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HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
THIRD, OR THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS:
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
In 1685,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
To 1846.

Compiled by
RICHARD CANNON, Esq.,
ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING CROSS.

M DCCC XLVII.

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

GENERAL ORDERS.

HORSE GUARDS, 1st January, 1836.

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

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

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

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

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

And,

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

By Command of the Right Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Commanding-in-Chief.
John Macdonald.
Adjutant-General.

PREFACE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION.

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 spears 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 preeminent 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 petronels; 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 soldier 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 barrell 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 soldiers 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 soldiers 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 knive. 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 were commanded to be as follows:—

"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets, strapt, with bright barrels of three foote eight inches long, cartouch-boxes, bayonetts, granado pouches, buckets, 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 of 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 1684; the Life Guards, however, carried carbines from their formation in 1660.—Vide the 'Historical Record of the Life Guards.'

ON THE INSTITUTION
OF
LIGHT CAVALRY
IN
THE BRITISH ARMY.

The records of the military events of the remote ages speak of heavy-armed horsemen being accompanied by others mounted and equipped for light services. The Barons and Knights, who rode the powerful horses celebrated by historians, and took the field completely cased in steel, had a few light-armed attendants; the feudal horsemen were variously armed; and the practice of employing Light, as well as Heavy Cavalry, was adopted, to a limited extent, by several commanders of antiquity. Armour, proof against arrow, lance, and sword, and men and horses of colossal appearance, in whom the greatest amount of weight and physical power, consistent with a moderate share of activity, could be combined, were however held in the highest estimation; but eventually the great advantage of having a portion of Cavalry in which lightness, activity, and celerity of movement, might form the principal characteristics, was discovered. The introduction of fire-arms occasioned armour to be gradually laid aside, or limited to a few heavy horsemen; superiority of weight was no longer thought so necessary; and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the use of Light Cavalry became more general than formerly.

During the seventy years' war between Spain and the United Provinces of the Netherlands, Prince Maurice of Nassau (afterwards Prince of Orange) selected a few English and Dutch heavy-armed Lancers, and constituted them Carabineers, for skirmishing, and other services of a similar character. The Emperor of Germany formed regiments of Hungarian Hussars, who were light men on small horses. The Carabineers were of an intermediate class, being much heavier than the Hussars, and lighter than the English Lancers and Cuirassiers, who rode powerful horses, and wore armour on the head, body, and limbs. The French monarchs adopted the practice of having a few Carabineers in each troop of Horse; and, in 1690, Louis XIV. added a troop of Carabineers to each Regiment of Cavalry. During the campaign of 1691, these troops formed a Carabineer brigade; but their motley appearance, and the defects of the plan, occasioned them to be constituted a regiment of Carabineers, and clothed in blue. In 1693 the French King added a regiment of Hussars to the Cavalry of his army.[7]

In England the same principle was partially carried out; the heavy horse laid aside their armour, excepting cuirasses; they were mounted on horses of less weight than formerly, and they were supplied with carbines by King Charles II. In 1685, King James II. raised several independent troops of Light Horse, and one of them (Sir Thomas Burton's) was retained in his service until the Revolution in 1688, when it was disbanded. In 1691-2 King William III. constituted the Seventh Regiment of Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards, a corps of Carabineers, as an honorary distinction, and for the performance of services for which the other regiments of Horse, being Cuirassiers, were not well adapted. The object was to combine with strength and power a greater degree of activity and speed than was to be found in the Cavalry at that period; and His Majesty appears to have contemplated having several corps of this description in his service, as he designated this the First Regiment of Carabineers; but no second regiment was formed.[8] In 1694 a troop of foreign Hussars formed part of the Army commanded by King William in Flanders.[9]

During the wars of Queen Anne the Regiment of Carabineers was again supplied with cuirasses, and was mounted on the same description of horses as the other regiments; retaining, however, the title of Carabineers. The activity, size, weight, and strength of the horses ridden by the British Cuirassiers and Heavy Dragoons, with the bravery and muscular powers of the men, established their superiority in continental warfare over the Cavalry of other nations; they acquired great celebrity in the valley of the Danube and on the plains of the Netherlands, in the early part of the eighteenth century, under the renowned John Duke of Marlborough; and after the peace of Utrecht, in 1713, the reputation of the British Horse and Dragoons was so high that no alteration was thought necessary, and many years elapsed without any attempt being made to revive the practice of having either Carabineers, or Light Horse, in the British Army.

The great utility of the Light Cavalry of the continental armies had, in the mean time, become apparent. Improvements in military tactics, and in the arming and equipment of corps, were taking place in various countries; and a spirit of emulation extending itself to Great Britain, on the breaking out of the rebellion in 1745, his Grace the Duke of Montague evinced his loyalty and public spirit by raising a Regiment of Carabineers for the service of King George II.; at the same time, his Grace the Duke of Kingston, with equal zeal and generosity, raised, at his own expense, a Regiment of Light Horse. The latter regiment approximated, in the lightness of the men, horses, and equipment, to the Hussars of the continental armies; the Duke of Montague's Carabineers were of a heavier description of Cavalry.

At this period the old Cavalry Regiments rode black horses (excepting the Scots Greys) with docked tails; but the Duke of Kingston's Regiment was mounted on light horses of various colours, with swish or nag tails. The accoutrements were as light as possible: the men carried short carbines slung to their sides by a moveable swivel, pistols, and light swords inclined to a curve.

The usefulness of the Duke of Kingston's Regiment of Light Horse was proved in Scotland, where it served under His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, and was found qualified for every description of service; the light horses traversing hilly grounds with facility. It distinguished itself on several occasions, particularly at the battle of Culloden, on the 16th of April, 1746, when it charged the clans with signal gallantry, and evinced great spirit and activity in the pursuit of the rebel army upwards of three miles from the field of battle. The Duke of Cumberland was highly pleased with its behaviour during the period it was under his command; and the conduct of the Light Horse throughout the contest reflected credit on the noble peer who had raised them.

The rebellion being suppressed, the regiment was, in consequence of the conditions on which the men had enlisted, directed to be disbanded; but the Duke of Cumberland so highly approved of its conduct that he obtained permission to embody as many of the men as would re-enlist, as his own Regiment of Light Dragoons.

His Majesty's thanks and particular satisfaction were communicated to His Grace the Duke of Kingston, for his zeal and affection for His Majesty's person and Government; and His Grace was desired to convey to the officers and soldiers His Majesty's high sense of their loyalty, activity, and gallant behaviour, at a period of national danger. The regiment was afterwards disbanded at Nottingham, and nearly every man engaged in the Regiment of Light Dragoons, of which, as a signal mark of honour and distinction, His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland was appointed Colonel.

The Duke of Cumberland's Light Dragoons were mounted on active nag-tailed horses, from fourteen and a half to fifteen hands high. The men were from five feet eight to five feet nine inches in height; and their equipment was upon a new and light plan, but retaining the cocked hat of the Heavy Dragoon pattern. This regiment served in the Netherlands, with the Army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland: its general usefulness was fully established, and it distinguished itself at the battle of Val, in 1747. The treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle having put an end to the war, it returned to England, and was disbanded in 1749.

