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.]

HISTORICAL RECORDS

OF THE

BRITISH ARMY.

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

THE THIRD,

OR

PRINCE OF WALES' REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

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

GENERAL ORDERS.

HORSE-GUARDS,

1st January, 1836.

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

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

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

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

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

And,

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

By Command of the Right Honourable

GENERAL LORD HILL,

Commanding-in-Chief.

John Macdonald,

Adjutant-General.

PREFACE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Charles R.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOOTNOTES:

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

[2] Military Papers, State Paper Office.

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

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

[5] State Paper Office.

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

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE THIRD,
OR
PRINCE OF WALES' REGIMENT
OF
DRAGOON GUARDS.

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1685,

AND OF

ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1838.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS,

14, CHARING CROSS.

1838.

CONTENTS.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

LIST OF PLATES.

THE THIRD,

OR

PRINCE OF WALES' REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS,

BEARS ON ITS STANDARDS AS A REGIMENTAL BADGE

A CORONET, WITH A PLUME OF THREE FEATHERS,
A RISING SUN, AND A RED DRAGON,

WITH THE MOTTO

"ICH DIEN,"

AND THE FOLLOWING INSCRIPTIONS,—

"TALAVERA"—"ALBUHERA"—"VITTORIA"—
"PENINSULA."

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF THE

THIRD, or PRINCE OF WALES' REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOON GUARDS.

1685

In the month of June, 1685, when the Duke of Monmouth raised the standard of rebellion in the west of England, many of the nobility and gentry displayed their loyalty by raising forces for the service of their Sovereign; and during the alarm and consternation which prevailed throughout the country, Thomas Earl of Plymouth,—a nobleman highly distinguished for loyalty and attachment to the crown,[7]—a veteran who had fought the battles of his King against the forces of Cromwell,—raised a troop of horse in Worcestershire; another troop was raised by Claudius Earl of Abercorn in Oxfordshire; a third by Henry Lord Eyland at St. Alban's and its vicinity; a fourth by Henry Lord Grey at Dunstable and other towns in Bedfordshire; a fifth by Lionel Walden, Esq., at Huntingdon and its vicinity; and a sixth by Mr. Ambrose Brown in the neighbourhood of Dorking;[8] and, when the decisive battle of Sedgemoor, with the capture and execution of the Duke of Monmouth, had destroyed the hopes of the disaffected, the six troops raised by the above distinguished noblemen and gentlemen were incorporated into a regiment, which ranked as Fourth Horse; and the corps thus formed having been continued in the service of the crown until the present time, it is now distinguished by the title of the Third, or Prince of Wales' Regiment of Dragoon Guards, and the various operations in which it has been engaged, with the part it has taken in battles, sieges, and other occurrences, through many eventful periods of history, form the subject of this brief memoir.

The Colonelcy was conferred on the Earl of Plymouth, by commission dated the 15th of July, 1685, and the Lieut.-Colonelcy on Hugh Sunderland, an officer of experience, who had been Major of the Royal Dragoons since 1683. The Fourth Horse were armed and equipped as Cuirassiers.[9] The men wore hats with broad brims, bound with silver lace, turned up on one side and ornamented with green ribands; scarlet coats lined with green shalloon, and high boots made of jacked leather; they had also scarlet cloaks lined with green, and green horse-furniture embroidered with white, and ornamented with the King's cypher and crown. Their cuirasses were pistol-proof, and they had also iron headpieces called potts. Their weapons were a sword, a pair of pistols, and a short carbine; and, thus equipped, these loyal yeomen had a formidable and warlike appearance. In a few weeks after the regiment was formed, it marched into quarters in Buckinghamshire (viz., to Amersham, Aylesbury, and Marlow), and, having been instructed in the plain and simple exercises practised at that period, it was reviewed on the 20th of August by the King on Hounslow Heath, and again on the 22nd of that month.

After these reviews the Fourth Horse marched into winter quarters at several towns in Gloucestershire; and it is a curious particular in the annals of the regiment, that the first service it was called upon to perform was enforcing obedience to an Act of Parliament which prohibited the cultivation of tobacco. The increased consumption and high price of this article had induced several landholders to cultivate it on their farms, in violation of the law, particularly at Winchcomb and the villages in that neighbourhood. One troop was stationed for a short time at Winchcomb expressly for the purpose of preventing the cultivation of this herb; and when the men left that town the following paragraph appeared in the order for their march: 'Our further will and pleasure is, that you cause parties to be sent, once at least in every week, to our town of Winchcomb and places adjacent, who are hereby ordered to destroy all plants, seeds, and leaves of tobacco which they shall, upon the strictest search, find planted or growing contrary to the Act of Parliament.'[10]

1686

During its stay in Gloucestershire, the first inspection of the regiment was made by Brigadier-General Sir John Lanier, one of the inspecting-generals of cavalry; and the establishment of the regiment, with the rates of pay of each rank, was fixed by a warrant under the sign manual, bearing date the 1st of January, 1686, from which the following is an extract:—

Immediately after the establishment was finally arranged, the Fourth Horse were ordered to march into quarters in the metropolis, where they arrived in February, 1686, to assist the Life Guards in the duties of the court; at the same time a detachment of one officer and six men proceeded to Liverpool to convey the specie collected by the officers of the revenue at that port from thence to London; which was probably a very necessary service, as the King, by doubling the strength of his regular army, had made a great increase in his expenditure.

During the summer of this year the regiment was encamped on Hounslow Heath, where it was several times reviewed by the King, and afterwards went into quarters at Cambridge, Huntingdon, and St. Ives.

At this period the following Officers were holding commissions in the regiment:—

1687

In the summer of 1687 the regiment was again quartered for a short time in London, and it was subsequently encamped on Hounslow Heath, where a series of reviews and mock-battles were performed by the troops in presence of the court. The King spent much of his time on the Heath witnessing the exercise of the several corps, and endeavouring to ingratiate himself in the affections of his army, in order to render it subservient in the execution of his designs against the established religion and laws of the country.

Fourth Horse, 1687. Constituted Third Dragoon Guards in 1746. [To face page 6.

On the 3rd of November, in this year, the Earl of Plymouth died, and the Colonelcy of the Fourth Horse was given to Brigadier-General Sir John Fenwick, who had for several years held the appointment of Lieut.-Colonel of the Second Troop, now Second Regiment, of Life Guards; he was also one of the inspecting generals of cavalry, and was known to be firmly attached to the King, and a zealous supporter of the measures of the court. Several officers resigned their commissions, and they were replaced by men whose principles were presumed to be favourable to papacy and absolute monarchy.

1688

Although the nation was at peace, and arts and manufactures were prospering, yet the minds of the people were troubled, for they saw the King proceeding with rapid progress towards effecting the overthrow of the established religion and laws of the kingdom; while the nobility appeared resolved to make a stand against the arbitrary measures of the court. Thus, the Fourth Horse, when they had been only three years in the service of the crown, found themselves in a most perplexing situation; yet their conduct was so truly honourable, that every individual who has served in the corps may reflect with exultation on the fact that, throughout the whole period of its service, its reputation has been preserved untarnished. In the summer of 1688 it again erected its tents on Hounslow Heath; and, several Bishops having been imprisoned and brought to trial for not acquiescing in the King's measures, on the day they were acquitted, his Majesty, after reviewing the army on the Heath, dined in the Earl of Feversham's tent when, on a sudden, the soldiers began to shout and huzza; the King inquired the cause of the noise, and was answered—'Nothing, your Majesty, but the soldiers shouting because the Bishops are acquitted.' The King answered, with evident displeasure, 'Call you that nothing?' and dismissed the troops to their quarters, resolving (according to the historians of that period) never to call them together again until he had remodelled them, by the dismissal of protestants and the introduction of papists. But events were ripe for execution; and the Prince of Orange was, in compliance with the solicitations of the English nobility, preparing an expedition for England to support the established religion and laws.

When the Fourth Horse left Hounslow Heath, they proceeded into quarters at Oxford and Woodstock. In the beginning of November they marched to Alresford; and when the Prince of Orange landed at Torbay, they were ordered to advance to Salisbury, where King James's army was assembled; before leaving Alresford, the men, in consequence of an order from the Secretary-at-War, placed their ARMOUR under the charge of the civil authorities of the town, from whence it was subsequently removed to the Tower of London.

