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Title: Historical Record of the Nineteenth or The First Yorkshire North Riding Regiment of Foot - Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in - 1688, and of its subsequent services to 1848
Author: Cannon, Richard
Language: English
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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the footnotes have
been placed at the end of the book. Footnote [6] is referenced seven
times from page 2.
A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{xx}, for example S^t.
Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources. Misspellings in the
text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE NINETEENTH,
OR
THE FIRST YORKSHIRE NORTH RIDING
REGIMENT OF FOOT;
CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1688,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1848.
COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.
ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.
LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING-CROSS.
MDCCCXLVIII.
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 the view of doing
the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have
distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy,
an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army
shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the
Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following
particulars, viz.:--
---- The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of
the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time
employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations in
which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement
it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have
captured from the Enemy.
---- The Names of the Officers, and the number of Non-Commissioned
Officers and Privates Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying
the place and Date of the Action.
---- The Names of those Officers who, in consideration of their
Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the
Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks
of His Majesty's gracious favour.
---- The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and
Privates, as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
---- The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been
permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges
or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honorable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.
JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.
PREFACE.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend
upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are
animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any
measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone
great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable
object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military
History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples
to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to
emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in
their honorable career, are among the motives that have given rise to
the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the
"London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public
prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the
time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and
admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions,
the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the
Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders,
expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery;
and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their
Sovereign's approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most
highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)
for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services
and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in
obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account
of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty
having been pleased to command that every Regiment shall, in future,
keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth
derive information as to the difficulties and privations which
chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In
Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to
the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and
where these pursuits have, for so long a period, being undisturbed
by the _presence of war_, which few other countries have escaped,
comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service
and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the
British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or
no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country
derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist
and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to
reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,--on
their sufferings,--and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so
many national benefits are obtained and preserved.
The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance,
have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and
their character has been established in Continental warfare by the
irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in
spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and
steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against
superior numbers.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample
justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the
Corps employed; but the details of their services and of acts of
individual bravery can only be fully given in the Annals of the
various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under his Majesty's
special authority, by Mr. RICHARD CANNON, Principal Clerk of the
Adjutant General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail
to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is
considered that they will also afford entertainment and information
to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in
the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or
are serving, in the Army, an _Esprit de Corps_--an attachment to
everything belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative
of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting.
Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the valiant, the
loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and
civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who,
in moments of danger and terror, have stood "firm as the rocks
of their native shore:" and when half the world has been arrayed
against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with
unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in
war,--victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,
our brothers, our fellow citizens in arms,--a record which revives
the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before
us,--will certainly prove acceptable to the public.
Biographical Memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers
will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments,
and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been
conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance
of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will
be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be
completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
INTRODUCTION
TO
THE INFANTRY.
The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for
innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority
of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced
in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so
many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can
be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be
admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is
INTREPIDITY. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England
when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army,
on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to
attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and,
although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their
adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the
flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar's favourite tenth legion.
Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons of
rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of which were
fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry
in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on
foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the
chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions
were, however, unavailing against Cæsar's legions: in the course
of time a military system, with discipline and subordination, was
introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to
the greatest advantage; a full development of the national character
followed, and it shone forth in all its native brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of
infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on
horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The
former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and
spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They
had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins.
The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as
already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely
of horse; but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains
of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared
on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved
stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops
were employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of
the military force; and this _arme_ has since acquired, in every
quarter of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any
nation at any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns
succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances,
halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour
was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice
became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel,
that it was almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes
of war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a
change in the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and
arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers
continued formidable adversaries; and, owing to the inconvenient
construction and imperfect bore of the fire-arms when first
introduced, a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow from
their youth, was considered a valuable acquisition to every army,
even as late as the sixteenth century.
During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company
of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in
every hundred men forty were "_men-at-arms_," and sixty "_shot_;" the
"men-at-arms" were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and thirty
pikemen; and the "shot" were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and
twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his principal
weapon, a sword and dagger.
Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150
to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of
formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe)
in 1590 was:--the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the
halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on each flank of the
halberdiers: half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes; half
the archers on each flank of the musketeers, and the harquebusiers
(whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal
proportions on each flank of the company for skirmishing.[1] It
was customary to unite a number of companies into one body, called
a REGIMENT, which frequently amounted to three thousand men: but
each company continued to carry a colour. Numerous improvements
were eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and,
it having been found impossible to make armour proof against the
muskets then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its
being too weighty for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by
the infantry in the seventeenth century: bows and arrows also fell
into disuse, and the infantry were reduced to two classes, viz.:
_musketeers_, armed with matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and
_pikemen_, armed with pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and
swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King
of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused
the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in
small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be made up
into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment
into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of pikemen. He
also adopted the practice of forming four regiments into a brigade;
and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each
regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could
resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian
cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of other nations.
His mode of formation was copied by the English, French, and other
European states; but so great was the prejudice in favour of ancient
customs, that all his improvements were not adopted until near a
century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled the
Admiral's regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted
of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks.
In this year the King added a company of men armed with hand-grenades
to each of the old British regiments, which was designated the
"grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the
muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets similar to those at present in
use were adopted about twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II.,
to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now
7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry
pikes.
King William III. incorporated the Admiral's regiment in the second
Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service.
During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting
the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46
musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans;
ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697
the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the
breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every
infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the
grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand grenades;
and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour: the
corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry
ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light
companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of
General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside
their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the Seven
Years' War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have
been limited to the musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed
materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states;
and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed
to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to
contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of
the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying
occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior
numbers.
Great Britain has produced a race of lion-like champions who have
dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant
with any arms. At _Crecy_ King Edward III., at the head of about
30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of
France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men; here
British valour encountered veterans of renown:--the King of Bohemia,
the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and
the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards,
Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black Prince,
defeated, at _Poictiers_, with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000
horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of France, and his
son Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415, King Henry
V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although greatly exhausted by
marches, privations, and sickness, defeated, at _Agincourt_, the
Constable of France, at the head of the flower of the French nobility
and an army said to amount to 60,000 men, and gained a complete
victory.
During the seventy years' war between the United Provinces of the
Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and
terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the
States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and
firmness;[3] and in the thirty years' war between the Protestant
Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the
service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of
heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army
under the great MARLBOROUGH was spread throughout the world; and
if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of
persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the
present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities
which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men,
of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801,
under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had
been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate that country; also the
services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the
Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON; and the determined stand
made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte,
who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had
sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise,
was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and
to place himself at the disposal of the British Government. These
achievements, with others of recent dates in the distant climes of
India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the
breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and
Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular
frame,--intrepidity which no danger can appal,--unconquerable
spirit and resolution,--patience in fatigue and privation, and
cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities,--united with
an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give
a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the
hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command,
whose presence inspires confidence,--have been the leading causes
of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame
of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various
battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and
conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these
achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time.
The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a
detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the
hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in
the various parts of the world, where the calls of their Country and
the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the
execution of their duty, whether in active continental operations,
or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable
climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set
forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest
commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of
this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every
species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances
of service, are well suited to show forth the brilliancy of military
tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles.
Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the
continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time
been introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by which the
superiority of the national military character is maintained. The
rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations
of the world have in a great measure been purchased by the valour
of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country
at heart the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove
interesting.
THE NINETEENTH,
OR
THE FIRST YORKSHIRE NORTH RIDING
REGIMENT OF FOOT.
NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
CONTENTS
OF THE
HISTORICAL RECORD.
