Read Ebook: Historical record of the Seventh Regiment or the Royal Fusiliers Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685 and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846. by Cannon Richard

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Lord Tyrawley having been removed to the fifth horse in August, 1739, his lordship was succeeded in the colonelcy by Major-General William Hargrave, from the ninth foot.

Leaving Gibraltar in 1749, the regiment proceeded to Ireland, where it was stationed six years.

On the decease of General Hargrave in January, 1751, the command of the ROYAL FUSILIERS was conferred on Colonel John Mostyn, who was removed, in August, 1754, to the thirteenth dragoons, and was succeeded by Colonel Lord Robert Bertie.

The ROYAL FUSILIERS landed at Gibraltar, and were stationed at that fortress during the remainder of the war. In 1763 they embarked for England; in 1765 they proceeded to Scotland; but returned to England in the spring of 1770, and in April, 1773, they embarked for Canada.

After performing garrison duty at Quebec several months, the regiment embarked for Montreal, and occupied several posts in Lower Canada.

While the ROYAL FUSILIERS were in Lower Canada, the misunderstanding between Great Britain and her North American colonies, on the subject of taxes, attained a crisis; thirteen states united against the mother-country, and, hostilities having commenced, the Congress resolved to attempt the conquest of Canada. The only regular forces in Lower Canada, at this period, were the SEVENTH and twenty-sixth regiments, and their number being weak, they were unequal to the defence of this extensive province against the very superior numbers of the enemy: the eighth foot were in upper Canada.

The enemy subsequently advanced upon Montreal, and Lieut.-General Carlton, being deserted by the Canadians, and without the means of defence, retired down the river St. Lawrence to Quebec, accompanied by a party of the ROYAL FUSILIERS.

After this repulse the Americans turned the siege into a blockade, and placed their troops in village cantonments: in April, 1776, they resumed the siege, and the British defended the place with resolution. In the early part of May reinforcements arrived from England, and on the 6th of that month Lieut.-General Carlton marched out of the fortress at the head of the garrison to attack the American camp, when the besieging army made a precipitate retreat, leaving its artillery, stores, scaling ladders, &c., behind. The British followed their opponents up the country, recovered Montreal, and drove the Americans out of Canada.

In the meantime a detachment of the regiment had arrived at Boston from England, and on the evacuation of Boston, it proceeded to Halifax in Nova Scotia.

In October, 1776, Lord Robert Bertie was appointed to the command of the second troop of life guards; and the colonelcy of the ROYAL FUSILIERS was conferred on their lieut.-colonel, William Prescott, by commission dated the 12th of November, 1776.

In the autumn of this year the ROYAL FUSILIERS transferred their services from Canada to New York; as the men taken prisoners were exchanged, the numbers of the regiment were increased; clothing and appointments arrived from England, and the regiment occupied quarters for the winter at Amboy in Middlesex county.

At this period a British force under Lieut.-General Burgoyne was advancing from Canada upon Albany; at the same time another British army under General Sir William Howe was proceeding against Philadelphia; and Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, who commanded at New York, resolved to penetrate into Jersey for a diversion in favour of both armies. The ROYAL FUSILIERS, with several other corps, were accordingly embarked for this service, and on the 12th of September effected a landing at four different places without meeting with serious opposition. The SEVENTH, twenty-sixth, and fifty-second regiments, with a body of German grenadiers and three hundred provincials under Brigadier-General Campbell, landed at Elizabeth-Town-Point, at about four in the morning, and advanced up the country: the enemy opposed the march, and a sharp firing was kept up throughout the day. The King's forces, however, had the advantage; they took Newark, and were advancing on Aquakinack, when they received orders to halt and wait the advance of the troops which had effected a landing at the other points. The enemy afterwards appeared in force, and several skirmishes occurred, but the British succeeded in capturing four hundred head of cattle, four hundred sheep, and a few horses. On the 16th of September the ROYAL FUSILIERS marched to Bergen Point, where they re-embarked and returned to Staten Island, without the loss of one man in this expedition, and with only Lieutenant Haymer and one private soldier wounded.