King James arrived at Salisbury to command the forces in person, where he again discovered the reluctance of the troops to support the proceedings of the jesuitical faction by which he was governed; and, alarmed by the desertions which took place, he fled to London and ultimately to France. Several corps went over to the Prince of Orange; but the Fourth Horse preserved their fidelity to King James until that unhappy monarch forsook the throne; and when the Prince assumed the reins of government, His Highness ordered the regiment to march to Dorking and Ryegate, where it received a draught of 100 men and horses from the Marquis de Miremont's[11] regiment of horse, a newly-raised corps which was ordered to be disbanded.

Sir John Fenwick, adhering to the interest of King James, resigned his commission; and the Colonelcy of the regiment was given to Lord Colchester, from the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Fourth Troop of Life Guards, who was one of the first officers that joined the Prince of Orange at Exeter, and took with him several men of his troop.

1689

After the flight of the King, the Roman Catholic soldiers committed some irregularities; and in January, 1689, a squadron of the Fourth Horse, with a detachment of Sir George Hewyt's Horse (now Sixth Dragoon Guards), marched to Lewes and Chichester, where they caused three regiments of Irish Roman Catholics[12] to lay down their arms, and afterwards escorted them to Portsmouth; from whence they were removed, under a strong guard, to the Isle of Wight, and were subsequently, sent to Hamburg, and disposed of in the service of the Emperor of Germany.

In the mean time the accession of King William and Queen Mary to the throne was opposed in Scotland, and Viscount Dundee was actively engaged in exciting the northern shires, particularly the Highlanders, to take arms in favour of King James. The Fourth Horse, after transferring thirty men and horses to the Blues (which regiment was ordered to proceed to Holland), marched for Scotland, and were placed under the command of Major-General Mackay.

Having arrived at Edinburgh early in April, the Fourth Horse formed part of the force employed in the siege of the castle, which the Duke of Gordon held possession of for King James. Shortly afterwards one squadron of the regiment, with two squadrons of the Royal Scots Dragoons (the Greys), and two hundred foot, accompanied Major-General Mackay to the town of Dundee, where two troops of the Royal Scots Dragoons were left, and the remainder proceeded in quest of the rebels.

Major-General Mackay having ascertained that Viscount Dundee had joined Macdonald of Keppoch, who lay before Inverness with a thousand men, determined to confront them with his little band. He crossed the Spey, and advanced to Elgin with all possible speed, and throughout the march he was rejoiced (as he observes in his memoirs) to find his troops animated with the same spirit as himself.

At Elgin the squadron of the Fourth Horse halted two days in quarters of refreshment, the men and horses being nearly exhausted. On the third day they proceeded towards Forres, and on the march the General ascertained that Viscount Dundee had taken the road through Badenoch to Lochaber. The squadron then proceeded to Inverness, where Major-General Mackay invited the influential persons in the neighbourhood to meet him to concert measures for opposing the rebels; and, expecting that Viscount Dundee would soon appear with a vast accession of force, several additional corps were ordered from Edinburgh to Inverness. At the same time the remainder of the Fourth Horse were also directed to proceed to the same destination.

On the 28th of May the squadron of the regiment at Inverness, with some other troops, in all 640 men, accompanied General Mackay in his advance towards Ruthven Castle, where he expected to meet Colonel Ramsay with 600 Dutch infantry from Edinburgh; but before the general reached the Castle, he ascertained that Ramsay had been intimidated by the threatening aspect of the Athol men, and finding himself in a wild country, to which he was a stranger, surrounded by enemies, he had returned towards Perth: at the same time General Mackay was informed that Viscount Dundee with 2000 hardy mountaineers had arrived that morning at the heights of Badenoch. Under these perplexing circumstances, Mackay turned to the left; then, proceeding down Strathspey, he continued his march for twenty-four hours without a halt; when, having attained a considerable distance in advance of the enemy, he slackened his pace, and was soon afterwards joined by two troops of the Royal Scots Dragoons from the town of Dundee. In the mean time, the enemy followed with all possible expedition, and on their near approach, General Mackay ascertained that several of his officers carried on a secret correspondence with Viscount Dundee, at the same time he had reason to doubt the fidelity of the Scots dragoons. The general, having only the squadron of the Fourth Horse and a few Dutch infantry and Scots irregulars on whom he could depend, once more found himself in a perplexing situation; and, not deeming it prudent to march through an hostile country—all papists, with an enemy at his heels four times more numerous than his own little detachment—he commenced his march, at dusk in the evening, by the side of the river, with hungry men and hungry horses, though resolute, particularly the squadron of the Fourth Horse, and 200 fusileers, on whom he principally relied.[13] On arriving at Balveny, the troops halted to procure bread for the men and oats for the horses. Having, however, sent out scouts, and none of them returning, General Mackay ordered his party to march forward before the bread was baked, or the horses had eaten a feed of corn, nor halted until four o'clock on the next morning, when neither cavalry nor infantry were able to proceed. However, after two hours' rest, during which time the horses were permitted to feed in a field of corn, he proceeded three miles farther, and took post at the foot of Suy Hill, where he had a view for two miles in every direction in which the enemy could approach. Here the men had some repose, and, their provisions being exhausted, a further supply was sent for from a house in the neighbourhood belonging to the Lord Forbes; but before the food was prepared the general found it necessary to resume his march. On the same day he was joined by Berkeley's (now Fourth) Dragoons, and Leslie's (now Fifteenth) Regiment of Foot. Thus reinforced he resolved to confront the enemy; but the Highlanders, though not inferior in numbers to the King's forces, made a precipitate retreat, and the troops pursued them from the low country until they took refuge in the wilds of Lochaber. The Fourth Horse afterwards returned to the lowlands for refreshment, of which they stood in great need: having in this, their first campaign, undergone the greatest fatigues and privation with a constancy and patience, which occasioned General Mackay, who was an officer of much experience, to speak of them in terms of commendation.

The enemy, though compelled to retire, was not to be despised. The lofty, chivalrous spirit of Viscount Dundee rose superior to ordinary difficulties, and he was engaged in arousing the friends of the Stuarts to arms. At the same time General Mackay was at Edinburgh procuring supplies; and, having given directions for a considerable body of troops to assemble at Perth, he proceeded thither without delay. Here he received intelligence of the enemy's increasing numbers, and, although his cavalry had not joined him (excepting two troops of newly-raised horse), he resolved to march forward, with a view of preventing the entry of the Highlanders into the country of Athol. The result was the unfortunate battle of Killicrankie; in narrating which the General observes, in reference to the latter part of the action, 'that if he had had but fifty resolute horse such as Colchester's (the Fourth) with him, he had certainly, by all human appearance, recovered the day,'[14] which shows the very high opinion he entertained of the regiment.

Two days after this action, in which Viscount Dundee was killed, and the command of the mountaineers devolved on Brigadier-General Cannon, the Fourth Horse joined General Mackay, who proceeded with the reinforcements he received towards St. Johnston, to prevent the junction of the disaffected in the shires of Perth and Angus with the rebels, and to keep the latter to the hills. When on this march, a squadron of the regiment highly distinguished itself in an action with a detachment of the enemy, and fully verified the previous commendatory assertions of General Mackay in behalf of the corps. The particulars of this encounter are as follow.

A detachment of rebels, consisting of two troops of horse and about three hundred foot, had seized, at St. Johnston, a quantity of provision, with which they were proceeding to the main body of their army, about seven miles distant;[15] but they were overtaken by Major-General Mackay at the head of a squadron of the Fourth Horse and some dragoons, who, regardless of the enemy's numbers, dashed forward with signal intrepidity,—charged and defeated the rebel horse in gallant style,—then rushed upon their foot, and, having broken their ranks, and sabred one hundred and twenty on the spot, the rest were either dispersed or taken prisoners.

This casual encounter produced important results. The enemy, disheartened by the repulse, proceeded towards the north, keeping near the Grampian Hills; and General Mackay with 1400 horse and dragoons marched along the plains at the base of the hills, to restrain the enemy from descending. In this service the Fourth Horse were subject to many harassing marches and counter-marches. By day the troops were perpetually in motion; during the night they lay in the fields in a body; and their commander having no confidence in the reports of the country people, who were nearly all hostile to the existing government, he was continually sending out small parties throughout the night to procure intelligence. At length the enemy retreated over the mountains by paths inaccessible to cavalry, and many of the Highlanders proceeded to their homes.

The regiment having sustained considerable loss in this campaign from fatigue and privation, particularly in horses, marched into England to recruit, and was quartered at Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon.