From this period the value of light horsemen was more appreciated in England than formerly; the general utility of this arm, on home and foreign service, had been fully proved; and at the commencement of hostilities with France, in 1755, King George II. resolved to possess the advantage of a body of Light Cavalry in the approaching contest. His Majesty accordingly commanded a troop of Light Dragoons to be added to the First, Second, and Third Regiments of Dragoon Guards, and First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh Regiments of Dragoons. The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Irish Horse (now Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Dragoon Guards), and the Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Dragoons, being on the Irish establishment, did not receive the same addition.

These troops of Light Dragoons were mounted, armed, equipped, and trained, according to specific instructions, calculated to render them available for the services for which they were designed. Several of them were reviewed in Hyde Park by His Majesty; and their neat appearance, celerity of movement, and the spirited and exact manner in which they performed their evolutions, were much admired.

Nine of these troops were formed into a brigade in 1758, under the command of one of the King's aides-de-camp, Colonel George Augustus Eliott, of the Horse Grenadier Guards; and they were employed in the expeditions to the coast of France under Charles Duke of Marlborough and Lieut.-General Bligh. They landed in France twice; skirmished with the French Cavalry; and throughout these enterprises they evinced activity, spirit, and general usefulness. After their return to England, they were augmented to 125 men per troop.

At this period, the war on the Continent had involved most of the European states; and the extended and active operations which were taking place in Germany rendered it necessary for a British force to join the Allied Army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. This gave rise to a further augmentation of the Army; and the increased estimation in which Light Cavalry was held induced the King to give directions for the raising of entire Regiments of Light Dragoons, in addition to the five Regiments of Horse, three of Dragoon Guards, and fourteen of Dragoons, already on the British and Irish establishments. The following corps were accordingly embodied:—

Light Dragoons.

Incorporated in 1759.

Fifteenth, in England, by Colonel George A. Eliott;—now the Fifteenth, or the King's Hussars.

Sixteenth, in England, by Lieut.-Colonel John Burgoyne;—now the Sixteenth, or the Queen's Lancers.

Seventeenth, in Scotland, by Captain Lord Aberdour;—disbanded in 1763.

Eighteenth, in England, by Lieut.-Colonel John Hale;—now the Seventeenth Lancers.

Nineteenth, in Ireland, by Lieut.-Colonel Lord Drogheda;—numbered the Eighteenth in 1763; constituted Hussars in 1807; and after performing much valuable service at home and abroad, it was disbanded at Newbridge, in Ireland, in 1821.

Incorporated in 1760.

Twentieth, in Ireland, by Captain Sir James Caldwell;—disbanded in 1763.

Twenty-first, or Royal Foresters, in England by Lieut.-General the Marquis of Granby, and Colonel Lord Robert Sutton;—disbanded in 1763.

After the peace of Fontainebleau, three of these corps were disbanded, and the other four continued in the service. The light troops attached to the heavy regiments were also disbanded, but a few men of each troop were afterwards equipped as Light Dragoons.

A more perfect knowledge of the efficiency and capabilities of Light Cavalry, acquired during the campaigns in Germany and Portugal, had advanced the estimation in which that arm was held; and, in 1768, the Twelfth Dragoons (one of the heavy regiments raised by King George I. in 1715), underwent a change of equipment and clothing, and was constituted a corps of Light Dragoons, by General Carpenter, in Ireland.

This alteration served as a precedent for subsequent changes; and further experience, during the American war, from 1775 to 1783, confirming the value of Light Cavalry, the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Regiments of Dragoons were changed from heavy to light. The Light Dragoons attached to the heavy regiments were incorporated into newly-raised corps, and the following regiments of

Light Dragoons

Were embodied in 1779.

Nineteenth,—by Major-General Russell Manners;—disbanded in 1783.

Twentieth,—by Major-General Richard Burton Phillipson;—disbanded in 1783.

Twenty-first,—by Major-General John Douglas; —disbanded in 1783.

Twenty-second,—by Lieut.-Colonel John Lord Sheffield;—disbanded in 1783.

Embodied in 1781.

Twenty-third,—by Lieut.-General Sir John Burgoyne, Baronet, for service in India, and was numbered the Nineteenth after the peace in 1783. This regiment signalized itself on numerous occasions in India, and was rewarded with the honour of bearing on its guidons and appointments the Elephant, with the words Assaye and Seringapatam. The word Niagara was also added in commemoration of the gallantry of two troops, in the year 1813, in North America. In 1817 it was constituted a corps of Lancers. It was disbanded in Ireland in 1821.

Thus a few years had produced a great change in the British Army. Twenty-five years previously to the termination of the American war there was not a single Light Dragoon Regiment in the Service, and in 1783 there were seventeen; four of them were disbanded at that period, and thirteen retained in the Service.

Soon after the termination of the American war, the French monarch having, by aiding the rebellious British provincials, taught his own subjects a lesson of insubordination, was deprived of the reins of government; and the violent conduct of the French revolutionists in the West Indies occasioned the Twentieth or Jamaica Regiment of Light Dragoons to be raised in 1791 by Colonel Henry F. Gardner, for service in that island. Besides its services in Jamaica, detachments of this regiment served at Malta; Sicily; at the taking of the Cape of Good Hope, in 1806; at the capture of Alexandria, in 1807; at the attack on Monte Video; in Portugal; at Genoa; and on the eastern coast of Spain; and acquired the honour of bearing the word Peninsula on its guidons and appointments. It was disbanded in Ireland in 1818.

War with France commenced in 1793, and was followed by augmentations to the Army. It was not found necessary to add a single Heavy Cavalry Regiment; but the following Regiments of

Light Dragoons

Were incorporated in 1794.

Twenty-first,—by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas R. Beaumont. This regiment served at the Cape of Good Hope and in India thirteen years; a detachment was sent to do duty at St. Helena, when Napoleon Buonaparte was removed thither. This regiment was disbanded at Chatham in 1820.

Twenty-second,—by Major-General William Viscount Fielding;—served in Great Britain and Ireland;—disbanded in 1802.

Twenty-third,—by Colonel William Fullerton;—served in Great Britain and Ireland;—disbanded in 1802.

Twenty-fourth,—by Colonel William Loftus;—served in Great Britain and Ireland;—disbanded in 1802.

Twenty-fifth,—by Major-General Francis Edward Gwyn. This regiment was numbered the Twenty-second after the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. It served with reputation in India; was employed at the reduction of Java; signalized itself on several occasions; and was rewarded with the royal authority to bear the word Seringapatam on its guidons and appointments. It was disbanded in England in 1820.

Raised in 1795.

Twenty-sixth,—by Lieut.-General R. Manners;—numbered the Twenty-third in 1803. This regiment served in Egypt, Portugal, Spain, Flanders, and France; and its distinguished conduct was rewarded with the honour of bearing on its guidons and appointments, the Sphinx, with the words Egypt, Peninsula, and Waterloo. In 1816 it was constituted a corps of Lancers. It was disbanded in England in 1817.

Twenty-seventh,—by Major-General Wynter Blathwayte;—numbered the Twenty-fourth in 1804. This regiment served in India, distinguished itself at the battles of Ghur and Delhi, and was permitted to bear the Elephant, with the word Hindoostan, on its guidons and appointments. It was disbanded in England, on its arrival from Bengal, in 1819.

Twenty-eighth,—by Major-General Robert Lawrie;—served in Great Britain, Ireland, and at the Cape of Good Hope;—disbanded in Ireland in 1802.

