Читать книгу Historical Record of the First Regiment of Foot - Cannon Richard - Страница 3

882

The Royal Regiment of Foot is the representative of a body of gallant Scots, formerly in the service of the celebrated Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden; and of another body of Scots, many years in the service of the Kings of France; and it claims an origin anterior to that of any other corps in the British army; but, although a laborious research has been made, and much information procured, yet, owing to the little attention which was paid to the history of military bodies previously to the last century, all the circumstances connected with its origin have not been ascertained. Its first Colonel was Sir John Hepburn, a distinguished officer, well known in Europe during the early part of the seventeenth century; but it appears to have existed some time as independent companies before it was constituted a regiment. Tradition has connected its early services with the ancient Scots Guards at the French court; and, in order that the claims of the Royal Regiment to antiquity may be clearly understood, a brief statement of the origin and services of the Scots Guards is introduced into this record.

The Scots have been celebrated for deeds of arms for many centuries, and they have been described by historians as a hardy, valiant, and generous people. Led by a native ardour for military fame, many Scotsmen have quitted their own country, and, like the daring adventurers of the remote ages, they have sought renown in foreign lands, where they have acquired celebrity for martial achievements, long before the practice of forming military bodies into regiments existed. It is recorded in history, that as early as the year 882, Charles III., King of France, had twenty-four armed Scots, in whose fidelity and valour he reposed confidence, to attend his person as a guard.6

1254

The life of Louis IX. is stated to have been twice preserved, – once in France, and afterwards in Egypt during the Holy War, by his faithful and valiant Scots attendants; and that monarch, after his return from Palestine, in 1254, increased the number of Scots who attended his person to about one hundred, and constituted them a Corps of Guards.7 The practice of having armed Scots attendants appears to have been continued by the succeeding sovereigns of France, and Charles V. is stated to have placed this corps on a regular establishment.

1415

1420

1421

1422

1423

1424

1429

1440

1484

1495

1509

1515

About the year 1484, another auxiliary force proceeded from Scotland to France; and the Scots in the French service signalized themselves in various parts of Europe, but especially in Italy in the year 1495, and they acquired the principal glory in the conquest of Naples.8 There were also Scots troops with the French army serving against the Venetians in 1509,9 and with King Francis I. of France, in Italy, in 1515, in which year the Scots Guards were nearly all killed in defence of the King's person before Pavia, where he was taken prisoner.10 After this fatal battle King Francis is stated to have exclaimed, "We have lost everything but our honour!"

1590

Two historical accounts of the origin and services of the First, or Royal, Regiment of Foot, have already been printed, in which this corps is stated to be a continuation of the ancient Scots Guards at the French Court but this is an error, – the Scots Guards were Cavalry, and this was always an Infantry corps, and it never sustained any character in the French army, but that of a regiment of the line. The supposition, that this Regiment was formerly the Body Guard of the Scottish kings is also without foundation.

Milan, a military historian of the 18th century, who evinced much zeal and assiduity in tracing the origin of every British corps, designates the Royal Regiment an "Old Scots Corps; the time of its rise uncertain;" and in the two editions of his succession of Colonels, published in 1742 and 1746, he did not give the date of the appointment of its first Colonel, Sir John Hepburn; but, in a subsequent edition, he states the 26th of January, 1633, to be the date of this officer's commission, as Colonel of the Old Scots Corps. This date appears to be correct, as Sir John Hepburn did not quit Germany until 1632, and no mention of a Scots Regiment in the French service has been met with in any of the military histories, or other French works (of which many volumes have been examined), previously to 1633. This corps must, however, have existed some time as independent companies, previously to its being constituted a regiment, as Père Daniel, in his history of the French army,11 states, that this regiment, which he designates "Le Regiment de Douglas," was sent from Scotland to France in the reign of James VI. (James I. of England), and this monarch commenced his reign in 1567, when he was only a child, and died in 1625; hence it is evident that it had been in France some years before its formation into a regiment, under the command of Sir John Hepburn, took place. Père Daniel also alludes to this corps, in connexion with Henry IV. of France, and thus associates its services with the wars between that monarch and the Leaguers, which fixes the date of its arrival in France about the second year of his reign, viz. 1590. Francis Grose, the author of the British Military Antiquities, does not profess to be in possession of any information respecting the Royal Regiment, beyond what he obtained from Père Daniel; and the French historians of the seventeenth century introduce the regiment into their works abruptly, without saying a word about its origin. Thus, the only intelligence extant relating to the origin of this distinguished corps, and which is corroborated by collateral evidence, amounts to this: – "A body of Scottish Infantry proceeded from Scotland to France in the reign of James VI., to assist Henry IV. in his wars with the Leaguers; and was constituted in January, 1633, a regiment, which is now the First, or Royal, Regiment of Foot in the British line." The companies which proceeded to France were probably raised and commanded by men who had served in the Scots Guards at the French Court, which might give rise to the tradition of the Royal Regiment being connected with that corps; and, as the Scots Guards have ceased to exist, the Royals may be considered as the representative of that ancient body.

1591

1595

The occasion of these Scots companies being raised and sent to France in the reign of James VI., was the succession of Henry of Navarre, a Protestant prince, to the throne of France, in 1589, by the title of Henry IV., when a sanguinary war commenced between him and the combined Roman Catholic princes and nobles, called the Leaguers, who opposed his accession to the throne with all their power and influence. Queen Elizabeth furnished the French monarch with auxiliary English forces; the King of Scotland permitted his subjects to aid the Protestant cause, and several companies of Scottish foot were raised and sent to France. The British troops highly distinguished themselves under the Lord Willoughby, Sir John Norris, Sir Roger Williams, and other commanders. The English afterwards quitted France, but Henry IV., having discovered the value of these companies of hardy and valiant Scots, retained them in his service.

1609

1610

In 1609, and the early part of 1610, Henry IV. made preparations for engaging in a war with the House of Austria; but he was murdered in the streets of Paris on the 14th of May, 1610; and, after his death, his son, Louis XIII., being a minor, the preparations for war were discontinued, and part of the army was disbanded.

Leaving the Scots companies in France, where they appear to have been employed in garrison duty for many years, the Record commences the narrative of the services of another body of Scots, under the King of Sweden, of which the Royal Regiment is also the representative.

1611

1613

Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, who was designated "the lion of the north," succeeded to the throne in 1611, and he soon began to take an important part in the affairs of Europe. Having heard of the valour of the Scots, he procured, in 1613, a number of companies from Scotland and from the Netherlands,12 and formed two Scots regiments. He also hired fifteen ships from the Scots nation, which took the town and district of Drontheim, and sailed afterwards to the southernmost shores of Sweden.13

1615

1616

A peace was soon afterwards concluded between Sweden and Denmark; but Gustavus retained his Scots veterans in his service; and in 1615 he commenced a war with Russia. He soon rendered himself master of the province of Ingria, – took by storm the strong fort of Kexholm, and besieged Plesko; but he was induced to desist from further enterprises by the pacific interposition of King James I. of England, and a cessation of hostilities took place.

1617

1619

The Scots in the service of Gustavus were, however, allowed but a short period of repose before they were again called upon to take the field. In 1617 Gustavus invaded Poland; and his troops were engaged in various actions until 1619, when a truce was agreed upon by the contending powers.

1620

1621

In 1620 the King of Sweden renewed the war; and the Scots, under Colonels Ruthven and Seaton, distinguished themselves at the siege and capture of Riga, the capital city of Livonia. The towns of Dunamond and Mittau were also captured soon afterwards; and these successes were followed by another truce.

Meanwhile events had transpired which gave rise to the formation of another body of Scots, with whose services the Royal Regiment is also connected. The Protestants of Bohemia having revolted from the dominion of Austria, elected to the throne the Count Palatine, who was assisted by an English regiment under Sir Horace Hore; and had also in his service a regiment of English and Scots, under Colonel Gray; and one of the Scots companies was commanded by John Hepburn, who was the first Colonel of the Royal Regiment. Gray's regiment was employed in 1620 to guard the King of Bohemia's person; but after the loss of the battle of Prague in 1621, His Majesty fled to Holland. Gray's regiment formed part of the force rallied by the Earl of Mansfield; after many enterprises, it retreated to the Palatinate, and was employed in Alsace and Germany.

1622

1625

After the Princes of the Union had made peace with the Emperor, it retreated through Alsace and Lorraine, and along the borders of France to the Netherlands, and was engaged with a Spanish force near Fleurus (30th August, 1622), when Sir James Ramsay and Captains Hepburn and Hume evinced signal gallantry. The army afterwards proceeded to Holland, and was disbanded; when Hepburn and his company entered the service of the King of Sweden. About the year 1625, Gustavus Adolphus appointed John Hepburn Colonel of a Scots regiment, of which the Royal Regiment of Foot is the representative.

The King of Sweden renewed hostilities with Poland in 1625, and conquered Selburg, Duneberg, Nidorp, and Dorpat; and defeated the Polish army on the plains of Semigallia.

1626

During the succeeding year he captured several places belonging to the Elector of Brandenburg; and in a short time afterwards gained possession of Polish Prussia.

Historians have omitted to state the part which the Scots regiments took in these services; but it is recorded that at the relief of Mew, a town near the conflux of the river Versa into the Vistula, Colonel John Hepburn's Scots soldiers highly distinguished themselves. These veterans being sent upon a desperate service, climbed a steep and difficult eminence with surprising alacrity to attack the Poles.

"When Thurn and Hepburn had gained the summit, which lay near the banks of the Vistula, they found the Polish soldiers entrenching themselves, and fell on them with incredible fury. But as the Poles poured in fresh troops every moment, the fight was maintained for two hours with surprising obstinacy. During this interval Gustavus threw a supply of men and ammunition into the town. And here, once more, it appeared that infantry were able to resist an equal or superior body of cavalry, for the fire of Thurn's soldiers was irresistible, and the pikemen stood immovable, like a wall of brass."14 The Poles, dismayed at the desperate resolution of their opponents, raised the siege, and Gustavus entered the town on the same evening.

1627

The King of Sweden made his appearance in Prussia in 1627, at the head of a brave and well-appointed army, of which Colonel Hepburn's regiment formed a part; he took Kesmark by assault, and defeated, on the same day, a division of Polish troops marching to its relief. He afterwards besieged and captured Marienberg; and defeated the Poles at Dirschan.

1628

The army was joined in 1628 by nine thousand Scots and English soldiers, and from this period the British troops took an important part in the military operations of the Swedish monarch, who was now at the head of 2,000 cavalry, 24,000 infantry, and 3,000 archers. He repulsed the Poles in a sharp skirmish, and captured four field-pieces and fourteen colours; and he subsequently besieged Dantzic, but he afterwards relinquished his design on this place, and captured, by surrender, Newburg, Strasberg, and Dribentz, and took Sweitz and Massovia by storm.

This year Stralsund was besieged by the Imperialists, and two Scots regiments in the service of the King of Denmark, with a detachment from the King of Sweden's army, under the Scots Colonel, Sir Alexander Lesley, assisted in the defence of the town; after a siege of three months, the Emperor's General, Albert Count Walstein, having half-ruined a numerous army, retired from before the place.