1690

Having completed its ranks to the numbers borne on the establishment, the regiment marched to the vicinity of the metropolis, and in June, 1690, it furnished a relay of escorts to attend the King to Highlake, in Cheshire, where His Majesty embarked for Ireland, in order to rescue that kingdom from the power of King James. The regiment was subsequently employed in assisting the Life Guards in their attendance on the court; for several months it furnished a daily guard for the Queen-Dowager, at Windsor; and one troop afterwards accompanied Her Majesty to Newmarket.

1691

From the south of England the regiment marched in the spring of 1691 to Lancashire; but it returned to the south in November of the same year, and on the 25th of that month received orders to embark for foreign service.

King William was actively engaged in a war with Louis XIV., who used every means to promote the aggrandizement of France. The Fourth Horse formed part of a reinforcement sent to the British army on the Continent; and, after landing at Williamstadt in North Brabant, they marched to Flanders, and went into village cantonments.

1692

On the 23rd of January, 1692, John Lord Berkeley was appointed Colonel of the regiment, in succession to Lord Colchester, who was promoted to the command of the Third Troop of Life Guards.[[16]]

The Fourth Horse were called from their cantonments in the spring of 1692, to engage in active operations; and they formed part of the army commanded by King William in person, which advanced to the relief of Namur, when that fortress was besieged by the French. But on arriving at the banks of the Mehaine, that river was found impassable from heavy rains; the enemy arriving on the opposite bank, the two armies viewed each other across the river, but no action took place; and while the army was thus delayed, Namur fell into the hands of the enemy. The Fourth Horse were subsequently engaged in several manœuvres; and they took part in the attack of the French in their position near Steenkirk, on the 3rd of August.

On this occasion they formed part of the leading column which, after passing along several narrow defiles and through some woody grounds, deployed on a small plain in front of the enemy, and commenced the attack in gallant style; but not being sustained by the main army, the corps in advance, after gaining considerable advantage and displaying great valour, were obliged to retire. The Fourth Horse, after driving back some French squadrons, had advanced to the right skirts of a wood on the left wing, and their gallant bearing, under a heavy fire which thinned the ranks, was conspicuous; but they were eventually forced from their ground by the torrent of superior numbers which came pouring down upon their front. The King ordered a retreat, and the troops performed the difficult operation of retiring through a broken country in presence of an army of superior numbers, in fine order.

After several marches and changes of position, the regiment proceeded to Ghent, where it was joined by a draft of men and horses from the Princess Anne's Horse, commanded by Colonel Francis Langston,—a regiment which, having suffered severely at Steenkirk, was discontinued on the establishment of the army, and the few remaining men and horses were transferred to other corps.[17]

1693

Leaving their cantonments in the spring of 1693, the Fourth Horse again took the field, and were with the army in Park camp,—a strong post which covered Louvain, Malines, and Brussels,—and the occupation of this ground enabled King William to defeat the designs of the enemy on Brabant. The Fourth Horse were subsequently engaged in several manœuvres, designed to insure the preservation of the bishopric of Liege, and to raise the siege of Huy,—a strong town, pleasantly situated in a valley on the Maese; but this fortress was surrendered while the troops were marching to its relief, and the governor was brought to trial for surrendering it.

The Fourth Horse were afterwards encamped near the banks of the Geete, in South Brabant, where the army was attacked by a French force of superior numbers commanded by the Duke of Luxembourg. The regiment was posted on this occasion towards the left of the line, near the village of Neer-Landen, to support the infantry in this quarter, and passed the night before the action under arms.

On the 19th of July, as the first rays of morning light glanced upon the hostile armies, the French were discovered in order of battle, and a sudden burst of artillery from the batteries of the allies sent forward a shower of balls, which, rending the ranks of the enemy, formed a prelude to the sanguinary conflict which followed. For some time the fighting was limited to the infantry and artillery, and the Fourth Horse were spectators of the fray; yet a cannon shot or two occasionally plunging into the ranks, laid several troopers and their horses dead on the plain. At length the enemy forced the right of the allied army, and routed the Hanoverian and other foreign horse in that quarter, when King William ordered to their aid the British squadrons on the left. Instantly moving from their post, the Fourth Horse and other English cavalry gallopped to the scene of conflict, and each squadron charging the moment it arrived, the torrent of battle, which was sweeping the plain, was stayed,—the leading squadrons of the enemy were broken,—and the British horsemen, mixing fiercely in the combat, displayed their native valour and intrepidity. Yet the cavalry and infantry on the right wing, having already quitted the field, the chivalrous horsemen of Britain were unable to resist the superior numbers of the enemy which came pouring down on every side; and they were ordered to retire, a movement which was not executed without some confusion and considerable loss.[18] The French remained masters of the field, but the number of their killed and wounded exceeded that of the allies.[19]

The Fourth Horse, having retired from the field of battle by the bridge at Neer-Hespen, proceeded that night to Tirlemont. They were subsequently encamped near Brussels, and after taking part in several manœuvres and skirmishes, they returned to their former station at Ghent.

1694

On the 24th January, 1694, King William conferred the Colonelcy on Lieut.-Colonel Cornelius Wood (an officer of signal merit, who had frequently distinguished himself), from the Seventh Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards.

After passing the winter at Ghent, the Fourth Horse again took the field in May, 1694, and, after several marches, were encamped with the army on the plain near Mont St. André, where they were reviewed by the King on the 16th of August, in brigade with the regiments of Leveson, Wyndham, and Galway.[20] They passed the summer in manœuvring and skirmishing on the verdant plains of the Netherlands, and on the frontiers of Liege,—performing many long and toilsome marches through a country which, having for several years been the seat of war, was changed from a land of smiling plenty and contentment to a scene of outrage, devastation, and misery. After forming part of the covering army during the siege of Huy, which surrendered in September, the Fourth Horse marched back to Flanders, and again occupied quarters at Ghent.

1695

In the spring of 1695 thirty men per troop were suddenly called out of quarters to take the field; but after a reconnoissance towards the enemy's frontiers, where they were erecting some extensive lines of defence, the detachment returned to its former quarters. In May the regiment marched out of Ghent, and taking its post in the right wing of the army, encamped at Arseele, was reviewed by the King, with the other English cavalry, on the 31st of that month. In June the regiment was removed from the right to the left wing of the army;[21] and when King William had, by skilful manœuvres, drawn the enemy to the Flanders side of their line of entrenchments, and invested the strong fortress of Namur, the Fourth Horse formed part of the force detached, under the Earl of Athlone, towards Fleurus, for the convenience of forage, and to observe the enemy on that side. While on this service they were several weeks in comfortable quarters, or moving quietly from village to village,—the horses feeding on the grassy plains of Hainault,—the detached parties patrolling along the front, to observe the motions of the enemy; meanwhile the infantry were encamped between Deynse and Thielt, and the besieging force made rapid progress. At length, owing to some movements of the enemy, the Fourth Horse proceeded towards Bruges; they subsequently made several forced marches, and towards the end of July were encamped on the undulating grounds between Genappe and Waterloo. Two powerful armies were at this period manœuvring, and while the French advanced with confidence to raise the siege of Namur, the allies interposed to cover the besieging force. In the course of these manœuvres the Fourth Horse moved to the vicinity of Namur, and after the surrender of the citadel they marched to the neighbourhood of Nivelles, and were subsequently encamped at Halle, from whence they proceeded in the autumn to their former station at Ghent.

1696

During the summer of 1696 the Fourth Horse and Wyndham's Regiment (now 6th Dragoon Guards) formed part of the army in Brabant, under King William in person, while the remainder of the British cavalry continued in Flanders. For this purpose the two regiments left Ghent on the 1st of June, and having joined the main army on the march near Gemblours on the 20th of that month, were reviewed on the 24th by his Majesty, near Corbais. The summer was passed by the Fourth Horse in manœuvring, patrolling, and skirmishing on the plains of Brabant, and in performing out-post duty; and, returning to Flanders in the autumn, they once more occupied quarters at Ghent.

1697

The regiment left Flanders in the early part of May, 1697, and, having passed the Scheldt at Dendermond, joined the army encamped at St. Quintin Linneck on the 16th of that month. It took part in the manœuvres of this campaign, and, after several marches, was encamped a short time before Brussels, from whence it was detached, for the convenience of forage, to Wavre; and while at this station hostilities were terminated by the peace of Ryswick, when it was ordered to return to England.

From Wavre the regiment marched to Flanders, from whence it embarked for England, where it arrived in December, and was ordered to march into quarters in Staffordshire; at the same time the establishment was reduced from fifty to thirty-one private men per troop.