PAGE
YEAR INTRODUCTION
1688 Formation of the regiment 1
1689 Francis Lutterell appointed to be Colonel 2
---- Names of Officers appointed to Commissions --
---- Regiment marched to Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight --
---- Embarked as Marines --
---- Returned to Plymouth --
1690 Embarked for Ireland 3
---- Detachment sent to the West Indies --
1691 Returned to England --
---- Appointment of Thomas Erle to be Colonel, in
succession to Colonel F. Lutterell, deceased --
1692 Embarked for Flanders --
---- Engaged at the battle of Steenkirk --
1693 ---------- the battle of Landen 4
---- Entered winter quarters at Malines --
1694 Engaged in operations in Flanders and Brabant --
---- Returned to Malines --
1695 Engaged in the siege of Namur --
---- Occupied winter quarters at Dendermond 5
1696 Returned to England in consequence of the expectation
of invasion by France, and of the plan for
assassinating King William 5
1697 Re-embarked for Flanders and encamped near Brussels --
---- Treaty of Peace concluded at Ryswick --
---- Returned to England --
1698 Embarked for Ireland --
1702 War recommenced with France --
---- Embarked from Ireland for the Isle of Wight 6
---- Proceeded on an expedition to Cadiz --
---- --------- to the West Indies --
1704 Returned to Ireland 7
1705 Embarked for England --
1709 Promotion of Lieut.-Colonel Freke to be Colonel,
in succession to Lieut.-General Erle, retired --
1710 Embarked for Flanders --
---- Engaged in forcing the French lines at Pont-à-Vendin --
---- Siege and surrender of Douay --
---- ---------------------- Bethune --
---- ---------------------- Aire and St.-Venant --
---- Entered winter quarters at Ghent --
1711 Encamped at Warde 8
---- Engaged in forcing the French lines at Arleux --
---- Siege and surrender of Bouchain --
1712 Appointment of Richard Sutton to be Colonel,
in succession to Colonel G. Freke, deceased --
---- The Duke of Ormond assumed the command of the army
in Flanders --
---- Suspension of hostilities --
---- British troops retired to Ghent --
1713 Regiment stationed in Flanders --
1714 Returned to England --
1715 Promotion of Lieut.-Colonel Grove to be Colonel,
in place of Major-General Sutton, retired --
1722 Encamped on Salisbury Plain 9
1723 Marched to Scotland --
1729 Re-appointment of Major-General Sutton to be Colonel
in succession to Colonel Grove, deceased --
---- Embarked for Ireland --
1738 Appointment of Colonel Honorable Charles Howard to
be Colonel, in succession to Lieut.-General Sutton,
deceased --
1739 War declared against Spain --
---- Removed from Ireland to North Britain --
1742 War declared against France and Bavaria --
1744 Embarked for Flanders --
---- Quartered during the winter at Ghent --
1745 Advanced to the relief of Tournay --
---- Engaged at the battle of Fontenoy 10
---- Retreated to Aeth --
1746 Engaged at Roucoux 11
---- Retreated to Maestricht --
1747 Engaged at Val --
1748 Treaty of Peace concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle 12
---- Appointment of Colonel Lord George Beauclerk to be
Colonel, in succession to Major-General Honorable
Charles Howard, removed to the 3rd Dragoon Guards --
1749 Regiment returned to England 13
---- Embarked for Gibraltar --
1751 The colours, clothing, &c., regulated by royal warrant
of King George II. --
1753 Returned to England --
1755 Proceeded to Scotland --
1756 Returned to England --
---- War commenced with France --
---- Regiment augmented to two battalions --
1758 The second battalion formed into a distinct regiment,
and numbered the 66th regiment. --
1759 Encamped at Brentwood 14
1760 Encamped at Barham Down 14
1761 Formed part of an expedition against Belle-Isle on
the coast of Bretagne --
---- Capture of Belle-Isle 15
1762 Returned to England --
---- Treaty of Peace concluded at Fontainebleau --
---- Regiment embarked for Gibraltar --
1768 Appointment of General David Graeme to be Colonel,
in succession to Lord George Beauclerk, deceased --
1771 Regiment returned to England 16
1773 Stationed in Scotland --
1775 Embarked for Ireland --
1781 ------------ America --
1782 Designated the NINETEENTH, or the First Yorkshire
North Riding Regiment --
---- Peace concluded with America --
---- Proceeded to the West Indies --
1783 Removed to Jamaica --
1791 Returned to England --
1793 War commenced with France --
---- Embarked under General the Earl of Moira to aid the
French Royalists in La Vendée and La Loire 17
1794 Returned to England, and landed in Devonshire --
---- Embarked for Ostend --
---- Joined the army under the Duke of York at Malines --
---- Retreated through Holland to Germany 18
---- Engaged with the enemy at Tuyl --
1795 Embarked from Bremen for England --
1796 -------- for the East Indies and landed at Madras --
---- Embarked for Ceylon, and landed at Columbo --
1797 Appointment of General Samuel Hulse in succession
to General Graeme, deceased 18
1799 Five companies embarked for India, and engaged in
the storming and capture of Seringapatam, on the
4th of May, when Tippoo Saib was mortally wounded 19
---- The five companies returned to Ceylon --
1800 Marched from Columbo to Point de Galle --
1801 Embarked for Trincomalee 20
1802 The Island of Ceylon retained by Great Britain on the
conclusion of Peace between France and Holland --
1803 War recommenced with France and Holland --
---- Marched to Candy --
---- Engaged on arduous service against the perfidious
Candians 21
1804 Further engagement with the Candians 22
1805 The Candians again defeated --
---- Embarked for Columbo --
1806 Proceeded to Trincomalee --
---- Marched back to Columbo --
1809 Proceeded to Madras and joined a division of troops
employed against the Rajah of Travancore --
---- Returned to Ceylon, after compelling the Rajah of
Travancore to submit 23
1810 Appointment of General Sir Hew Dalrymple, from 37th
regiment, to the colonelcy, in succession to General
Sir Samuel Hulse, removed to 62nd regiment --
---- Four companies embarked with an expedition against the
Isle of France --
---- Capture of the Isle of France --
---- The four companies returned to Ceylon --
1811 Appointment of General Sir Hilgrove Turner to the
colonelcy, in succession to Sir Hew Dalrymple,
removed to 57th regiment 24
1814 Embarked for Trincomalee 24
1815 The British troops advanced against the King of Candy --
---- The King of Candy brought prisoner to the British camp 25
---- The Malbar dynasty deposed, and the provinces of Candy
united to the dominions of the British Crown --
1816 Remained at Trincomalee --
1818 Returned to Columbo --
---- Marched to Candy to suppress a rebellion of several
native chiefs 26
---- Returned to Columbo, and marched to Point de Galle --
1820 Embarked for England --
1821 ------------ Ireland --
1826 Formed into six service and four depôt companies --
---- Embarked for the West Indies --
1830 Depôt companies embarked from Cork for England --
1836 Service companies returned from the West Indies to
Ireland 27
---- Joined by the depôt companies from England --
1839 Embarked from Dublin for Bristol --
1840 Returned to Ireland --
---- Formed into six service and four depôt companies --
---- Service companies embarked for Malta --
1841 Depôt companies embarked from Ireland for England --
1843 Appointment of General Sir W. M. Peacocke to be
Colonel, in succession to General Sir Hilgrove
Turner, deceased --
---- Service companies embarked for the Ionian Islands --
1843 Depôt companies embarked for Jersey 27
1845 Depôt companies embarked for Ireland 28
---- Service companies embarked from Corfu for the
West Indies --
1848 Service companies embarked from Barbadoes for Canada --
The Conclusion 29
APPENDIX.
List of Battles, Sieges, &c. in the Netherlands from
1689 to 1697 31
List of Battles, Sieges, &c. in the Netherlands and
Germany from 1702 to 1712 32
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
YEAR PAGE
1689 Francis Lutterell 33
1691 Thomas Erle --
1709 George Freke 34
1712 Richard Sutton 35
1715 George Grove --
1729 Richard Sutton _re-appointed_ 36
1738 _Hon._ Charles Howard --
1748 Lord George Beauclerk --
1768 David Graeme 37
1797 Sir Samuel Hulse, G.C.H. --
1810 Sir Hew Dalrymple, Bart. 39
1811 Sir T. Hilgrove Turner --
1843 Sir Warren M. Peacocke 40
PLATES.
Colours of the Regiment to face 1
Costume of the Regiment " 30
[Illustration: NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
QUEEN'S COLOR.]
[Illustration: REGIMENTAL COLOR.
FOR CANNON'S MILITARY RECORDS
_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand_]
HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE NINETEENTH,
OR
THE FIRST YORKSHIRE NORTH RIDING
REGIMENT OF FOOT.
[Sidenote: 1688]
The advances made by King James II. towards the subversion of the
laws, and the established religion of the kingdom, occasioned the
Prince of Orange to be invited to come to England with an army, to
enable the nobility and other persons of property and influence to
assert the inviolable character of the Constitution in parliament.
The Prince landed in Devonshire on the 5th of November, 1688, and a
number of persons afterwards joining his standard, they were formed
into companies of musketeers and pikemen, and three regiments were
embodied under Colonels Lord Mordaunt, Sir John Guise, and Sir Robert
Peyton: troops of cavalry and companies of infantry were also raised,
in the interest of the Prince of Orange, in various parts of England.
[Sidenote: 1689]
The flight of King James to France was followed by the elevation of
the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne, in February, 1689.
At this period several of the companies of pikemen and musketeers
raised when the Prince of Orange landed, were incorporated into
a regiment under Colonel Francis Lutterell, whose commission, as
colonel of this regiment, was dated the 28th of February, 1689; but
the regiment, being formed of companies raised about the middle of
November, 1688, was permitted to take rank from that date, and now
bears the title of the "NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT."
The following officers were appointed to commissions in the
regiment:--
_Colonel_, Francis Lutterell.
_Lieutenant-Colonel_, William Norcott. _Major_, Henry Hawley.
_Captains._ _Lieutenants._ _Ensigns._
Baldwin Mallett. R. Williams (_Capt._). Joseph Lewis.
Alexander Lutterell. John Dodington. Abraham Hancock.
Edmund Bowyer.[6] N. Simmons. Capell Stocker.
William Coward.[6] John Redmore. Thomas Adams.
Joseph Pigman.[6] William Willoughby. -- Sidenham.
Hopton Wynham. R. Wyndham. -- Ensate.
Robert Carey.[6] George Prater. Robert Norcott.
Walter Vincent.[6] William Webb. Thomas Robinson.
Charles Burlington.[6] John Calmady. Thomas Freke.
-- Simmons.[6] John West. Thomas Resdin.
Hugh Mallett. -- Gregor.
Lawrence Coward.
_Adjutant_, John West. _Surgeon_, T. Allen.
_Quarter-Master_, Arthur Balsam.
In the summer of this year the regiment marched to Portsmouth; it was
afterwards stationed in the Isle of Wight, and in September embarked
on board the fleet to serve as marines; but landed at Plymouth in the
winter.
[Sidenote: 1690]
The authority of King William being resisted in Ireland, an army was
sent to that country under Marshal Duke Schomberg, and in March,
1690, the NINETEENTH received orders to send five hundred and twenty
men to Ireland, to replace the losses sustained by many regiments
at the unhealthy camp of Dundalk. The regiment afterwards sent a
detachment to the West Indies, where nearly all the men died. The
regiment also sustained the loss of its colonel, who died this year.