1629

In the succeeding year the Emperor Ferdinand II. commenced measures for the extirpation of the protestant religion in Germany, where it had taken deep root for about a century; he also sent troops to the assistance of the Poles in their war with Sweden; but Gustavus was enabled to oppose the united armies, and to hold them in check. In a partial action between the advance-guards, a few miles from Thorn, Gustavus's hat was knocked off in a personal encounter with one of the enemy's officers named Sirot, who afterwards wore the hat without knowing to whom it belonged. On the succeeding day, two prisoners (one a Scots officer named Hume) seeing Sirot wearing the King, their master's, hat, wept exceedingly, and with exclamations of sorrow, desired to be informed if the King was dead. Sirot, being thus made acquainted with the quality of his antagonist in the preceding day's skirmish, related the manner in which he became possessed of the hat, upon which they recovered a little from their anxiety and surprise. Soon afterwards the King of Poland, having nearly exhausted his resources, became disposed to enter into pacific relations with Sweden, and a treaty was concluded in the summer of this year.

This peace gave the King of Sweden an opportunity of executing his design of interposing in behalf of the persecuted protestants of Germany, in which he was abetted by England, France, and Holland, and the Scots in his service had the honour of taking part in this glorious enterprise.

1630

Preparations were made for this great undertaking with perseverance and judgment. It is recorded in history that the King of Sweden had in his service ten thousand English and Scots soldiers, well nurtured and experienced in war, in whom "he always principally confided, conferring on them the glory of every critical and trying adventure." Amongst these forces, Colonel John Hepburn's Scots Regiment appears to have held a distinguished character for gallantry on all occasions; and no troops appear to have been found better calculated for this important enterprise than the Scots, who proved brave, hardy, patient of fatigue and privation, frugal, obedient, and sober soldiers. In addition to the British troops already in his service, Gustavus afterwards entered into a treaty with the Marquis of Hamilton, who engaged to raise eight thousand English and Scots for the service of the Swedish monarch.

When the King sailed with his main army for Pomerania, where he arrived towards the end of June, 1630, Colonel Hepburn's Regiment was stationed under the renowned Chancellor Oxenstiern in Polish Prussia; but it was soon afterwards engaged in operations in Outer Pomerania; and was subsequently again stationed in Prussia, from whence it was suddenly ordered to Rugenwald, in consequence of the following extraordinary occurrence.

One of the Scots regiments15 in the service of Sweden, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monro, having embarked from Pillau in the middle of August, in order to join the main army, was shipwrecked a short distance from Rugenwald in Pomerania, which place was occupied by a garrison of Imperialists. These brave Scots, being cast ashore, drenched with wet, without ammunition, and having only their pikes and swords, and a few wet muskets, found themselves surrounded by garrisons of the enemy, and at a distance of eighty miles from the king and his army; yet, with astonishing resolution and courage, under such disadvantageous circumstances, they concealed themselves near the shore until night, and, having secretly procured a few dry muskets and some ammunition from a Pomeranian officer, they took the town by a midnight assault, and maintained themselves, fighting and skirmishing with the enemy, until Colonel Hepburn arrived with his regiment to their relief.16

A Swedish army of eight thousand men was soon afterwards assembled near Rugenwald, and Colonel Hepburn's Regiment, having been relieved from garrison duty, advanced to Colberg, and was engaged in the blockade of the town; a detachment of the regiment was also sharply engaged with a body of Imperialists which was advancing to relieve the place, but was defeated.17

1631

During the winter the regiment marched to the vicinity of Stettin, the capital of Pomerania: it was subsequently employed in several operations; and in March, 1631, it was encamped at Schwedt, in the province of Brandenburg, where it was formed in brigade with three other Scots regiments, viz. – Mackay's, Lumsdell's, and Stargate's. This brigade was commanded by Colonel Hepburn, whose regiment took the right, and was designated Hepburn's Scots Brigade or the Green Brigade: other brigades were also formed and designated the Yellow Brigade, the Blue Brigade, and the White Brigade.18

Advancing from Schwedt on the 24th of March, the regiment proceeded with the main army, commanded by Gustavus in person, to Frankfort on the Oder, and was employed in the attack on the town. The army arrived before the town during the afternoon preceding Palm Sunday, and the regiment was posted opposite Gubengate. On the following day, after divine service had been twice performed, the King sent Captain Guntier of the regiment, with a serjeant and twelve private men, to ascertain if a body of troops could be lodged between the outer and inner walls; and this little party having, with fine courage, waded the ditch and ascended the mud wall, gained the required information, and returned without sustaining any loss; the King immediately afterwards commanded the town to be attacked by storm; Hepburn's Scots Brigade was ordered to commence the assault, and a select body of pikemen, with Sir John Hepburn at their head, took the lead in this splendid enterprise.

The fascines and scaling ladders being ready, the King called Colonels Hepburn and Lumsdell, and said, My valiant Scots, remember your countrymen slain at Old Brandenburg.19 The next moment the cannon fired a volley, and the storming party rushing through the smoke instantly attacked the town. Colonel Hepburn and his gallant pikemen waded the ditch, in doing which they were waist deep in mud and water, and carried the outer wall in gallant style. The enemy fled from the wall towards a great sallyport, followed by Hepburn and his valiant pikemen in full career; but when within a few paces of the port, Hepburn was wounded in the leg and forced to halt; his place was instantly supplied by the Major of his regiment, who was shot dead the next moment; many of the pikemen also fell, and the remainder shrank back before the tempest of bullets which assailed them. But in a few moments the pikemen, led by Colonel Lumsdell and Lieutenant-Colonel Monro, returned to the charge, and forced the sallyport; the enemy, being confounded by the fury of the onset, omitted to let down the portcullis. Having gained the streets, the pikemen formed up, and a division of musketeers formed on each flank; the musketeers opened their fire, the pikemen charged along the street, and the enemy was routed, when a dreadful slaughter ensued, for during the fury of the assault no quarter was given. Lieutenant-Colonel Masten, with a party of musketeers of Hepburn's Brigade, followed the pikemen into the town, and joining in the charge, augmented the confusion and slaughter of the enemy. Meanwhile Major John Sinclair and Lieutenant George Heatly, with another party of fifty musketeers of Hepburn's Brigade, scaled the walls with ladders and drove their opponents into the town; but were immediately afterwards charged by a troop of Imperial cuirassiers. The brave Scots retired a few paces, and placing their backs to the wall, kept up such a sharp fire that they forced the cuirassiers to retreat.

While Hepburn's Scots Brigade was thus carrying all before it, the Yellow and Blue Brigades attacked another part of the town, where they were warmly received by an Irish Regiment in the Emperor's service, and were twice repulsed. The Irish behaved to admiration, but being eventually overpowered, nearly every man was killed; and their Colonel, Walter Butler, being shot through the arm, and pierced through the thigh with a pike, was taken prisoner.

The slaughter continued for some time. The Imperialists beat a parley twice, but the noise and tumult of the conflict was so great that the drum was not heard; and they eventually fled over the bridge, leaving nearly two thousand men and fifty colours behind them, besides stores, treasure, and much valuable property, which fell into the hands of the victors. The leading division of pikemen of Hepburn's Brigade, which, after he was wounded, was commanded by Colonel Lumsdell, captured EIGHTEEN COLOURS. This officer highly distinguished himself; and after the town was taken, the King bid him ask what he pleased and his request should be granted.20

Frankfort being thus gallantly won, a Scots officer, Major-General Lesley, was appointed governor of this important acquisition; and on the 5th of April, the King, placing himself at the head of a select body of men from each brigade, commanded by Colonel Hepburn, proceeded in the direction of Landsberg, and while on the march, the advance guard defeated a regiment of Croatians. On the 8th of April a strong fort in front of the town was attacked. The King, having through the invention of a floating-bridge, and the ingenuity of a blacksmith, surprised an out-guard and gained some advantage, the fort surrendered, and the town soon afterwards followed this example. It was a remarkable circumstance that the garrison exceeded in numbers the besieging army; but the valour of Gustavus's troops, and the high state of discipline which prevailed in his army, enabled him to perform astonishing exploits. Colonel Hepburn and Lieutenant-Colonel Monro acquired great credit by their conduct on this occasion.

After placing a garrison in Landsberg, the detachment commenced its march on the 18th of April, back to Frankfort; and Hepburn's Regiment proceeded soon afterwards to the vicinity of Berlin. Attempts were made to induce the Duke of Brandenburg to join with the Swedes, and when persuasion proved unavailing, the city of Berlin was invested. The Duke, alarmed at this hostile proceeding, sent his Duchess and the ladies of the court to entreat Gustavus to forbear; but the Swedish monarch proved inexorable, and the Duke of Brandenburg was forced to comply.

In July the regiment proceeded to Old Brandenburg, and on its arrival, a pestilential disease raging in the city, the regiment was ordered to encamp in the fields. During the same month the Marquis of Hamilton arrived in Germany with six thousand British troops, which had been raised for the service of the King of Sweden.

The regiment was subsequently engaged in several operations. It encamped a short time near the banks of the Elbe, in the vicinity of Werben, where an entrenched camp was formed, which was attacked several times by the Imperialists without success.

The Saxons at length united their force with the Swedes; at the same time the Imperialists, under the Count de Tilly, invaded Saxony, and captured several towns, including Leipsic. The Swedish and Saxon armies advanced against the invaders, and this movement was followed by the decisive battle of Leipsic, in which Colonel Hepburn's Regiment took an important part.21

Having passed the night in order of battle, at day-break, on the morning of the memorable 7th of September, 1631, divine service was performed in the Swedish army, and the troops afterwards advanced against the enemy. The Swedes took the right, and the Saxons the left. The advance guard was composed of three regiments, two Scots and one Dutch, led by three Scots colonels; and Hepburn's Scots Brigade formed part of the reserve, which was commanded by Colonel Hepburn. The engagement commenced about mid-day; and after a tremendous cannonade, the cavalry of both armies advanced and engaged in a series of charges, in which the Swedish and Finland horse had the advantage; and the King was enabled to change his position so as to avoid the evil effects of a high wind and clouds of dust which nearly blinded his soldiers. At length the enemy attacked the Saxons on the left with great fury, and drove them out of the field. The Imperialists then directed their main force against the Swedes, and a detachment from the Scots regiments highly distinguished itself in a conflict with the enemy's cavalry.22 During the heat of the conflict Hepburn's Scots Brigade was moved from the rear of the centre to the left flank, which had become exposed by the flight of the Saxons. Immediately afterwards two columns of the enemy were seen coming down upon the left of the Swedish army, and the King ordered Hepburn's Scots Brigade to wheel to the left and confront the enemy. Before this movement was executed, the Imperialists were within musket shot; in a moment the artillery on both sides opened a tremendous cannonade; this was followed by two volleys from the musketeers, and the next moment Hepburn's pikemen went cheering to the charge with distinguished bravery, and, breaking in upon the front of the first column, drove it back with terrible confusion and slaughter. Meanwhile Hepburn's right wing of musketeers, commanded by Colonel Monro, fell with great fury upon the enemy's troops which protected the cannon and captured the guns. The slaughter would have been great, but the ground where the battle was fought being very dry, and newly ploughed, and the wind high, the clouds of dust favoured the escape of the enemy.23 When Hepburn's Brigade was attacking the enemy's columns, the King sent the Blue Brigade and a body of musketeers to its assistance; but before the arrival of these reinforcements the Scots were triumphant. The Imperial columns being broken, the Swedish horsemen pursued the fugitives until dark and made great slaughter. Success having attended the Swedish arms in other parts of the field, the victory was complete; but the conquerors had the misfortune to lose their baggage, which was plundered by their friends, the runaway Saxons.