Twenty-ninth,—by Major-General Francis Augustus Lord Heathfield;—numbered the Twenty-fifth in 1804. This regiment served in India, and was at the reduction of the Isle of France. It was disbanded at Chatham, on its arrival from India, in 1819.

Raised in 1794.

Thirtieth,—by Lieut.-Colonel J. C. Carden;—disbanded in 1796.

Thirty-first,—by Lieut.-Colonel William St. Ledger;—disbanded in 1796.

Thirty-second,—by Lieut.-Colonel H. J. Blake;—disbanded in 1796.

Thirty-third,—by Lieut.-Colonel J. Blackwood;—disbanded in 1796.

Soon after the re-commencement of hostilities with France in 1803, the Seventh, Tenth, Fifteenth, and Eighteenth Light Dragoons were equipped as Hussars. Since the termination of the war in 1815, the Third and Fourth Dragoons have been changed from heavy to light; the Ninth, Twelfth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Light Dragoons have been constituted Lancers; and the Eighth and Eleventh Light Dragoons have also been equipped as Hussars.

At this period (1847), the Cavalry of the British Army consists of twenty-six regiments—thirteen Heavy and thirteen Light; and is composed of three regiments of Cuirassiers, ten of Heavy Dragoons, four of Light Dragoons, five of Hussars, and four of Lancers.

THE THIRD,

OR

THE KING'S OWN REGIMENT

OF

LIGHT DRAGOONS,

BEARS ON ITS APPOINTMENTS

THE WHITE HORSE,

ON A RED FIELD WITHIN THE GARTER,

WITH THE MOTTO

"NEC ASPERA TERRENT:"

ALSO THE WORDS,

"SALAMANCA"—"VITTORIA"—"TOULOUSE"—"PENINSULA,"

To commemorate its Gallant Conduct in Spain and France from 1811 to 1814;

AND THE WORD

"CABOOL, 1842,"

For its distinguished Services in Affghanistan in 1842.

FOOTNOTES:

[7] Histoire de la Milice Françoise, par le Père Daniel.

[8] National Records.

[9] The equipment of Hussars at this period is described by D'Auvergne, in his History of the Campaign of 1694, pp. 22, 23.

CONTENTS.

3rd Light Dragoons.

[To face page [1].

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
THIRD, OR THE KING'S OWN, REGIMENT
OF
LIGHT DRAGOONS.

1685

James the Second ascended the throne of England on the 6th of February, 1685, and four months only had elapsed, when his nephew, James Duke of Monmouth, erected the standard of rebellion on the western coast, and, having been joined by upwards of three thousand men, proclaimed himself king. To oppose Monmouth and his rash adherents, the King obtained from Parliament a grant of four hundred thousand pounds, and augmented the strength of his army. Among the loyal yeomen and artisans who arrayed themselves under the banners of their sovereign, a number of young men from Berkshire, Middlesex, Herts, and Essex, were formed into five independent troops of Dragoons under Captains Richard Leveson, John Williams, Thomas Hussey, Edward Lea, and Francis Russel. These five troops, with an old independent troop of Dragoons, commanded by Colonel Strather, were attached to the Royal Dragoons under John Lord Churchill, (afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough,) whose regiment was thus augmented to nine hundred men, and from these additional troops the corps which now bears the distinguished title of the "Third, or King's Own Regiment of Light Dragoons," derives its origin.

Captain Russel's troop rendezvoused at Chelsea and Knightsbridge, and having been speedily mounted and equipped, it was attached to the three Scots regiments of foot which had arrived from Holland, and ordered to join the army; but the insurgent bands having been overthrown at Sedgemoor on the 6th of July, it halted at Bagshot; and proceeding to London on the 13th, was present at the execution of the Duke of Monmouth on the 15th of that month.

Although the insurrection was thus speedily suppressed, and the executions which followed were sufficiently numerous to intimidate the disaffected, and prevent a second appeal to arms of a similar character, yet the King resolved to retain a considerable number of the newly-raised forces in his service. On the 17th of July several troops of Dragoons were formed into a regiment, (now the fourth light dragoons,) under the command of Colonel John Berkeley; and in the beginning of August, four of the additional troops attached to the royal dragoons, with one troop from Berkeley's regiment, were incorporated; at the same time another troop was ordered to be raised, and the six were constituted a regiment of which His Grace the Duke of Somerset was appointed Colonel, and Alexander Cannon, from a regiment of foot in the Dutch service, Lieutenant-Colonel, by commission dated the 2nd of August, 1685. The regiment thus formed is the subject of this memoir; its Colonel being Lord-Lieutenant of Somersetshire, had commanded the militia of that county during the rebellion, and his regiment was honoured with the title of the "Queen Consort's Regiment of Dragoons;" and being composed of troops raised previously to those of Berkeley's regiment, it obtained precedence of the last-mentioned corps[10].

1686

The establishment was fixed by warrant under the sign manual, bearing date the 1st of January, 1686, from which the following is an extract.

1687

During the summer the regiment was encamped on Hounslow Heath, where it was reviewed by the King; it was also encamped on the same ground in the summer of 1687; and took part in several mock-engagements, which were exhibited by an army of upwards of ten thousand men, in presence of their Majesties, and a numerous concourse of people.

1688

The King, having openly declared himself a Roman Catholic, resolved to give public audience to a nuncio from the Pope, Ferdinand d'Adda, who had been consecrated Archbishop of Amasia in the King's Chapel at St. James's, and the Duke of Somerset, who was Lord of the Bedchamber in waiting, was directed to attend the legate into His Majesty's presence. This command his Grace refused to obey, with a laudable firmness which astonished the King, alleging the laws of England made such attendance treason; he was consequently deprived of his regiment and of his post at court. The King conferred the Colonelcy on the Lieutenant-Colonel, Alexander Cannon, under whom it was again encamped on Hounslow Heath.

While pursuing a course of tyrannical and ill-advised measures against the laws and religion of the country, the King learnt with astonishment and indignation, that the Prince of Orange was embarking an army for England to aid the noblemen and gentlemen who were opposed to papacy and arbitrary government; the Queen's Dragoons, with several other corps, were ordered to Ipswich, under the command of Major-General Sir John Lanier, to endeavour to preserve Landguard fort, and to oppose the Prince if he should attempt to land there. His Highness, however, landed at Torbay on the 5th of November, 1688, when the regiment was ordered to Salisbury, and from thence to Warminster, where the advance-post of the King's army was established.

While the regiment was stationed at Warminster, the Lieutenant-Colonel, Richard Leveson, Captain St. George, with several other officers and a number of men, being stanch Protestants and zealous advocates for their religion, and for the welfare of their country, quitted their post and joined the Prince of Orange. The remainder of the regiment continued with King James' army and retreated towards London. His Majesty having quitted England and retired to France, the regiment was re-united at Dunstable, and the Prince of Orange conferred the colonelcy on Lieutenant-Colonel Leveson, in succession to Colonel Cannon, who adhered to the interest, and followed the fortunes of King James.

1689

On the accession of King William III. and Queen Mary, the Regiment did not lose its title of "The Queen's," but that designation was not used, and numerical titles not having been then introduced, it was usually styled Leveson's regiment; it was, however, again called "The Queen's," after its return from Ireland in 1692.