[Sidenote: 1691]
In 1691 the regiment was stationed in England recruiting, and the
colonelcy was conferred on Colonel Thomas Erle, from a regiment which
was raised in March, 1689, and disbanded after the treaty of Ryswick
in 1697.
[Sidenote: 1692]
Having recruited its ranks and attained a state of efficiency, the
regiment embarked for Flanders in the spring of 1692, and joined the
confederate army, commanded by the British monarch in person, whose
efforts were directed to arrest the progress of aggression pursued by
Louis XIV.;--it served the campaign of this year against the French
under Marshal Luxemburg.
At the battle of _Steenkirk_, on the 3rd of August, the regiment was
in the main body of the allied army, and the advance-guard being
repulsed before the supporting columns arrived at the field of
battle, King William ordered a retreat. Colonel ERLE's regiment was
one of the corps which did not sustain any loss.
[Sidenote: 1693]
The NINETEENTH regiment was one of the corps assembled at Parck-camp,
near Louvain, in May, 1693; and by taking possession of this
post, King William defeated the designs of the French monarch on
Brabant. The fourteenth, sixteenth, NINETEENTH, and two newly-raised
regiments were formed in brigade under Brigadier-General Erle. This
brigade was in position at _Landen_, on the 29th of July, when the
confederate army was attacked by the superior numbers of the enemy.
Brigadier-General Erle was ill of a fever, but hearing that an action
was likely to take place, he quitted his bed, and was wounded at the
head of his brigade. The French having, by their numerical strength,
forced the position, the confederate army retreated. Both armies
sustained severe loss, and the enemy derived little advantage from
the victory, beyond an opportunity to besiege Charleroi, which was
captured in the autumn.
The NINETEENTH regiment passed the winter in quarters at Malines.
[Sidenote: 1694]
In the beginning of May, 1694, the regiment quitted its quarters,
and pitched its tents near the cloister of Terbanck; it took part
in the operations of the campaign, and performed many long marches
in Flanders and Brabant, and in the autumn returned to the pleasant
town of Malines, where it passed another winter in garrison, with the
third and fourth regiments of foot.
[Sidenote: 1695]
Early in the spring of 1695 the regiment marched to the vicinity of
Ghent, and was encamped near Marykirk until the army took the field.
King William undertook the siege of the strong fortress of _Namur_,
and the NINETEENTH formed part of the covering army under the Prince
of Vaudemont, who acquired great reputation for the skilful retreat
he effected in the presence of a French army, of very superior
numbers, under Marshal Villeroy. After taking part in covering
this retreat, the regiment was employed in several operations for
the protection of the maritime and other towns of Flanders, and to
cover the troops carrying on the siege of Namur, which fortress was
captured by the troops under King William, and that event terminated
the campaign. The NINETEENTH regiment passed the winter at Dendermond.
[Sidenote: 1696]
Finding the progress of his arms arrested, and the fortune of war in
favour of the confederates, the French monarch contemplated detaching
England from the alliance against his interests, by replacing King
James on the throne, for which purpose preparations were made
for invading England, and a conspiracy was formed in London for
assassinating King William. In consequence of the preparations in
France, the NINETEENTH, and a number of other regiments, were ordered
to return to England. The regiment embarked from Sas-van-Ghent
in March, 1696, and sailed to Gravesend, where it landed. The
assassination plot was discovered, and the designs of the French
monarch frustrated.
[Sidenote: 1697]
The regiment remained in England until the summer of 1697, when
it again proceeded to Flanders, and joined the army encamped near
Brussels on the 14th of July; two days afterwards it was reviewed by
King William. The treaty of Ryswick was signed in September, and the
British monarch saw his efforts for the preservation of liberty, and
the balance of power in Europe, attended with success. The regiment
returned to England in November.
[Sidenote: 1698]
[Sidenote: 1702]
In 1698 the NINETEENTH regiment was stationed in Ireland, where
it remained until 1702, when the succession of the Duke of Anjou,
grandson of Louis XIV., to the throne of Spain had produced another
war.
Early in 1702 an expedition against the port and city of _Cadiz_ was
resolved upon by the British government, and the NINETEENTH regiment
was withdrawn from Ireland to take part in the enterprise; the
fleet was commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke, and the land forces
were placed under the orders of the Duke of Ormond. The regiment
proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where it embarked on board the
fleet,[7] which sailed for Cadiz, and a landing was effected between
Rota and Fort St. Catherine in the middle of August. Fort St. Mary's
was taken possession of, and some advantages were gained; but the
expedition proved of insufficient force for the reduction of Cadiz,
and the troops re-embarked. The NINETEENTH regiment was detached from
Cadiz to the West Indies with the squadron of the royal navy under
Commander Walker.
[Sidenote: 1703]
A powerful armament was prepared for the attack of the French and
Spanish settlements in the West Indies in 1703, but this enterprise
was afterwards laid aside. An unsuccessful attempt was made on
Guadaloupe in March of this year, by a few men under Colonel
Codrington.
[Sidenote: 1704]
[Sidenote: 1705]
Having lost a number of men from the effects of the climate, the
regiment was withdrawn from the West Indies, and was stationed in
Ireland in 1704; in 1705 it embarked for England, and landed near
Chester in October.
[Sidenote: 1706]
The regiment was employed on home service during the years 1706,
1707, 1708, and 1709.
[Sidenote: 1709]
In May, 1709, Lieut.-General Erle disposed of the colonelcy of the
regiment to the lieut.-colonel, George Freke.
[Sidenote: 1710]
Early in the spring of 1710 the regiment embarked for Flanders, to
join the allied army in that country under the celebrated JOHN,
DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH; it advanced up the country to the vicinity of
Tournay, and afterwards took part in the movements by which the
French lines were forced at _Pont-à-Vendin_.
When the siege of _Douay_ was undertaken, the NINETEENTH regiment was
one of the corps selected to take part in this service. Some severe
fighting took place in carrying on the attacks, and in storming the
outworks, in which the regiment was engaged, and sustained severe
loss. On the 25th of June the garrison beat a parley, and afterwards
surrendered the fortress.
The NINETEENTH regiment had three serjeants and ninety-one rank and
file killed at the siege of Douay; and one major, two captains, eight
subalterns, ten serjeants, and one hundred and ninety-seven rank and
file wounded.
The regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege of
_Bethune_, which fortress surrendered on the 29th of August. _Aire_
and _St.-Venant_ were afterwards invested and taken, and the regiment
marched to Ghent, where it passed the winter.
[Sidenote: 1711]
Advancing up the country in the spring of 1711, the regiment encamped
a short time at Warde, where it was joined by a fine body of recruits
from England. It took part in the operations by which the enemy's
fortified lines were passed at _Arleux_ on the 5th of August, and
it was afterwards engaged in the siege of _Bouchain_, which proved
a difficult service; but every obstacle was overcome by the skill
and perseverance of the generals and engineers, and the innate
bravery of the soldiers, who, on more than one occasion, fought up to
their waists in water. This fortress was surrendered on the 13th of
September.
[Sidenote: 1712]
In the spring of 1712 the regiment quitted its winter quarters.
Before the army was assembled, Colonel Freke was succeeded in the
colonelcy of the regiment by Major-General Richard Sutton, from a
newly-raised corps, which was afterwards disbanded.
The army in Flanders was this year commanded by the Duke of Ormond,
and advanced to the frontiers of France; but negotiations for a
treaty of peace having commenced, a suspension of hostilities was
proclaimed, and the British troops retired to the vicinity of Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1713]
During the year 1713 the regiment was stationed in Flanders.
[Sidenote: 1714]
The decease of Queen Anne took place on the 1st of August, 1714, when
the regiment was ordered to return to England, and it was placed in
garrison at Tilbury fort, Landguard fort, and Hull, with a detachment
at Sheerness.
[Sidenote: 1715]
In August, 1715, the colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on
Lieut.-Colonel Grove, from the foot guards, in succession to
Major-General Sutton, who withdrew from active service.
[Sidenote: 1716]
[Sidenote: 1722]
[Sidenote: 1723]
The regiment was employed on home service many years; in 1722 it was
encamped on Salisbury Plain, where it was reviewed by King George I.;
and in the following year it marched to Scotland.
[Sidenote: 1727]
In 1727 the regiment was held in readiness to assist the Dutch in the
expected war with the Emperor of Germany; but no embarkation took
place.
[Sidenote: 1729]
Colonel Grove died on the 13th of October, 1729, and King George II.
restored Major-General Sutton to the colonelcy of the regiment.
At this period the regiment was removed to Ireland.
[Sidenote: 1735]
[Sidenote: 1738]
Major-General Sutton was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general
in 1735, and died in 1738, when the colonelcy of the regiment was
conferred on Colonel the Honorable Charles Howard, from captain and
lieut.-colonel in the foot guards.
[Sidenote: 1739]
In 1739 war was proclaimed against Spain, and the NINETEENTH regiment
was withdrawn from Ireland, and stationed in North Britain.
[Sidenote: 1742]
[Sidenote: 1744]
A British army proceeded to Flanders in 1742, to support the
interests of the House of Austria against France and Bavaria; but
the NINETEENTH were employed on home service until 1744, when they
proceeded to Flanders, and served the campaign of that year with the
army under Field-Marshal Wade. The regiment was encamped some time on
the banks of the Scheldt, and afterwards advanced into the territory
subject to France, as far as Lisle; but no serious fighting took
place, and it passed the winter in quarters at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1745]
The regiment was called from its winter quarters in April, 1745, and
advanced with the army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of
Cumberland, to the relief of Tournay, which fortress was besieged by
a numerous French force, and on the approach of the allied army the
enemy took up a formidable position near the village of _Fontenoy_.