Notwithstanding these successful diversions, Lieut.-General Burgoyne experienced great difficulties in his advance, and eventually, his troops being exhausted with fatigue and privation, his advance opposed by superior numbers, and his retreat cut off, he capitulated. The army under General Sir William Howe had better success, and captured Philadelphia. The enemy having despatched part of the force originally opposed to Lieut.-General Burgoyne, to join their army of the south under General Washington, the ROYAL FUSILIERS were sent from the vicinity of New York to reinforce the army in Pennsylvania, and in the early part of December they were engaged in a skirmish with the Americans in front of Philadelphia; but only lost one man.

The ROYAL REGIMENT OF FUSILIERS lost five men in this expedition, and had three serjeants and nineteen men wounded.

During the autumn of this year the operations of the army were limited to defensive measures; but in December an attack on the opulent province of South Carolina was determined on, and the ROYAL FUSILIERS formed a part of the force employed on this service, which was commanded by General Sir Henry Clinton.

The loss of the royal army in this siege was only seventy-six killed and one hundred and ninety wounded, including all ranks. The ROYAL FUSILIERS had one man killed and two wounded.

In this unfortunate engagement the Royal Fusiliers sustained a very serious loss in killed, wounded, and taken prisoners.

The regiment was subsequently placed in garrison in South Carolina, where it remained until 1782; when, the British Government having been induced to concede the independence of the United States, pacific overtures were made, which were succeeded by a cessation of hostilities. South Carolina was evacuated, and the ROYAL FUSILIERS proceeded to New York, where they remained until the conclusion of the treaty of peace in 1783, when they returned to England; at the same time the establishment was reduced to eight companies.

After occupying quarters at Gloucester and Plymouth, the regiment proceeded to Scotland in the spring of 1786.

On the decease of General Prescott in the autumn of 1788, the colonelcy was conferred on Major-General the Honourable William Gordon, who was removed in April, 1789, to the seventy-first regiment, and the colonelcy of the ROYAL FUSILIERS was conferred on PRINCE EDWARD , afterwards DUKE OF KENT.

In 1790 the regiment embarked from Leith and the Isle of Man for Gibraltar, and, arriving at that important fortress in August, occupied the King's barracks, under the command of its colonel, His Royal Highness PRINCE EDWARD.

From Gibraltar the regiment embarked, in May, 1791, for Canada,--the right wing under PRINCE EDWARD on board His Majesty's ship "Ulysses," and the left wing under Captain Shuttleworth in the "Resistance;" both wings landed in August at Quebec, where the regiment was stationed, under PRINCE EDWARD'S command, nearly three years: His Royal Highness afterwards proceeded to the West Indies, and acquired a reputation for valour and intrepidity at the capture of Martinique, St. Lucie, and Guadaloupe.

Two companies of the regiment were detached in June, 1794, from Quebec to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and in October of the same year the regiment proceeded to that station.

PRINCE EDWARD, having returned from the West Indies, was appointed Commander of the Forces in Nova Scotia and its dependencies, and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. The ROYAL FUSILIERS experienced the advantage of His Royal Highness's assiduous attention to their interests; his military virtues,--his liberality,--his care to bring merit into notice, and to procure suitable rewards for the well-conducted, with his constant attention to everything calculated to promote the welfare of the regiment, endeared his name in the grateful remembrance of the officers and soldiers; at the same time, the facility with which he procured a constant supply of fine recruits for his corps, with his indefatigable efforts to inculcate the true principles of subordination in the regiment, and to bring it into a state of perfection in discipline, occasioned the ROYAL FUSILIERS to become one of the most efficient corps in the service,--distinguished alike for its uniform and warlike appearance,--excellent conduct in quarters,--and the superior style in which it performed its exercises and field movements. His Royal Highness having returned to England on account of ill health, was created, on the 23rd of April, 1799, EARL of DUBLIN in Ireland, and DUKE of KENT and STRATHEARN in Great Britain.

