Chapter I: Part 1

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BY COMMAND OF His late Majesty WILLIAM THE IV^{TH}. _and under the
Patronage of_ Her Majesty the Queen.

HISTORICAL RECORDS, _OF THE_ British Army

_Comprising the_ _History of every Regiment_ _IN HER MAJESTY’S
SERVICE_.

_By Richard Cannon Esq^{re}._

_Adjutant General’s Office, Horse Guards._ London. _Printed by
Authority._]

GENERAL ORDERS

_HORSE GUARDS_,
_1st January, 1836._

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

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

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

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

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

And,

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

By Command of the Right Honorable

GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.

JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant General_.

PREFACE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION

TO

THE INFANTRY.

The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is INTREPIDITY. This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and, although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar’s favourite tenth legion. Their arms consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons of rude construction. They had chariots, to the axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar’s legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage; a full development of the national character followed, and it shone forth in all its native brilliancy.

The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted principally of infantry: Thanes, and other men of property, however, fought on horseback. The infantry were of two classes, heavy and light. The former carried large shields armed with spikes, long broad swords and spears; and the latter were armed with swords or spears only. They had also men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and javelins.

The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely of horse: but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of the military force; and this _arme_ has since acquired, in every quarter of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the armies of any nation at any period.

The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it was almost impossible to slay them.

The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but British archers continued formidable adversaries; and, owing to the inconvenient construction and imperfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced, a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow from their youth, was considered a valuable acquisition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth century.

During a great part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth each company of infantry usually consisted of men armed five different ways; in every hundred men forty were “_men-at-arms_,” and sixty “_shot_;” the “men-at-arms” were ten halberdiers, or battle-axe men, and thirty pikemen; and the “shot” were twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his principal weapon, a sword and dagger.

Companies of infantry varied at this period in numbers from 150 to 300 men; each company had a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation recommended by an English military writer (Sir John Smithe) in 1590 was; the colour in the centre of the company guarded by the halberdiers; the pikemen in equal proportions, on each flank of the halberdiers; half the musketeers on each flank of the pikes; half the archers on each flank of the musketeers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal proportions on each flank of the company for skirmishing.[1] It was customary to unite a number of companies into one body, called a REGIMENT, which frequently amounted to three thousand men; but each company continued to carry a colour. Numerous improvements were eventually introduced in the construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found impossible to make armour proof against the muskets then in use (which carried a very heavy ball) without its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seventeenth century: bows and arrows also fell into disuse, and the infantry were reduced to two classes, viz.: _musketeers_, armed with matchlock muskets, swords, and daggers; and _pikemen_, armed with pikes from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.

In the early part of the seventeenth century Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each containing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and carried in pouches; and he formed each regiment into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division of Pikemen. He also adopted the practice of forming four regiments into a brigade; and the number of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers; and his armies became the admiration of other nations. His mode of formation was copied by the English, French, and other European states; but so great was the prejudice in favour of ancient customs, that all his improvements were not adopted until near a century afterwards.

In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-service, styled the Admiral’s regiment. In 1678 each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30 pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with light firelocks. In this year the King added a company of men armed with hand grenades to each of the old British regiments, which was designated the “grenadier company.” Daggers were so contrived as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets, similar to those at present in use, were adopted about twenty years afterwards.

An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot). This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes.

King William III. incorporated the Admiral’s regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans; ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.[2]

During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed with a musket, bayonet, and sword; the grenadiers ceased, about the same period, to carry hand grenades; and the regiments were directed to lay aside their third colour: the corps of Royal Artillery was first added to the Army in this reign.

About the year 1745, the men of the battalion companies of infantry ceased to carry swords; during the reign of George II. light companies were added to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of General Officers recommended that the grenadiers should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had never been used during the Seven Years’ War. Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier have been limited to the musket and bayonet.

The arms and equipment of the British Troops have seldom differed materially, since the Conquest, from those of other European states; and in some respects the arming has, at certain periods, been allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with whom they have had to contend; yet, under this disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of the British infantry have been evinced on very many and most trying occasions, and splendid victories have been gained over very superior numbers.