1698
1700
1701
1702

During the summer of 1698 it was occupying quarters at Uttoxeter and Penxridge; and in August, of the same year, it was reviewed by the Duke of Schomberg at Lichfield. It remained in Staffordshire until the month of June, 1700, when it proceeded to the vicinity of London, and was reviewed by his Majesty on Hounslow Heath; and in November of the following year, furnished a relay of escorts to attend the King from Margate to London, when his Majesty returned from the continent. It was subsequently stationed in the vicinity of London, and in the beginning of 1702 received orders to hold itself in readiness for foreign service: at the same time the establishment was again augmented to fifty men per troop.

The accession of the Duke of Anjou (grandson of Louis XIV.) to the throne of Spain, in violation of recent treaties, had re-kindled the flame of war in Europe, and King William once more united with the continental states to reduce the exorbitant power of France. In the mean time the Kings of France and Spain proclaimed the Pretender King of Great Britain, by the title of James III. This proceeding made the nation sensible of the latent designs of France; the preparations for war were expedited; and in the beginning of March, 1702, the Fourth Horse embarked at Blackwall and Deptford. But the death of King William occurring (8th of March) before the transports sailed, the regiment was ordered to disembark and march into quarters in the villages near London. Queen Anne, however, continued the course of policy adopted by her predecessor, and on the 11th of March the regiment was ordered to re-embark and proceed to Holland, where it arrived towards the end of the same month, and went into cantonments near Breda.

The Fourth Horse, with three other regiments of British cavalry and two of infantry,[22] were stationed near Breda, until the 21st of June, when they marched under the orders of Lieut.-General Lumley to join the army. The French attempted to intercept these regiments; but by forced marches they eluded the enemy, and arrived at the camp near Duckenburg, towards the end of the same month.

The French, having obtained possession of the Spanish Netherlands, the campaign commenced on the Dutch frontiers. The Fourth Horse, forming part of the army commanded by the Earl of Marlborough, advanced against the immense force of the enemy under the Duke of Burgundy and Marshal Boufflers. Having crossed the Maese near Grave, the British troops were engaged in several daring and skilful manœuvres in North Brabant and the province of Limburg, by which the designs of the enemy were frustrated.

When the allies besieged Venloo, the Fourth Horse were with the troops employed in observing the enemy, and in protecting the supplies of forage, provision, and ammunition: they were also similarly engaged during the sieges of Ruremonde and Stevenswaert.

These fortresses having been captured, the regiment quitted its camp at Soutendael about midnight, on the 10th of October, and, having crossed the little river Jaar, advanced with the army towards the city of Liege, where it arrived about three in the following morning, when the suburb of St. Walburg was found in flames, the French having, upon the sudden advance of the allies, attempted the destruction of the suburbs by fire, and afterwards retired into the citadel, and into a detached fortress called the Chartreuse.

The Fourth Horse marched into the city of Liege on the 14th of October, where they remained until the 25th, when they were detached across the river to invest the Chartreuse; and, after the surrender of this place, they were employed in escorting the garrison towards Antwerp.[23] Having performed this service they went into village cantonments, and before the following spring the British commander was advanced to the dignity of Duke of Marlborough.

1703

Having passed the winter in Dutch Brabant, the Fourth Horse, moving from their quarters in May, 1703, traversed the country to the vicinity of Maestricht; at the same time one division of the army besieged and took Bonn. They were subsequently encamped near the banks of the Maese, where the Duke of Marlborough assembled the army; and on the 24th of May advanced against the enemy, who occupied an advantageous post near Tongres; but on the approach of the allies the French retired, and afterwards took post behind their fortified lines.

The Fourth Horse were subsequently encamped with the army near Haneff, where they were engaged in a slight skirmish with a detachment of the enemy. The Duke of Marlborough was desirous of attacking the French lines, but was prevented by the indecision of the Dutch generals and field-deputies. The Fourth Horse were also employed in the operations which preceded the investiture of Huy, and formed part of the covering army during the siege of that place. They were afterwards in the lines of circumvallation before Limburg; and after the surrender of this place they proceeded to Liege; and on the 4th of October joined the camp at St. Trond, where they halted a few days, and were subsequently distributed into cantonments.

1704

The British horse again passed the winter amongst the rude peasantry of Holland, and assembled with the army in the spring of 1704 near Ruremonde, from whence they directed their march to Cologne, and afterwards proceeded through a delightful country to Coblentz, a town situate at the conflux of the Rhine and Moselle. By these movements the Duke of Marlborough indicated a design of carrying on the war in the direction of the Moselle; but he had a more noble and hazardous object in view.

The Elector of Bavaria, who is presumed to have aspired to the imperial dignity, had commenced hostilities against the Emperor of Germany. In 1703, 30,000 French troops marched through the Black Forest to assist him, the united French and Bavarian armies were carrying all before them, and it was apprehended that if something extraordinary was not undertaken, the Elector of Bavaria would gain the imperial throne,—Germany would be subjected to French domination,—and Louis XIV. would dictate laws to Europe. To avert this disaster, the Duke of Marlborough resolved to march the army under his command from the Netherlands into the heart of Germany.

In pursuance of this object, the Fourth Horse, having crossed the Rhine and the Moselle, moved forward with the other cavalry regiments in advance of the main army, and commenced their march on an expedition which produced the most stupendous results. During the advance the regiments invariably moved from their camp ground at the first dawn of morning light, completed the march before the heat became oppressive, and passed the remainder of the day in repose, or in preparing for the succeeding day's march.[24]

Continuing their route, under favourable circumstances and in excellent order, the British cavalry arrived towards the end of May at the suburbs of Mentz, in the west of Germany, where they halted a day to rest their horses. From this place they advanced in four days to Ladenburg, in the margraviate of Baden, and having passed the Neckar, halted one day at their camp beyond the town. From thence they directed their march towards the Danube; while the nations of Europe gazed with astonishment at this splendid enterprise, and the different states through which the troops passed hailed their arrival with acclamations. At length a junction was effected between the army of the Duke of Marlborough and the forces of the German empire, and the united troops co-operated in offensive measures.

The Fourth Horse, having thus marched from the ocean to the Danube, took an active part in the operations which succeeded; and they formed part of the forces which advanced at three o'clock on the morning of the 2nd of July, and after traversing many miles of difficult country, arrived in front of the enemy's entrenched position on the heights of Schellenberg, and commenced the attack about six in the evening.

The infantry having advanced in the face of a storm of fire from the enemy's batteries, and commenced the assault, were forced to give way, when the French and Bavarians, issuing from their works, charged the broken ranks, but were driven back. The attack was renewed with similar results. The infantry, reduced in numbers and exhausted by repeated struggles, were giving way, when Lieutenant-General Lumley led the English horse to their aid, and prevented a repulse. The infantry renewed the attack, and eventually the enemy was driven from the works. At this moment the Fourth Horse and other cavalry gallopping forward, by a furious charge completed the victory.[25] The broken battalions and squadrons fled in confusion, pursued by the victorious British and German horsemen, who intercepted the fugitives on every side, and the carnage which followed was dreadful. Many of the French and Bavarians were intercepted on the way to Donawerth, others hurrying to the bridge of boats broke it down by their weight and perished in the river. Their commander, Count D'Arco, escaped with difficulty. Sixteen pieces of cannon, thirteen colours, all the tents, equipages, and a quantity of plate, fell into the hands of the victors. The loss of the regiment was not great;—Adjutant Skelton and several men and horses were killed, and others wounded; and its Colonel, Major-General Wood, was also wounded.[26]

This brilliant success was followed by other offensive operations, in which the Fourth Horse took part; but they were not engaged in executing that cruel order, in obedience to which the unfortunate country of Bavaria was enveloped in flames, and above 300 towns, villages, and hamlets were destroyed: this relentless severity was the work of the Germans.[27] At length another reinforcement of French troops arrived, and the united French and Bavarians took post in the valley of the Danube, near the village of Blenheim.