The Scots gained great honour in this action, particularly the brigade of which Hepburn's regiment formed part. Colonel Monro, who commanded the right wing of musketeers, writes – "The victory and credit of the day was ascribed to our brigade; we were thanked by his Majesty for our service in a public audience, and in view of the whole army, and we were promised to be rewarded." In another place the same author observes – "His Majesty did principally, under God, ascribe the glory of the victory to the Swedish and Finland horsemen, who were led by the valorous Velt-Marshal Horne; for though the Dutch horsemen did behave themselves valorously divers times that day, yet it was not their fortune to make the charge which did put the enemy to flight; and though there were brave brigades of Swedes and Dutch in the field, yet it was the Scots brigades' fortune to gain the praise for the foot service, and not without cause, for they behaved themselves well, being led and conducted by an expert and fortunate cavalier, the valiant Hepburn."24

The pursuit was continued until the Imperial army was literally cut to pieces, excepting a few regiments, which, being favoured by the clouds of dust and smoke, escaped. The Imperial camp was left standing, and the Swedish troops passed the night in their enemy's tents. The Imperial cannon, the greater part of the baggage, and many standards and colours, were captured by the victorious Gustavus. Such were the results of the famous battle of Leipsic, – the most important action which had been fought for more than half a century, – and where the regiment, which is now represented by the First, or Royal Regiment, in the British line, acquired great honour.

After passing the night on the field of battle the army assembled in column, and divine service was again performed; after which the King of Sweden addressed the several regiments on the subject of their exploits on the preceding day, and again returned thanks to Hepburn's Scots Brigade for its distinguished gallantry.25 From the field of battle the army advanced to Leipsic, and invested the town, but the recapturing of this place was left to the Saxons. Meanwhile part of Hepburn's Brigade proceeded to Halle, and captured the town and castle on the 11th of September. While the army lay near this place several protestant Princes, with the Elector of Saxony at their head, visited the King, on which occasion his Majesty passed many encomiums on the Scottish nation, and beckoning to Colonel Hepburn, who stood in another part of the room, recommended him, Lumsdell, and Monro, to the Elector's more immediate notice.26

From Halle the brigade marched to Erfurt, in the famous forest of Thuringia, and was afterwards destined to take part in the reduction of the Circle of Franconia. From Erfurt the brigade advanced, with other troops, through the forest of Thuringia, – proceeded a distance of one hundred and eleven miles along difficult roads, and took by capitulation six large towns, in the short period of eight days. Having arrived at Wurtzburg, the town soon surrendered; but a strong castle, called Marienberg, standing on an eminence on the other side of the river Maine, being garrisoned by a thousand men, well provided with every means of defence, held out against the Swedish arms, and the Scots were selected to commence operations against this place. The approach was hazardous beyond description; one arch of the bridge was blown up, and the batteries raked the bridge from one end to the other. A few daring Scots musketeers, however, passed the river in small boats on the 5th of October, and, leaping on shore in the face of a sharp fire, were soon warmly engaged. A plank had, in the meantime, been laid across the broken arch of the bridge, and a number of veteran Scots running across one after another, joined their companions in the fight, and a lodgment was effected beyond the river, and some advantage gained. The castle was afterwards taken by storm; and this having been deemed an impregnable fortress, it was found well stored with corn, wine, ammunition, and treasure; and small arms were found for seven thousand men.

While the brigade lay at Wurtzburg, the King sent out so many detachments that he had only about ten thousand men at head-quarters, and an army of fifty thousand men, commanded by the Duke of Lorraine, advanced against him. His Majesty having received information that the enemy designed to pass the Maine at Oxenford and attack him, the King proceeded, on the same evening, after dark, to the quarters of Hepburns's Scots Brigade, and commanded the men to assemble under arms immediately. Having selected eight hundred musketeers, his Majesty commanded them to follow him, while the pikemen and colours remained behind. The musketeers, being led by Brigadier-General Hepburn, and accompanied by eighty Swedish horsemen, continued their march throughout the night, and at two o'clock on the following morning arrived at Oxenford, and formed up in the market-place, while fifty of the horsemen advanced to observe the motions of the enemy. Soon afterwards the report of pistols was heard, when his Majesty sent out a lieutenant and fifty musketeers to skirmish and to cover the retreat of the horse, which service was gallantly performed. The enemy, however, proved too numerous, and the fifty musketeers were forced to retire, when the King sent a hundred musketeers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Monro, to restore the fight, and they drove back a superior body of the Imperialists, for which they were applauded by the King. These few Scots having thus frustrated the designs of the enemy, his Majesty returned to Wurtzburg, leaving Hepburn, with his musketeers, to defend the place; and this excellent officer made such a formidable disposition of his men, and kept so good a countenance, that, although the enemy advanced with his army up to the town with drums beating and colours flying, as though he was about to storm the place, yet he afterwards retired. The musketeers, having thus boldly confronted a large army and maintained their post, were afterwards ordered to return to Wurtzburg.

On the 7th of November Hepburn's Scots Brigade, or the Green Brigade, advanced with the army towards Frankfort on the Maine, a place celebrated throughout Europe for its annual fairs; and while traversing the rich plains and beautiful scenery of one of the most fruitful parts of Germany, several strong towns surrendered to the army. The brigade crossed the Maine at Aschaffenberg, on the 14th of November, and arrived at Frankfort on the 16th, when the city surrendered.

In the early part of December Hepburn's or the Green, and the Blue brigades, were employed in the siege of a strong fort near Oppenheim, and while performing this service, these hardy veterans were encamped in the midst of a deep snow. The enemy made a sally in the night, but were repulsed by the Scots pikemen, and on the following morning the fort surrendered. The two brigades afterwards attacked a fort, and also the castle belonging to the town. A party of gallant Scots having stormed the wall between the outward fort and castle, they found the drawbridge down, and, forcing an entrance into the castle, they put the Spanish garrison to the sword; at the same time another party stormed the fort with such fury that nine companies of Italians were soon overpowered and forced to surrender. These Italians afterwards engaged in the Swedish service, and were attached to the Green Brigade; but they all deserted during the following summer. The King having passed the Rhine with part of his army to attack the town on the other side, the place surrendered.

Notwithstanding the severity of the season, the King resolved to continue operations, and one Sunday afternoon, in the early part of December, in tempestuous weather, with frost and snow, the army appeared before Mentz. Hepburn's Scots,27 or the Green Brigade, took its post before the town; and the men having prepared the batteries during the night, the fire of the cannon commenced at day-break with such fury that the besieged were dismayed, and they surrendered in the middle of December. The brigade was afterwards placed in garrison in the town, where it continued during the remainder of the winter.

1632

During the preceding campaign, several additional regiments arrived in Germany from Scotland, namely, Sir James Lumsdell's, the Master of Forbes', Sir Frederick Hamilton's, and Colonel Monro's; also Colonel Austin's English regiment; recruits also arrived for the old regiments; and in the beginning of 1632 there appear to have been thirteen Scots regiments and five English regiments in the service of the King of Sweden. There were also two Scots generals, three major-generals, three brigadier-generals, twenty-seven colonels, fifty-one lieutenant-colonels, and fourteen Scots majors,28 in the Swedish army: and the First, or Royal, Regiment of Foot, in the British line, being the only one of these eighteen British regiments which has continued to exist to the present time, it is the representative of the whole of this gallant force.

Hepburn's veterans remained in garrison at Mentz, recruiting in vigour and in numbers, until the beginning of March, 1632, when they proceeded to Frankfort on the Maine, and, advancing from thence to Aschaffenberg, were reviewed in the fields before the town on the 6th of March, by the King of Sweden. From Aschaffenberg the brigade continued its march to Weinsheim, where it was reviewed by the Elector Palatine, who complimented this distinguished body of Scots on the high character it had acquired for deeds of valour.

After this review the brigade advanced with the army to invade Bavaria, and on the 26th of March it appeared before Donawerth on the Danube, when the King posted part of the troops on the heights above the town. On the following day, a battery having been constructed to command the bridge, the enemy made a furious sally, and, having driven back some Swedish troops, captured the guns; but a number of Hepburn's veterans rushing forward sword in hand, the Bavarians were repulsed and driven back into the town. During the night, Sir John Hepburn marched his brigade with great silence five miles up the Wernitz, and having crossed the river, returned by the opposite bank to an angle which commanded the bridge over the Danube, where he posted his musketeers behind garden-walls and hedges, and formed the pikemen into three bodies under the cover of the enclosures. At day-break the enemy's garrison attempted to force its way through the besieging army; eight hundred musketeers rushed suddenly out of the town towards the bridge where Hepburn's men were posted, when the Scots musketeers opened a destructive fire, and before the smoke had cleared away, the pikemen came cheering forward to the charge, while the musketeers drew their swords and joined in the attack, and the enemy's column was broken and cut to pieces. Many of the Bavarians fled towards the town; Hepburn's veterans, following in full career, entered the town with the fugitives, and made great slaughter in the streets. Meanwhile, the enemy's troops, which sallied on the other side of the town, were also nearly all destroyed. The governor escaped, but he saved only a small portion of his garrison. Thus Donawerth was captured in forty-eight hours after the army appeared before the town; and in this exploit the gallant veterans under Sir John Hepburn acquired new laurels.29

This success enabled the King to penetrate into Bavaria; and in the early part of April Hepburn's Brigade took part in the brilliant enterprise of forcing the passage of the river Lech in the face of a superior army, and the success which attended this daring exploit alarmed one half of Europe, and astonished the other.

The brigade was afterwards engaged in the siege of Augsburg, which place capitulated on the 10th of April. From Augsburg the brigade proceeded with the army to Ingoldstadt, and, being engaged in the siege of this town, it had one very trying night's service: the King, expecting a sally from the garrison, ordered Hepburn's veterans to stand all night under arms on some high ground near the town; the enemy kept up a constant fire against the brigade with dreadful execution, and the men had to stand like targets to be shot at, without the power of making resistance. "To my mind," observes the brave Colonel Monro, "it was the longest night in the year, though in April, for at one shot I lost twelve men of my own company." The first attack not succeeding, the King raised the siege and retired.