Great Britain has produced a rate of lion-like champions who have dared to confront a host of foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any arms. At _Crecy_, King Edward III., at the head of about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August, 1346, Philip King of France, whose army is said to have amounted to 100,000 men; here British valour encountered veterans of renown:—the King of Bohemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and nobles were slain, and the French army was routed and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black Prince, defeated at _Poictiers_, with 14,000 men, a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry, and took John I., King of France, and his son, Philip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415, King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000 men, although greatly exhausted by marches, privations, and sickness, defeated, at _Agincourt_, the Constable of France, at the head of the flower of the French nobility and an army said to amount to 60,000 men, and gained a complete victory.

During the seventy years’ war between the United Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish monarchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the States-General were celebrated for their unconquerable spirit and firmness;[3] and in the thirty years’ war between the Protestant Princes and the Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the service of Sweden and other states were celebrated for deeds of heroism.[4] In the wars of Queen Anne, the fame of the British army under the great MARLBOROUGH was spread throughout the world; and if we glance at the achievements performed within the memory of persons now living, there is abundant proof that the Britons of the present age are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities which constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds of the brave men, of whom there are many now surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the brave Abercromby, and compelled the French army, which had been vainly styled _Invincible_, to evacuate that country; also the services of the gallant Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Peninsula, under the immortal WELLINGTON; and the determined stand made by the British Army at Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain, and had sought and planned her destruction by every means he could devise, was compelled to leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to place himself at the disposal of the British Government. These achievements, with others of recent dates, in the distant climes of India, prove that the same valour and constancy which glowed in the breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt, Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the Britons of the nineteenth century.

The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust and muscular frame,—intrepidity which no danger can appal,—unconquerable spirit and resolution,—patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obedience to his superiors. These qualities, united with an excellent system of order and discipline to regulate and give a skilful direction to the energies and adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selection of officers of superior talent to command, whose presence inspires confidence,—have been the leading causes of the splendid victories gained by the British arms.[5] The fame of the deeds of the past and present generations in the various battle-fields where the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered, surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory; these achievements will live in the page of history to the end of time.

The records of the several regiments will be found to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character, connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gallant exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the world where the calls of their Country and the commands of their Sovereign have required them to proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in active continental operations, or in maintaining colonial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.

The superiority of the British infantry has been pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries, and admitted by the greatest commanders which Europe has produced. The formations and movements of this _arme_, as at present practised, while they are adapted to every species of warfare, and to all probable situations and circumstances of service, are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific principles. Although the movements and evolutions have been copied from the continental armies, yet various improvements have from time to time been introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by which the superiority of the national military character is maintained. The rank and influence which Great Britain has attained among the nations of the world, have in a great measure been purchased by the valour of the Army, and to persons who have the welfare of their country at heart, the records of the several regiments cannot fail to prove interesting.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] A company of 200 men would appear thus:—

__|
| |
|__|
|
20 20 20 30 2|0 30 20 20 20
|
Harquebuses. Muskets. Halberds. Muskets. Harquebuses.
Archers. Pikes. Pikes. Archers.

The musket carried a ball which weighed 1/10th of a pound; and the harquebus a ball which weighed 1/25th of a pound.

[2] The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Marine corps in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet under Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and in its subsequent defence in 1704; they were afterwards employed at the siege of Barcelona in 1705.

[3] The brave Sir Roger Williams, in his Discourse on War, printed in 1590, observes:—“I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field, let them he chosen where they list.” Yet at this time the Spanish infantry was allowed to be the best disciplined in Europe. For instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during the seventy Years’ War, see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or Buffs.

[4] _Vide_ the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot.

[5] “Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty.”—_General Orders in 1801._

In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January 1809, it is stated:—“On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves: and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,—that no circumstances can appal,—and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means.”

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS:

CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
In 1793,

AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
To 1853.

COMPILED BY

RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT GENERAL’S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.

Illustrated with Plates.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY GEORGE E. EYRE AND WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE,
PRINTERS TO THE QUEEN’S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY,
FOR HER MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE.

PUBLISHED BY PARKER, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,
MILITARY LIBRARY,
30, CHARING CROSS.

1853.