Under its new sovereign the regiment was quickly employed in active service. King James proceeded from France to Ireland, and finding an army, levied by Earl Tyrconnel, ready to support the Roman Catholic interest, he soon reduced the greater part of that country to submission to his authority. King William sent the veteran Duke Schomberg with an army to Ireland, to rescue that country from the power of papacy; and Leveson's dragoons embarked at Highlake on the 21st of August, for the same destination. Having landed near Carrickfergus, they joined Duke Schomberg's camp a mile beyond Belfast, on the 30th of August, and were reviewed on the following day.

The army quitted Belfast on the 2nd of September, and advancing towards Newry on the 3rd, found the town in flames, and the enemy fled; Leveson's troopers and some Inniskilling horse, rode forward in pursuit, but were unable to overtake the rear of the fugitive army.

A camp was afterwards formed at Dundalk, and, on the 13th of September, as a party of the regiment was cutting forage in the fields, a detachment of the enemy appeared; the dragoons instantly threw down their forage and advanced to meet their opponents, who, though superior in numbers, faced about and retired. On the 21st of September the enemy appeared in force, displaying their royal standard, but retired without venturing to attack the camp; when a party of Leveson's Dragoons galloped forward in pursuit, and overtaking the enemy's rear, killed five men. On the 17th of October, as a detachment of the regiment and some Inniskilling horse, were reconnoitring, they advanced with great audacity to the immediate vicinity of King James' camp, and a party of Irish horse gained a pass in their rear to cut off their retreat; but the gallant dragoons, by a determined charge forced their way through the defile, killed four opponents, and brought off six prisoners.

These instances of bravery gave Duke Schomberg a high opinion of the regiment, and about midnight on the 27th of October, he sent out two hundred of Leveson's troopers with some Inniskilling horse and French protestants, who dashed across the country to the neighbourhood of Ardee, routed the enemy's out-guards, and captured a drove of oxen and some horses, with which they returned in triumph to the camp at Dundalk.

In November the army went into winter quarters in the north of Ireland, and a party of Leveson's troopers was stationed at a frontier post at Tandrogee. On the 26th of November, sixty men of the regiment accompanied Colonel Cambron, while making a reconnoisance of the enemy's post at Charlemont; when they discovered a party from the garrison posted in the hedges near the place. The Dragoons, with their characteristic intrepidity, dismounted, drove the enemy from the hedges in gallant style, killed seven men upon the spot, and captured two Irish musketeers, twenty horses, and a number of cattle, with the loss of one man who was killed by a shot from the town, and eight men, whose ardour led them too forward in the pursuit, and who were surrounded and made prisoners.

1690

In February, one squadron of the regiment formed part of a reconnoitring party under Major-General Sir John Lanier; and on arriving in the vicinity of Dundalk, Leveson's dragoons dismounted,—stormed Bedloe's Castle,—killed ten of the garrison,—took the remainder prisoners,—and burnt the building. The same party captured about fifteen hundred head of cattle, and afterwards returned to Newry,—having lost one lieutenant, three dragoons, and four horses, killed, in this expedition.

Although no general engagement had occurred, Leveson's dragoons, by their spirited conduct on all occasions, had become celebrated in the army; Colonel Leveson was foremost on every occasion of danger, the men were proud of their commander, and the character of the corps was already established, when King William III. arrived in Ireland to command the Army in person. His Majesty landed at Carrickfergus on the 14th of June, and proceeded from thence to Belfast, where he was met by the principal officers of the army. Leveson's troopers were, at this time, at Newry, with a division of the army commanded by Major-General Kirke; and on Sunday, the 22nd of June, a squadron of the regiment, under the orders of Captain Crow, and a company of Kirke's (now second) foot, commanded by Captain Farlow, were ordered forward to reconnoitre the enemy's camp at Dundalk.

1690

This party was on the march at an early hour, and having advanced through a pass, to the grounds where the enemy had erected a fort in the preceding campaign, but had afterwards abandoned it, they were suddenly saluted by a volley from some infantry who had concealed themselves in the fort; at the same time five hundred of the enemy's horse were seen through the misty dawn advancing to charge them. Never were men in greater danger than that to which this little band was exposed; Leveson's troopers, being in advance, stood their ground boldly, but were driven back by the superior numbers of their antagonists. The enemy's horsemen being checked by the fire of Farlow's musketeers, the dragoons returned to the charge and used their broad swords with good effect; the pikemen joined in the charge and the Irish were driven back; but not knowing the numbers of their opponents, the dragoons and pikemen retired through the pass in good order. The loss on this occasion was twenty-two men killed and several wounded, and Captain Farlow, who commanded the foot, was taken prisoner. The enemy's loss was greater, and their Commanding Officer was killed by one of Leveson's troopers. Another party of the regiment was sent forward on the following morning, and ascertained that the enemy had left the camp at Dundalk, and were retreating towards Ardee.

King William advanced through Dundalk to Ardee, which town he entered as the enemy's rear-guard abandoned the place. On the 30th of June he arrived at the river Boyne, and Captain Pownell, of Leveson's dragoons, was sent with a squadron to take post near Slane-bridge. King James' army was strongly posted on the opposite bank of the river, with his right near Drogheda and his left extending towards the village of Slane.

On the 1st of July the river was crossed at three places, and a general engagement was fought. After a severe struggle the enemy retreated to the village of Donore, where they made such a determined stand that the Dutch and Danish horse, though headed by the King in person, gave way; when a squadron of Leveson's dragoons, commanded by Captain Brewerton, and a party of Sir Albert Cunningham's dragoons (the sixth Inniskilling) dismounted, and, lining the hedges, and an old house, 'did such execution upon the pursuers as soon checked their ardour.' At the same time Colonel Leveson, with the remainder of his regiment, galloped forward, and, with admirable bravery, interposed between the enemy's horse, and the village of Duleck. King William's horse having rallied and returned to the charge, the enemy retreated, when they were attacked in the rear by Colonel Leveson with his dragoons, who made great slaughter. The Irish abandoned the field with precipitation; but their French and Swiss auxiliaries retreated in good order.

King James returned to France, yet the war was continued in Ireland. On the 22nd of July, Leveson's dragoons proceeded, with other forces, to Waterford, and invested the town. The garrison surrendered on the 25th, and was conducted to Youghal by a troop of the regiment under Captain Pownell. Having delivered up his charge, the captain, representing to the governor the ruin he would bring upon himself if he held out, induced him to deliver up the place; and it was taken possession of the same night by the dragoons, who found fourteen pieces of cannon, 350 barrels of oats, and some provisions, in the town. This troop remained in garrison at Youghal, with a company of foot; and the commanding officer, having heard that bands of armed Roman Catholic peasantry, called Rapparees, were committing ravages on the Protestants, marched out with thirty-six dragoons and fifty foot. The dragoons were in advance, and when they arrived near Castle Martir, they encountered three hundred rapparees. Notwithstanding the disparity of numbers, the gallant dragoons dashed forward sword in hand,—broke in upon the enemy,—sabred sixty upon the spot, and took seventeen prisoners. The foot having come up, the castle was summoned, and the troops in the garrison delivered it up on condition of being allowed to march unmolested to Cork, without horses and arms. The captain gave the arms to the Protestant inhabitants, and took the horses with him to Youghal.

At this time the remainder of the regiment was engaged in the siege of Limerick, which failed, owing to the loss of the battering train. From Limerick the five troops marched with other corps towards Birr, to relieve the castle, which was besieged by the enemy; and, after performing this service, encamped beyond the town.