In August, 1801, the DUKE of KENT was removed to the first or the royal regiment; and was succeeded in the colonelcy by Lieut.-General Sir Alured Clarke from the fifth foot, who had commanded the ROYAL FUSILIERS during a great part of the American war.

After passing eleven years in the protection of the British North American provinces, the regiment embarked from Nova Scotia, the right wing under Lieut.-Colonel Layard, for Bermuda, and the left wing under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Burrows for the Bahamas; and both wings arrived at their destinations in October and November, 1802.

In July, 1806, five companies embarked from Bermuda, and landed at Plymouth in August; they were followed by the five companies from the Bahamas, which landed at Plymouth in November and December. The first battalion, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable E. M. Pakenham, received a draft of between four and five hundred men from the second, and, embarking at Liverpool for Ireland, landed at Dublin in the beginning of January, 1807: the second battalion, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel William J. Myers, remained in England.

Returning to Portsmouth in January, 1808, the first battalion embarked immediately for Nova Scotia; the fleet called at Bermuda to leave the thirteenth regiment, and afterwards proceeding direct to Nova Scotia, the ROYAL FUSILIERS landed at Halifax in the middle of April.

In May, 1808, the second battalion embarked at Tilbury Fort for Ireland, and landed at Monkstown in the middle of June.

The regiment had Captain Taylor and nine rank and file killed; two serjeants, one drummer, and fifty-six rank and file wounded; four rank and file missing.

The French occupied a second position, strengthened by two redoubts connected by an entrenchment. On the 2nd of February the British made a movement to extend their right, and the ROYAL FUSILIERS were again engaged, and manifested the same heroic ardour and superiority over the enemy as on the preceding day. Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham led the FUSILIERS, supported by the light battalion, against the enemy's advanced redoubt, in open day, and the spirited conduct of the officers and men was again eminently displayed: but it appearing to the commander of the expedition that the redoubts would be gained with a loss beyond the value of the acquisition, the FUSILIERS were ordered to desist. The loss of the regiment was one serjeant and twenty rank and file killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham, Captains Row and Cholwich, one serjeant, one drummer, and fifty-eight rank and file wounded, three men missing. The enemy afterwards abandoned the redoubt and spiked the cannon.

On the following day a general order was issued, in which it was stated--"The benefit the advanced corps under Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost have produced to His Majesty's service, from the gallant and successful attack made upon Morn? Bruno and the heights of Surirey, on the 1st instant, by the first brigade of the army and the light battalion under Brigadier-General Hoghton, demands from the Commander of the Forces a reiteration of his acknowledgments, and his assurance to the brigadier-general, and to the commanding officer of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and of the light battalion, also to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of those regiments, that he will not fail to lay their meritorious exertions before the King. The exertions of all the corps engaged yesterday were conspicuous; and although the state of the works possessed by the enemy did not admit of their being carried by the bayonet, which rendered it the general's duty to direct the corps employed to retire, they manifested a spirit and determination which, when tempered by less impetuosity, will lead to the happiest results."

The capture of this valuable island having been achieved, the troops were again commended in general orders for their excellent conduct: and the ROYAL FUSILIERS were subsequently honoured with the privilege of bearing the word "MARTINIQUE" inscribed on their colours, as a mark of royal favour and approbation. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Blakeney received a gold medal for his conduct in this service.

After the completion of this brilliant enterprise, the ROYAL FUSILIERS returned to Nova Scotia; before embarking they were again commended in general orders. They sailed from Martinique on the 15th of March, and arrived at Halifax in April.

Lieutenant-Colonel Pakenham being anxious to stimulate the ROYAL FUSILIERS to good conduct by distinguishing merit, assembled a board of officers for that purpose, and the names of the following non-commissioned officers and soldiers were recorded in the "BOOK OF MERIT."

