Britain, the most active measures were adopted by the British Government to frustrate the designs of the French ruler. An Act of Parliament was passed in 1803 for raising men for limited service in Great Britain and Ireland, which was termed the Army of Reserve Act, and the men so raised were formed into additional and distinct battalions.

The SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, which had embarked for Ireland in the beginning of 1803, was authorised to receive men raised in Ireland under the Army of Reserve Act, and a Second Battalion was added to the establishment on the 9th of July, 1803.

On the 13th of October the first battalion embarked at Dundalk for Guernsey, where it arrived on the 25th of November following.

1804

About the middle of November, 1804, the regiment was removed from the island of Guernsey to Portsmouth, where it arrived on the 30th of November.

1805

On the 25th of March, 1805, the regiment was augmented to an establishment of 64 serjeants, 22 drummers, and 1200 rank and file.

From Portsmouth the first battalion embarked on the 22nd of April, 1805, for the East Indies, and arrived in the Presidency of Bengal on the 15th of September of the same year.

1807

In December, 1807, the SIXTY-SEVENTH proceeded from Fort William to Dinapore, at which station the regiment arrived in March following.

1810

The regiment marched for Benares, in January, 1810, and from thence to Ghazeepore.

1811

In January, 1811, the regiment again proceeded to Benares, and returned to Ghazeepore in the month of February of that year.

Lieut.-General Sir William Keppel, G.C.B., Colonel Commandant of the Sixtieth, was appointed by His Majesty Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 7th of February, 1811, on the decease of General Peter Craig.

1813

The regiment proceeded from Ghazeepore to Cawnpore in January, 1813.

1815

On the 10th of October, 1815, the regiment marched from Cawnpore to Meerut, where it arrived on the 7th of November.

1817

The first battalion of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment marched from Meerut on the 15th of October, 1817, on field service, and joined the army of reserve under the command of Major-General Sir David Ochterlony. On the 27th of November, the first battalion marched from Rewarree, with the reserve of the grand army, to Jeypoor, a city which derives its name from its founder Sevai Jye Singh, a celebrated Hindoo warrior and statesman.

1818

The battalion marched from Dungurter to Oojein in the middle of February, where it joined the Bombay division of the army, under Major-General Sir William Grant Keir, on the 7th of March. It proceeded from Oojein for Baroda on the 13th of March; and on the 9th of April following, marched from Baroda to Tankaira, being the first regiment of His Majesty's army that crossed the Peninsula of India. It embarked for Bombay, where the battalion arrived on the 23rd of April.

On the 30th of April, 1818, six companies embarked from Bombay for the southern Concan,[11] and were present at the siege and surrender of the strong fortress of Ryghur on the 10th of May following. This important stronghold is situated upon the Ghauts which bound the eastern frontier of the Concan, in a line between Poonah and Bancoote, and was one of the fortresses which the Peishwah, Bajee Rao, had surrendered on the 8th of May, 1817, as a pledge of his sincerity. Notwithstanding the stupendous height and extensive area on the top of the fortress, shells were thrown into every part of it, and the palace set on fire, which greatly tended to determine the enemy to surrender. The garrison held out a flag for terms, and after three days of communication and treaty, Lieut.-Colonel David Prother, C.B., of the Ninth Native Infantry, was induced to allow the garrison honorable terms, permitting them to march out with their arms and private property, on the 10th of May. The wife of His Highness the late Peishwah was found in the fort on taking possession, and public property, in specie, to the amount of five lacs.

Lieut.-Colonel Prother stated in Brigade Orders on the 12th of May—

"The surrender of the fortress of Ryghur having closed the operations, the Commanding Officer has peculiar pleasure in offering a public acknowledgment to the merits of those by whom this event has been so much accelerated....

"Although Major Benjafield and the detachment of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, did not arrive until nearly the end of the siege, yet the share taken by them fully deserves the Commanding Officer's thanks."

The six companies of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment returned to head-quarters on the 26th of May.