About three o'clock on the morning of the 13th of August the allied army advanced, and after traversing several miles of rugged ground, and overcoming many local difficulties, arrived in presence of the enemy; and the Fourth Horse, forming part of the cavalry of the left wing under Major-General Wood, had their post in the first line; the right wing being composed of Germans under Prince Eugene of Savoy. About noon the troops, advancing across the little river Nebel, by bridges prepared for the occasion, commenced the engagement, and a succession of attacks were made and resisted with great bravery on both sides. The Fourth Horse, with the other English cavalry regiments, were engaged in the early part of the action[28] with the household troops of France, and the superior spirit and power of the British horsemen were conspicuous, particularly in the unconquerable resolution with which they renewed the attack after a temporary repulse; yet the palm of victory was nobly contested, and the combatants fought hand to hand until the plain was covered with dead. After successive efforts made by the adverse armies—the one to advance, and the other to maintain its ground—the protracted contest drew to a crisis, and the French infantry began to shrink before the tempest of balls which thinned their ranks, while their cavalry, broken and dispirited, gave way, when nine battalions were cut to pieces or made prisoners. The enemy attempted to restore the battle, but the allied horse, once more rushing forward with tremendous force, decided the fate of the day. The enemy, after an irregular fire, fled in dismay, and the regiment which forms the subject of this memoir, after distinguishing itself in the charge, pursued the French squadrons with terrible clamour and confusion in the direction of Sonderheim, smiting them to the ground, and chasing them down the declivity near Blenheim into the Danube, where numbers were drowned. At the same time their commander-in-chief, Marshal Tallard, and several other officers and many men, were made prisoners.[29]

While this regiment was pursuing the French horsemen towards the Danube, another part of the army surrounded the village of Blenheim, where twelve squadrons of dragoons and twenty-four battalions of infantry were forced to surrender themselves prisoners of war. At the same time the Germans on the right, under Prince Eugene, were also triumphant. Thus a victory was achieved which shed lustre on the British arms, and the record of these events forms a page in history of which every Englishman may be justly proud, particularly the corps whose valour delivered the empire from impending ruin, and whose fame resounded throughout Christendom.[30]

The Fourth Horse had Lieutenant-Colonel Fetherstonhalgh and Cornet Ordairne killed; also Captain Armstrong, Captain Shute, Lieutenant Dove, Cornet Forester, and Cornet Stevenson, wounded. Of the private men killed and wounded no return appears to have been preserved; but in the War-Office books the regiment is stated to have had forty-seven horses killed in this action.

Having passed the night after the battle on the field, the Fourth Horse followed for several days the rear of the defeated army, which repassed the Black Forest, and retired across the Rhine. On the 6th of September the regiment was at Kirlach; it passed the Rhine on the same day to attack some squadrons which appeared on the rising ground near Philipsburg; but, on the advance of the English horsemen, the French retreated across the Queich, and made preparations to defend the passage of that river: they, however, quitted their ground on the advance of the allies on the 9th of that month, on which day the Fourth Horse forded the stream, and were afterwards encamped on the banks of the little river Lauter, forming part of the covering army during the siege of Landau, a strong town situated in the beautiful valley near the Queich. After the surrender of Landau, which terminated this splendid and memorable campaign, the regiment commenced its march back to Holland, while the infantry sailed down the Rhine in boats to Nimeguen.

1705

The winter was again passed amongst the Dutch villagers; and in April 1705 the Fourth Horse quitted their cantonments, and marching to the vicinity of Maestricht, erected their tents in the early part of May on the banks of the Maese, near Viset, where they were reviewed by the Duke of Marlborough on the 14th of that month. Leaving this place on the following day, they marched in the direction of Coblentz, and from thence through a wild and mountainous country to Treves, and were encamped beyond that city on the 26th of May. After crossing the Moselle and the Saar, on the 3rd of June they passed through the difficult defiles of Tavernen and Onsdorf, following the course of the Roman causeway over the heights, then emerging into the more open ground towards Tettingen, continued their route to the vicinity of Syrk, where they passed the night under arms; and on the following day encamped on the open grounds near Elft; at the same time the enemy occupied a strong position a few miles in advance. The Duke of Marlborough was desirous of carrying on the war in this direction, and the German Princes had agreed to co-operate with his grace; but their arrival was so long delayed that his designs were frustrated, and as the French were making rapid progress in the Netherlands, he was induced to quit his position and march to the assistance of the Dutch.

Accordingly, a little before midnight on the 17th of June, during a heavy rain, the army struck its tents, and the Fourth Horse, composing part of twenty squadrons destined to cover the movement, formed up to confront the enemy, while the army commenced the retreat, which was continued throughout the night without interruption from the French, and it re-crossed the Saar and the Moselle on the following day. On the 19th the retreat was resumed, and on the 25th the Fourth Horse and other cavalry arrived at Duren, in the duchy of Juliers. At the same time the French troops, near the Dutch frontiers, ceased acting on the offensive, and retired in a panic to Tongres.

After this long and difficult march, the Fourth Horse crossed the Maese near Viset, and were subsequently employed in covering the siege of Huy, which the enemy had retaken during the absence of the army up the Moselle.

The French army having taken refuge behind their fortified lines, the Duke of Marlborough, after the surrender of Huy, resolved to attempt to surprise them in their formidable barrier, the construction of which had employed the space of three years. He accordingly, by a skilful manœuvre, succeeded in dividing their forces and in drawing them from the point selected for the attack. About eleven o'clock on the evening of the 17th of July the Fourth Horse, forming part of the division destined to force the lines, left their camp ground and continued their march throughout an extremely dark night, until about four the next morning, when the heads of columns approached the works at Neer-Hespen and Helexim. The guards were surprised and fled in a panic, the lines were forced and partly levelled, and the British horse were soon within the barriers; but before the regiments were formed, the Marquis d'Allegre appeared with fifty squadrons of cavalry and twenty battalions of infantry, and opened a cannonade from eight pieces of artillery. After the allied infantry had fired a few rounds, the Duke of Marlborough led forward the cavalry, which had passed the works, and the gallant British horsemen, by an impetuous charge, broke the enemy's ranks. The victorious squadrons afterwards sustained some loss from the fire of the enemy's infantry, but a second charge decided the combat; the hostile cavalry were routed and dispersed, several battalions of infantry were cut to pieces, many prisoners, standards, and colours were taken, and the Fourth Horse were once more triumphant over the legions of France and Spain.[31]

After this brilliant success the Fourth Horse were engaged in several manœuvres, and marches along the fruitful plains of the Netherlands; but the opposition which the British commander met with from the Dutch generals proved detrimental to the future operations of this campaign. In the autumn the regiment was with the covering army during the siege of Sandvliet, and after the surrender of this place, marched back to Holland, where it was joined by a remount of men and horses from England.[32]

1706

The Fourth Horse, with the other four English cavalry regiments on the continent, were now become a celebrated body of troops; and in April, 1706, when they again took the field, it is recorded that the officers and men looked forward with joyful anticipations to the events of another campaign. After traversing the province of Limburg, they joined the army at Bilsen, in the bishopric of Liege, on the 20th of May, and immediately afterwards advanced against the enemy.

On the morning of the 23rd of May the army was proceeding towards the Mehaine, and as the advance-guard, of which a detachment of the Fourth Horse formed a part, arrived at the uplands near Mierdorp, the enemy were seen traversing the plain near Mont St. André, their right stretching beyond the village of Ramilies towards the Mehaine; and their magnificent army, composed of French, Spaniards, and Bavarians, commanded by the Elector of Bavaria and Marshal Villeroy, was soon formed in order of battle. At the same time the allies made preparations for commencing the action, and the Fourth Horse took their station in the right wing of the army. About half-past one the battle commenced; but the British horsemen were kept in reserve until a decisive moment should arrive, when their well-known spirit and physical power would, it was expected, produce important results. The battle had lasted nearly three hours, when the Duke of Marlborough seized a critical moment to strike a decisive blow, and the British cavalry was brought forward. The Fourth and Seventh Horse, commanded by Major-General Wood, passed the little river Geete, and dashed along the plain on the right of the village of Ramilies, overthrowing all opposition, until they arrived at the rising ground behind the village of Offuz. The enemy was now in full retreat, and the two regiments went sweeping along the plain in pursuit until they arrived at the farm of Chantrain, where they overtook the Spanish and Bavarian Horse Guards, who, with the Elector and Marshal Villeroy at their head, were endeavouring to cover the retreat of their artillery. Having gained the enemy's left flank, the foaming squadrons of the Fourth Horse rushed upon the Spaniards and Bavarians, and, with one tremendous shock, broke their ranks in pieces! Then commenced the clash of swords, with all the uproar, strife, and turmoil of a close combat, while the Spaniards and Bavarians fell in numbers before the superior prowess of the victors; and the Fourth Horse took many prisoners, with the Standard[33] and Kettle-Drums of Bavarian Guards, and the Elector and Marshal Villeroy narrowly escaped.[34]

After this noble exploit the Fourth Horse, having detached a party to the rear with the prisoners and cannon, continued the pursuit throughout the night until two o'clock of the following morning, making additional captures of men, artillery, and ammunition waggons, until the troopers and their horses were exhausted with the extraordinary exertions and fatigues they had undergone. Thus was one of the best-appointed and most gallant armies which France ever brought into the field nearly destroyed, and the reputation of the British troops and their distinguished leader exalted; while the result of the victory was the deliverance from the power of the enemy of an extent of territory exceeding the most sanguine expectation.