After quitting the precincts of Ingoldstadt, the brigade was detached against Landshut, a pretty little town with a castle, in Bavaria, which place surrendered on the 29th of April.

Having completed this conquest, the brigade proceeded to Freysingen, where it rejoined the main army, and advanced from thence to Munich. This celebrated city surrendered immediately, and the King being desirous of preserving it from plunder, he made a present of about five shillings English to every soldier in the army, and posted Hepburn's Scots Brigade at the bridge to prevent the ingress of stragglers. The army was afterwards encamped without the town, excepting the old Scots brigade, which entered the city with the King, and Hepburn's own regiment furnished the guard at the market-place, while the remainder of the brigade furnished the King's guard at the castle. As no other brigade was admitted into Munich, this circumstance proves the high estimation in which this old Scots corps was held. Its commander, Brigadier-General Hepburn, was appointed governor of Munich.

Leaving this city on the 1st of June, the brigade again directed its march towards Donawerth, where it arrived on the 4th. It subsequently marched to the relief of Weissemberg, which was besieged by the enemy; but the garrison surrendered before the troops marching for its relief arrived. The brigade then continued its march to Furt, where an encampment was formed. It was afterwards employed in several operations of a defensive character. The King having to defend Nurenberg, and to confront an army of 60,000 men with only 20,000, his Majesty formed an entrenched camp round the city, where the brigade was stationed some time.

The enemy's army, commanded by the Duke of Bavaria and Count Walstein, appeared before Nurenberg, and by means of their immense superiority of numbers endeavoured to cut off the supplies of provision from the Swedish army, but were unable to accomplish their object. The opposing armies lay watching each other's movements until the 21st of August, when, reinforcements having arrived for the Swedes, the King attacked the enemy's fortified camp; the old Scots Brigade was sharply engaged in the attack of the heights of Altenberg, and in the attempt on Altenberg Castle, in which service it lost many officers and men; but the attack failed at every point. The King afterwards formed a fortified camp within cannon shot of the enemy, and the two armies confronted each other until the 8th of September, when his Majesty retired, and five hundred musketeers of the old Scots Brigade, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Sinclair, covered the retreat to Neustadt. A few days afterwards, the Marquis of Hamilton being about to return to England, Brigadier-General Hepburn obtained permission to accompany him, and the regiment was left under the command of the Lieutenant-Colonel. When the gallant Hepburn and several other officers took leave of their companions in arms, Monro informs us that "the separation was like the separation which death makes betwixt friends and the soul of man, being sorry that those who had lived so long together in amity and friendship, also in mutual dangers, in weal and in woe, the splendour of our former mirth was overshadowed with a cloud of grief and sorrows, which dissolved in mutual tears."

The brigade was now commanded by Colonel Monro, and towards the end of September it marched to the relief of Rayn, which was besieged by the enemy; but this garrison also surrendered before the troops marching to its relief arrived. The King, however, resolved to retake the town, and having arrived before the walls on the 3rd of October, he took advantage of a thick fog, and brought his cannon to bear upon the works unperceived, when the garrison immediately surrendered.

The brigade being much exhausted and decreased in numbers from its recent hard services, it was placed in quarters of refreshment in Bavaria, while the King marched with part of the army into Saxony. Before his departure, his Majesty expressed his approbation of the conduct of these veteran Scots on all occasions, and exhorted the commanding officers to use every possible expedition in replacing the casualties in the ranks of their respective regiments; but this proved the final separation between the great Gustavus Adolphus and these distinguished regiments; his Majesty marched to Saxony, and was killed at the battle of Lützen,30 which was fought on the 6th of November, 1632.

After the death of the King of Sweden31 the old Scots Brigade served for a short time under the Elector Palatine, and was employed in the siege and capture of Landsberg, a town of Upper Bavaria on the Lech; and while before this place a dispute about precedence arose between this and another (Ruthven's) brigade: "But," observes Colonel Monro, "those of Ruthven's Brigade were forced, notwithstanding their diligence, to yield the precedence unto us, being older blades than themselves, for in effect we were their schoolmasters in discipline, as they could not but acknowledge."

When the capture of Landsberg was effected, the old Scots Brigade marched to the relief of Rayn, which was closely beset by the Bavarians, who raised the siege on the approach of the Scots, and retired into Saxony.

From Rayn the brigade marched to the vicinity of the ancient city of Augsburg, where the men lay two months of extreme cold weather in the open fields; the loss of the great Gustavus Adolphus was now seriously experienced, the generals were indecisive, and operations were suspended.

1633

But in February, 1633, the brigade was again called into action. It proceeded, in the first instance, to Ulm, a considerable town on the banks of the Danube, and from thence towards Memmingen, to attack a division of the enemy stationed in the town; but, having halted at some hamlets within three miles of the place, the houses took fire in the night, and the brigade lost much baggage, and saved its cannon and ammunition with difficulty. This misfortune did not, however, prevent the troops from marching against their adversaries, who after some sharp skirmishing, retired.

Soon afterwards the brigade proceeded to Kaufbeuren, a small town on the Wertach, and having invested the place, the garrison held out two days, and then surrendered. Having refreshed the men with three days' rest at Kaufbeuren, the brigade marched with part of the army towards the Iller, and, having passed the river by a temporary bridge, besieged Kempten (the ancient Campodunum). But while the brigade lay before the town, it was suddenly ordered to proceed by forced marches to the Duchy of Wirtemberg.

Having been recalled from Wirtemberg, the brigade proceeded to Donawerth on the Danube, where it was stationed during a great part of the summer; while a convention of the Protestant princes of Germany was held at Heilbronn. The pay of the troops being a long time in arrear, they resolved not to engage in any further operations until their arrears were paid. Thus disorder and confusion found its way into the Swedish army, and the Scots regiments were no longer recruited with the same facility as formerly.

1634

The old Scots Brigade, however, continued at its post of duty, and it formed part of the army, commanded by Marshal Horn and the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, which advanced to the relief of Nordlingen; and this movement brought on a general engagement, which was fought in the vicinity of the town on the 26th of August, 1634, when the confederates were defeated, and the Scots Brigade suffered so severely, that one of the regiments (Monro's) was reduced a few days afterwards to one company.32 After the battle, the wreck of this distinguished brigade retreated to Worms, a town situate on the left bank of the Rhine; and, Marshal Horn having been taken prisoner, the veteran Scots were under the orders of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar.

The loss of the battle of Nordlingen almost ruined the protestant interest in Germany, but soon afterwards the court of France agreed to support this depressed and declining cause. The prospect of immediate succours from France allayed the consternation which prevailed amongst the confederate princes. A French army approached the Rhine, and several towns in Alsace admitted French garrisons.

1635

1636

During the summer of 1636 Hepburn's Regiment served with the army commanded by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and in the month of May it appeared before Saverne, a town of Alsace, situated on the banks of the river Sarre, which was defended by an Imperial garrison commanded by Colonel Mulhein. The siege of this place was immediately commenced, and the garrison made a desperate resistance. A breach having been effected, three assaults were made on the 20th of June, and were repulsed with great loss. On the following day the batteries against the town opened their fire with greater fury than before, and during the progress of the siege the gallant Sir John Hepburn33 was shot in the neck, and died, regretted, not only by his old companions in arms, but also by the court of France, where his valour and abilities were well known and appreciated. After holding out a few days longer the garrison surrendered; and Louis XIII. conferred the vacant Colonelcy of the regiment on Lieutenant-Colonel James Hepburn, whose name appears amongst the Scots lieutenant-colonels in the service of the King of Sweden in 1632.

1637

The regiment appears to have continued to serve in Alsace, under the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, whose army consisted of French, Scots, Swedes, and Germans, in the pay of France; and during the year 1637 it was engaged in several skirmishes with the Imperialists, but no considerable action was performed by either side.

This year Colonel James Hepburn was killed, and he was succeeded in the command of the regiment by Lord James Douglas, second son of William, first Marquis of Douglas. From this period the regiment was known in France by the title of Le Régiment de Douglas.34

While the regiment was in Alsace, Picardy was invaded by the Spaniards, and in 1637 this corps of hardy Scots appears to have been withdrawn from the army commanded by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, and stationed near the frontiers of Picardy.

1638

In the spring of 1638 it was placed under the command of the Marshal de Chastillon, for the purpose of penetrating into the Earldom of Artois, which at this period formed part of the Spanish Netherlands.

After quitting the vicinity of St. Omer, the regiment was engaged in the siege of Renty, a small town on the river Aa. The army appeared before this place on the 1st of August, and on the 9th the garrison surrendered.

The next service in which the troops were employed was the siege of Catelet, a town of Picardy, which the Spaniards had captured in 1636; and this place was taken by storm on the 14th of September.

1639

Having passed the winter in quarters in Picardy, Douglas' Regiment marched in the early part of May, 1639, to the rendezvous of the army at Doullens, and served this year against the Spaniards, forming part of the army commanded by General Meilleraie. The French commander marched first towards Aire, but after reconnoitering the defences of this place, he proceeded to Hesdin, – a town situated amongst marshes on the little river Canche, where he arrived on the 19th of May, and commenced the siege of the place with great vigour. Louis XIII. visited the camp, that his presence might animate the soldiers in their attacks; and, the garrison having surrendered on the 29th of June, the King was so well pleased with the manner in which this siege had been conducted, that he presented General Meilleraie with the baton of a Marshal of France; the ceremony was performed in the breach he had made in the fortress, and the King commanded Te Deum to be sung in the principal church of the town.35

After repairing the works, the army advanced against the Spanish forces under the Marquis de Fuentes; and Douglas' Regiment took part in a sharp skirmish near the village of St. Nicholas, on which occasion four pieces of cannon were captured from the Spaniards.

1640

1641

1642

The regiment continued to take part in the military operations against the Spaniards. Meanwhile Scotland was violently agitated by an attempt made by King Charles I. to introduce the English Liturgy. This was followed by an unfortunate misunderstanding between the King and his Parliament in England, which produced a civil war; but, in the scenes of slaughter and devastation which followed, this regiment did not take part. It was in the service of Louis XIII. of France, who was engaged in a war with Austria and Spain; and the French King had urgent occasion for the presence of the three Scots regiments36 with his armies.

1643

While the civil war was raging in England, Louis XIII. died (14th May, 1643), and was succeeded by his son Louis XIV., who was afterwards designated Louis le Grand; at the time of his accession he was in his minority. Notwithstanding this event the war was prosecuted with vigour, and the court of France procured, in 1643, an additional regiment of foot from Scotland, commanded by Colonel Andrew Rutherford,37 afterwards Earl of Teviot. This regiment was designated in France Le Régiment des Gardes Escossois, or the Regiment of Scots Guards: but the title was only honorary, as it was never employed near the royal person. The date of its formation has not been ascertained; but, as it was afterwards incorporated into Douglas' Regiment, now the First Royals, this corps is its representative, and its services have a place in this Memoir.