This position was attacked on the 11th of May, and the gallant
bearing of the British infantry was conspicuous; by a determined
charge they broke the French lines and overthrew all opposition at
their point of attack; but the Dutch failed in their attempts to
capture the village of Fontenoy, and the English were exposed to a
destructive flank fire which forced them to retreat. The attack was
repeated, and British valour and intrepidity triumphed once more;
but the Dutch again failed, and the English battalions, which had
broken the enemy's lines, were exposed to so destructive a fire from
batteries on both flanks, that a retreat was ordered, and the army
withdrew from the field of battle to Aeth.
The regiment had Lieutenant Le Grand, Ensign Gibson, and seventeen
private soldiers killed; Major Petitot, Captains Cochran and Douglas,
Lieutenant Coote, Ensigns Cheape, Martin, and Potterfield, one
serjeant, and sixty-nine rank and file wounded; thirteen men missing.
The subsequent operations of the campaign were of a defensive
character, and the allied army was so much inferior in numbers to the
enemy, that it was unable to prevent the capture of several fortified
towns in the Austrian Netherlands.
This year a rebellion broke out in Scotland, and Charles Edward,
eldest son of the Pretender, gained some advantages at the head of
the Highland clans, when several corps were ordered to return to
England, but the NINETEENTH remained in the Netherlands.
[Sidenote: 1746]
Taking the field in the spring of 1746, the regiment was employed in
various services; but the allied army, being very inferior in numbers
to the force which the French monarch employed in the Netherlands,
was necessarily restricted in its operations.
On the 11th of October the allied army was formed on the beautiful
plain of Liege, and the NINETEENTH regiment was stationed, with two
other corps, in the village of _Roucoux_. About noon the superior
numbers of the enemy under Marshal Saxe were seen advancing, and
about three in the afternoon a numerous body of infantry and
artillery attacked three villages, which were occupied by eight
battalions of British, Dutch, and Hessians. The disparity of numbers
was about one to six, yet the allies stood their ground gallantly,
and repulsed the leading brigades of the enemy. New combatants
rushed forward, and the allies were again victorious; but they were
eventually forced to quit the villages. After defending their post
with great bravery for some time, the NINETEENTH, and other corps in
Roucoux, quitted the village, and took post in a hollow way, where
they defended themselves until a retreat was ordered, when the army
withdrew to the vicinity of Maestricht.
One serjeant, one drummer, and thirty-three rank and file of the
regiment were killed on this occasion; Lieutenant Cuthbert, Ensign
M'Farlane, three serjeants, and nineteen rank and file wounded;
Captain Leake, Lieutenant Campbell, and several private soldiers
taken prisoners.
[Sidenote: 1747]
After passing the winter in cantonments in Holland, the regiment
took the field with the army commanded by His Royal Highness the
Duke of Cumberland, and distinguished itself at the battle of
_Val_, on the 2nd of July in that year. The enemy attacked the
village of Val, which was occupied by the thirteenth, twenty-fifth,
and thirty-seventh regiments, and a battalion of Hanoverians, who
repulsed the attacks of their numerous opponents some time, but were
eventually forced to give way. They were reinforced by the eighth,
NINETEENTH, and forty-eighth regiments, and a foreign corps, and
returning to the charge, recovered the village. The fighting at
this point was very severe; several French brigades were nearly
annihilated, and the village was lost and won several times. During
this protracted contest the innate valour of the British troops was
very conspicuous; but the enemy at length succeeded in breaking the
line, and the army was ordered to retreat to Maestricht, where it
arrived on the same evening.
Lieut.-Colonel Williams, two serjeants, one drummer, and thirty-two
rank and file of the regiment were killed; Major Petitot, Captain
Masters, Lieutenants Goddard, Brown, Martin, and Phillips, Ensigns
Dobson and Fuller, three serjeants, and one hundred and three rank
and file wounded; fifteen rank and file missing.[8]
[Sidenote: 1748]
The regiment again took the field in 1748. Preliminary articles for a
treaty of peace were signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, and a suspension of
hostilities took place.
In this year Major-General the Honorable Charles Howard was removed
to the third dragoon guards, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of
the NINETEENTH regiment by Colonel Lord George Beauclerk, from the
eighth marines.
[Sidenote: 1749]
The regiment returned to England during the winter of 1748-9, and
immediately proceeded to Gibraltar, where it was stationed four years.
[Sidenote: 1751]
On the 1st of July, 1751, a warrant was issued by authority of King
George II., for establishing uniformity in the clothing, standards,
and colours of the several regiments, by which the facing of the
NINETEENTH was directed to be _green_. The First, or the King's
colour, was directed to be the Great Union; the Second, or Regimental
colour, to be the colour of the facings of the regiment, with the
Union in the upper canton; in the centre of the colour, the Rank of
the regiment, in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and
thistles on the same stalk, surmounted by the Crown.[9]
[Sidenote: 1753]
[Sidenote: 1755]
[Sidenote: 1756]
Having been relieved from garrison duty at Gibraltar, in 1753, the
regiment returned to England; in 1755 it was stationed in Scotland;
in 1756 it was again stationed in England.
A dispute respecting the extent of the British dominions in North
America having occasioned another war with France, the regiment was
augmented to _two battalions_.
[Sidenote: 1758]
In 1758 the Second battalion was formed into the SIXTY-SIXTH
regiment, under the command of Colonel Edward Sandford.
[Sidenote: 1759]
[Sidenote: 1760]
During the summer of 1759 the regiment was encamped at Brentwood, and
in 1760 at Barham Downs.
[Sidenote: 1761]
In 1761 the regiment was placed under the orders of Major-General
Hodgson, for the attack of one of the French islands off the coast of
Brittany, called _Belle-Isle_. The expedition appeared before this
place on the 7th of April; but the whole island was found like one
vast fortress, the little which nature had left undone by rocks and
crags having been supplied by art; and the first attempt on the 8th
of April, to establish a post on the island, failed. The NINETEENTH,
mustering eight hundred men, under Lieut.-Colonel Robert Douglas,
evinced great gallantry on this occasion in the assault of the
enemy's entrenchments on the shore; the officers and soldiers rushed
to the attack with heroic bravery, but were unable to ascend the
steep acclivity; they attempted to help one another up, under a heavy
fire, but failed, and were ordered to re-embark.
The regiment lost Lieutenant Dougal Stuart, three serjeants, one
drummer, and forty-seven rank and file killed; Major Lumisden, one
serjeant, one drummer, and thirty-eight rank and file wounded;
Lieutenants Scrymsour, Forbes, and Nugent, one serjeant, and
eighty-nine rank and file prisoners, thirty of whom were wounded.
Another attempt was made on the 22nd of April, when Brigadier-General
Lambert effected a landing on the rocks near Point Lomaria: the
difficulty of mounting the precipice had made the enemy least
attentive to that part. Beauclerk's grenadiers (NINETEENTH), with
Captain Patterson of the regiment, gained the summit before the
enemy saw what was intended, who immediately marched a body of three
hundred men to attack them; the grenadiers maintained their ground
till the remainder of Brigadier Lambert's troops got up. Three
brass field-pieces were taken, and some wounded prisoners. Captain
Patterson lost his arm, and the other casualties were about thirty
men killed. The cannon was afterwards landed from the ships and
dragged up the rocks; the lines which covered the town of Palais
were captured; the siege of the citadel was carried on with vigour,
and the garrison surrendered on the 7th of June. The conquest of
the island was thus achieved, and the officers and soldiers taken
prisoners re-joined their regiments.
[Sidenote: 1762]
Returning from Belle-Isle when the capture of that island was
completed, the regiment was stationed in England in 1762.
The war was terminated in 1762 by the peace of Fontainebleau, and
the regiment again proceeded to Gibraltar, at which fortress it was
stationed during the following eight years.
[Sidenote: 1768]
On the decease of Lieut.-General Lord George Beauclerk, the colonelcy
of the regiment was conferred on Major-General David Graeme, from the
forty-ninth regiment, by commission dated the 25th of May, 1768.
On the 19th of December, 1768, a warrant was issued by command of
King George III. for regulating the standards, colours, clothing,
&c., of the regiments of cavalry and infantry, by which it was
directed, that the _facing_ of the NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT should
be _deep green_.
[Sidenote: 1771]
Early in the spring of 1771 the regiment was relieved from duty at
Gibraltar, and arrived in England in May.
[Sidenote: 1773]
[Sidenote: 1775]
In 1773 the regiment was stationed in Scotland; and in 1775 it
embarked for Ireland, where it was quartered upwards of five years.
[Sidenote: 1781]
The American war commenced in the same year in which the regiment
embarked for Ireland, and was continued with varied success. In 1781
the regiment was ordered to proceed to South Carolina and Georgia,
to reinforce the British troops in those provinces; it embarked
from Ireland on the 17th of March, and arrived in America in May;
but the peculiar turn which the circumstances of the war took
shortly afterwards, prevented the regiment having an opportunity of
distinguishing itself.
[Sidenote: 1782]
A letter, dated the 31st of August, 1782, conveyed to the regiment
His Majesty's pleasure that it should be designated the NINETEENTH,
or the FIRST YORKSHIRE NORTH RIDING REGIMENT, in order that a
connexion between the corps and that part of the county of York
should be cultivated, with the view of promoting the success of the
recruiting service.