On the 16th of September one troop of the regiment attacked an immense number of rapparees who were proceeding from Cork to Lismore, and having routed them and killed forty, took three prisoners. Two days afterwards, as Lieutenant Kelly of the regiment was out with a small party reconnoitring, he was surrounded and taken prisoner.

1691

The regiment passed a part of the winter at Clonmel, and in February 1691, it was employed on an expedition to Streamstown, when the advanced guard highly distinguished itself; and shortly afterwards its colonel, the gallant Leveson, was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. In May it was encamped at Mullingar.

The Irish being strengthened from France, and the English from Scotland, both armies took the field in the beginning of June, when General De Ginkell, who was left in command by King William, advanced through Mullingar,—captured Ballymore, and besieged Athlone, which was gallantly stormed and taken on the 30th of June. The town having been put in a posture of defence, the army advanced to Ballinasloe, and on Sunday, the 12th of July, advanced in four columns against the Irish, who were strongly posted near the village of Aghrim; their right flank and centre being covered by a morass, and the remainder of their front by enclosures, terminating at the castle of Aghrim, on which their left rested. Leveson's troopers were formed in brigade with the royal Irish dragoons commanded by Brigadier-General Villiers, and posted on the right of the line. The action was well contested on both sides. At length the Blues, Langston's, and Byerley's horse, a squadron of Ruvigny's French Protestants, and Leveson's dragoons, forced the pass at the castle of Aghrim, and, by a gallant charge, decided the fate of the day. Leveson's gallant troopers rushed forward with their wonted bravery, and overthrew all opposition. In opposing this attack in person, the enemy's general, St. Ruth, was killed by a cannon ball, and the Irish giving way, were pursued with great slaughter by the cavalry towards Loughrea. The regiment was thanked by the Commander-in-Chief for its excellent conduct. It lost in this action seven men killed, and five wounded.

Leveson's dragoons were afterwards employed in the siege of Galway. On the 2nd of August they were detached, with twenty-four men from each regiment of Horse, under the command of Brigadier-General Leveson, to scour the country and drive in the enemy's parties; and they arrived on the 4th, in the vicinity of Nenagh, where five hundred of the enemy, under Brigadier-General Carrol (commonly called Tall Anthony) were in garrison in an old castle, on the domain of the Duke of Ormond. Part of the garrison occupied a pass half a mile in front of the castle; but was driven from that post by the dragoons. The garrison made a precipitate retreat towards Limerick, but were overtaken at Cariganlis, and routed with the loss of several men, their baggage, and four hundred head of cattle.

The siege of Limerick commenced on the 25th of August, and the regiment was before the town until the 31st, when it was detached with a party of horse under Brigadier-General Leveson, and Major Wood of the eighth horse (now sixth dragoon guards) to reduce the small garrisons in the county of Kerry, where the whole country was found in arms, and Lords Merrion's and Bretta's regiments of Irish horse there to assist the rapparees. Leveson and Wood[11] were both daring aspirants for military fame, and had become celebrated for their zeal and valour, and for their abilities on detached services.—Having ascertained where the two Irish regiments were encamped, they marched all the night of the 1st of September; and about one on the following morning, rushed suddenly upon them with the horse and dragoons. The enemy, surprised and confounded, fled in every direction, pursued by the victorious dragoons, who sabred many men and captured a drove of oxen. A reinforcement of three hundred horse and dragoons and six pieces of cannon was afterwards sent to Brigadier-General Leveson, and he reduced several garrisons between Cork and Limerick, and sent numbers of oxen and sheep to the army. On the 22nd of September this gallant officer, with only two hundred and fifty horse and dragoons, attacked and dispersed two regiments of Irish dragoons and a body of rapparees nearly three thousand strong; when he again captured some cattle and sheep. It appears that the principal part of the provisions for the army encamped before Limerick was supplied by the activity of Leveson's corps, which continued to act as an independent force until the surrender of that city on the 3rd of October. In King James's declaration from St. Germains, Brigadier-General Leveson was especially exempted from the general amnesty.

1692

1693

With the fall of Limerick ended the war in Ireland[12]; and the regiment having embarked for England, landed at Barnstaple on the 18th of March, 1692. Its establishment was six troops, 360 men, and its expense 15,999l. 3s. 4d. per annum. During this and the following year it was stationed in the south and western counties of England.

1694

On the 19th of January, 1694, Brigadier-General Leveson was removed to the third horse, now second dragoon guards; and the colonelcy of the Queen's dragoons was conferred upon Thomas, Lord Fairfax, from lieut.-colonel of the second troop (now second regiment) of life guards.

At this period King William was engaged in a war with France, and the third horse and Queen's dragoons having been reviewed by His Majesty in Hyde Park, on the 26th of March embarked for foreign service. The Queen's dragoons landed at Williamstadt, in North Brabant, on the 16th of April 1694, joined the army encamped at Tirlemont on the 21st of June, and was again reviewed by His Majesty on the following day. Its excellent conduct in Ireland appears to have raised the regiment high in the King's estimation, and it was ordered to encamp beyond the defiles of the village of Roosebeck, to cover His Majesty's quarters[13].

The regiment served the campaign of this year in brigade with the royals and royal Scots dragoons, and was employed in manœuvring and skirmishing in the valleys of Brabant and in the verdant plains of Flanders. No general engagement occurred, and in October it went into quarters at Ghent.

1695

In February, 1695, Lord Fairfax having retired, King William conferred the colonelcy on Colonel William Lloyd: at the same time the establishment was augmented to eight troops of thirty-eight officers, seventy-two non-commissioned officers, and four hundred and eighty privates, the annual expense being increased to 20,652l. 18s. 4d.

Having passed the winter in barracks at Ghent and received a remount from England, the Queen's dragoons marched, in April 1695, to Dixmude in West Flanders, and encamped on the plains of the Yperlee. A small detached corps was assembled at this place under Major-General Ellemberg, and in June an attack was made on the forts at Kenoque, to draw the French troops that way, and to facilitate the siege of Namur, which was undertaken immediately afterwards.

The Queen's dragoons, with eight battalions of infantry, returned to Dixmude, and the remainder of the division marched to the main army before Namur.

While the army was besieging Namur, a French force, commanded by General de Montal, invested Dixmude (15th July), and carried on the approaches with great expedition. The governor, Major-General Ellemberg, called a council of war, and suggested the expediency of surrendering. This was opposed by Major Beaumont, who commanded the Queen's dragoons[14], and some other officers, but it was agreed to by the majority, and the garrison was delivered up prisoners of war. Thus, the gallant dragoons, after displaying the greatest valour in former campaigns, were tamely consigned into the hands of the enemy, by a timid, or treacherous, foreign general officer. The soldiers were enraged at not being permitted to defend the place; many of the men broke their arms before they delivered them up, and one British regiment tore its colours to pieces.

An agreement had previously been made by the contending powers, that all prisoners should be given up on certain conditions. These conditions were complied with, and the return of the regiments which had surrendered, was demanded; but the French court refused to give them up. At length the citadel of Namur capitulated, and the French garrison was permitted to march out without being made prisoners, but as they passed through the allied army, their commander, Marshal Boufflers, was arrested and detained until the conditions of the agreement were complied with. The detention of the marshal produced the release of the regiments; the Queen's dragoons returned to the army, and were ordered into barracks at Ghent. At the same time a general court-martial assembled for the trial of the officers who had delivered the regiments into the power of the enemy. The governor of Dixmude, Major-General Ellemberg, was sentenced to be beheaded, and was executed at Ghent on the 20th of November. Colonels Graham, O'Farrell, Lesly, and Aver, were cashiered; two others were suspended, and the remainder acquitted. After the army left the field, the Queen's dragoons were quartered in villages near the canal of Sluys.