Immediately after the regiment of Scots Guards arrived in France, it was ordered to advance to the relief of Roucroy, a town of the Ardennes, which was besieged by the Spaniards. The troops employed in this service were commanded by Louis de Bourbon, Duc d'Enghien, who was afterwards celebrated for military achievements under the title of Prince of Condé, or the Great Condé. The Spaniards had a superiority of numbers: the two armies engaged near Roucroy, on the 19th of May, when the French gained a decisive victory, and captured the cannon, baggage, and many of the standards and colours belonging to the Spaniards. Rutherford's Scots' Regiment had the honor of taking part in this battle. It was soon afterwards employed in the siege of Thionville, a town situated on the river Moselle; and had one captain and four men killed, and one major and several private men wounded in the attack of the counterscarp. This siege being prosecuted with vigour, the town surrendered on the 10th of August, and the regiment appears to have marched immediately afterwards for Italy.

Meanwhile Douglas' Regiment had been removed from the Netherlands and placed under the orders of Prince Francis-Thomas of Savoy, who commanded the French army in Italy; and, having been engaged in several operations, it was employed in the autumn in the siege of the city of Turin, in Piedmont, which place was invested on the 14th of August. The Scots Regiment of Guards also arrived in Piedmont in time to take part in the siege, which was terminated on the 27th of September by the surrender of the city, when Douglas' Regiment was placed in garrison.38

1644

Before the following campaign the regiment was, however, removed from Piedmont to Picardy; and passing from thence to the Netherlands, it served, in 1644, under the Duke of Orleans, who held, during the minority of Louis XIV., the title of Lieutenant-General to the King. The army in the Netherlands was this year of considerable magnitude, and Douglas' Regiment formed part of the division commanded by Marshal Meilleraie,39 and was engaged in the siege of Gravelines, a town situated on the river Aa, nine miles from Dunkirk. The communication of Gravelines with the sea rendered it a place of great importance to the Spaniards, who made strenuous exertions for its preservation. Two sorties were made by the garrison in the early part of July, when Douglas' Regiment was sharply engaged, and the enemy was repulsed. Every attempt made by the Spaniards to relieve the place was defeated, and the town surrendered on the 28th of July, 1644. This success was followed by the capture of several forts, and places of minor importance, near the sea.

1645

1646

While the Scots regiments in the service of France were gaining laurels in Italy and Flanders, England continued the theatre of civil war, and many desperate engagements were fought with varied success. At length the King's army, after suffering a series of reverses, was found unable to withstand the forces of the Parliament; and a number of officers and soldiers, who had fought in the royal cause, fled to France, and were taken into the service of Louis XIV. Five English battalions were formed, and added to the French army in Flanders; and, during the campaign of 1646, the British troops were employed in the siege and capture of Courtray, a considerable town on the river Lys; and they afterwards took a distinguished part in the siege of the city of Dunkirk, which surrendered to the French army on the 10th of October, 1646.

1647

The British troops continued to take part in the war in Flanders: and in 1648 a troop of Scots cuirassiers, and the regiment of Scots Guards, had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves at the battle of Lens,40 in Artois, under that distinguished commander the Prince of Condé. This battle was fought on the 10th of August, 1648. The Spanish army, commanded by Archduke Leopold, suffered a complete overthrow, and lost thirty-eight pieces of cannon, and upwards of one hundred standards and colours.

Soon after this victory an insurrection broke out in Paris; the court removed to Rouel, and afterwards to St. Germain, and part of the army was recalled from Flanders to besiege the capital, and to reduce the Parliament of Paris to obedience.

1648

1649

In this year (1648) a treaty was concluded at Munster, which restored peace to a great part of Europe, but the war was continued between France and Spain, and the British troops were continued in the service of France. Meanwhile King Charles I. of England, having fallen into the power of Cromwell, was beheaded at Whitehall Palace on the 30th of January, 1649.

While these events were taking place in other parts of Europe, Paris was besieged by the French army, of which Douglas' Regiment continued to form a part; but an amicable arrangement between the Court and Parliament took place in the spring of 1649. This was, however, followed by insurrections in several of the provinces, and the Spanish commanders, availing themselves of the distracted state of France, recaptured several places in the Netherlands.

While France was disturbed with internal commotions, three hundred veteran Scots, who had been left in garrison at Ypres in West Flanders, were engaged in the defence of that place against the Spaniards, and, after a gallant resistance, were eventually forced to surrender: but obtained honourable conditions, and marched out on the 6th of May, 1649, with drums beating and colours flying.

1650

The commotions in France occasioned a decrease in the revenues of Louis XIV., and Douglas' veterans, with the other Scots regiments in the French service, could not procure their pay. Meanwhile, King Charles II., who had been an exile on the continent for some time, was entering into a treaty, called the Covenant, with the Scots, through whose means his Majesty expected to recover the sovereignty of Great Britain; at the same time, application was made to the French court for permission for Douglas' and the other regiments to return to Scotland with the King; but these gallant veterans were so beloved and esteemed in France for their good conduct on all occasions, that Louis XIV. declined to accede to this request, and promised to give them their pay with greater regularity in future.

1651

Had these distinguished regiments accompanied their sovereign to Scotland, great advantage would, doubtless, have accrued to the royal cause. But, instead of accompanying their King, they were employed in the defence of several strong towns on the frontiers of Picardy and Flanders. The internal disorders in France continued, a want of money prevailed in the army, and many of the French soldiers deserted. At the same time the Spaniards, being in communication with the disaffected in France, recovered several more of the towns which had been wrested from them in the preceding campaigns, and besieged Dunkirk.

While these events were occurring on the continent, Charles II. was crowned King in Scotland; but his affairs not prospering in the north, he penetrated into England, and the Scots troops sustained a decisive overthrow at Worcester on the 3rd of September, 1651. The King fled from the field, and, after remaining in concealment with several loyal families for a short time, he escaped in disguise to France.

Meanwhile, the troubles in France were increasing. The Duke of Orleans and the Prince of Condé were opposed to the court; the latter was at the head of an army; and Douglas' Regiment was employed in operations against the insurgents.

1652

After several marches and manœuvres, the opposing armies came in contact in the summer of 1652, in the vicinity of Paris; the royal army was commanded by Marshal Turenne; and the rebel army by the Prince of Condé, who erected barricades in the Fauxbourg of St. Antoine, where he was attacked on the 2nd of July, 1652.41 The fighting had been continued for some time with great resolution on both sides, when Douglas' and three other regiments attacked a barricade across one of the streets near the river, which they carried sword in hand, and, having dislodged the enemy from the houses, established themselves on this spot. Immediately afterwards a troop of royal horse, attempting to pass the barricade, was repulsed by the insurgent horsemen, who were driven back in their turn by the fire of Douglas' and another regiment from the houses. Scarcely had the horse quitted the street, when two bodies of insurgent foot came rushing forward with great fury to retake the barricade, but Douglas' and another regiment opened so destructive a fire from the houses, and the regiments which guarded the barricade made so resolute a defence, that the rebels were repulsed with great loss. A general attack was afterwards made on the other posts occupied by the rebels in the suburbs of Paris, and the rebellion would probably have been crushed at once, but the Parisians opened their gates and admitted the insurgents into the city, and thus protected them from the fury of the royal army. The city of Paris having thus manifested a determination to take part with the insurgents, Douglas' Regiment, with the remainder of the royal army, retreated on the same day to St. Denis, where his Majesty and the court had retired.

While the Prince of Condé held possession of Paris, and the royal army lay at St. Denis, a large Spanish army prepared to penetrate from the Netherlands into France, to act in concert with the French insurgents; when the court of Louis XIV. removed to Pontoise, and the army marched to Compeigne, and encamped under the walls of the town. The Spanish army entered France, but after a short stay it retired to the Netherlands, when the army of Louis XIV. advanced towards Paris, and encamped near Gonesse. This movement was followed by the return of the Spanish forces under the Duke of Lorraine, when the army under Marshal Turenne attempted to intercept the enemy, and a sharp skirmish occurred at Villeneuve St. Georges, nine miles from Paris, and the designs of the Duke of Lorraine were frustrated. But the Prince of Condé marched out of Paris, and succeeded in forming a junction with the Spaniards at Ablon; and the united armies were double the number of the forces under Marshal Turenne, who constructed two temporary bridges over the Seine, threw up entrenchments, and maintained his post for several weeks. While the two armies confronted each other, frequent skirmishes occurred in the fields and vineyards, in which Douglas' Scots took a conspicuous part. On one of these occasions a captain of the regiment was taken prisoner, who escaped from the enemy a few days afterwards, and brought information that the Prince of Condé had left the Spanish army in consequence of indisposition. The enemy not being so watchful as before, and the King's army being in want of provisions, it retired with great secrecy during the night of the 4th of October, and continued its march to Courteuil, when the enemy quitted the vicinity of Paris, and marched into winter quarters in Champagne and other parts of France.

When the absence of the united rebel and Spanish army from Paris was ascertained, the royal family of France proceeded with a strong guard to the capital, and obtained possession of the city; and Douglas' Regiment, with the remainder of the King's army, marched for Champagne, to attack the enemy in his quarters.

During the winter Douglas' Regiment was engaged in the siege of Bar le Duc; the lower town was taken by storm, and, about the middle of December, when two practicable breaches were made, the upper town and castle surrendered; when an Irish regiment in the Spanish service was made prisoners. The Irish finding that the Duke of York was with the French army, in command of the Scots gendarmes and a regiment of foot called the Regiment of York, they obtained permission to enter the French service, and were incorporated into the Duke's regiment.

From Bar le Duc, Douglas' Regiment marched a distance of nine miles, to Ligny, a town situate on the river Ornain, and was engaged in the siege of the castle. A mine being ready, on the 21st of December, "Marshal Turenne commanded the regiments of York and Douglas to prepare for the attack at the springing of the mine, and ordered his own regiment to be in readiness to second them. All things being prepared in this manner, fire was given to the mine, and in the midst of the smoke, before it could be discerned what effect the mine had produced, the Count d'Estrées, who commanded the attack, ordered it to be instantly made. Accordingly, they fell on, passing over the ditch, which was very broad, upon the ice. But when they came to the ditch, they perceived that the mine had failed their expectation, and there was no possibility of mounting the breach. Upon this there was a necessity of making a retreat; the ice broke under the men, and most of them fell into the ditch, which gave leisure to the enemy to do execution on them. Thus, for want of a little patience to see what effect the mine had wrought; the regiment of York lost four captains, some lieutenants and ensigns, and about a hundred men, slain outright, and the regiment of Douglas two captains and near fifty private soldiers; besides many officers and soldiers hurt."42 Immediately after this failure another mine was commenced, and the garrison surrendered on the 22nd of December.

1653

A garrison having been placed in Ligny, the army proceeded to Château Portien, a small town of the Ardennes, situate on the right bank of the river Aisne; and while on this march the weather was so severe, that several of the soldiers were frozen to death on the road. The siege of this place was commenced in the beginning of January, 1653, and the town was delivered up in less than ten days.