[Sidenote: 1783]
[Sidenote: 1791]
Hostilities terminated in 1782, and the regiment proceeded to the
Leeward Islands; in 1783 it was removed to Jamaica, where it was
stationed until 1791, when it returned to England, and landed at
Portsmouth in June.
[Sidenote: 1793]
The French revolution had commenced while the regiment was at
Jamaica, and in 1793 the King of France was beheaded, and a
republican government was established, which was followed by war
between England and France. The French Royalists of _La Vendée_
and _La Loire_ took arms against the regicide government, and
solicited aid from England; the NINETEENTH regiment embarked with the
expedition under Major-General the Earl of Moira, to aid the French
Royalists, who expected to be able to gain possession of a sufficient
portion of the coast for the English troops to land; the expedition
was held in suspense, the fleet being driven about the Channel in
stormy weather in the winter of 1793-4.
[Sidenote: 1794]
No opportunity of landing in France, and of joining the Vendéeans,
having occurred, the regiment disembarked on the coast of Devonshire
in January, 1794, and went into quarters: the health of the men
having suffered from being long detained on board of the fleet.
After a few months' repose in quarters, the regiment again embarked,
and sailed with the troops under the Earl of Moira for Ostend, which
fortress was menaced by a numerous French force. The regiment landed
at Ostend on the 26th of June. The Earl of Moira resolved not to
limit his services to the defence of Ostend, but to attempt to effect
a junction with the army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke
of York; and after a tedious and difficult march in the face of a
victorious enemy of superior numbers, whose troops were overrunning
the country in all directions, the British arrived at Alost, where
they repulsed the attack of a body of the enemy on the 6th of July,
and joined the Duke of York's army at Malines three days afterwards.
The allies did not bring into the field a force sufficiently numerous
to contend with the immense armies of France, and the consequence
was a disastrous campaign, and a retreat through Holland to Germany
during the frosts and snow-storms of an unusually severe winter;
and the NINETEENTH shared, with other regiments, in the sufferings
occasioned by these operations. The regiment was engaged under
Major-General Lord Cathcart in the attack of the enemy's post at
_Tuyl_ on the 30th of December, when it had five men killed and
wounded; it also took part in several skirmishes, frequently crossing
rivers on the ice to engage the numerous forces of the enemy.
[Sidenote: 1795]
In the early part of January, 1795, it was found necessary to resume
the retreat, and a series of retrograde movements, through a country
covered with snow and ice, brought the army into Germany, where the
soldiers obtained a short repose, and afterwards embarked from Bremen
for England.
The NINETEENTH landed from Germany in May, 1795, and were stationed
in England eleven months.
[Sidenote: 1796]
On the 28th of April, 1796, the regiment embarked for the East
Indies, and landed at Madras in the middle of November following.
A short time previously to the arrival of the regiment in India, the
large and mountainous island of Ceylon, situate in the Indian Sea,
had been captured from the Dutch, who had become united with France
in hostility to Great Britain. After reposing a few weeks at Madras,
the regiment received orders to transfer its services to Ceylon, and
it landed at Columbo, the capital of the island, in December, 1796.
[Sidenote: 1797]
General David Graeme died in January, 1797, and King George III.
conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General Samuel
Hulse, from the fifty-sixth regiment of foot.
In the island of Ceylon, which produces a great diversity of
vegetables, the finest fruits, and spices of good quality,
particularly cinnamon, the regiment was stationed twenty-four years.
[Sidenote: 1798]
About this period the officers and soldiers of the NINETEENTH
regiment subscribed one day's pay, amounting to £84, for the relief
of the widows and children of the men killed in the victory obtained
by Admiral Lord Nelson over the French fleet at the battle of the
Nile, on the 1st of August, 1798. The regiment subscribed also 2500
pagodas (8_s._ 9_d._ each) towards carrying on the war in Europe.
[Sidenote: 1799]
Five companies embarked in February, 1799, for the continent of
India, to take part in the war with the ruler of the province of
_Mysore_, the celebrated Tippoo Saib, whose adoption of French
counsels, and hostility to the British interests, proved his ruin.
The Mysore was invaded by the British troops, under Lieut.-General
(afterwards Lord) Harris, in March, 1799, and the army advanced by
triumphant marches to the capital, the strong and splendid city and
fortress of _Seringapatam_, which was captured by storm on the 4th of
May, when Tippoo fell, mortally wounded, in the defence of the place.
The capture of the capital having terminated the war in the Mysore,
the five companies of the regiment afterwards returned to Ceylon.
[Sidenote: 1800]
From Columbo, the regiment marched, in October, 1800, to Point de
Galle, where the head-quarters were stationed several months.
[Sidenote: 1801]
In April, 1801, the regiment embarked for the harbour, town, and
fortress of Trincomalee, situate in a barren tract of country on the
north-east side of the island of Ceylon, from whence detachments
were sent to various posts in the interior. The centre of the island
appeared to be defended against the approach of Europeans by the
unhealthy climate of the district, through which it was necessary to
pass to enter the inland provinces, which were governed by a native
chief called the King of Candy.
[Sidenote: 1802]
In 1802 a treaty of peace was concluded between England and France
and Holland; but the island of Ceylon was retained by the British.
[Sidenote: 1803]
War with France and Holland was resumed in 1803, and, at the same
time, it was found necessary to commence hostilities with the
Candians, inhabiting the interior of the island of Ceylon, with whom
attempts had been made to establish a treaty of amity and commerce,
but without success.
Some outrages having been committed by the Candians on British
subjects, demand was made for reparation, which was evaded on various
pretences, and a body of troops, of which a detachment of the
NINETEENTH regiment formed part, penetrated through the unhealthy
districts into the interior, to demand redress, and to exact security
against the repetition of outrage. The troops experienced little
opposition, and advanced to _Candy_, the capital, which was found
abandoned by the inhabitants. A treaty was framed, and everything
appeared in a train for a satisfactory arrangement; but after
evincing unparalleled duplicity and treachery, the population of the
surrounding districts suddenly attacked the town after hostilities
had ceased, and the British troops, under Major Davey, being
overpowered by numbers, agreed to capitulate, on condition of being
allowed to march with their arms to the British settlements on the
coast. These conditions were violated; the British soldiers were
barbarously massacred, at Candy, on the 24th of June, excepting a few
men who escaped, or were spared by the assassins; the Malays in the
English service were required to enter the Candian service, and all
who refused were destroyed. The NINETEENTH regiment had the following
officers and soldiers massacred on this occasion,--Lieutenants M. H.
Bynn, Peter Plenderleath, and Hector M'Lean, Ensign Robert Smith,
Quarter-Master John Brown, Assistant-Surgeon William Hope, and one
hundred and seventy-two non-commissioned officers and privates.
After this act of perfidy and cruelty the Candians attacked the
British settlements, and gained some temporary advantages; but were
eventually driven back with loss. The surviving officers and soldiers
of the NINETEENTH regiment were employed in much harassing and
perilous service, and many casualties were occasioned by the climate.
Captain Beaver particularly distinguished himself, and the governor,
Major-General M^cDowall, expressed his sense of the captain's
services, in general orders dated Columbo, 2nd September, 1803,
in the following terms: "The Governor has observed, with peculiar
satisfaction, the rapid series of well-judged and well-executed
operations, by which Captain HERBERT BEAVER, of the NINETEENTH
regiment, has hitherto proceeded, in recovering the important
province of Matura from the Candians, and in bringing back its
deluded inhabitants to their duty. The indefatigable activity, zeal,
and ability, which that officer has displayed, since his assumption
of the command in that district, has fully justified the high opinion
which his Excellency had formed of him from his former services, and
which induced the Governor to appoint him to that arduous station, in
a time of such extreme difficulty and discouragement." The governor
also expressed his approbation of the conduct of the officers and
soldiers serving under Captain Beaver.
[Sidenote: 1804]
In 1804 the Candians again made preparations for an attack on the
British settlements; and the English troops penetrated the provinces
of Candy. Some sharp fighting occurred; and on the 14th of October
Lieutenants B. Vincent and H. L. Smith were killed at Fort M^cDowall.
[Sidenote: 1805]
Another attack on the British territory was made in the early part of
1805; but the Candians were completely routed in every quarter. In
October of this year the NINETEENTH regiment embarked for Columbo.
[Sidenote: 1806]
The regiment proceeded by sea to Trincomalee in September, 1806; but
marched back to Columbo two months afterwards.
[Sidenote: 1807]
[Sidenote: 1808]
During the years 1807 and 1808, the regiment was stationed at the
capital of the island of Ceylon.
[Sidenote: 1809]
Disputes of a tedious and complicated character between the British
government and the Rajah of _Travancore_, a province situated at
the south-west extremity of Hindoostan, occasioned the NINETEENTH
regiment to be withdrawn from Ceylon in February, 1809, and to
proceed to Madras to join the troops designed for the reduction of
the hostile Rajah. The country of Travancore was taken possession of
without much serious opposition, when a force of sufficient strength
was assembled for that purpose, and the Rajah was forced to submit.
In December the regiment returned to Ceylon.
[Sidenote: 1810]
General Sir Samuel Hulse having been removed to the sixty-second
regiment, the colonelcy of the NINETEENTH was conferred on
Lieut.-General Sir Hew Dalrymple from the thirty-seventh, by
commission dated the 25th of June, 1810.