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,
OR
THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS,

BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR AND APPOINTMENTS
THE PLUME OF THE PRINCE OF WALES, WITH THE MOTTO,
“ICH DIEN” AND THE “HARP,”
IN CONSEQUENCE OF ITS HAVING BEEN ORIGINALLY DESIGNATED
THE “PRINCE OF WALES’S IRISH REGIMENT;”

ALSO THE WORDS, “MONTE VIDEO,”
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GALLANTRY DISPLAYED
BY THE FIRST BATTALION AT THE CAPTURE OF THAT PLACE,
ON THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY, 1807;

THE WORD, “TALAVERA,”
IN TESTIMONY OF THE CONDUCT OF THE SECOND BATTALION IN THAT
BATTLE, ON THE 27TH AND 28TH OF JULY, 1809;

AN EAGLE WITH A WREATH OF LAUREL ABOVE THE HARP,
AND THE WORD, “BARROSA,”
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE GALLANTRY OF THE SECOND BATTALION,
AND OF THE TROPHY ACQUIRED IN THAT BATTLE,
ON THE 5TH OF MARCH, 1811;

ALSO THE WORD, “TARIFA,”
FOR THE DISTINGUISHED GALLANTRY OF THE SECOND BATTALION
IN THE DEFENCE OF THAT PLACE,
ON THE 31ST OF DECEMBER, 1811;

AND
THE WORDS, “VITTORIA,” “NIVELLE,” “ORTHES,”
“TOULOUSE,” AND “PENINSULA,”
IN TESTIMONY OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICES OF THE SECOND BATTALION
IN THE SEVERAL ACTIONS FOUGHT DURING THE WAR
IN PORTUGAL, SPAIN, AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE,
FROM 1809 TO 1814;

AND
THE WORD “AVA,”
TO DENOTE THE MERITORIOUS CONDUCT OF THE REGIMENT DURING
THE BURMESE WAR, IN 1825-26.

THE

EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.

CONTENTS

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD.

Year. Page
INTRODUCTION 1

1793. Formation of the regiment 2

1794. Names of officers 4
” Embarked for Flanders 5
” Action at Alost _ib._

1795. Proceeded to Bergen-op-Zoom _ib._
” Marched prisoners into France 6

1796. The regiment again recruited _ib._
” Embarked as part of a secret expedition to the
North Sea _ib._
” Return of the troops to England _ib._
” The regiment embarked for the West Indies _ib._

1797. Capture of _Trinidad_ _ib._
” Expedition against _Porto Rico_ 7
” The regiment proceeded to St. Lucia _ib._

1798. Stationed at St. Lucia 8

1799. Proceeded to Martinique _ib._

1800. Removed to Dominica _ib._

1801. Embarked for Barbadoes _ib._
” Proceeded to Curaçoa _ib._

1802. Peace of Amiens _ib._

1803. Renewal of hostilities _ib._

1804. The regiment returned to England 9
” Proceeded to Guernsey _ib._
” War with Spain _ib._
” Formation of the second battalion _ib._

1805. The first battalion removed to Portsmouth 10

1806. Proceeded to Plymouth _ib._
” Embarked for Monte Video _ib._

1807. Capture of that place 11
” Authorised to bear the word “_Monte Video_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
” The light company engaged at _Colonia_, near
Buenos Ayres _ib._
” Assault of _Buenos Ayres_ 12
” Withdrawal of the British troops 15
” The first battalion embarked for the Cape of
Good Hope _ib._

1808 }
and } Stationed in that colony _ib._
1809 }

1810. Embarked for the Mauritius 16
” Capture of that island _ib._

1811 }
to } Stationed at the Mauritius _ib._
1814 }

1815. Embarked for Bengal _ib._

1816. War with the Rajah of Nepaul 17
” Affair on the heights of _Sierapore_ 18
” Termination of the campaign 19
” Return of the battalion to Bengal _ib._
” Stationed at Cawnpore _ib._

1817. Engaged in the siege of the Fort of _Hattrass_ _ib._
” Returned to Cawnpore 20
” The Pindaree campaign _ib._
” Casualties from cholera _ib._

1818. Conclusion of peace 21
” Return of the regiment to Cawnpore _ib._

1820. Marched to Fort William _ib._

1821. Meritorious conduct of the regiment at the fire in
the East India Company’s Dispensary at Calcutta _ib._
” Presentation of testimonials, in consequence, to
the regiment 22