After a few days' repose the Fourth Horse were detached with other troops to summon several towns and fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands; many places surrendered immediately, and renounced their allegiance to the Duke of Anjou; other towns, overawed by French garrisons, stood short sieges, but were captured before the end of the campaign, when the regiment went into quarters.

1707

Early in the spring of 1707 the losses of the Fourth Horse during the preceding campaign were replaced by a remount of 60 men and 94 horses from England;[35] at the same time the regiment was again supplied with Armour,[36] and when it took the field it once more appeared as a corps of Cuirassiers. In the early part of the campaign it was encamped on the banks of the little river Sienne, and subsequently near Meldert. It was employed in several manœuvres designed to bring on a general engagement, which the French cautiously avoided. They ventured, for a short time, to encamp in front of the fortified lines which had served for a defence to their frontiers during the preceding war; but they made a precipitate retreat upon the advance of the allies, who continued in the field until the autumn, when they separated into quarters.

1708

The winter having been passed by the Fourth Horse amongst the hardy Belgians, they left Flanders in May, 1708, and proceeding to the vicinity of Brussels were formed in brigade with the Duke of Schomberg's regiment (now Seventh Dragoon Guards), commanded by Brigadier-General Sybourg. They were afterwards engaged in several operations in Brabant and Hainault; while the enemy, taking advantage of the absence of the troops from Ghent and Bruges, obtained possession, by treachery, of these two towns, which had been the winter quarters of the English forces.

A series of movements at length brought on the battle of Oudenarde, which was fought on the 11th of July in the inclosures near the banks of the Scheldt.

During the early part of the action the five[37] regiments of British Cuirassiers, having crossed the Scheldt by the bridge of boats, were stationed in reserve on the plain of Huerne, behind the right wing of the army, ready to charge when the moment for a decisive attack of the horse should arrive. Advancing from this post they supported the infantry engaged, manœuvring so as to sustain the line in front, and to be ever ready to execute a charge, while their presence held in check several French corps; but owing to the local peculiarities of the ground, which was intersected by hedges, ditches, and rivulets, darkness put an end to the conflict before these warlike horsemen, who panted for an opportunity once more to distinguish themselves, were called upon to engage in close combat. The French retreated in confusion during the night, and at daybreak the Fourth Horse, with several other corps, were detached in pursuit; some slight skirmishing occurred, and the French took refuge under the cannon of Ghent.

In the movements which followed this victory the Fourth Horse took part, and they were subsequently employed in protecting the battering cannon, with an immense convoy of military stores, which were sent from Brussels to the army. They also formed part of the covering army during the siege of Lisle, an important and formidable fortress, protected by a Marshal of France, Boufflers, with a garrison of 15,000 men, and everything requisite for a successful defence; at the same time Louis XIV. commanded an immense army to be assembled for the purpose of raising the siege. But the allies, unmoved by the menacing manœuvres and threatened attacks of the enemy, prosecuted their purpose with vigour, and the vaunts of the French commanders evaporated in a short cannonade which produced little result.

The supplies of ammunition and provision for the besieging army having to be conveyed a considerable distance by land, the Fourth Horse were occasionally detached from the army to guard the waggons and cover their advance. In September an immense convoy, with ammunition and other necessaries, was despatched from Ostend under the charge of a guard commanded by Major-General Webb; at the same time the Count de La Motte advanced with 22,000 French troops to intercept this supply, on the safe arrival of which the fate of Lisle depended; and the Fourth Horse, with several other corps, were detached from the camp at Lannoy under Major-General Cadogan to the aid of the convoy. As the British squadrons approached the woods of Wynendale, a loud cannonade was heard; they instantly dashed forward, and the moment they arrived at the scene of conflict the French relinquished the attack, and the stores were conveyed in safety to the camp.[38]

After the surrender of Lisle, the Fourth Horse marched to East Flanders, and were engaged in military operations until Ghent and Bruges were re-captured, when the regiment went into quarters; and the losses of the preceding campaign were replaced by a remount of ninety-seven men and seventy-one horses.[39]

1709

After remaining in quarters in Flanders until June, 1709, the Fourth Horse advanced up the country and erected their tents on the plain of Lisle, near the banks of the Deule, where a vast and magnificent army, composed of the troops of several nations, extended its encampment in regular order over a large tract of country, and exhibited a fine spectacle of war. From this camp the Fourth Horse proceeded to the banks of the Scheldt, and formed part of the covering army during the siege of the boasted impregnable fortress of Tournay, which surrendered in the beginning of September.

From the banks of the Scheldt the Fourth Horse moved with the army in the direction of Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault, with the design of wresting this important place from the power of France. But while the allies were on the march, the French army moved from its former post and took up a position near Malplaquet, at the same time increasing the natural strength of the post by entrenchments and other works. In this camp were collected the choicest troops of France, commanded by two celebrated Marshals, Villiers and Boufflers, and opposed to them the victorious Marlborough and Eugene headed the heroes of Blenheim and Ramilies, amongst whom were the celebrated British Horse under the chivalrous Lieut.-General Wood.

On the morning of the 11th of September (N. S.), after divine service had been performed at the head of the troops, the battle commenced with an animation and effect which indicated the ardour that prevailed in both armies. In the attack of the entrenchments, and in forcing the works, the cavalry could not take part, and for a time the services of the Fourth Horse were limited to supporting the attack on the left centre, where the enemy's position was eventually forced by the infantry. In the midst of the arduous struggle, and while the storm of war was raging with dreadful fury, the Duke of Marlborough led forward the five regiments of British Cuirassiers, commanded by Lieut.-General Wood, and the Prussian cavalry, against the renowned Gens d'armes of France, who were instantly routed and chased from the ground; but as the British and Prussian horsemen, who were somewhat broken by the charge, continued their victorious course and swept the field in triumph, they were met by a compact line of French cavalry, consisting of the Gardes-du-Corps, Light Horse, Musqueteers, and Horse Grenadiers of the royal household, led by Marshal Boufflers, and these distinguished troops succeeded in driving back the squadrons of the allies. The British horsemen were, however, only repulsed, not defeated: they soon rallied again, and, glowing with zeal to encounter so celebrated an enemy, they returned to the charge, when their valour and prowess prevailed; and the French squadrons being driven from the field, the remainder of their army retired immediately afterwards, leaving the allies victorious, but with the loss of many men killed and wounded, and the pursuit was not continued beyond the village of Quievrain.

Thus ended a day in which the Fourth Horse acquired new honours. They were subsequently with the covering army during the siege of Mons, and after its surrender marched to East Flanders for winter quarters.

1710

The Fourth Horse, having been completed by another remount from England,[40] marched out of their quarters in the beginning of April, 1710, and advanced to the banks of the Scheldt near Tournay, where the allied army, consisting of the troops of several nations, was assembled, and, according to the journals of that period, the British Cuirassiers made a noble appearance.

From this camp the Fourth Horse advanced at five o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th of April, and formed part of the column under Lieut.-General Cadogan, which, after marching all night, surprised the French guard at Pont à Vendin, and penetrated their fortified lines without opposition.

The siege of Douay, a strong town situate on the river Scarpe, was afterwards undertaken, and the Fourth Horse, forming part of the covering army, were engaged in several manœuvres and marches to counteract the operations of the enemy, who menaced the besieging force with an attack; but the superior tactics of the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, with the bravery of their troops, prevailed, and Douay was surrendered on the 27th of June. After repairing the works, the army advanced towards the enemy, who, to avoid an engagement, retired behind their new lines of defence, when the allies directed their victorious arms against Bethune, and the Fourth Horse had their post in the besieging force until the surrender of the place on the 29th of August. They were subsequently employed in covering the sieges of Aire and St. Venant, and after the termination of this successful campaign returned to Flanders, where they passed the winter in convenient quarters.

1711

Advancing from thence in April, 1711, they directed their march to the banks of the Scarpe, and were subsequently employed in several manœuvres before the French lines of defence until the enemy's troops were drawn to the left, when the Duke of Marlborough, by secretly assembling a body of troops at Douay, forced the lines at Arleux and invested Bouchain. The siege of this place was one of the most difficult enterprises undertaken during the war, and the Fourth Horse were fully employed in the multifarious services required, the lines extending for many miles, and the greatest care and vigilance being necessary. In September the place surrendered, and this regiment, after traversing the recently conquered territory, to its former winter station, went into cantonments.