On the 11th of May, four companies embarked from Bombay for Surat, and were present on the 8th, 18th, 21st, and 28th of June, when possession was taken of the towns and forts of Nunderbar, Cokermundaye, Toulodah, and Kopriel.

In the middle of September the first battalion embarked in three divisions for the Deccan, and arrived at Seroor on the 5th of October following; on the 30th of October the regiment marched from Seroor, and arrived at Mallygaum, the head-quarters of the troops in Candeish, on the 11th of November. Colonel Huskinson,[12] of the SIXTY-SEVENTH, being the senior officer, assumed the command of the troops.

His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, was pleased, on the 24th of October, 1818, to appoint Lieut.-Colonel John Frederick Ewart, of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, to which he had exchanged from half-pay of the Fifth West India regiment, on the 5th of February, 1818, a Companion of the most Honorable Military Order of the Bath.

The force commanded by Colonel S. Huskinson, of which the SIXTY-SEVENTH formed part, marched on the 25th of November for the attack of the towns and forts of Amulneir and Behauderpore, which surrendered at discretion on the 30th of November and the 1st of December, and of which possession was taken, the first place by the flank companies of the regiment, and the latter by the auxiliary horse under Captain Swanton.

Colonel Huskinson, commanding the troops at Candeish, in his despatch to the Resident, the Honorable Mountstuart Elphinstone, dated Camp before Amulneir, 30th of November, 1818, stated,—

"It gives me the greatest satisfaction to have to announce to you, for the information of the Most Noble the Governor-General in India, that the fort of Amulneir surrendered unconditionally to the force I have the honor to command, about noon this day, where, as soon after as possible, Brevet Major Owen, of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, by my orders, occupied the whole of the gates and fort with part of the flank companies of that regiment. This service, I am happy to say, was effected without firing a shot. May I request your orders respecting the disposal of Ally Jemadar and his followers, who are now prisoners in camp."

Here the four companies, which left head-quarters in May, rejoined the regiment.

Leaving Amulneir on the 4th of December, the SIXTY-SEVENTH proceeded to Malligaum, where the battalion arrived on the 14th of that month.

1819

The SIXTY-SEVENTH marched for Amulneir, with the force under the command of Colonel Huskinson, on the 25th of February, 1819. On the 3rd of March eight companies of the regiment, under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Maxwell,[13] proceeded to Asseerghur, and joined the force under Brigadier-General Doveton, before the fortress of Asseerghur,[14] which, on account of its strength, has been designated the "Gibraltar of the East."

The fortress of Asseerghur, which had been held by one of Scindiah's refractory chiefs, is situated on a detached hill between the rivers Nerbudda and Tapty: it consists of an upper and lower fort; the upper one is of an irregular form, about 1100 yards from east to west, and about 600 from north to south; it crowns the top of the hill, which is about 750 feet in height; a perpendicular precipice from 80 to 120 feet, surmounted with a low wall full of loopholes, surrounds it, with the exception of one place, which is strongly fortified. Below are two lines of works, the outer one forming the lower fort, which rises directly above the Pettah,[15] and the entrance to which is protected by strong gateways and flanking works. Immense labour and great skill had been employed to render this naturally strong post almost impregnable; and at the siege of which the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment was present.

The Hyderabad division was encamped at Neembolah, about seven miles from Asseerghur, and negotiations having failed, about twelve o'clock on the night of the 17th of March five companies of the Royal Scots (First regiment of foot) with the flank companies of the Thirtieth, SIXTY-SEVENTH, and Madras European regiment, five companies of native infantry, and a detachment of sappers and miners, the whole commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser, of the Royal Scots, and a reserve commanded by Major Dalrymple, of the Thirtieth, assembled at the camp for the attack of the pettah of Asseer; another party was also directed to co-operate in this service from Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm's division.