1822. Similar conduct of the regiment at another alarming
fire in Calcutta 23
” Embarked for the Upper Provinces _ib._

1823. Decease of Lieut.-Colonel Miller _ib._
” The regiment stationed at Ghazeepore _ib._

1824. Removed to Berhampore _ib._

1825. Proceeded to Calcutta 24
” Decease of Lieut.-Colonel Browne _ib._
” Commencement of the Burmese War _ib._
” The regiment embarked for Ava _ib._
” Engaged with the Burmese near _Prome_ _ib._

1826. Capture of _Melloone_ 25
” Operations against _Moulmein_ _ib._
” Termination of the Burmese War _ib._
” Authorised to bear the word “_Ava_” on the regimental
colour and appointments 26
” Decease of Lieut.-Colonel Shawe 27
” The regiment embarked for Calcutta _ib._
” Reviewed at Calcutta by General Lord Combermere,
Commander-in-Chief in India 28

1827. Complimentary order on the embarkation of the
regiment for England _ib._
1827. Stationed in the Isle of Wight 29
” Application from General Sir John Doyle for the
regiment to be constituted a _light infantry_ corps 30
” Styled the “_Prince of Wales’s Own Irish Regiment
of Fusiliers_” 32
” Facings changed from Green to _Blue_ 33
” Styled the “EIGHTY-SEVENTH, _or Royal Irish
Fusiliers_” _ib._

1828. Reviewed by General Lord Hill, Commanding-in-chief 34
” Marched to London _ib._
” Proceeded to Chester 35
” Services of the regiment at a fire _ib._

1829. Three companies employed in aid of the Civil Power
in Wales _ib._
” Marched to Stockport 36
” Stationed at Manchester 37

1830. Embarked for Ireland 38
” Returned to England _ib._

1831. Formed into service and depôt companies _ib._
” Service companies embarked for the Mauritius _ib._

1832 }
and } Remained at the Mauritius _ib._
1833 }

1834. Major-General Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B.,
appointed Colonel of the regiment _ib._

1835. The depôt companies embarked for Ireland _ib._

1836 }
to } Stationed in Ireland 39
1839.}

1840. Returned to England _ib._

1841. Major-General Sir Hugh (now Viscount) Gough, K.C.B.,
appointed Colonel of the regiment _ib._

1843. The service companies returned to England from
the Mauritius _ib._
” The regiment proceeded to Glasgow _ib._

1844. Marched to Edinburgh _ib._

1846. Proceeded to Monmouthshire 40

1847. Removed to Weedon _ib._

1848. Augmented to the India establishment _ib._

1849. Embarked for Calcutta _ib._

1853. CONCLUSION _ib._

CONTENTS

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SECOND BATTALION

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.

Year. Page
INTRODUCTION 41

1804. Formation of the second battalion _ib._

1805. Embarked for Ireland 42

1806. Returned to England _ib._

1807. Proceeded to Guernsey _ib._

1808. Embarked for Portugal 44

1809. Battle of _Talavera_ 45
” Authorised to bear the word “_Talavera_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 47

1810. Embarked for Cadiz _ib._

1811. Battle of _Barrosa_ 48
” Capture of a French _Eagle_ by the battalion _ib._
” Styled “THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH, _or Prince of Wales’s
Own Irish Regiment_,” and authorised to bear on
the regimental colour and appointments the word
“_Barrosa_,” and an _Eagle_ with a _Wreath of
Laurel_, above the _Harp_ 53
” The second battalion embarked for _Tarifa_ 54
” Siege of _Tarifa_ by the French 55

1812. Gallant defence of the place 58
” Authorised to bear the word “_Tarifa_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
” The battalion returned to Cadiz _ib._
” Action at the bridge and fort of _Puerto Largo_ 59

1813. Battle of _Vittoria_ 60
” Bâton of Marshal Jourdan taken by the battalion 62
” Authorised to bear the word “_Vittoria_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 63
1813. Actions in the _Pyrenees_ 63
” Battle of the _Nivelle_ 64
” Authorised to bear the word “_Nivelle_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._

1814. Action near _Salvatira_ 65
” Battle of _Orthes_ _ib._
” Authorised to bear the word “_Orthes_” on the
regimental colour and appointments _ib._
” Affair at _Vic Bigorre_ 65
” Battle of _Toulouse_ 66
” Authorised to bear the word “_Toulouse_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 67
” Termination of the Peninsular War _ib._
” Authorised to bear the word “_Peninsula_” on the
regimental colour and appointments 68
” Embarkation of the battalion for Cork _ib._
” Removed to Portsmouth 69
” Proceeded to Guernsey _ib._

1815. Stationed in that island _ib._

1816. Removed to Portsmouth, and subsequently to
Colchester _ib._

1817. The second battalion disbanded 74

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT.