Having completed this conquest, the troops proceeded through a difficult tract of country, and besieged Vervins. The weather continued inclement, the men were suffering from the want of food, and great difficulties had to be overcome; yet the attacks were made with such spirit and determination, that possession was gained of this town on the 28th of January.

The troops were now exhausted, and Douglas' Regiment was sent into quarters of refreshment. It again took the field in June following; but the enemy had so great a superiority of numbers, that the greater part of the year was passed in defensive operations.

1654

1655

The regiment appears to have passed the year 1654 in garrison. In 1655 it was employed in the Netherlands; its Colonel, Lieutenant-General Lord James Douglas, commanded a flying camp between Douay and Arras; several skirmishes occurred, and on one occasion Lord James Douglas was killed; he was succeeded in the Colonelcy by his brother, Lord George Douglas, afterwards Earl of Dumbarton. This change in its Colonel did not alter the title of the corps, as it continued to be distinguished by the title of Douglas' Regiment.

This year (1655) the King of France concluded a treaty with Cromwell, who was at the head of the British nation with the title of Lord Protector; and it was stipulated that a body of Cromwell's forces should proceed to Flanders to co-operate with the French against the Spaniards.

1656

1657

1658

This treaty occasioned King Charles II. to unite his interests with those of Spain; the Duke of York quitted France, and obtained a command in the Spanish army; and a great part of the Royal British troops, which had escaped from England and entered the French army, transferred their services from the crown of France to that of Spain. The cavalier gentlemen, who thus transferred their services to the crown of Spain, were formed into a troop of Horse Guards, of which Charles Berkeley (afterwards Earl of Falmouth) was appointed Captain and Colonel; and the remainder were formed into six regiments of foot – one English, one Scots, and four Irish.43 The determination thus manifested, by the British troops in the service of France to preserve their loyalty to King Charles II., appears to have occasioned measures to be adopted by the French commanders to prevent Douglas', and the other old Scots regiments, from following this example; and these corps appear to have been placed in remote garrisons, as they are not mentioned in the histories of the military transactions in the Netherlands in 1657 and 1658, in which years the French army and Cromwell's forces captured St. Venant and Mardyk, defeated the Spanish army, and afterwards took Dunkirk, Ypres, Bruges, Dixmude, Furnes, Gravelines, Oudenarde, and Menin; and Dunkirk was occupied by the English.

1659

In September, 1658, Cromwell died; and in 1659 the Prince of Condé disbanded his forces, and having tendered his submission to the crown of France, he was received into the favour of Louis XIV. At the same time a treaty of peace, called the Peace of the Pyrenees, was concluded between France and Spain, and Dunkirk was ceded to England.

1660

After this treaty was concluded the strength of the French army was decreased, and Douglas' Regiment was reduced to eight companies. These events were followed by the restoration of King Charles II. to the throne of Great Britain; when the British troops which had been in the service of Spain were placed in garrison at Dunkirk; and Douglas' Regiment, in the French service, was in garrison at Avennes.

1661

Soon after the restoration, King Charles II. disbanded the army of the Commonwealth, which he found in England at his return. It was, however, deemed necessary to have a regular force established, for in January, 1661, a number of religious fanatics, called millenarians, or fifth monarchy-men, took arms against the government, and, although this insurrection was suppressed in a few days, yet it was deemed necessary to send for the Duke of York's troop of Guards from Dunkirk, and afterwards for Douglas' veteran Scots regiment from Flanders.

The regiment having arrived in England in the spring of 1661, it obtained rank in the British army from that date. It appears, however, to have had rank in the Swedish army from about the year 1625, and in the French army from 1633. No instance has been met with of its having been distinguished by any other title than the name of its Colonel, except during part of the time it was in the Swedish service, when it was designated, together with three other Scots regiments of which it is now the representative, the Green Brigade.

Soon after its arrival in England the establishment of the regiment was augmented, and its presence at this particular period was of great service to King Charles II.44 But his Majesty having (after disbanding the whole of the army of the Commonwealth) established three troops of Life Guards, a regiment of Horse Guards, and two regiments of Foot Guards, in England; and a troop of Life Guards, and a regiment of Foot Guards in Scotland; it was not deemed necessary to detain Douglas' veteran corps in England, and it was, accordingly, sent back to France in 1662.

1662

At the same time, General Andrew Rutherford, who commanded the battalion of Scots Guards in the French service, having been appointed Governor of Dunkirk by King Charles II., his battalion was incorporated in Douglas' Regiment. There was also another battalion of Scots Foot in the service of France, commanded by Lord James Douglas, and this battalion was likewise incorporated into Douglas' veteran regiment, which now consisted of twenty-three companies of one hundred men each, and its established numbers, including officers and non-commissioned officers, were upwards of 2500.

1663

The King of France having, after the treaty of the Pyrenees, placed his army upon a peace establishment, the strength of Douglas' Regiment was reduced to eight companies of one hundred men each.

1665

1666

Three years after its return to France, a war broke out between England and Holland; and in the succeeding year Louis XIV. took part with the Dutch against England, when Douglas' regiment was again ordered to quit the French service, and to return to England: it accordingly landed at Rye, in Sussex, on the 12th of June, 1666, and mustered eight hundred men.45

The Roman Catholics in several counties in Ireland were, at this period, in a state of insurrection; and in a short time after the arrival of the regiment from France, it was ordered to proceed to Ireland, where it appears to have remained upwards of twelve months.

1668

1670

After the conclusion of the peace of Breda in 1668, the insurrections in Ireland having been suppressed, the regiment was again sent to France; and in an order issued by Louis XIV. in 1670, respecting the rank of regiments, it appears one of the first.46

1672

A war commenced in 1672 between the French monarch and the States General of Holland; King Charles II. of England also declared war against the Dutch; and a British force, commanded by the Duke of Monmouth, was sent to France to co-operate with the army of Louis XIV. in an attack upon Holland. Douglas' Regiment had, in the meantime, been augmented to sixteen companies, and when the army took the field, it formed two battalions; and was in the division of the army commanded by Marshal Turenne. Several fortified towns were captured by the main army; and in June, Douglas' Regiment, being encamped in the vicinity of Nimeguen, was detached with several other corps under the Comte de Chamilly to besiege Grave. The attack on the town commenced towards the end of June, and in the early part of July the governor surrendered. A number of the subjects of the British crown, who had entered the service of Holland, being found in garrison, they were permitted to engage in the service of Louis XIV., and were received as recruits in Douglas' Regiment.47 In August the regiment was withdrawn from the vicinity of Grave, and ordered to join the forces under Marshal Turenne.

1673

In 1673 eight thousand British troops served with the French army, and were engaged in the siege of Maestricht, in which service they evinced signal gallantly; and in repulsing a sally of part of the garrison, the Duke of Monmouth, Captain Churchill (afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough), and twelve private men of the English Life Guards (a squadron of which corps was serving with the French army), highly distinguished themselves.48 The town surrendered on the 2nd of July.

1674

Before the following year King Charles II. concluded a treaty of peace with the Dutch Republic; but his Majesty did not withdraw the whole of his troops from France; and during the campaign of 1674 Douglas' Regiment, with the Scots regiment of Hamilton, and the English regiments of Monmouth and Churchill, served with the French army on the Rhine, commanded by Marshal Turenne. In the early part of June, Douglas' Regiment was encamped near Philipsburg,49 a town in the west of Germany about half a mile from the Rhine, and was formed in brigade with the French regiments of Plessis and La Ferté, with a battalion of detachments, commanded by Brigadier-General the Marquis of Douglas.50

The opposing armies having taken the field, Douglas' Regiment was suddenly withdrawn from the vicinity of Philipsburg, and, after crossing the Rhine, advanced towards the ancient city of Heidelberg, to prevent the junction of the forces under the Duke of Lorraine and the army commanded by the Duke of Bournonville. This movement brought on several skirmishes, in which the regiment took part; it was also engaged in a sharp action on the 16th of June, when the Imperialists were defeated; and in the accounts of this action published at the time, the conduct of the regiment is spoken of in terms of commendation.

After chasing the enemy out of the Palatinate, the regiment retired with the army across the Rhine, to join the reinforcements from Alsace and other places; and after the arrival of these troops, the army re-passed the Rhine, and Douglas' and two other regiments were detached to the vicinity of Landau, and ordered to encamp within a league of the town. The regiment was subsequently detached towards Manheim, and, after taking part in several operations, in the beginning of October it was encamped at Lavantzenaw, in Alsace.

Information having been received that the Germans had passed the Rhine and advanced to Molsheim, the French and British troops quitted their camp about an hour after midnight on the 3rd of October, and after a march of several hours, arrived at the enemy's camp, and attacked them with great spirit. The conflict took place amongst woods and broken grounds, and the British troops displayed signal gallantry, fighting with a spirit and resolution which the enemy could not withstand. Many officers and men fell, yet the conflict was continued, and Lord Duras (afterwards Earl of Feversham) had three horses killed under him. Eventually the enemy were driven from the field, with the loss of ten pieces of cannon, thirty standards and colours, and several prisoners.51

The Germans were subsequently reinforced by a number of fresh troops, when Marshal Turenne retired with the French and British forces, and took up a position near Saverne in Alsace, by which he prevented the Imperialists deriving much advantage from their superiority of numbers.

1675

During the depth of the winter, when the Germans had retreated, Douglas' Regiment52 was placed, with several other corps, under the orders of the Marquis of Vaubrun, and engaged in the siege of Dachstein, a town in the department of the Lower Rhine. The trenches were opened during the night of the 25th of January, 1675; and during the night of the 28th, Douglas' veterans were engaged in storming the works, and lost several officers and men. Amongst the killed was the Major of the regiment, who is stated by the French historians to have been an officer of great merit. On the following day the governor surrendered the town, when the regiment was sent into quarters.

It again took the field in the month of May, and was encamped for a short time near Strasburg; at the same time the Germans, under the Count de Montecuculi, menaced the city of Philipsburg with a siege; but the French and British forces passed the Rhine on the 7th of June, when the Germans changed their position, and the two armies confronted each other, and manœuvred for several days in the territory bordering on the Rhine. Douglas' Regiment, having been on a detached service for some time, was suddenly ordered to join the main army, from whence it was afterwards sent to Treves to reinforce the garrison. Several sharp skirmishes occurred; and on the 27th of July, as Marshal Turenne was reconnoitring the enemy, he was killed by a cannon-ball. After the death of this celebrated veteran, the army was commanded ad interim by the Count de Lorge, who retreated across the Rhine. The Germans attacked their adversaries while making this retrograde movement, when the gallant conduct of two battalions of veteran Scots saved the main army from a severe loss. Treves was afterwards besieged by the Germans, and Douglas' Regiment highly distinguished itself in the defence of this ancient city, under the command of Marshal de Crequi. The French troops mutinied, and endeavoured to compel the governor to surrender, but Douglas' Scots stood by the Marshal in the desperate defence of the town, and were thanked for their conduct by Louis XIV. Treves was surrendered on the 5th of September, and the regiment was bound by the articles not to serve for three months, either in the field or in the defence of any town.