1712

It again took the field with the army in the spring of 1712, and advancing to the frontiers, was prepared to enter France; when the Duke of Ormond, who now commanded the British troops on the continent, received orders to cease hostilities, as negotiations for a general peace had commenced. In the mean time the regiment had lost its Colonel, the distinguished and spirited cavalry officer Lieutenant-General Cornelius Wood, whose death was occasioned by the fall of his horse; and he was succeeded in the command of the regiment by Thomas Viscount Windsor, from the Tenth Horse, by commission, dated the 18th of May, 1712.[41]

1713
1714

The Fourth Horse marched with the British forces from the French territory, and were encamped a short time in the vicinity of Ghent. They subsequently went into quarters, and these distinguished horsemen, after remaining on the continent until the treaty of Utrecht had given peace to Europe, were embarked for England, landed at the Red House near London in the beginning of April 1714, and having returned their Cuirasses into store, proceeded to Northampton, Daventry, and Wellingborough. In the mean-time the establishment was reduced from 400 to 226 officers and soldiers.[42]

On the decease of Queen Anne, in August of the same year, the regiment marched into quarters near the metropolis, where it remained until the arrival of His Majesty King George I. from Hanover, and afterwards proceeded to Gloucester and Tewkesbury. In October a squadron marched to Margate, and the remainder of the regiment was posted in detachments of two officers and twenty men each, between that place and London, to attend the Princess of Wales on her arrival. Her Royal Highness with the Princesses Anne and Amelia landed at Margate on the evening of the 11th of October, when they were received by a guard of the regiment, and on the following day they were escorted to Dorchester, where they were met by the Prince of Wales and the Dukes of Somerset and Argyle and the Earl of Bridgewater, and were conducted to the metropolis by the Fourth Horse on the 13th of October.

1715
1716

The peaceful accession of His Majesty was followed by the most strenuous exertions of many of the partisans of the Pretender; and in 1715 they broke out into open rebellion under the Earl of Mar. The army was immediately augmented, and ten men per troop were added to the establishment of the Fourth Horse. Upon notice of a meditated rise at Bath, this regiment, with Sir Robert Rich's Dragoons, took possession of that city, where they seized a great quantity of arms. England was at this period in great danger from the prevalence of jacobite principles, and the animosity with which two powerful parties in the state were arrayed against each other gave occasion for much alarm; but the staunch fidelity of the army overawed the disaffected, and the gallant troops who had so recently conquered the foes of Britain abroad, preserved the nation from the machinations of its enemies at home. The army, though on a reduced establishment, was in excellent condition, and the cavalry in particular was considered the best mounted of any troops in Europe.[43]

1717

After the suppression of this rebellion the King of Sweden espoused the cause of the Pretender, and made preparations for a descent upon Britain; and the Fourth Horse, with several other corps, were placed under the command of Lieutenant-General Wills, and sent to the north. This regiment was quartered a short time at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the Colonelcy was given to Lieutenant-General George Wade, who had distinguished himself in the war in Spain, by commission dated the 19th of March, 1717.

The project of Sweden having been defeated by the exertions of the British fleet, the regiment returned to the south of England, and took the travelling escort-duty for the Royal Family: at the same time the establishment was reduced to twenty-five private men per troop.

1718
1719

In 1718 the Fourth Horse were quartered at Nottingham and Northampton; and in November 1719 they were stationed on the Essex road, to attend His Majesty from Harwich to London, on his return from Hanover.

1720
1722

In the following year they occupied dispersed cantonments in Oxfordshire; in 1721 they were quartered at Dorchester and Salisbury; and in the summer of 1722 encamped near Andover, and afterwards on Salisbury Plain, where they were reviewed, with three other regiments of cavalry and seven of infantry, by His Majesty and the Prince of Wales, on the 30th of August. The camp was broken up in the beginning of October, when this regiment marched to Warwick and Coventry.

1724
1725
1726

During the summer of 1724 the Fourth Horse occupied quarters near London, and again performed the travelling escort-duty. They also furnished a party in constant attendance on the Prince and Princess of Wales. In the following year they occupied quarters at Stamford, Huntingdon, and Peterborough; and in 1726 at Warwick and Coventry.

1727
1728

On the accession of King George II., in 1727, the regiment marched to the vicinity of London, was reviewed by His Majesty in September of the same year, and was afterwards in attendance on the court until May 1728, when it returned to its former quarters at Coventry and Warwick.

1731
1732
1733
1734
1737

In January 1731 it was again on the King's duty, and was reviewed by His Majesty on Hounslow Heath in May of the same year. The two succeeding years were passed in country quarters, and in May 1734 it resumed its attendance on the Court. On the 29th of June following His Majesty reviewed the corps of Life Guards, when this regiment had the honour of furnishing the royal escort required on the occasion. In November of the same year, having been relieved on the King's duty by the Royal Horse Guards, it marched to Nottingham and Derby, where it remained until April 1737, when it resumed its station at Coventry and Warwick.

1738

On the 5th of July, 1738, the Fourth Horse, and the Royal regiment of Horse Guards, were reviewed by His Majesty on Hounslow Heath, and their appearance and discipline were approved of by the King.

1740
1741

After the review the Fourth Horse marched into quarters in Staffordshire. During the summer of 1740 they were encamped near Newbury; and in 1741 formed part of a body of troops encamped on Lexdon Heath, near Colchester.[44]

1742
1743

Towards the close of the summer of 1742 a British army proceeded to Flanders, to make a diversion in favour of the Queen of Hungary, whose dominions were overrun by the armies of France and Bavaria; but the Fourth Horse remained in England, and in the beginning of May, 1743, they marched into quarters near the metropolis, and resumed their duties of attendance on the Court. On the 17th of the same month one squadron was sent in pursuit of a number of deserters from Lord Semphill's (42nd) Highland regiment, a corps formed in 1739 of independent companies of infantry, raised in the Highlands, for service in the mountain districts during the disaffection which prevailed for some years in the north of Scotland.

The Highland regiment was designed for foreign service. In pursuance of this object it marched to the south of England, and on the 14th of May was reviewed by General Wade on Finchley Common, when the novelty of the scene attracted thousands of spectators to view the unique costume of the corps, and its appearance and discipline were generally admired. After the review the Highlanders were ordered to Gravesend, to embark for Flanders, but, as many of the men had enlisted on the presumption that they would never be required to quit the kingdom, and a report being spread amongst them that they were designed for the West Indies, a country which, at this period, was considered as a charnel-house for Europeans, about 150 of them deserted with their arms, and proceeded in a body towards Scotland.

The squadron of the Fourth Horse sent in pursuit of the Highlanders overtook them in Northamptonshire; and on Sunday, the 22nd of May, surrounded them in Lady-wood, near Oundle, and shortly afterwards the horse were joined by a squadron of Churchill's Dragoons (now Tenth Hussars). The Highlanders were disposed to submit on condition of receiving a free pardon; at the same time they took possession of a strong post in the wood, and, being provided with ammunition, they declared their determination to resist to the last extremity, and be cut to pieces rather than submit on any other terms. Captain Ball, of the Fourth Horse, had an interview with them, and, after trying every remonstrance and persuasion in vain, he was obliged to leave them. He, however, gained over two of their number, who conducted him out of the wood, and, promising them both a free pardon, he induced one to return and endeavour to prevail upon the remainder to submit. Eventually the main body surrendered at discretion, and were conducted to the Tower of London, where three of their number were tried and shot, and the remainder were drafted to different colonies abroad. This event did not, however, prevent the embarkation of the Highland regiment for Flanders.

1744
1745

In the beginning of 1744 the Fourth Horse were ordered to send a draft of sixty men and horses to Flanders to be incorporated in the three regiments of horse on foreign service. At the same time several additional corps were sent to the continent, but this regiment remained in the south of England until September 1745, when it was ordered to Nottingham; and on the receipt of information of the arrival of Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, in Scotland, it marched to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where several corps were assembled under the command of Field-Marshal Wade. In the mean time the young Pretender was joined by several Highland clans, and, there being but few troops in Scotland to oppose his progress, he gained possession of Edinburgh, surprised and defeated several corps under Sir John Cope at Preston Pans, and afterwards penetrated into England. At the same time Field-Marshal Wade marched with the troops under his command, by Durham, Darlington, and Richmond, in order to cover Yorkshire, and the cavalry proceeded to Doncaster, where the Fourth Horse arrived on the 8th of December.