1696

The regiment again took the field in May 1696, and was reviewed by King William on the 29th of that month, when it appeared complete in numbers, and in excellent condition. During the summer it formed part of a detached corps commanded by Major-General Fagel, and encamped near Nieuport. The enemy made demonstrations of an attack on this part of the country, when entrenchments were thrown up, the sluices were opened, and the grounds in front of the French army were laid under water. A few skirmishes were, however, all that occurred; and in the early part of October the Queen's dragoons marched into quarters on the frontiers of Dutch Flanders.

1697

1698

After leaving its village cantonments in the early part of April 1697, the regiment was encamped at Bois-Seigneur-Isaac; it was afterwards employed in operations in Brabant, and on the 27th of May it formed part of a detachment of seven squadrons, commanded by Major-General de Bay, sent from the camp at Promelles towards Binche and Herlaymonte-Capelle. When on the march, the advance-guard, consisting of a squadron of the Queen's, commanded by Colonel Lloyd, encountered a squadron of French carabineers, whom the dragoons overthrew and put to flight, killing and wounding many men, and taking an officer and seventeen soldiers prisoners. The regiment was subsequently employed in covering Brussels, until the treaty of Ryswick restored peace to Europe; when it left the Netherlands and returned to England. In the following year the establishment was reduced to six troops—286 private men.

1702

The regiment remained in England until the summer of 1702, when, war having been declared against France and Spain, an expedition, commanded by the Duke of Ormond, was sent against Cadiz, and a detachment of the Queen's dragoons, consisting of three field-officers, three captains, four lieutenants, five cornets, three staff-officers, five quarter-masters, five serjeants, fourteen corporals, eight drummers, and one hundred and eighty-six private men[15], was embarked for this service. A landing was effected on the coast of Spain, near Cadiz, on the 15th of August; on the following day Rota, a town on the north side of the bay seven miles from Cadiz, was taken, and on the 21st, Port St. Mary's, situate at the mouth of the river Guadalete, was captured. The Queen's dragoons, being the only cavalry with the expedition, were almost constantly employed on piquet and outpost duty. On the 25th of August the army encamped at Santa Victoria, and in the early part of September the attack of the Matagorda was commenced. 'On the 5th of September a squadron of Spanish horse made bold to attack a small party of the Queen's dragoons, who behaved themselves so gallantly, that they put the enemy to flight, having wounded and taken an officer and two men with their horses, and on our side we had a cornet and a private man killed, and a lieutenant taken, whom the Spaniards, against all the laws of nations and arms, most barbarously cut in pieces[16].'

Cadiz was found better prepared for a siege than had been expected, and the troops were re-embarked. A successful attack was afterwards made on the fort of Vigo in Galicia, and a rich fleet was captured in the harbour, for which the Queen's dragoons received 187l. 3s. 4d. prize money[17].

1703

On the 31st of December, 1703, Brigadier-General (afterwards Lord) Carpenter, was appointed to the colonelcy of the Queen's Dragoons, by purchase[18], in succession to Major-General Lloyd.

1706

The regiment remained on home service until 1706, when another detachment of about two hundred and forty officers and men embarked on board the fleet of Sir Cloudesley Shovel; forming part of a force of 10,000 men commanded by the Earl Rivers, and designed to invade the coast of France, on a plan suggested by the Marquis De Guiscard. The descent was, however, rendered impracticable by contrary winds, and the troops were ordered to Lisbon. In the meantime the English forces in Spain had retired from Madrid to Valencia and Catalonia, and the troops under the Earl Rivers were directed to proceed thither.

1707

The Queen's dragoons, and other forces, were accordingly re-embarked; they left Portugal in the early part of January, 1707, and, having landed at Alicant in Valencia on the 11th of February, commenced their march to join the forces under the Earl of Galway,—the united camp being formed at Caudete, on the 30th of March. The army soon afterwards destroyed several of the enemy's magazines, and besieged Villena in Murcia. Meanwhile the French and Spanish forces, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, advanced to the plains of Almanza, where the allies resolved to attack them on the 25th of April.

After a march of fifteen miles through a rugged and mountainous country, the wearied British and Portuguese troops entered an open plain between Caudete and Almanza, where the enemy, superior in numbers and artillery, was formed in order of battle. After a short halt the attack was commenced, and the detachments of the Queen's and Essex's (now the fourth) dragoons particularly distinguished themselves; being ordered to charge a battery of guns, so placed on the brow of a hill, that the artillery mules, though concealed from sight, remained close to the guns and could be instantly attached to them. The charge was made with determined gallantry, but the guns being quickly withdrawn, ten squadrons of select Spanish cavalry charged the British dragoons, amounting only to about two hundred and ninety men, killing Lieutenant-Colonel Lawrence of the Queen's, who led the attack, also Captain Smith and Cornet Petty of the same corps, and nearly annihilating the two squadrons. The greater part of the Portuguese cavalry fled from the field in a panic, when the British infantry were nearly surrounded, but the cavalry, by a desperate charge, in which three generals (Brigadier-General Carpenter of the Queen's being one) and thirty-four officers fought in the front ranks, succeeded in breaking through the enemy. The Earl of Galway was wounded, and in danger of being taken prisoner; but the spirited conduct of the dragoons enabled him to effect his escape[19]; and he retreated with the remains of the English and Dutch cavalry to Alceira, where he received information that the greater part of the infantry, after retreating to the hills of Caudete, had been surrounded and compelled to surrender prisoners of war.

After this disaster, the few troops which remained were employed in defensive operations for the preservation of Catalonia. The Queen's dragoons were stationed a short time at Manresa on the river Cardener, to refresh their horses; and after the fall of Lerida, the army went into winter quarters. The Earl of Galway embarked for Lisbon, and Brigadier-General Carpenter remained in command of the troops in Catalonia.

1708

The Queen's dragoons had suffered so severely at the battle of Almanza, that the officers were sent to England in March 1708, and the regiment was ordered to be recruited to sixty men per troop. The recruiting was carried on with rapidity, and the difference in the state of the regiment may be seen from two different returns in one year; in the first its numbers are 150, and in the second 303.

1709

1710

1711

1712

1713

In 1709 the regiment mustered 443 men, and it continued at the same number during the two following years; but in October 1712 a reduction of ten men per troop took place. In 1713 it was quartered in North Britain, and mustered 339 men.

1714

After the accession of King George I. in 1714 there being no Queen Consort on the throne, the regiment was honoured with the distinguished title of The King's Own Regiment of Dragoons.

1715

In the summer of 1715 the regiment marched to Glasgow, in consequence of disturbances in that neighbourhood; and on the 8th of September it joined the camp at Stirling under Major-General Whetham, which was formed to oppose the Earl of Mar, who had raised the standard of rebellion, and proclaimed the Pretender at Aberdeen, Dundee, and Perth. The Duke of Argyle afterwards reviewed the troops at Stirling, as Commander-in-Chief in Scotland.