1676

The French monarch having employed the greater part of his forces in making conquests in the Netherlands, a small army, of which Douglas' and Hamilton's Scots regiments formed part, was employed on the Rhine during the campaign of 1676, under the orders of Marshal Luxembourg. The imperial army, commanded by the Duke of Lorraine, had great superiority of numbers. In the beginning of June, the two armies were manœuvring and skirmishing in Alsace; and on the 5th of that month, while the French were retiring through the mountains near Saverne, the Germans attacked the rear-guard with great fury, and, having forced a defile, put several French squadrons into confusion. But as the German horsemen galloped between the mountains in pursuit, two battalions of Scots foot having taken post on some high ground beyond the defile, the musketeers opened so tremendous a fire that the pursuing squadrons were checked and forced to retire, when a regiment of German horse, and several squadrons of Lorraine dragoons, were nearly destroyed. In this rencontre Sir George Hamilton and several other officers of distinction were killed. The French army subsequently formed an entrenched camp near Saverne; and the Germans besieged Philipsburg, which was surrendered on the 15th of September.

1677

During the campaign of 1677, the French army on the Rhine was commanded by Marshal de Crequi. The British troops with this army consisted this year of two squadrons of Royal English horse, and two battalions of Douglas' and a battalion of Monmouth's regiments.53 The opposing armies took the field, and after much manœuvring and skirmishing, the Prince of Saxe-Eysenach, who commanded a division of Germans, having been driven into an island on the Rhine, was forced to capitulate. A sharp skirmish afterwards took place at Kochersberg, in Alsace, when the Imperialists were defeated, and sustained great loss. Fribourg was subsequently besieged by a detachment from the French army, and the garrison surrendered on the 16th of November, when Douglas' regiment proceeded into winter quarters.

1678

At length the conquests effected by France occasioned the English Court and Parliament to become sensible of the necessity of restraining the ambition of Louis XIV.; and King Charles II., having concluded a treaty with the Dutch, gave orders for the British troops in the French service to return to England; at the same time, his Majesty issued commissions for an augmentation of about twenty thousand men to the English army, and declared his determination of engaging in the war with France. Dumbarton's Regiment, as it was now designated, accordingly received orders in the early part of the year 1678 to quit the service of the French monarch, and from this period it has been permanently on the British establishment.

Soon after the arrival of the regiment from France, a number of men, who each carried a large pouch filled with Hand-Grenades, were added to the establishment, and formed into a company, under the command of Captain Robert Hodges. These men were instructed to ignite the fuses, and to cast the grenades into forts, trenches, or amidst the ranks of their enemies, where the explosion was calculated to produce much execution; and the men, deriving their designation from the combustibles with which they were armed, were styled Grenadiers. Their duties were considered more arduous than those of the pikemen or musketeers; and the strongest and most active men were selected for the grenadier company. And although the hand-grenades have long been laid aside, yet one company, which is designated the "Grenadier Company," continues to form part of every battalion.

1679

In 1679, Dumbarton's Regiment, which consisted at this period of twenty-one companies, was stationed in Ireland. In the autumn of this year, Tangier, in Africa (which had been ceded by Portugal to Charles II., in 1662, as part of the marriage-portion of his consort, Donna Catherina, Infanta of Portugal), was besieged by the Moors, who destroyed two forts at a short distance from the town, and then retired.

1680

They, however, again appeared before the town in the spring of 1680, when four companies of Dumbarton's Regiment were ordered to reinforce the garrison; and these companies having embarked at Kinsale in the James and Swan frigates, landed at Tangier on the 4th of April.

Fort Henrietta, which stood at a short distance from the town, was at this time besieged by the Moors, and two breaches having been made, and the works undermined, the garrison could not maintain the place; consequently a sally from the city was resolved upon, to give the garrison an opportunity of blowing up the fort, and of cutting their passage through the Moorish army to the town; and Captain Hume, Lieutenant Pierson, Lieutenant Bayley, four serjeants, and 80 private men, of Dumbarton's Regiment, were selected to form the forlorn-hope in the sally. Accordingly, at eight o'clock on the morning of the 12th of May, Dumbarton's veterans issued from the town, and made a gallant attack on the Moorish army; at the same time the garrison in the fort blew up the building, and rushed forward, sword in hand, to cut their passage through the barbarians. The conflict was sharp: the Moors came running forward in crowds to cut off this devoted band; yet these resolute Britons forced the first trench, and gained the second. This was, however, twelve feet deep; and while struggling to overcome the difficulty, Captain Trelawny and 120 men were killed by the Moors; and only forty-four officers and men succeeded in joining Captain Hume and his party of veteran Scots. This party was also attacked by several bodies of Moorish horsemen, who were all expert lancers; but the barbarians were repulsed. One Moorish chieftain rode over Captain Hume; but his horse fell, and the barbarian was immediately killed. The men continued skirmishing, and retiring in good order until they arrived under the protection of the guns of the fortress. The companies of Dumbarton's Regiment lost on this occasion fifteen men killed, and Captain Hume54 and several men wounded.

In a few days after this action a cessation of hostilities was agreed upon with the Moors for four months; and during the summer twelve additional companies of Dumbarton's Regiment arrived at Tangier, from Ireland, under the command of Major Sir James Hackett. The arrival of these celebrated veterans is thus announced in one of the publications of that period: – "After this landed the valorous Major Hackett with the renowned regiment of the Earl of Dumbarton; all of them men of approved valour, fame having echoed the sound of their glorious actions and achievements in France and other nations; having left behind them a report of their glorious victories wherever they came; every place witnessing and giving large testimony of their renown: so that the arrival of this illustrious regiment more and more increased the resolutions and united the courage of the inhabitants, and added confidence to their valour."55

Hostilities again commenced in September, when the garrison quitted the town, and encamped under the walls; and the Lieut. – Governor, Sir Palmes Fairborne, is reported to have made the following speech to Dumbarton's Scots: – "Countrymen and fellow-soldiers, let not your approved valour and fame in foreign nations be derogated at this time, neither degenerate from your ancient and former glory abroad; and as you are looked upon here to be brave and experienced soldiers (constant and successive victories having attended your conquering swords hitherto), do not come short of the great hopes we have in you, and the propitious procedures we expect from you at this time. For the glory of your nation, if you cannot surpass, you may imitate the bravest, and be emulous of their praises and renown."56

The expectations of the Lieutenant-Governor, with regard to these celebrated Scots, appear to have been realised; and in the various skirmishes and actions which followed, they always signalised themselves. In the account of a sharp action fought on the 20th of September, it is reported that "The grenadiers under Captain Hodges behaved themselves very bravely." On the 22nd of the same month, "Some of the Moorish horse advanced resolutely to the very line where our men were lodged, but were repulsed, and several of them killed. Several of the Scots grenadiers, who were very active and daring, advancing a little too far, were killed, and others, advancing to their relief, were likewise hard put to it." A sharp skirmish was afterwards kept up throughout the day, and "The Scots and the seamen from the fleet were hotly engaged, having beat the Moors out of several trenches." While retiring, Captain Fitzpatrick was attacked by a Moorish chieftain, but was delivered by a shot which brought the barbarian down at the moment he was about to spear the captain. A Scots grenadier, of undaunted bravery, being desirous of possessing the Moor's charger, leaped over the trenches and seized the horse; but this brave man was immediately afterwards cut to pieces by a party of Moors, who came galloping forward at the moment he was about to retire with the horse. On the same day it was resolved, in consequence of a newly-erected fort being completed, to retire within the walls, when Sir James Hackett, at the head of Dumbarton's Scots, covered the retrograde movement, and repulsed several charges made by the Moorish lancers.

A sally was made from the town on the 24th of September, when the Scots again distinguished themselves, and had Captain Forbes and eight men killed. The Lieut. – Governor, Sir Palmes Fairborne, also received a mortal wound, and was succeeded in the command of the garrison by Lieut. – Colonel Sackville of the Foot Guards.

On the 27th of September, a general sally of the garrison was made on the Moorish lines, where between fourteen and fifteen thousand barbarians were encamped. About three in the morning, the troops issued in silence from the town, and formed in order of battle. Soon afterwards the signal for the attack was given, when Dumbarton's57 company of Scots grenadiers, led by Captain Hodges, and followed by the remaining companies of the regiment, rushed towards the Moorish lines with the velocity of lightning. The Moors, who were reposing beyond their trenches, were suddenly aroused by the sound of a trampling multitude rushing to battle; and the next moment a shower of hand-grenades bursting amongst them put them in some confusion; yet they sprang to their arms, and, standing firm to receive the charge, disputed the ground with firmness. Soon the action became general, and "Nothing was heard but the roaring of cannon, the firing of muskets, and the loud acclamations of the Christians, who, ever and anon, when they gained any trench of the enemy, raised a shout which pierced the clouds, and echoed in the sky.58" Dumbarton's veterans quickly carried the first trench, then mixing in fierce combat with the Moors, soon proved that a valiant Scot was more than a match for one of the dusky sons of Africa. The first trench having been won, a portion of it was levelled for the cavalry, and the British and Spanish horsemen charged the Moors, and plunging amidst the dark masses, trampled and cut down the astonished Africans. At the same time the British grenadiers were seen using their hatchets with dreadful execution on one side, the pikemen were bearing down all before them on another, and, the musketeers, having slung their muskets, were fighting, sword in hand, with an impetuosity which the Moors could not withstand. The waving masses of barbarians were broken, and they fled like a scattered swarm over the land; the British troops pursued, and a number of single combats followed, for the Moors were more expert in personal conflicts than in fighting in large bodies. These combats, however, generally terminated in favour of the British; and the Scots, particularly Captain Hodges and his grenadier company, were distinguished for the number they slew. Thus the siege of Tangier was raised, and Dumbarton's veteran Scots captured a splendid colour59 from the Moors. The regiment lost60 in this action, Lieutenants Scott and St. Leger; Ensigns Farrell, Murray, Bell, and Rhue; six serjeants, and thirty private soldiers killed; Captains Lockart, Lundy, Hume, Douglas, and Percy; Lieutenants Glascock, Murray, Ennis, Corson, Bainesman, Macrohen, Stuart, Aukmooty, and Butler; with Ensign Mowast, and one hundred serjeants and private men wounded.

In a few days after this engagement a truce was concluded with the Moors for six months; and in the early part of December a regiment of foot (now the Fourth, or King's own), with 200 recruits for Dumbarton's Regiment, arrived from England.

1681

During the winter, Lieut. – Colonel Kirk was sent on an embassy to Muley-Ismael, Emperor of Morocco. In the spring of 1681, a treaty of peace for four years was concluded and sent to England by Captain Thomas Langston.

1682

1683

King Charles II., however, found the maintenance of a sufficient garrison at Tangier too expensive to be continued without the aid of a grant from parliament. At the same time the nation was more alarmed at the prospect of a popish successor to the throne than at the apprehension of losing this fortress, which they feared would become a nursery for popish soldiers. The advantage derived from the Levant trade, and other arguments, were brought forward in favour of maintaining Tangier; but the parliament refused the necessary supply; and towards the end of 1683, Admiral Lord Dartmouth was sent with a fleet to demolish the fortress, and to bring away the garrison and British inhabitants.