Information having been received of the advance of the Highlanders to Derby, and of their precipitate retreat from thence towards Scotland, an attempt was made to intercept them, but without success. The Fourth Horse were subsequently despatched, with some other corps, under Major-General Oglethorp, in pursuit, and, after marching a distance of 100 miles in three days, in most inclement weather, and along roads choked with ice and snow, the King's troops overtook and defeated the rear of the rebel army on the borders of Lancashire, and captured several prisoners; but the main body of the Highlanders escaped, and, having placed a garrison in Carlisle, continued their flight to Scotland. The Fourth Horse pursued the Highlanders to Carlisle, and were stationed near that city until its surrender on the 30th of December.

1746

In the beginning of 1746 the Fourth Horse marched to York, and, after the decisive overthrow of the rebel army at Culloden, the regiment furnished escorts to guard parties of prisoners to Lincoln, and other places, in which service it was partially engaged throughout the summer; and in September it was stationed at Bristol.

The suppression of this rebellion having been effected, His Majesty resolved, as a measure of economy, to reduce this and two other regiments from the pay and quality of Horse to that of Dragoons. The establishment was accordingly changed on the 25th of December, 1746, and, the pay of the non-commissioned officers and private men being reduced by this alteration, every man received a gratuity of three pounds, with the option of his discharge; and the men who accepted their discharge received fourteen days' pay each, to defray the expense of their journey home. The regiment was now armed with long muskets and bayonets, also with swords and pistols, as before. A slight alteration was at the same time made in the uniform;—the officers were distinguished by gold lace and embroidery on their regimentals, and a crimson silk sash worn over the left shoulder; the quarter-masters by gold lace, and silk sashes round their waists; and the serjeants by narrow lace on the lappels, sleeves, and pockets, and a worsted sash round the waist. When this change had taken place His Majesty conferred on the regiment the title of Third Dragoon Guards, by a warrant dated the 9th of January, 1747, of which the following is a copy:—

1747

'GEORGE R.

'Whereas We have thought fit to order Our Own Regiment of Horse, commanded by Our trusty and well-beloved General Sir Philip Honeywood; The Queen's Royal Regiment of Horse, commanded by our right trusty and right entirely beloved Cousin and Counsellor, Lieutenant-General John Duke of Montague; and Our Regiment of Horse, commanded by Our right trusty and well-beloved Counsellor, Field-Marshal George Wade, to be respectively formed into regiments of Dragoons, and their establishment and pay, as Dragoons, to commence the 25th of December, 1746: And,

'Whereas it is become necessary, by the said Regiments being formed into Dragoons, that their former titles as Regiments of Horse should be altered; We are hereby graciously pleased to declare Our Royal Will and Pleasure, that Our Regiment of Dragoons, now under the command of General Sir Philip Honeywood, shall bear the title of Our First Regiment of Dragoon Guards; Our Regiment of Dragoons, now commanded by the Duke of Montague, the title of Our Second Regiment of Dragoon Guards; and Our Regiment of Dragoons, now commanded by Field-Marshal Wade, the title of Our Third Regiment of Dragoon Guards, and have rank and precedency of all other regiments of Dragoons in our service. Nevertheless,

'Our further Will and Pleasure is, that the said three Regiments of Dragoon Guards shall roll and do duty in Our army, or upon detachments, with Our other forces, as Dragoons, in the same manner as if the word Guards was not inserted in their respective titles.

'Whereof the Colonels above mentioned, and the Colonels of Our said Regiments for the time being, and all others whom it may or shall concern, are to take notice and govern themselves accordingly.

'Given at our Court at St. James's, this 9th day of January, 1746-7, in the twentieth year of our reign.

'By His Majesty's Command,

'H. FOX.'

The establishment of the regiment, with the rates of pay of each rank, is given in the following table, copied from the War-Office records.

1748

The regiment, having thus been constituted the Third Dragoon Guards, was disposed in quarters at Leicester and Coventry, where it passed that and the following summer, and in the autumn of 1748 marched to Durham and Newcastle.

After the decease of Field-Marshal Wade, in February, 1748, the Colonelcy was conferred on the Honourable Charles Howard.

1749
1750

In the succeeding year the regiment was stationed at York and Barnard Castle; and in 1750 at Loughborough, Norwich, and North Yarmouth.

1752
1753
1754

In the spring of 1752 the Third Dragoon Guards furnished a relay of escorts to attend the King to Harwich, where His Majesty embarked for the continent, on a visit to his German dominions. During the remainder of that year, and in the two succeeding years, detachments of the regiment were employed on coast duty in Suffolk, Essex, and Devonshire. Owing to an increase of duty on several articles of foreign produce, smuggling had become prevalent to a great extent in England, and it was found necessary to have parties of dragoons constantly stationed in the maritime towns and villages to assist the officers of the revenue in preventing the introduction of contraband goods. At the same time a laxity of morals prevailed amongst the labouring classes; and, in the absence of an efficient police in the kingdom, parties of dragoons were employed to patrole the public roads for the prevention of highway robberies, which had become alarmingly frequent, and were often attended with acts of cruelty and even murder. From the ephemeral publications of the day it appears that organized gangs of robbers infested many parts of the kingdom at this period.

1755

In 1755 signs of an approaching war began to appear. The French committed several acts of violence against British settlements in America; retaliation was made by the English troops, and the French were driven from the possessions they had seized. The British Court was disposed to an amicable arrangement of the existing differences; but such difficulties were raised by France, that his Majesty deemed it prudent to augment the strength of the regular army, and an addition of 1 corporal and 15 men was made to the strength of each troop of the Third Dragoon Guards: and subsequently a LIGHT TROOP, consisting of 3 officers, 1 quarter-master, 2 serjeants, 3 corporals, 2 drummers, and 60 private men, was added to the establishment.[45] The general utility of light dragoons had been manifest in continental warfare; a regiment of light horse raised by the Duke of Kingston in 1744 had been highly instrumental in the suppression of the rebellion in Scotland; and from the autumn of 1755 light cavalry have constituted a portion of the British land forces.

1756

The aggressions of France in America were followed by a declaration of war; when the King of France made preparations for a descent upon England, which produced considerable alarm in the kingdom; but the designs of the enemy were frustrated by the warlike preparations of the British Government. In this year (1756) the establishment of the Third Dragoon Guards was 24 officers, 7 quarter-masters, and 427 non-commissioned officers and private men.

During the summer a detachment of the regiment was stationed at Kensington to assist the Life Guards in the performance of the travelling escort-duty for the royal family.

1757

In July, 1757, the regiment was encamped, with several other corps, on Salisbury Plain, under the command of Lieut.-General Hawley; and a brigade was there formed of the LIGHT TROOPS of several regiments, for instruction in the evolutions, and in services peculiar to light cavalry. In autumn the regiment marched to quarters at Colchester, Malden, and Witham.

1758

The augmentation made in the naval and military establishments of the kingdom enabled the British Government to act offensively, and in the spring of 1758 the LIGHT TROOP of the Third Dragoon Guards was called upon to hold itself in readiness for actual warfare. In April it was ordered to encamp near Petersfield, where a brigade was formed of the light troops of nine regiments, under the command of Colonel Eliott, of the Horse Grenadier Guards. Towards the end of May the brigade embarked on board transports,—forming part of an expedition under Charles Duke of Marlborough, designed for a descent on the coast of France. On the 5th of June the Fleet arrived in Cancalle Bay, on the coast of Brittany, and, having silenced a battery on the shore, part of the troops were immediately landed; when a battalion of French infantry and two troops of cavalry, posted on the heights near that place, retired without making opposition. On the following day the brigade of light cavalry and the artillery were landed; and on the 7th the whole (excepting three battalions of infantry left to cover the coast) marched to the vicinity of St. Maloes, and during the night the light cavalry, with detachments from the infantry, set fire to the shipping and naval stores at St. Servan, destroyed a fleet of privateers, with a man-of-war of fifty guns, and another of thirty-six, and afterwards retired. The capture of St. Maloes had been designed; but the expedition was not provided with troops and heavy ordnance sufficient for so great an undertaking; consequently that design was laid aside, and on the 11th of June the light cavalry were re-embarked. A second descent being rendered impracticable by severe weather, the fleet returned to England, and the light cavalry landed and encamped near Portsmouth and subsequently on Southsea Common.