Year. Page
1796. Sir John Doyle, Bart., G.C.B. 75

1834. Sir Thomas Reynell, Bart., K.C.B. 83

1841. Hugh Viscount Gough, G.C.B. 89

APPENDIX.

Page
List of troops in South America in 1806-7 91

Memoir of Lieut.-General Sir Charles William Doyle, C.B.,
and G.C.H. 92

Memoir of Lieut.-Colonel Matthew Shawe, C.B. 95

List of battalions formed from men raised in 1803 and
1804, under the “_Army of Reserve_” and “_Additional
Force Acts_” 97-100

PLATES.

Page
Costume of the regiment in 1793 _to face_ 1

Colours of the regiment 40

The French Eagle captured at the battle of Barrosa on the
5th of March 1811 50

Costume of the regiment in 1853 74

FOR CANNONS MILITARY RECORDS

_Madeley lith 3, Wellington S^t. Strand._]

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.

[Sidenote: 1793.]

The disturbed state of affairs on the continent of Europe in 1793, particularly in France, arising from the principles of the Revolution in that country, which threatened surrounding nations with universal anarchy, occasioned preparations to be made throughout the several countries, in order to oppose the dangerous doctrines which were then diffused under the specious terms of “Liberty and Equality.”

On the 1st of February 1793, the National Convention of France, after the decapitation of King Louis XVI. on the 21st of the previous month, declared war against Great Britain and Holland. Augmentations were immediately made to the regular army, the militia was embodied, and the British people evinced their loyalty and patriotism by forming volunteer associations, and by making every exertion for the maintenance of monarchical principles, and for the defence of those institutions which had raised their country to a high position among the nations of Europe.

Upwards of fifty regiments of infantry were authorised to be raised, on this emergency, in the several parts of Great Britain and Ireland, by officers and gentlemen possessing local influence, sixteen of which regiments, viz. from the Seventy-eighth to the Ninety-third, continue at this period on the establishment of the army.

Of the officers thus honored with the confidence of their Sovereign and his Government, Lieut.-Colonel John Doyle (afterwards General Sir John Doyle, Bart., and G.C.B.) was selected, to whom a letter of service was addressed on the 18th of September 1793, authorising him to raise a regiment, to consist of ten companies of sixty rank and file in each company. The corps was speedily completed, and was designated the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, or THE PRINCE OF WALES’S IRISH REGIMENT.

The following is a copy of the _Letter of Service_, addressed by the Secretary-at-War to Major John Doyle, on the half-pay of the late One hundred and fifth regiment, dated

“_War Office,_
“_18th September 1793._
“SIR,

“I am commanded to acquaint you, that His Majesty approves of your
raising a regiment of foot, without any allowance of levy money, to
be completed within three months, upon the following terms, viz.:

“The corps is to consist of one company of Grenadiers, one of Light
Infantry, and eight battalion companies. The Grenadier company is
to consist of one captain, two lieutenants, three serjeants, three
corporals, two drummers, two fifers, and fifty-seven private men.
The Light Infantry company of one captain, two lieutenants, three
serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and fifty-seven men;
and each battalion company of one captain, one lieutenant, and
one ensign, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and
fifty-seven private men, together with the usual staff officers,
and with a serjeant-major and quartermaster-serjeant, exclusive of
the serjeants above specified. The captain-lieutenant is (as usual)
included in the number of lieutenants above mentioned.

“The corps is to have one major with a company, and is to be under
your command as major, with a company.

“The pay of the officers is to commence from the dates of their
commissions, and that of the non-commissioned officers and privates
from the dates of their attestations.