The column commenced its march between one and two o'clock, advancing up the bed of a deep nullah, or small river, nearly dry at the time; the assaulting party arrived unobserved within five hundred yards of the pettah, then rushed upon the gate with the greatest ardour and steadiness, the Royal Scots leading the way. The enemy was surprised, and, after discharging a few rounds of grape, retired. The head of the attacking column forced the gate, and proceeding up the main street, encountered an advanced piquet of the enemy, which retired to the lower fort, firing occasionally at the head of the column. Major Charles MacLeod, of the East India Company's service, Deputy-Quartermaster-General, acted as guide on the occasion; by his direction the leading files of the Royal Scots pursued the enemy close under the walls of the fortress, from whence an incessant fire of artillery and matchlocks was kept up; a few ill-directed rockets were also discharged.

The leading sections of the Royal Scots, which had pursued the enemy up the hill, were joined by one or two files of the Thirtieth and SIXTY-SEVENTH regiments, the whole amounting to about 25 or 30 men. As soon as the enemy saw the small force before which he had so precipitately fled, he immediately rallied, and came shouting down the hill with augmented numbers to attack this small party, but was repulsed by a spirited charge with the bayonet, which, with a few rounds of musketry, obliged him to retreat within the works, some of which were within about fifty yards of this handful of men, leaving the Chief, who was shot in the melée, and several men on the field.

The pettah of Asseerghur was thus captured on the morning of the 18th of March, with trifling loss; but on the evening of the following day a desperate sally was made by a part of the garrison on the advanced post of the troops in the pettah, on which occasion Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser, of the Royal Scots, was unfortunately killed, while gallantly rallying the party under his command, and keeping the advance in their position. The enemy was, however, immediately driven back, and compelled to retire into the fort.

During the progress of constructing new batteries on elevated and commanding situations, the dragging of ordnance into many of them was performed by the European soldiers, who literally worked like horses; during the whole of the time they were annoyed by a constant fire of matchlocks from the walls of the upper fort (the lower fort had been taken possession of on the 30th of March, by part of Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm's division), but which was too distant to prevent the execution of this Herculean labour, which was performed with that ardour and cheerfulness so characteristic of British soldiers, when necessity demands from them any extraordinary exertions.

On the 31st of March, part of the Bengal army, consisting of 2200 native troops, with 22 pieces of heavy ordnance, commanded by Brigadier-General Watson, joined the besieging force; and these guns were soon placed in battery, and opened on the fort. The storm of war now raged furiously round Asseerghur, and a breach was soon effected in the outer wall at the only assailable part of the fort; at the same time two batteries were directed against the inner wall. This unremitting fire was continued until the 6th of April, when the garrison forced the Killedar to sue for terms, namely, "liberty to preserve their arms, and to depart with their personal property."

These conditions were refused, and hostilities recommenced; the Killedar, however, accepted the terms offered on the 8th, and agreed to surrender the fort on the morning of the 9th, when the firing ceased; but as he stated that he could not answer for the garrison, the control of which he had lost, preparations were made for renewing operations in case of refusal.

The garrison surrendered unconditionally on the 9th of April, and five hundred men of the SIXTY-SEVENTH, under the command of Major Benjafield, with the 7th Madras light cavalry, and the second battalion of the 13th Madras native infantry, took possession of the fortress, on the garrison marching out and laying down their arms on the public parade.

The following was the return of ordnance, &c. taken in the fortress of Asseerghur by the troops under the command of Brigadier-General Doveton. Brass and iron ordnance, 128; about 36,000 stone and iron shot, of different sizes; two hundredweight of gunpowder; 2000 wall-pieces, of different sizes; and about four hundredweight of grape-shot.

During the siege the SIXTY-SEVENTH had Lieutenants J. Adair and John Hannah severely wounded; Lieutenant Adair[16] was twice severely wounded by matchlock balls in the left arm and right side, on the 19th of March, in repulsing the sortie of the garrison of Asseerghur:—one serjeant, one drummer, and eleven rank and file were wounded.