On the 10th of November His Grace, having intelligence of the design of the rebels to endeavour to pass the Forth and to penetrate towards England, resolved to prevent them, and immediately gave orders to his troops to hold themselves in readiness. An order of battle was issued, in which this regiment and Kerr's dragoons (the seventh) formed the extreme left; and according to that order, the army marched from Stirling on the 12th, and encamped on a rising ground to the east of Dumblain, between the town and Sheriffmuir. On the 13th the battle of Sheriffmuir was fought, when each party had one wing defeated and one victorious. The King's Own dragoons were in the left wing; about six hundred highlanders surprised the infantry of that wing, in the act of forming, and put it into confusion; but upon the dragoons charging and defeating the rebel cavalry opposed to them, capturing their standard, the rebel infantry pursued their advantage no further, and Captain Armstrong, who was sent with orders from the Duke of Argyle, being killed, the infantry retired in good order. Both sides claimed the victory; but all the advantage remained with the Duke of Argyle, who captured the royal standard of the rebels, called "The Restoration," also six pieces of cannon, four waggons, and a number of prisoners. On the following day the army returned to Stirling, and awaited the arrival of reinforcements from England.

1716

On the 9th of January, 1716, the Duke called a council of war at Stirling, where an order of battle was issued, in which Carpenter's dragoons were again placed on the left of the front line. Owing to the roads being rendered impassable by the snow, no advance was made till Tuesday the 29th, when the whole army advanced to Dumblain, and thence, on the 30th, to Tullibardine. At one in the morning of the 1st of February, the Duke with his cavalry entered Perth, where he was joined in the evening by his infantry; the next day he advanced to Errol, and on the 5th, with all his cavalry, moved towards Brechin; General Cadogan leading the infantry to Aberbrothock. On the 8th Aberdeen was occupied, and it being ascertained that the Pretender had retired to France, and that the rebel force had totally dispersed, the army went into winter quarters, and the King's Own dragoons were stationed at Elgin.

1717

1718

1719

1720

1721

1722

From this time the King's Own do not appear to have been engaged in any service of importance for a period of more than twenty years. They were usually stationed in the southern and western counties of England; but occasionally occupied quarters, for short periods, in Scotland. In 1718 the establishment was reduced ten men per troop; in the following year the numbers were only 186; an addition of 21 men was made in 1720, and during that and the two succeeding years the regiment mustered 207 men.

1723

1724

1725

1726

1727

1729

In 1723 the establishment was augmented to 333 men, at which number it remained, with an alteration only of six men, until 1727, when the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to embark for Holland, as part of the complement of 10,000 men which England had engaged to furnish the States; at the same time its establishment was augmented to 552 men. No embarkation, however, took place; and in 1729, the numbers of the regiment were reduced to 309.

1732

After the decease of General Lord Carpenter in 1732, King George II. conferred the colonelcy on Major-General Philip Honeywood, from the eleventh dragoons.

1738

1739

An augmentation was made to the establishment in 1738; in 1739, the breaking out of a war with Spain occasioned general orders for recruiting to be issued:—the establishment of the King's Own dragoons was raised to 435 men, and in the summer they were encamped on Hounslow Heath, where they were several times reviewed by the Duke of Cumberland.

1740

1741

During the summer of 1740, the King's Own were encamped in Windsor Forest; and in 1741, they were ordered, with several other regiments and a train of artillery, amounting nearly to 10,000 men, to prepare for embarkation for foreign service. This force encamped in July, on ground cleared for the purpose, on Lexdon heath, near Colchester: no embarkation, however, took place, and after a few weeks, the troops went into quarters in the various towns in the neighbourhood.

1742

In the meantime war was raging on the continent; the King of France and the Elector of Bavaria had united to deprive the Archduchess Maria Theresa of her hereditary dominions; and in 1742, His Britannic Majesty sent sixteen thousand British troops to Flanders to make a diversion in favour of the Austrians. The King's Own Regiment of dragoons was one of the corps selected for this service, and having been reviewed on Blackheath by King George II., accompanied by the Duke of Cumberland, it embarked shortly afterwards at Woolwich and Deptford; their colonel, Lieutenant-General Honeywood, taking the command of the expedition until the arrival of Field Marshal the Earl of Stair.

After landing at Ostend the King's Own dragoons advanced a few leagues up the country, but all active operations were prevented by the tardiness of the Dutch.

1743

Early in 1743, the British troops moved from their cantonments towards the Rhine; the King's Own, and four companies of the foot guards, forming the advance-guard of the army, were at St. Trond, in the province of Limburg, on the 9th of February, and on the 11th resumed their march for Germany. In May, the regiment, with the Inniskilling dragoons, and four battalions of the foot guards, formed a detached camp a little below the town of Hochst, in the duchy of Nassau on the Maine, and was afterwards encamped at Aschaffenburg in Franconia, a town situate on a hill on the side of Maine. In the meantime Lieut.-General Honeywood had been removed to the first dragoon guards, and the colonelcy of the King's Own conferred on Brigadier-General Humphrey Bland, from the thirteenth dragoons.

His Majesty King George II. having left England towards the end of May, landed at Helvoetsluys on the 2nd of June, and joined the army on the 9th; when he found his forces under considerable embarrassment, from the French commander having succeeded in gaining possession of several important posts on the Maine, by which means he cut off the supplies of provisions and forage.

Under these circumstances His Majesty resolved to march to Hanau, where a reinforcement of 12,000 Hessians and Hanoverians had arrived; and at daybreak on the 16th of June, the troops commenced the march along the banks of the Maine: but scarcely had they proceeded three leagues when it was ascertained that the enemy had crossed the river, and was drawn up near Dettingen to dispute the march of the army.

The allies were immediately formed for action, with their left on the river, and their right extending to a wood, in which the baggage was placed. Shortly afterwards the action commenced, when Lieut.-General Clayton, who commanded the left wing of infantry, requested some squadrons to cover his flank, and the King's Own dragoons were ordered to this important post, where they suffered severely, being exposed three hours to the fire of the French batteries, as well from their front, as from the other side of the river, which commanded their flank and rear. At length the regiment was led forward, and encountering nine squadrons of household cavalry, the élite of the French army, charged these celebrated horsemen with a degree of gallantry truly astonishing. British valour was most conspicuously displayed; though over-matched with numbers, and nearly surrounded by enemies, the King's Own dragoons were seen nobly contending for victory, and mingled in close fight with their antagonists, the swift motion of their glittering sabres showed with what vehemence the gallant troopers fought for the honour of their King and country. They cut through their renowned opponents three times; distinguishing themselves in the most signal manner under the eye of their Sovereign, and contributing materially to the victory gained on that occasion. Their loss was however great. Of the three cornets who bore the standards, two were wounded, and the third, Mr. Child, the brother of Lord Castlemaine, had two horses killed under him. The standards were totally destroyed by shot and sabre-cuts, and one of them was only preserved from capture by the heroism of a private in the regiment, named Thomas Brown, a native of Kirkleatham, in Yorkshire. This gallant soldier, on the cornet's receiving a wound in the wrist, and dropping the standard, attempted to dismount in order to recover it, but in so doing lost two fingers of his bridle-hand by a sabre cut, and his horse ran away with him to the rear of the French lines. Whilst endeavouring to regain his regiment he perceived the standard, which the French had succeeded in capturing by overwhelming numbers, in the custody of a gendarme, who was conveying it to the rear. This man he attacked and killed, caught the standard as it fell, and fixing it between his leg and the saddle, succeeded in cutting his way back through the ranks of the enemy: but received, in so doing, seven wounds in his head, face, and body, and three balls passed through his hat.[20] A letter, in the Gazette of July 16th, states, 'that in this action Ligonier's horse, (the seventh dragoon guards,) and the Third dragoons suffered most, and gained great reputation.' The loss of the Third was Lieutenant Baily, one serjeant, two drummers, thirty-eight private men, and one hundred and forty-one horses, killed; Major Honeywood[21], Captain Brown, Lieutenant Robinson, Cornets Dawson, Monteith and O'Carrol, with three quarter-masters, six serjeants, five drummers, eighty-six private men, and fifty horses wounded[22]. The victory was most decisive; the French were completely defeated in their attempt, and were compelled to recross the Maine with precipitation, with the loss of many standards, colours, and four pair of kettle-drums.