In April, 1809, Lieutenant and Adjutant Orr, a most meritorious officer, was promoted to a company, on which occasion the serjeants presented him with an address, expressive of their regard and gratitude for the manner in which he had performed the duty of adjutant. This circumstance was, however, deemed a departure from strict discipline, and the Commander-in-Chief in North America, General Sir James Craig, declared in General Orders, that the serjeants had been guilty, unintentionally, of an act of insubordination. The sentiments expressed in this order obtained the concurrence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, who stated in orders;--"The reason for which the Commander-in-Chief has directed the circulation of this Order, is, that he may avail himself of this opportunity of declaring to the army his most perfect concurrence in the sentiments therein expressed by the distinguished and experienced officer by whom it was framed, on a subject which appears to have been by some very much misunderstood.--The circumstance of inferiors of any class of military men assembling for the purpose of bestowing praise and public marks of approbation on their superiors, implies a power of deliberation on their conduct which belongs to the Sovereign alone, or to those officers who may be intrusted with the command and discipline of the troops. It is a procedure equally objectionable whether in the higher or lower ranks of the army; and as the Commander-in-Chief cannot but regard it as a principle subversive of military discipline, he trusts it is a practice which will be for ever banished the British service: and he directs commanding officers to act accordingly.

"HARRY CALVERT, "Adjutant-General."

In the meantime the second battalion had embarked from Cork to join the British army in Portugal under Lieutenant-General Sir John Craddock; it landed at Almeda, opposite to Lisbon, in April, and mustered upwards of six hundred and fifty officers and men, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Myers, baronet: the ROYAL FUSILIERS and second battalion of the fifty-third regiment, with one company of the sixtieth, formed a brigade under Brigadier-General Alexander Campbell. Soon afterwards Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley arrived in Portugal to command the army.

The French attacked the left of the British position on the evening of the 27th of July, and were repulsed. The attack was renewed at daylight on the following morning, and British skill and valour were again triumphant. A short respite ensued while the French generals held a council of war; but soon after mid-day their army was seen in motion. The British stood to their arms and calmly awaited the approach of the hostile legions; a cloud of light troops covered the front of the French army; they were followed by four dense columns, protected by eighty guns; and the ROYAL FUSILIERS beheld the torrent of battle advancing towards them with the fury of a tempest, threatening instant destruction to all opposition. The fourth corps came rushing forward with such impetuosity that it speedily cleared the intersected ground in front, and attacked the ROYAL FUSILIERS and other corps on the right of the British line with terrific violence. The British regiments met the storm of war with unshaken firmness, and breaking in on the front of the advancing columns, and assailing their wings with a heavy fire, forced them back with a terrible carnage: the ROYAL FUSILIERS rushed gallantly forward to the muzzles of the French artillery, and, after an obstinate resistance, captured seven guns, which the enemy endeavoured to re-capture, but in vain. The French veterans rallied on their supports, and appeared resolute on another attack, but they were assailed by so tremendous a fire of artillery and musketry, that they retired in disorder, and thus victory was secured in this part of the field. Sir Arthur Wellesley observed in his despatch,--"I was highly satisfied with the manner this part of the position was defended;" he also mentioned the second battalion of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel SIR WILLIAM MYERS, among the corps which had particularly distinguished themselves, and thanked the battalion and its commanding officer in orders. The French were repulsed at every point of attack, and they withdrew from a contest in which the superiority of the British troops was eminently displayed.

The ROYAL FUSILIERS had Lieutenant Beaufoy and six rank and file killed; Lieutenants Kerwan and Muter, Adjutant Page, one serjeant, two drummers, and fifty-one rank and file wounded; one private soldier missing. Their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Myers, was rewarded with a gold medal; and the regiment was subsequently authorised to bear the word "TALAVERA" inscribed on its colours as an honorary distinction for its gallantry on this occasion.

In the subsequent part of this campaign the battalion sustained considerable loss from disease; but it was not engaged in actual conflict with the enemy.