Major Owen, who commanded the flank companies of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, was particularly mentioned in Orders by Brigadier-General Doveton, who also reported that "the fall of Asseer leaves to the Brigadier-General only the pleasing task of recording his sense of the merits and exertions of the officers and troops, and of bringing them to the notice of superior authority, where they can alone be fully and properly appreciated.

"To the means placed at the Brigadier-General's disposal, by the rapid advance of the division under the personal command of Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm, K.C.B., as well as of the troops from the Nerbudda field force and from Saugur, under the personal command of Brigadier-General Watson, C.B., to the science and skill of the engineer and artillery branches, and finally to the distinguished gallantry and persevering exertions of the whole of the officers and troops whom the Brigadier-General has the honor to command, are principally to be attributed the fall of so stupendous a fortress in eleven days from the opening of the trenches....

"He requests also that Lieutenant-Colonels MacDowell, Dewar, Ewart (Lieut.-Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment), Greenstreet, and Pollock, commanding brigades of infantry, will be fully persuaded of the high estimation in which he holds the eminent services rendered by them, as well as by the officers and men of their several brigades"....

Brigadier-General Sir John Malcolm also reported:—

"I have to state my sense of the zeal and activity of my Aide-de-Camp, Ensign G. Pasley, of His Majesty's Fourteenth foot, and extra Aide-de-Camp Lieutenant J. Pasley, of His Majesty's SIXTY-SEVENTH foot."

On the 12th of April, the SIXTY-SEVENTH marched from Asseerghur, and arrived at Mallygaum on the 26th of the same month.

The decease of Major Nathaniel Benjafield, of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, occurred on the 2nd of June, 1819.

1820

The regiment proceeded on the 6th of December, 1820, from Mallygaum, in Candeish, and arrived at Sholapore, in the Deccan, on the 29th of that month.

1823

Colonel Samuel Huskinson, the Lieut.-Colonel of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, was promoted on the 19th of July, 1821, to the rank of Major-General, and on the 10th of January, 1837, was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant-General.

Marching from Sholapore on the 23rd of April, the regiment arrived at Poonah on the 10th of May, 1823.

1826

On the 2nd of January, 1826, the first battalion of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked in three divisions at Bombay for Calcutta, and arrived there on the 2nd of March following. On the 13th of March the battalion proceeded to Rangoon, and arrived opposite the town on the 27th of the same month. The battalion returned to Calcutta on 5th of April following.

Major S. B. Taylor, Captain W. Webster, and Lieutenant J. Hassall, of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, died at Fort William during April and May of this year.

The SIXTY-SEVENTH embarked for England in the ships Zenobia, Caroline, and Catherine Stewart Forbes, under the command of Major Poyntz on the 9th of June, 1826. The head-quarters and second division arrived at Gravesend on the 28th of November following, after an absence of twenty-one years in India; the remainder of the regiment arrived at Gravesend on the 16th of April, 1827.

On the 20th of December, 1826, the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment was authorised by His Majesty King George IV. to bear on its colours and appointments, in addition to any other badges or devices heretofore granted, the figure of the Royal Tiger, with the word "India" superscribed, in commemoration of its services in that part of the world from the year 1805 to 1826.

The regiment marched from Chatham to Windsor in December, 1826.

In March, 1827, the regiment proceeded from Windsor to Weedon, and in October the head-quarters were stationed at Bolton, in Lancashire.

1828

Towards the end of July, 1828, the regiment proceeded to Manchester, and in October it marched to Liverpool.

His Majesty King George the Fourth was pleased to appoint Major-General John Macdonald, C.B. (Deputy Adjutant-General to the Forces) to the colonelcy of the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 25th of August, 1828, in succession to General Sir William Keppel, removed to the Second or Queen's Royal regiment of foot.

1829

The regiment marched from Liverpool to Stockport in January, 1829, and in May following proceeded to Chester.

Major the Honorable H. R. Molyneux was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel in the SIXTY-SEVENTH regiment, on the 9th of April, 1829, Lieut.-Colonel Nathaniel Burslem having retired from the service.

1830