The King's Own dragoons passed the night near the field of battle, surrounded by their ensanguined trophies, and, having marched to Hanau on the following day, were encamped, for some time, on the banks of the little river Kinzig, from whence they advanced with the army, in the early part of August, for the Rhine; and, having crossed that river above Mentz, were employed in operations in West Germany, where the army was joined by the Dutch auxiliaries. The enemy's entrenchments at Germersheim, in the Bavarian circle of the Rhine, were afterwards destroyed, but no general engagement occurred; and in the middle of October the army repassed the Rhine, and marched back to the Netherlands in eight divisions[23]. The royals, greys, and King's Own dragoons, with the Scots highlanders, forming the first division, proceeded through the duchy of Nassau, the provinces of Limburg, Liege, and South Brabant, to Brussels, where they arrived on the 16th of November, and on the following day continued their march for West Flanders, to pass the winter in quarters at Ghent.

1744

Notwithstanding its severe loss the regiment remained in Belgium, and being joined by a number of recruits, in the spring of 1744, it took the field, and in June it formed part of the army encamped on the banks of the Scheldt, near Oudenarde, in East Flanders. During the summer it was employed in operations in the province of Hainault, and in levying contributions in the French territory towards Lisle. In October it marched into quarters at Ghent: and by the Muster Rolls for this year we find its numbers were 538.

1745

After leaving their winter quarters about the middle of April, 1745, the King's Own were encamped a short time near Brussels, where they were reviewed by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland. They were afterwards assembled with the army at Soignies. The French having assembled a numerous army and besieged Tournay, the Duke of Cumberland resolved to attempt the relief of that fortress; the army, accordingly, advanced, and on the 28th of April took post at Leuse. On the following day a squadron of the King's Own was employed, with other troops, in driving back the enemy's advanced-posts, and on the 30th the battle of Fontenoy took place; when the gallant efforts and brilliant success of the British were rendered unavailing by the failure of the Dutch. After an action of several hours the King's Own dragoons were ordered forward, and they charged the enemy with their accustomed gallantry; but under such disadvantageous circumstances that their manly efforts only retarded the fate of the day. The Duke of Cumberland ordered a retreat, and the army marched to the vicinity of Aeth. The enemy had great advantage in numbers, in artillery, and in the favourable ground they occupied; the loss was nearly equal on both sides, and the Allies lost no honour, though compelled to retire. The King's Own had nine private men, and twenty-eight horses, killed; Captain Wade, Quarter-Master Corbidge, fourteen private men, and thirty-four horses wounded;—and Cornet Bland, two non-commissioned-officers, fifteen men, and twenty-three horses missing.

The regiment was afterwards encamped on the banks of the Dender, near Lessines; from whence it proceeded with the army on the 30th of June, to Grammont in West Flanders, and was subsequently encamped before Brussels.

In the mean time Charles-Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, had arrived in Scotland, and, being joined by several of the highland clans, he asserted his father's pretensions to the throne. There being few troops in Scotland at this time, the rebellion soon made alarming progress; when orders were given for the return of several regiments from the continent, and the King's Own were among the first troops ordered home.

Having embarked at Williamstadt, the regiment, after a boisterous passage, arrived in the River Thames on the 25th of October, and immediately landed and proceeded towards the north. On the 10th of November it joined the army of Lieutenant-General Sir John Ligonier, then assembling near Lichfield. On the advance of the rebels towards Derby, the regiment formed part of the army commanded by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland; and when the highlanders retreated towards Scotland, it was sent in pursuit. It left Lichfield on this service on the 9th of November; on the 11th, it was at Macclesfield; on the 13th at Wigan, and on the evening of the 19th—after ten hours' march—it arrived on Clifton Moor, three miles from Penrith; at the same time the rear-guard of the rebel army, consisting of two battalions of highlanders and some hussars, occupied the village, and lined the hedges on both sides of the road.

The sun had set; the shades of evening were gathering over the little village of Clifton, and distant objects were scarcely discernible, when the King's Own, and a few detachments from other corps, forming the advance-guard of the royal army, having dismounted, proceeded in compact order to attack the rebels. As the troops approached the enclosures, the highlanders opened a sharp fire, which re-echoed along the vale, and was soon answered by volleys of musketry from the dragoons. After several rounds, the King's Own were ordered to retire a few paces; when the highlanders, mistaking this for a flight, raised a loud shout and rushed forward with sword and pistol; but they were well received by the dragoons with their broad-swords, and a fierce combat ensued, hand to hand, both sides displaying great bravery. Some of the highlanders broke their swords on the steel caps of the dragoons, when they drew their daggers, and continued the fight with great obstinacy. Eventually, however, the dragoons proved victorious, and the rebels made a precipitate retreat to Penrith. The loss of the King's forces on this occasion was twelve men killed and twenty-five wounded, amongst whom were four officers of the King's Own, viz., Lieutenant-Colonel Honeywood[24], Captain East, and Cornets Owen and Hamilton. The rebels had about twenty killed, and Captain Hamilton of the hussars with about seventy men taken prisoners[25].

The King's Own afterwards marched in pursuit of the rebels to Carlisle, and were stationed near the town during the siege, which was terminated by the surrender of the place on the 30th of December.

1746

1747

1748

The regiment continued to advance into Scotland, and is mentioned in the list of the Duke of Cumberland's army in the spring of 1746. On the 14th of February it was detached to Dundee, and after the suppression of the rebellion, returned to England, where it was employed in guarding the rebel prisoners at York. The establishment continued the same in this year, as it did in the following, but after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, the numbers were reduced to 285, the regiment being then quartered at Bury St. Edmunds.

1751

A regulation was issued on the 1st July, 1751, relative to the clothing and standards of the several regiments; from which the following particulars have been extracted relative to the King's Own dragoons.

Coats—scarlet; double breasted; without lapels; lined with light blue; slit sleeves turned up with light blue; the button-holes worked with narrow yellow lace; the buttons of yellow metal, set on three and three; a long slash pocket in each skirt, and a yellow worsted aiguillette on the right shoulder.

Waistcoats and Breeches—light blue.

Hats—bound with gold lace, and ornamented with a yellow metal loop, and a black cockade.

Boots—of jacked leather.

Cloaks—of scarlet cloth, with a light blue collar, and lined with light blue shalloon; the buttons set on three and three upon yellow frogs or loops, with a light blue stripe down the centre.

Horse Furniture—of light blue cloth; the holster-caps and housings having a border of royal lace, with a red stripe down the centre; the white horse within the garter, embroidered on each corner of the housing; and on the holster-caps, the King's cipher and crown, with III.D underneath.