During the summer Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable EDWARD MICHAEL PAKENHAM, commanding the first battalion in Nova Scotia, was placed on the staff of the army in Portugal. The affable deportment, amiable disposition, and liberality of this brave and zealous officer, with his gallantry in the field, and his assiduous attention to the interests, comfort, reputation, and efficiency of the regiment during the series of years he had served with the ROYAL FUSILIERS, had procured him the regard and esteem of every member of the corps. Previously to his leaving the battalion, the officers obtained his consent to have his portrait taken, and presented him with a sword valued at two hundred guineas, as a mark of their sincere regard for him as an officer and a gentleman, and of their admiration of his manly virtues and zeal for the service. The command of the first battalion devolved on Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Blakeney, who devoted himself to the good of the service, and preserved the battalion in its high state of discipline and efficiency; it was employed at the out-posts of Nova Scotia, and occupied George's Island, Melville Island, Point Pleasant, York Redoubt, &c.

On the 1st of January, 1810, the first battalion mustered upwards of a thousand officers and soldiers, and events occurred soon afterwards which occasioned the removal of this fine body of men from North America to the theatre of war in the Peninsula, where the Spaniards and Portuguese were struggling for independence against the forces of France, and where a British army sent to aid the patriots was acquiring never-fading laurels under Sir Arthur Wellesley, who had been created Viscount Wellington.

The French army in Spain having received numerous reinforcements, a powerful and well-appointed force advanced under Marshal Massena, Prince of Esling, to complete the conquest of Portugal; and the very superior numbers of the enemy rendered it necessary for the British army to limit itself to the defence of Lisbon. Lord Wellington, however, resolved to maintain a forward position as long as possible, and among the reinforcements sent to his aid was the first battalion of the ROYAL FUSILIERS. On this occasion, Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost stated in orders:--"On the departure of the ROYAL FUSILIERS the Lieutenant-General commanding acknowledges with pride and pleasure that this corps is an instance among British soldiers of the union of regularity and good conduct in quarters with patience and valour in the field of battle. Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost has that opinion of the commanding officer, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates of this already distinguished corps which induces him to pronounce his confidence that the ROYAL FUSILIERS will maintain their reputation on whatever service they may be employed, and that when called upon to face the enemy of their country, they will again add to their own fame, and exalt the glory of the British arms."

After searching in vain for a vulnerable part in the British lines, the French commander, instead of driving the English leopards into the sea, retired to the strong position of Santarem; Lord Wellington advanced, and, establishing a series of posts to watch his opponents, placed his army in cantonments.

The twenty-third, or Royal Welsh Fusiliers, having arrived from America, the two battalions of the SEVENTH and first battalion of the twenty-third were constituted a brigade under the command of Colonel the Honourable Edward M. Pakenham: it was designated the "FUSILIER BRIGADE," and attached to the fourth division commanded by Major-General the Honourable Lowry Cole: the first battalion of the SEVENTH was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Myers, and the second by Lieut.-Colonel Blakeney.

In January, 1811, Colonel the Honourable E. M. Pakenham was placed at the head of the Adjutant-General's department, and the command of the FUSILIER BRIGADE was intrusted to Major-General Houstoun. The brigade was stationed, at this period, at Aveiras de Cima.

Being favoured by a height which the allies had neglected to occupy, the French commander concentrated behind it fifteen thousand men and forty guns, within ten minutes' march of the right wing of the allied army, without his opponent's knowledge; at the same time he extended the remainder of his forces along the woody banks of the Feria, towards its confluence with the Albuhera. A little before nine on the morning of the 16th of May, these troops issued from the woods in one massive column, supported by a second, flanked by cavalry and preceded by artillery, and attacked the bridge, where they met with a formidable resistance. The British general, anticipating the principal effort would be against his right, directed the Spaniards under General Blake to change front, and the second division to support them: but the Spanish general delaying to execute the movement, the enemy was among his troops before they were completely formed. A destructive cannonade, a heavy fire of musketry, and the approach of some French squadrons menacing to charge, put the Spaniards into disorder, and they fell back fighting. The French columns pushed forward; their reserves mounted the heights in their rear, and their batteries were brought into line.