“His Majesty is pleased to leave to you the nomination of the
officers of the regiment; but the lieut.-colonel and major are to
be taken from the list of lieut.-colonels or majors on half-pay,
or the major from a captain on full pay. Six of the captains are
to be taken from the half-pay, and the other captain and the
captain-lieutenant from the list of captains or captain-lieutenants
on full pay. All the lieutenants are to be taken from the half-pay;
and the gentlemen recommended for ensigns are not to be under
sixteen years of age.

“No officer, however, is to be taken from the half-pay who received
the difference on going upon the half-pay, nor is any officer
coming from the half-pay to contribute any money towards the levy,
but he may be required to raise such a quota of men as you may
agree upon with him.

“The person to be recommended for quartermaster must not be
proposed for any other commission.

“In case the corps should be reduced after it has been once
established, the officers will be entitled to half-pay.

“No man is to be enlisted above thirty-five years of age, nor
under five feet five inches high. Well-made, growing lads, between
sixteen and eighteen years of age, may be taken at five feet four
inches.

“The recruits are to be engaged without limitation as to the period
or place of their service.

“The non-commissioned officers and privates are to be inspected
by a general officer, who will reject all such as are unfit for
service, or not enlisted in conformity to the terms of this letter.

“In the execution of this service, I take leave to assure you of
every assistance which my office can afford.
“I have, &c., &c.,
(Signed) “GEORGE YONGE.

“_To Major John Doyle, on the half-pay of the late
One hundred and fifth regiment._”

The following officers were appointed to commissions in the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, viz.:—

[Sidenote: 1794.]

_Lieut.-Colonel Commandant_—John Doyle.
_Lieut.-Colonel_—Edward Viscount Dungarvan
(afterwards Earl of Cork).
_Major_—Walter Hovenden.

_Captains._

Honorable George Napier.
Nathaniel Cookman.
Honorable Robert Mead.
Percy Freke.
Richard Thompson.
Howe Hadfield.

_Captain-Lieutenant_—James Magrath.

_Lieutenants._

John Thompson.
William Aug. Blakeney.
John Wilson.
Thomas Clarke.
James Henry Fitz Simon.
William Warren.
William Magrath.
Barton Lodge.

_Ensigns._

Fleming Kells.
William Murray.
John Carrol.
—— Walker.
Benjamin Johnson.
—— Salmon.

_Adjutant_—John L. Brock.
_Surgeon_— —— Hill.
_Quartermaster_—Wm. Thomson.
_Chaplain_—Edw. Berwick.

The effective numbers were quickly recruited, and the regiment was so far formed as to be considered fit to be employed on active continental service. It was consequently embarked in the summer of 1794, as part of a force under Major-General the Earl Moira, and was sent to join the British army in Flanders, under the command of His Royal Highness the Duke of York. While on the march the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment was attacked on the 15th of July 1794, at the outpost of _Alost_, by a strong corps of the enemy’s cavalry, which it repulsed, and for which act of bravery it received the thanks of the general officer in public orders. It is a circumstance worthy of being recorded in the regimental history, that the first individual of the regiment who was wounded, was the Lieut.-Colonel by whom it was raised. In the general orders of the Earl of Moira upon this occasion, “he expressed his admiration of the cool intrepidity with which the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment repulsed an attack from the enemy’s cavalry, at the bridge of Alost, where its commander, Lieut.-Colonel Doyle, received two severe wounds, but would not quit his regiment, until the enemy had given up the attack.” The Duke of York, in his public letter, thus mentioned the affair:—

“_Head-quarters, Cortyke,_
“_15th July 1794._

“Lord Moira speaks highly of the conduct of the officers and men
of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment on this occasion, particularly
of Lieut.-Colonel Doyle, commanding the corps, who was severely
wounded.
(Signed) “FREDERICK.”

[Sidenote: 1795.]

In 1795 the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment was sent into Bergen-op-Zoom to be drilled; but soon after its arrival, the Dutch garrison revolted against the government, opened the gates, and joined the French, who entered with twenty thousand men, and made a capitulation with the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, the only British corps in the town, then commanded by Lord Dungarvan (afterwards Earl of Cork), Lieut.-Colonel Doyle having been sent to England for the recovery of his wounds. The capitulation was however broken by the French, and the EIGHTY-SEVENTH were marched prisoners of war into France.

[Sidenote: 1796.]