1684

One company of Dumbarton's Regiment arrived from Tangier, in November, 1683, and landed at Gravesend; and the remainder arrived in the river Thames in February, 1684, and, having landed at Rochester, were quartered – eight companies at Rochester and Chatham, six at Winchester, and two at Southampton. At the same time directions were sent to the Duke of Ormond, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, to send the five companies of the regiment in that country to England.

In June of this year four companies attended the Duchess of York (afterwards Queen of England) at Tunbridge Wells; and in the autumn King Charles II. conferred upon this celebrated regiment the title of The Royal Regiment of Foot.61

On the 1st of October, sixteen companies of the Royal Regiment, commanded by Lieut. – Colonel Sir James Hackett, were reviewed, with a number of other corps, by King Charles II., on Putney Heath. "The Coldstream, my Lord Dumbarton's, and the Admiral's Battalions, successively exercised all three by beat of drum, the military postures of pike, sword, and musket, every man dexterously discharging his duties with an exact and general readiness, to the great delight of their Majesties and Royal Highnesses, who vouchsafed, all the time of exercise, to grace the arms with their presence. The other two battalions of the Royal Regiment62 had not fallen short of the like performance, if illness of weather, when they just intended it, had not prevented: the day proving wet and showery was a general impediment from proceeding at that time to any other motions customary upon the like reviews; and all decamped sooner than otherwise they would have done." In the Army List, published by Nathan Brooks, in October, 1684, the Royal, or Dumbarton's Regiment, is stated to "consist of twenty-one companies, two lieutenants to each company, three serjeants, three corporals, and two drums, established; distinguished by red coats lined with white; sashes white, with a white fringe; breeches and stockings light grey; grenadiers distinguished by caps lined white, the lion's face, proper, crowned; flys St. Andrew's cross, with thistle and crown, circumscribed in the centre, 'Nemo me impunè lacessit.'"

1685

After the review, the regiment was stationed in extensive cantonments in the county of Kent, where it remained until the death of King Charles II., on the 6th February, 1685, when it was suddenly ordered to march into quarters in London and the adjacent villages.63 Although King James II. was known to be a papist, yet no opposition was made to his accession to the throne; and in March four companies proceeded to Yarmouth, and four to Rochester, leaving thirteen companies in quarters in the metropolis.

The tranquillity of the kingdom was, however, suddenly disturbed in June, 1685, by the rebellion of James, Duke of Monmouth, who appeared on the western coast with a band of followers, and asserted his pretensions to the throne, when orders were issued for the Royal Regiment to be augmented to one hundred men per company, and five companies were sent from London to Portsmouth, to increase the strength of that garrison.

Shortly afterwards, Brigadier-General Lord Churchill (afterwards the Great Duke of Marlborough) was sent to the west of England with a body of troops to oppose the rebels; and another division of the army followed under the direction of Lieut. – General the Earl of Feversham, who was appointed to the command of the royal forces. At the same time five companies of the Royal Regiment of foot, under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Douglas, and a troop of the Royal Horse Guards, commanded by Sir Francis Compton, were sent from London with the train of artillery to be employed on this service. The four companies of the Royal Regiment at Yarmouth were at the same time ordered to march to London; so that during Monmouth's rebellion the regiment was employed as follows: – Five companies with the army; five in garrison at Portsmouth; seven attending the court in London; and four at Rochester.64

The five companies of the Royal Regiment, under the orders of Lieut. – Colonel Douglas, with nine field-pieces,65 having joined the army under the Earl of Feversham, the rebels found it necessary to move to Bridgewater. The King's forces advanced to the village of Weston, where they arrived on the 5th of July, and the cavalry having been quartered in the village, the infantry encamped on Sedgemoor. The Royals, being formed in one small battalion, took the right of the line, and were posted behind a deep ditch; a squadron of horse and fifty dragoons were sent forward as an advanced guard, and one hundred of the Royals were kept under arms in readiness to support the cavalry out-guards. During the night the rebels marched out of Bridgewater, with the design of surprising the King's forces; but the guard having given an alarm, the five companies of the Royal Regiment were formed in order of battle in a few moments, and opening their fire upon the advancing rebels with good effect, held them in check, and gave time to the other battalions to form, and for the cavalry to draw out of the village.66 The rebel cavalry, under Lord Grey, first attempted to charge the Royals, but being unable to cross the ditch, they were driven back by the steady fire of the veteran Scots. The rebel infantry, headed by the Duke of Monmouth, directing their march by the fire, first attacked the Royals, and extending along the moor, a sharp combat of musketry ensued in the dark. The rebel foot, consisting principally of miners, fought with desperation; but their cavalry was soon chased out of the field by the King's horsemen; and when daylight appeared, the Life Guards, Royal Horse Guards, and Royal Dragoons, charged the right flank of the rebel infantry, and put Monmouth's untrained battalions into disorder. A complete rout ensued; the insurgents fled from the moor; and numbers were slain and made prisoners in the adjoining fields. The companies of the Royal Regiment were foremost in the pursuit, and captured the Duke of Monmouth's standard with his motto in gold letters, – "Fear none But God."67

The Duke of Monmouth was taken prisoner soon afterwards, and was beheaded on the 15th of July on Tower-Hill, London.

Thus the rebellion was suppressed; and the sum of 397l. was paid to the officers and soldiers of the Royal Regiment of foot who were wounded in this service, as is set forth in the following warrant, copied from the public accounts of that period: —

"James R.

"Whereas by the establishment of our forces, we have been graciously pleased to direct that an allowance be made to such officers and soldiers as should be wounded or hurt in our service; our will and pleasure is, that out of such monies as are or shall come to your hands for the contingent use of our guards, &c., you cause the sums following to be paid to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, of our Royal Regiment of Foot, hereunder mentioned, viz.: —

"Which sums, amounting to three hundred and ninety-seven pounds, are to be paid to the said persons, in satisfaction for their wounds received in our service during the late rebellion; provided none of them be already admitted to the allowance appointed for our Royal Hospital, near Chelsea. And for so doing, this, together with the acquittances of the said persons, or their assigns, shall be your discharge.

"Given at our Court at Whitehall this 16th day of May, 1686.

"By his Majesty's command,

"William Blathwayte.

"To our trusty and well-beloved Cousin and Councillor Richard, Earl of Ranelagh, our Paymaster-General, &c. &c. &c."

The following men of the Royal Regiment, who were admitted into the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, received the sums set down against their names: —

Serjeant Weems of the Royal Regiment particularly distinguished himself; and a warrant of James II. directs that he should be paid "Forty pounds for good service in the action at Sedgemoor, in firing the great guns against the rebels."

A few days after the battle, the establishment of the Royal Regiment was reduced from 100 to 50 private men per company; and in August eleven companies were encamped on Hounslow Heath, where they were reviewed by the King. In September, thirteen companies marched to Winchester, to attend the court at that city; and the regiment passed the winter at Portsmouth and Exeter, with one company detached to Lynn.

1686

At this period the establishment of the regiment consisted of 1 colonel, 1 lieutenant-colonel, 1 major, 18 captains, 1 captain-lieutenant, 41 lieutenants, 21 ensigns, 1 adjutant, 1 chaplain, 1 quarter-master and marshal, 1 chirurgeon, 1 chirurgeon's mate, 1 drum-major, 1 piper, 42 drummers, 63 serjeants, 63 corporals, and 1050 private soldiers. The privilege of having two lieutenants and three serjeants to each company appears to have been peculiar to this regiment; and a warrant of King James II., dated the 1st of January, 1686, directs that "As any of the lieutenants of the Royal Regiment shall die, or be displaced, their number be reduced to one lieutenant only in each company of this regiment; and that as the serjeants shall die, or be displaced, they be in the same manner reduced to two in each company."68

On the 1st of March, 1686, a second adjutant and a second surgeon's mate were added to the establishment, and the regiment was again divided into two battalions; the first battalion consisting of eleven, and the second of ten companies; and in April the second battalion embarked at Gravesend for Scotland. At the same time the whole of the first battalion was placed in garrison at Portsmouth, from whence it marched in June following to the vicinity of Hounslow, and on the 24th of that month erected its tents on the heath, where about twelve thousand men were encamped, under the orders of Lieut. – Generals the Earls of Feversham and Dumbarton, and were frequently exercised in presence of the royal family. In July, four companies marched from Hounslow Heath, and encamped near Tunbridge Wells, to attend the Princess Anne (afterwards Queen Anne) during her residence at that place; and in August the battalion struck its tents, and marched to Yarmouth and Bungay, with a detachment at Landguard-Fort, where it passed the winter.

1687

From these quarters the first battalion was removed in the spring of 1637 to the vicinity of London, where it halted a few days, and afterwards proceeded to Portsmouth, and passed the summer months in that garrison. In the autumn it marched into Yorkshire; and the men were employed dining the winter in working on the fortifications at Hull.

1688

In April, 1688, the first battalion was recalled from Yorkshire, and was stationed at Greenwich, Woolwich, and Deptford, until the 26th of June, when it encamped on Hounslow Heath.

In the meantime the second battalion had marched from Scotland to York. In August it proceeded to Hertford and Ware; and in September to Gravesend, where the first battalion had previously arrived from Hounslow Heath; and the two battalions being again united, occupied Gravesend, Tilbury-Fort, Sheerness, and other places along the banks of the Thames and the coast of Kent.

At this period the nation was violently agitated by political events. The King, being a roman catholic, and being guided by jesuitical councils, and countenanced and encouraged by a few families of the same persuasion, was attempting to effect the subversion of the established religion and laws. At the same time many noblemen and gentlemen who felt the greatest concern for the welfare of their country had invited the Prince of Orange to come to England with a Dutch army to aid them in resisting the proceedings of the court. Thus the kingdom was divided against itself, and men were looking forward, with a mixed feeling of hope, terror, and consternation, to the great convulsion which threatened the State. The King made preparations to avert the danger, and augmented his army, when the Royal Regiment was increased to 26 companies, and the total strength to 1858 officers and soldiers, each battalion having now a grenadier company.

In the early part of November, the Dutch fleet having sailed past Dover, the Royal Regiment was ordered to the west; and when the Prince of Orange had landed at Torbay and advanced to Exeter, it proceeded to Warminster, which was the most advanced post of the royal army. The head-quarters were at Salisbury, and King James reviewed his army on Salisbury Plain on the 21st of November. But his Majesty found that his conduct had alienated the affections not only of his subjects in general, but of the officers and soldiers of his army, many of whom forsook his camp and joined the Prince of Orange. Yet, while many of the nobility and gentry, with officers and soldiers from almost every regiment in the army, were quitting the King's standard daily, the Royal Regiment of Foot was an exception; it preserved its ranks entire, and stood with an unshaken loyalty amidst the general defection which prevailed in the kingdom.