The retrograde of the Spaniards laid open the position of the allied army, and the only good road by which a retreat could be conducted was exposed. To remedy this disaster, the leading brigade of the second division rushed forward; it was speedily under a destructive fire; a heavy rain concealing distant objects; and four regiments of French lancers and hussars having turned the right flank in the obscurity, charged the British battalions in the rear at the moment when they developed their attack, and slew or took prisoners nearly two-thirds of their numbers: one battalion, being in column, maintained its ground, while the French horsemen overthrew all other opposition, and captured six guns. A lancer attacked Marshal Beresford, who pushed the lance aside, and, grappling with the lancer, threw him from his horse. Another British brigade came boldly into the fight, repelling a charge of lancers on its flank; the remaining brigade of the second division arrived; a Spanish corps moved forward, and the enemy's infantry recoiled; but soon recovering, renewed the conflict with greater violence than before. The fighting became vehement, and more than two-thirds of every British corps engaged had fallen, when their ammunition began to fail, and the enemy established a column in advance upon the right flank. The tide of success was evidently flowing in favour of the French, when the fourth division was ordered to the heat of the conflict, and a brigade of the second division, which had only been slightly engaged, rushed forward into the fight. At this moment a number of captured British soldiers were being hurried to the rear of the French army; the enemy's reserves were pushing forward to reinforce their front;--the field was covered with heaps of dead bodies;--the lancers were riding furiously about the upper part of the hill spearing wounded men, and six pieces of artillery were in the hands of the French.

Gallantly issuing from amidst the smoke and broken fragments of discomfited corps, the FUSILIERS marched with a firm and solemn step over the carcases of men and horses which obstructed their way, and their bearing was that of men determined to decide the fortune of a battle. The French columns were pressing onward to complete the overthrow of the allied army, when suddenly the surprising spectacle of a majestic line of FUSILIERS burst upon their sight; they halted; fired a volley; then endeavoured to deploy; and their numerous artillery sent a storm of bullets against the British ranks. The commander of the brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir WILLIAM MYERS of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, was killed; the commander of the division, Major-General Sir LOWRY COLE, Lieutenant-Colonel BLAKENEY, commanding a battalion of the ROYAL FUSILIERS, and a number of other officers, fell wounded; the colour staves of the SEVENTH were shattered, and the colours torn; at the same time chasms were rent in the ranks of the brigade; a momentary pause ensued: but instantly recovering, the FUSILIERS braved the tempest of iron and lead, and boldly confronted the fierce and numerous bands opposed to them. As the smoke cleared, the French beheld a line of bayonets coming upon them, and the next moment, the thundering volleys of the FUSILIERS broke the heads of formations. The French commander urged his veterans forward; individuals, spurred on by an unavailing intrepidity, sacrificed their lives to gain time for their companions to deploy;--the columns responded to the calls of their leader, and, striving to extricate themselves, fired on friends and foes;--the lancers on the flanks threatened to charge; but British intrepidity could not be shaken;--the FUSILIERS knew not how to quail! The brigade preserved its firm array; the murderous volleys of the FUSILIERS swept down hundreds of Frenchmen, and suddenly raising a loud shout, they precipitated themselves upon the opposing multitudes, and plunging fearlessly into the crowds, they closed with desperate energy upon their opponents. The fortune of the day was no longer doubtful; British prowess prevailed, and the French were overpowered, slaughtered, and forced back in irremediable confusion upon their reserves. The supporting columns endeavoured to stem the torrent of British valour; but in vain;--the whole were driven headlong down the ascent;--the key of the position was thus nobly recovered, and the FUSILIERS,--breathless,--besmeared with sweat and mud and gore,--stood triumphant upon the contested height, surrounded with heaps of dying and dead, and wondering at the brilliant success which crowned their manly efforts.

While the FUSILIERS were contending on the height, fresh men were brought forward; the French generals perceived that the day was irretrievably lost, and withdrew their broken masses beyond the river. Numerous instances of individual gallantry occurred, and Serjeant Gough of the first battalion having recovered the regimental colour of the third foot, or buffs, which corps had been nearly annihilated by the charge of the lancers, was rewarded with a commission in the second West India regiment.

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