The war with France was continued, a British army was fighting for
the liberties of Europe in Portugal and Spain, and in 1810 the
English government resolved to deprive Napoleon of the Isle of
France, now called the _Mauritius_, the only remaining territory
in the possession of France, in the East. To take part in this
enterprise, four companies of the NINETEENTH regiment embarked from
Ceylon on the 6th of September, 1810. The expedition rendezvoused
at the island of Rodriguez, from whence it sailed to the Isle of
France, and a landing was effected on the 29th of November. The
troops suffered much from the want of water in their advance upon
Port Louis, the capital, and finding a plentiful supply at the
powder-mills on the road, they halted there during the night of the
30th of November. Some sharp skirmishing occurred, and several men
were killed and wounded. On the following day the troops resumed
their march; drove the French from their positions with great
gallantry; and forced the governor to surrender this valuable colony
in three days.
The four companies afterwards returned to Ceylon.
[Sidenote: 1811]
Lieut.-General Sir Hew Dalrymple was removed, in April, 1811, to the
fifty-seventh regiment, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the
NINETEENTH by Major-General Hilgrove Turner, from the Cape regiment.
[Sidenote: 1812]
[Sidenote: 1813]
[Sidenote: 1814]
The reigning sovereign of Candy evinced so cruel and tyrannical a
disposition, that he became odious to his subjects, who experienced
a total insecurity of life and property under his rule, individuals
being frequently deprived of both at the caprice of the king. The
governor of one of his provinces was summoned to appear at the
capital; but this chief, expecting that the sacrifice of his life,
and the seizure of his property, were intended, did not obey the
mandate. The king assembled an army, overpowered the forces of the
disobedient chief, and forced him to fly for protection to the
British settlements. About the period when these events agitated the
interior of the island of Ceylon, the NINETEENTH regiment embarked
for Trincomalee, where it arrived in the beginning of March, 1814.
[Sidenote: 1815]
Elated with his success against the disobedient chief, the King of
Candy prepared to invade the British territory; and the governor,
Major-General Brownrigg, resolved to preserve the English provinces
from aggression by invading the kingdom of Candy. The British troops
advanced into the kingdom of Candy, in seven divisions, in the
beginning of February, 1815, and the NINETEENTH regiment marched from
Trincomalee to take part in this service. The soldiers underwent
great fatigue in crossing mountains, passing morasses and rivers,
and traversing regions inhabited only by the wild beasts of the
forest; they succeeded in overcoming all opposition, and arrived at
the capital in the middle of February. The king fled; but he was
seized by his own subjects, ill-treated, and brought a prisoner to
the British camp. An assembly of Candian chiefs declared the Malbar
dynasty deposed, and the provinces of Candy united to the dominions
of the British crown. Thus was an extensive tract of country,
bountifully endowed with natural gifts, and producing the necessaries
and luxuries of life, including spices, metals, and precious stones,
added to the British dominions; a numerous race of human beings, of
a peculiarly interesting character, was delivered from the power of
despotism, and brought under the advantages of the just government
and equitable laws of Great Britain. Every species of torture was
immediately abolished; but the ancient religion of the inhabitants,
and the former mode of administering justice, were preserved. The
conduct of the British troops was highly meritorious, and reflected
credit on the several corps employed on this enterprise: the soldiers
abstained from plunder and violence, and behaved with such order
and regularity as to conciliate the inhabitants, whose condition,
improved by a policy founded on liberal ideas, and exhibiting
enlarged views, prepared the way for their emancipation from the
errors of superstition, and their introduction to the advantages of
Christianity, and of European arts, sciences, and commerce.
The British troops occupied posts in the newly-acquired territory,
and the corps not required for this duty returned to their former
quarters.
[Sidenote: 1816]
The NINETEENTH regiment remained at Trincomalee, and other stations
in that quarter of the island, until February, 1818, when it returned
to Columbo.
[Sidenote: 1818]
Soon afterwards a new claimant to the throne of Candy arrived in
that country, from the continent of India, and being supported by
several native chiefs, who were hostile to the British interests, a
rebellion took place. This event called the NINETEENTH again into the
field; they marched for Candy in April, 1818, and again traversed
mountainous districts and wild and beautiful regions; some desultory
fighting occurred; but a greater loss of life was occasioned by the
climate, than by the swords of the insurgents. The rebellion was
suppressed; the regiment returned to Columbo in September; and in
October it marched to Point de Galle.
[Sidenote: 1819]
[Sidenote: 1820]
After serving twenty-three years at Ceylon, and taking a
distinguished part in the important events which had occurred in that
island, the regiment was relieved from duty there, and embarked for
England in January, 1820; it landed at Gravesend on the 19th of May,
and was stationed in the south of England during the remainder of the
year.
[Sidenote: 1821]
In February, 1821, the regiment marched to Weedon Barracks; and in
November embarked from Liverpool for Ireland, and, after landing at
Dublin, marched to Mullingar, Longford, Tullamore, Philipstown, and
Maryborough.
[Sidenote: 1822]
[Sidenote: 1823]
[Sidenote: 1824]
[Sidenote: 1825]
[Sidenote: 1826]
The regiment remained in Ireland during the years 1822, 1823, 1824,
and 1825; in the autumn of 1826 it was divided into six service and
four depôt companies: the service companies embarked from Cork in
October, for the island of Demerara, where they arrived in December.
[Sidenote: 1830]
The depôt companies were stationed in Ireland until June, 1830, when
they embarked from Cork for Portsmouth, where they arrived in two
days.
[Sidenote: 1836]
After occupying various stations in the British West India Islands,
during the period of nearly ten years, the service companies embarked
from Barbadoes in July, 1836, and landed at Cork in August: they were
afterwards joined by the depôt companies from England.
[Sidenote: 1837]
[Sidenote: 1838]
During the years 1837 and 1838, the regiment was stationed in
Ireland; in December, 1839, it embarked from Dublin for Bristol; but
returned to Ireland in March following.
[Sidenote: 1840]
In the summer of 1840 the regiment was again divided into six
service, and four depôt companies, and in September the service
companies embarked from Cork for the island of Malta, where they
landed on the 3rd and 13th of October.
[Sidenote: 1841]
[Sidenote: 1842]
The depôt companies left Ireland in 1841, and were stationed a short
time at Gosport; they proceeded to Brighton in March, 1842, and to
Dover Castle in October.
[Sidenote: 1843]
General Sir Hilgrove Turner, G.C.H., K.C., died at Jersey, in May,
1843, and General Sir Warren Marmaduke Peacocke, K.C.H. and K.C., was
appointed by Her Majesty Colonel of the NINETEENTH regiment.
The service companies proceeded in the Resistance troop-ship from
Malta to the Ionian Islands on the 9th of January, 1843, under the
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Hay, and arrived at Corfu on the 20th
of the same month; five days afterwards the head-quarters and three
companies embarked in the Boyne transport for Cephalonia.
In October, 1843, the depôt companies marched from Dover to
Winchester, and from thence to Portsmouth, where they embarked for
Jersey.
[Sidenote: 1845]
On the 18th of June, 1845, the depôt companies embarked at Jersey for
Ireland, and disembarked at Waterford.
On the 5th of December, 1845, the service companies of the NINETEENTH
regiment embarked at Corfu for the West Indies, in the Java
freight-ship, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hay.
[Sidenote: 1846]
The regiment arrived at Barbadoes on the 19th of January, 1846.
[Sidenote: 1847]
In February, 1847, the regiment embarked at Barbadoes for St. Vincent.
[Sidenote: 1848]
The regiment returned to Barbadoes in April, 1848, and was
transhipped on board the Bombay transport on the 12th of that month,
and sailed in a few days for North America.
On the 1st of July, the date to which the record has been continued,
the service companies were stationed at Montreal, under the command
of Major Sanders, and the depôt companies, under Major Calley,
remained in Ireland, the head-quarters occupying the barracks at
Castlebar.
[Sidenote: 1848]
The details narrated in the foregoing pages, contain accounts of the
services of the NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT, for a period of one
hundred and sixty years, and although the Regimental colour does
not display any mark of distinction for services performed, yet the
record of the regiment proves, that when opportunity has offered, the
regiment has evinced that zeal and devotion to its country's cause,
and that patient endurance and bravery in the field, for which every
British corps has been distinguished; these qualities were shown in
the war in Flanders under King William III., particularly at the
battles of _Steenkirk_ and _Landen_, and at the siege of _Namur_,
from 1692 to 1695; again in Flanders in 1710 and 1711, with the army
under the command of the Duke of Marlborough. The regiment again
distinguished itself in the war in Flanders, particularly at the
battles of Fontenoy, Roucoux, and Val, in 1745, 1746, and 1747. In
1761, in the attack and capture of _Belle Isle_, where nature as well
as art had combined to render the place impregnable, the regiment
evinced an extraordinary degree of bravery. Its services were again
evinced in Flanders, with the army under His Royal Highness the Duke
of York, in 1794 and 1795.
The regiment has also been distinguished by long and arduous services
in the eastern parts of the world from 1796 to 1820; it was engaged
in the storming of Seringapatam on the 4th of May, 1799, where the
celebrated Tippoo Saib was mortally wounded, and the city captured.
Its services in the conquest of the Island of Ceylon and the
deposition of the King of Candy, in 1815, likewise form an important
and honorable era in the records of the regiment; the gallantry of
the troops on this occasion caused the annexation of the colony of
Ceylon to the British dominions, and the conduct of the NINETEENTH
regiment in suppressing the rebellion in that island, in 1818,
secured the possession of this valuable appendage to the territories
of Great Britain.
The services of the NINETEENTH regiment in the Field, as well as in
arduous Colonial duties, have been such as to show in the foregoing
pages, that the officers and men have ample cause for feelings of
pride in the honor acquired by the corps in whatever duty it has
been employed, and this tribute of commendation is considered to be
justly due to a regiment, the services of which have been so highly
meritorious during a period of one hundred and sixty years.
1848.
[Illustration: NINETEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand_
FOR CANNON'S MILITARY RECORDS]
APPENDIX.
_Battles, Sieges, &c., in the Netherlands, during the reign of_ KING
WILLIAM III., _from 1689 to the Peace of Ryswick in 1697_.
Battle of Walcourt 25 August, 1689
---- ---- Fleurus 4 July, 1690
Mons surrendered to the French 10 April, 1691
Namur ditto ditto 20 June, 1692
Battle of Steenkirk 3 August, ----
Furnes and Dixmude captured -- Sept., ----
The French lines at D'Otignies forced 10 July, 1693
Battle of Landen 29 July, ----
Surrender of Huy 17 Sept., 1694
Attack on Port Kenoque 9 June, 1695
Dixmude surrendered to the French 16 July, ----
Namur retaken by King William III. 25 July, ----
Citadel of Namur surrendered 5 Sept., ----
Treaty of Ryswick signed 11 Sept., 1697
_List of Sieges, Battles, &c., in the Netherlands and Germany, during
the Campaigns under the_ DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH, _from 1702 to 1712_.
Invested. Surrendered.
Siege of Kayserswerth 16 April, 17 June, 1702
Skirmish near Nimeguen 11 June, ----
Siege of Venloo 29 Aug., 25 Sept., ----
Capture of Fort St. Michael 18 Sept., ----
Siege of Stevenswaert 3 Oct., ----
---- Ruremonde 6 Oct., ----
Capture of Liege Citadel 23 Oct., ----
Siege of Bonn 24 April, 15 May, 1703
---- Huy 16 Aug., 25 Aug., ----
---- Limburg 10 Sept., 28 Sept., ----
Battle of Schellenberg 2 July, 1704
---- Blenheim 13 Aug., ----
Siege of Landau 12 Sept., 24 Nov., ----
Huy captured by the French May, 1705
Re-capture of Huy 11 July, ----
Forcing the French Lines at Helixem,
near Tirlemont 18 July, ----
Skirmish near the Dyle 21 July, ----
Siege of Sandvliet 26 Oct., 29 Oct., ----
Battle of Ramilies 23 May, 1706
Siege of Ostend 28 June, 8 July, ----
---- Menin 25 July, 25 Aug., ----
---- Dendermond 29 Aug., 5 Sept., ----
---- Aeth 16 Sept., 3 Oct., ----
Battle of Oudenarde 11 July, 1708
Siege of Lisle 13 Aug., 23 Oct., ----
Capture of the Citadel 9 Dec., ----
Battle of Wynendale 28 Sept., ----
Passage of the Scheldt 27 Nov., ----
Siege of Ghent 18 Dec., 30 Dec., ----
---- Tournay 27 June, 29 July, 1709
Capture of the Citadel 3 Sept., ----
Battle of Malplaquet 11 Sept., ----
Siege of Mons 21 Sept., 20 Oct., ----
Passage of the French lines at Pont-à-Vendin 21 April, 1710
Siege of Douay 25 April, 27 June, ----
---- Bethune 15 July, 29 Aug., ----
---- Aire 6 Sept., 9 Nov., ----
---- St. Venant 6 Sept., 30 Sept., ----
Passage of the French lines at Arleux 5 Aug., 1711
Siege of Bouchain 10 Aug., 13 Sept., ----
Treaty of Utrecht signed 30 March, 1713
SUCCESSION OF COLONELS
OF THE
NINETEENTH,
OR THE FIRST YORKSHIRE NORTH RIDING
REGIMENT OF FOOT.
FRANCIS LUTTERELL.
_Appointed 28th February, 1689._
FRANCIS LUTTERELL, was one of the zealous Protestant gentlemen who
joined the standard of the Prince of Orange, at the Revolution in
1688, and on the elevation of the Prince to the throne, in February,
1689, he was nominated Colonel of a regiment of foot, now the
NINETEENTH, which was formed of companies raised in November, 1688.
He died before he attained any higher rank.
THOMAS ERLE.
_Appointed 1st January, 1691._
THOMAS ERLE evinced attachment to the principles of the Revolution
of 1688, and on the 8th of March, 1689, he was commissioned to raise
a regiment of foot for the service of King William III., which was
afterwards disbanded. He proceeded with his regiment to Ireland in
1689, and proved an officer of great merit and personal bravery. He
served under King William at the battle of the Boyne, and at the
siege of Limerick in 1690; and greatly distinguished himself at the
battle of Aghrim in 1691, where he was taken prisoner at the head of
his regiment, in attempting to force the passage of a bog. He was
rescued by his men, and headed another attack, when he was wounded
and again taken prisoner; but was rescued a second time by his
men. He afterwards served at the siege of Limerick, and being sent
to England with despatches, he was removed by King William to the
NINETEENTH regiment, his commission being dated the 1st of January,
1691. He was nominated Brigadier-General in 1793, and served under
King William in Flanders; but was obliged to quit the field from ill
health. While confined to his bed with a fever, at Malines, he heard
that a general engagement was likely to take place, when he rejoined
the army, behaved with great gallantry at the battle of Landen, and
was dangerously wounded. He recovered of his wound, and commanded a
brigade during the campaigns of 1694 and 1695; on the 1st of June,
1696, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General; and in February,
1703, to that of Lieut.-General. He was employed on the staff of
South Britain, and raised a regiment of dragoons, the colonelcy of
which was afterwards conferred on Lord Cutts. In 1708, he commanded
an expedition to the coast of France, but nothing of importance was
accomplished; he afterwards proceeded with the infantry to Ostend,
and performed great service in forwarding supplies to the allied army
during the siege of Lisle. In 1709, he disposed of the colonelcy
of his regiment. He was afterwards nominated Lieut.-General of the
Ordnance, and also Commander of the land forces in South Britain; and
in January, 1711, he was promoted to the rank of General. Political
events occasioned his removal from the appointments of Lieut.-General
of the Ordnance, and Commander in South Britain, in 1712. He died on
the 23rd of July, 1720.
GEORGE FREKE.
_Appointed 23rd May, 1709._
This officer was appointed Ensign in the NINETEENTH regiment on the
19th of April, 1693, and he served in Flanders under King William
III. In 1702, he served in the expedition to Cadiz, from whence he
proceeded to the West Indies, and was afterwards rewarded with the
lieut.-colonelcy of the NINETEENTH regiment, the colonelcy of which
corps he obtained by purchase in 1709. He was promoted to the rank of
Brigadier-General on the 12th of February, 1711. His decease occurred
before he attained any higher rank.
RICHARD SUTTON.
_Appointed 3rd April, 1712._
RICHARD SUTTON was appointed Ensign in a regiment of foot, on the 1st
of April, 1690, and he served in Ireland, and also in Flanders, under
King William III. He was afterwards promoted to the majority of the
Eighth regiment, with which he served at the battles of Schellenberg
and Blenheim in 1704; at the forcing of the French lines at Helixem
in 1705; and at the battle of Ramilies, in 1706. Being afterwards
promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy, he commanded the regiment at the
battle of Oudenarde in 1708. On the 23rd of March, 1709, he was
promoted to the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment, and in 1710 he
was nominated a Brigadier-General. He commanded a brigade in Flanders
during the campaign of 1711; served at the forcing of the French
lines at Arleux, and at the siege and capture of Bouchain. In 1712,
he was removed to the NINETEENTH regiment, was nominated Governor of
Hull, and commanded a brigade in Flanders under the Duke of Ormond:
he was afterwards promoted to the rank of Major-General; but in 1715,
he retired from active service. He was restored to the colonelcy
of the NINETEENTH regiment in 1729, and promoted to the rank of
Lieut.-General in 1735. He died in 1738.
GEORGE GROVE.
_Appointed 5th August, 1715._
GEORGE GROVE served in the foot guards, in which corps he rose to the
rank of Captain and Lieut.-Colonel. Being a very zealous and loyal
officer, at a period when Jacobite principles had become prevalent in
the kingdom, he was nominated Colonel of the NINETEENTH regiment,
his commission being dated the 5th of August, 1715: he did not attain
any higher rank than that of Colonel. His death occurred on the 13th
of October, 1729.
RICHARD SUTTON.
_Re-appointed 27th October, 1729._
_Died in 1738._
THE HONORABLE CHARLES HOWARD.
_Appointed 1st November, 1738._
THE HONORABLE CHARLES HOWARD, second son of Charles third Earl
of Carlisle, was appointed Ensign and Lieutenant in the Second
foot guards on the 10th of August, 1715; in 1717 he was promoted
to Captain in the sixteenth foot, from which he exchanged to the
ninth dragoons; and in April, 1719, he was nominated Captain and
Lieut.-Colonel in the Second foot guards. He was appointed deputy
governor of Carlisle in 1725, Aide-de-camp to the King with the rank
of Colonel in 1734, and Colonel of the NINETEENTH regiment in 1738.
He proceeded with the army to Flanders, in 1742, with the rank of
Brigadier-General; in 1743 he obtained the rank of Major-General,
and in 1747 that of Lieut.-General; in 1748 he was removed to the
third dragoon guards. He was advanced to the dignity of a Knight of
the Bath in 1749, and promoted to the rank of General in 1765. He
was governor of Forts George and Augustus in Scotland; one of the
grooms of the bed-chamber to King George II.; and many years member
of parliament for Carlisle. He died in 1765.
LORD GEORGE BEAUCLERK.
_Appointed 15th March, 1748._
LORD GEORGE BEAUCLERK, sixth son of Charles first Duke of St.
Albans, served in the first regiment of foot guards, and was
promoted to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in September, 1736. In 1745
he was nominated Aide-de-camp to King George II. with the rank
of Colonel, and in 1747 he obtained the colonelcy of the eighth
Marines (afterwards disbanded), from which he was removed, in 1748,
to the NINETEENTH regiment: in 1753 he was appointed governor of
Landguard Fort. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in
1755, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1758. He performed the duties
of Commander-in-chief in Scotland some time; and was Member of
Parliament for Windsor. He died on the 11th of May, 1768.
DAVID GRAEME.
_Appointed 25th May, 1768._
DAVID GRAEME evinced loyalty and zeal for the interests of the
Crown and Kingdom, during the Seven Years' War, by raising a corps
of Highlanders, which was honored with the title of the 105th,
or Queen's Own Royal regiment of Highlanders, of which he was
appointed Colonel in 1761. This corps was disbanded after the peace
in 1763; and in 1764 he was nominated Colonel of the forty-ninth
regiment, from which he was removed, in 1768, to the NINETEENTH.
He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1762; to that of
Lieut.-General in 1772; and to that of General in 1783. He died in
1797.
SAMUEL HULSE.
_Appointed 24th January, 1797._
SAMUEL HULSE entered the army in 1761, as ensign in the first foot
guards, and was promoted to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in 1776;
in 1780 he was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of his regiment,
with the rank of Colonel, and was employed in suppressing the riots
in London in the same year. At the commencement of the French
revolutionary war, he was called into active service, and commanded
the first battalion of his regiment, in Flanders, in 1793. He served
at the siege of Valenciennes; and distinguished himself at the action
of Lincelles, on the 18th of August, for which he was thanked in
orders by His Royal Highness the Duke of York. He was engaged in the
operations before Dunkirk, and in the subsequent movements until
October, when he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and
returned to England. In May of the following year he again proceeded
to Flanders, and commanded a brigade before Tournay, where several
partial actions occurred, and in the retreat to Holland. Returning to
England early in 1795, he was appointed Colonel of the fifty-sixth
regiment, and placed on the home staff, where he continued three
years: in 1797 he was removed to the NINETEENTH regiment. On the 1st
of January, 1798, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General,
and during the troubles in Ireland, in the summer of that year, his
services were extended to that part of the kingdom, but he returned
to England in November, and resumed his command on the staff. He
served in Holland under His Royal Highness the Duke of York, in
1799, and was at the several engagements from the 19th of September
to the 6th of October. On returning to England he was appointed to
the command of the southern district, in which he continued until
the peace in 1802. He was advanced to the rank of General in 1803;
appointed Lieut.-Governor of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea in 1806;
and removed to the sixty-second regiment in 1810. He was one of
the earliest servants placed by King George III. on the household
establishment of the Prince of Wales, and was many years his Royal
Highness's treasurer and receiver-general; on the accession of the
Prince to the throne, General Hulse was nominated treasurer of the
household. On the 19th of February, 1820, on the decease of General
the Right Honorable Sir David Dundas, he was appointed Governor of
Chelsea Hospital. In 1821 he was Knighted. He was also appointed
ranger of Windsor home park; a privy councillor; and Knight Grand
Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. On the accession of
King William III., General Sir Samuel Hulse, G.C.H., was promoted to
the rank of Field-Marshal. He died in 1837, at the advanced age of
ninety years.
SIR HEW DALRYMPLE, BART.
_Appointed 25th June, 1810._
SIR HEW DALRYMPLE was appointed Ensign in the thirty-first regiment
in 1763; Captain in the second battalion of the Royals in 1768,
Major in the same corps in 1777, and was Knighted in 1779. He was
promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy of the sixty-eighth regiment in
1781, and obtained the rank of Colonel in 1790; he afterwards
exchanged into the First foot guards. He served the campaign of
1793 in the grenadier battalion of the foot guards, and was at the
battle of Famars, at the siege of Valenciennes, and in the action
before Dunkirk. At the conclusion of the campaign he returned to
England; and was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1794; in
1795 he was placed on the staff of the northern district; and in 1796
appointed Lieut.-Governor of Guernsey, where he held the local rank
of Lieut.-General from 1799. In 1801 he was promoted to the rank of
Lieut.-General, and was placed on the staff in the command of the
northern district in 1802; in 1806 he was removed to the staff of
Gibraltar. Receiving orders to take the command of the British army
in Portugal, in 1808, he arrived in that kingdom in time to become
responsible for the Convention of Cintra, by which treaty the French
army evacuated that country. Sir Hew Dalrymple was promoted to the
rank of General in 1812; and was advanced to the dignity of a BARONET
in 1815. He obtained the colonelcy of the thirty-seventh regiment in
1798, was removed to the NINETEENTH in 1810, and to the fifty-seventh
in 1811. He died in 1830.
SIR TOMKYNS HILGROVE TURNER.
_Appointed 27th April, 1811._
This officer was appointed Ensign in the third foot guards in 1782,
and serving in Flanders in 1793, was at the battles of St. Amand and
Famars, at the siege of Valenciennes, the action at Lincelles, and
also before Dunkirk. In 1794 he was repeatedly engaged, commencing
with the attack on Vaux, afterwards in several affairs during the
siege of Landrecies, including the battle of Cateau; he served at the
battle of Tournay; the actions at Roulaix, Monveaux, and Templeuve.
In November, 1794, he was promoted to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel,
and in 1801 to the rank of Colonel. He served in the expedition to
Egypt; was at the battles of the 8th, 13th, and 21st of March, and
the action on the west side of Alexandria. He received a medal from
the Grand Seignior: and returned to England in charge of the Egyptian
antiquities, now in the British Museum. In 1804 he was nominated to
the rank of Brigadier-General; and he served in South America in 1807
and 1808. Returning to England in the latter year, he was promoted
to the rank of Major-General, and placed on the staff of the home
district: he was subsequently appointed deputy secretary at Carlton
House, under the Right Honorable Colonel M'Mahon. His services were
rewarded with the colonelcy of the Cape regiment, and in 1811 he was
removed to the NINETEENTH regiment. He was promoted to the rank of
Lieut.-General in 1813, and appointed Lieut.-Governor of Jersey in
1814. He received the Grand Cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic
Order; and the dignity of Knight of the Crescent of Turkey, and of
St. Anne of Russia. He was promoted to the rank of General on 22nd of
July, 1830. His decease occurred at Jersey, in May, 1843.
GENERAL SIR WARREN MARMADUKE PEACOCKE,
K.C.H. and K.C.
_Appointed 31st May, 1843._
London: Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:--
__|
| |
|__|
|
20 20 20 30 2|0 30 20 20 20
|
Harquebuses. Muskets. Halberds. Muskets. Harquebuses.
Archers. Pikes. Pikes. Archers.
The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.
[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of
Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral
Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its
subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the
siege of Barcelona in 1705.
[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed
in 1590, observes:--"I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation
would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the
field, let them be chosen where they list." Yet at this time the
Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe.
For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during the
Seventy Years' War, see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or
Buffs.
[4] _Vide_ the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of
Foot.
[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes
the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in
Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but
His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed
on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a
strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which
has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and
has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national
military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under
circumstances of peculiar difficulty."--_General Orders in 1801._
In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope
(afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the
successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January,
1809, it is stated:--"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of
British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a
severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority
which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the
efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered.
These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops
themselves; and the enemy has been taught, that, whatever advantages
of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in
the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to
yield,--that no circumstances can appal,--and that will ensure
victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human
means."
[6] These officers are marked "Reinstated," in the Registry of
Commissions.
[7] Embarkation Return of Major-General Erle's Regiment, 15th June,
1702:--
_Companies._ _Men._ _Ships._
The Grenadiers 51 The Bedford.
Major-General Erle's 51 }
Colonel Freke's 50 } The Expedition.
Lieut.-Colonel Hawley's 50 }
Captain Dejocophan's 52 } The Burford.
Captain Morgan's 50 }
Captain Edgworth's 51 }
Captain Craddock's 51 } The Eagle.
Captain Symmons' 48 }
Captain Prater's 51 } The Plymouth.
Captain Carey 52 }
Captain Norman 51 } The Kent.
(Signed) HARRY FREKE, Lieut.-Colonel.
[8] _In the year 1747_ FIFES _were introduced in the regiments of
infantry_.
[9] Previously to the issue of the royal warrant of 1751, which
directed the _Number_ to be painted, or embroidered, on each colour
of every regiment, it had been the practice to designate regiments by
the names of their _Colonels_, adding, in some instances, the colour
of their _Facings_, particularly when two regiments were commanded
by colonels of the same name:--for example, the _Nineteenth_ was
commonly called "_the Green Howards_" between 1738 and 1748, in
order to distinguish it from the Third regiment, or Buffs, of which
Lieut.-General Thomas Howard was the colonel during that period.
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "Historical Record of the Nineteenth or The First Yorkshire North Riding Regiment of Foot - Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in - 1688, and of its subsequent services to 1848" ***
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