The regiment was again filled up, and, with the Tenth foot, and some marines, was sent upon a secret expedition to the North Sea, under the command of Brigadier-General John Doyle, who had been promoted Colonel of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, on the 3rd of May 1796, to co-operate with Admiral (the late Lord) Duncan; but, having been delayed in England until the end of September, the tempestuous weather, usual at that season of the year in those seas, dispersed the ships and small craft by which the troops were to be landed, and put an end to the object of the expedition. The troops returned to England in the ships of war, in which they embarked under the orders of Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton.

On the 14th of October 1796, the regiment embarked for the West Indies.

Spain having united with France in hostility to Great Britain, an expedition under Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B., proceeded against the Spanish island of _Trinidad_, which capitulated on the 18th of February 1797. No men were killed or wounded. Lieutenant R—— Villeneuve, of the Eighth foot, major of brigade to Brigadier-General Hompesch, was the only officer wounded, and he died of his wounds.

[Sidenote: 1797.]

After the reduction of Trinidad, the force (of which the EIGHTY-SEVENTH formed part) destined for the expedition against _Porto Rico_, being assembled, the fleet sailed from Martinique on the 8th of April 1797, and on the 10th arrived at St. Kitt’s, where it remained for a few days. On the 17th the fleet anchored off Congrejos Point, and a landing was effected on the island of Porto Rico on the following day. The troops advanced, when it was perceived that the only point on which the town could be attacked was on the eastern side, where it was defended by the Castle and Lines of St. Christopher, to approach which it was necessary to force a way over the lagoon which formed that side of the island. This passage was strongly defended by two redoubts and gun-boats, and the enemy had destroyed the bridge connecting, in the narrowest channel, the island with the main land. After every effort the British could never sufficiently silence the fire of the enemy, who was likewise entrenched in the rear of these redoubts, to hazard forcing the passage with so small a number of troops. It was next endeavoured to bombard the town from a point to the southward of it, near to a large magazine abandoned by the enemy. This was tried for several days without any great effect, on account of the distance. Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, seeing that no act of vigour, or any combined operation between the sea and land services, could in any manner avail, determined to re-embark the troops, which was effected during the night of the 30th of April. Four Spanish field-pieces were brought off, but not a sick or wounded soldier was left behind, and nothing of any value fell into the hands of the enemy. Sir Ralph Abercromby in his despatch alluded to the troops in the following terms: “The behaviour of the troops has been meritorious; they were patient under labour, regular and orderly in their conduct, and spirited when an opportunity to show it occurred.” The EIGHTY-SEVENTH had two rank and file killed, three wounded, and thirteen missing.

The regiment subsequently proceeded to St. Lucia, which had been captured from the French in May 1796.

[Sidenote: 1798.]

During the year 1798, the regiment remained at St. Lucia.

[Sidenote: 1799.]

In December 1799, the regiment proceeded from St. Lucia to Martinique.

[Sidenote: 1800.]

The regiment was removed, in April 1800, from Martinique to Dominica.

[Sidenote: 1801.]

In April 1801 the regiment embarked from Dominica for Barbadoes, and in August following proceeded to Curaçoa.

[Sidenote: 1802.]

The preliminaries of peace, which had been agreed upon between Great Britain and France in the previous year, were ratified on the 27th of March 1802; but the peace which had been thus concluded was but of short duration. Napoleon Bonaparte, who had been elected First Consul of the French Republic, showed, on several occasions, that he continued to entertain strong feelings of hostility against Great Britain.

During the year 1802, the regiment continued to be stationed at Curaçoa.

[Sidenote: 1803.]

After a few months, during which further provocations took place between the two countries, war was declared against France on the 18th of May 1803. The preparations which had been making in the French ports, the assembling of large bodies of troops on the coast, and the forming of numerous flotillas of gun-boats, justified the British government in adopting the strongest measures of defence, and in calling upon the people for their aid and services. Numerous volunteer associations were formed in all parts of the kingdom in defence of the Sovereign, the laws, and the institutions of the country. The militia was re-embodied, and the regular army was considerably augmented, under the “_Army of Reserve Act_,” as shown in the Appendix, page 97.

The EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked from the island of Curaçoa for England on the 12th of January 1803, on board of the ship “De Ruyter,” which, meeting with tempestuous weather, was obliged to put into Jamaica, from whence it proceeded to Antigua, where it arrived in April 1803. The regiment proceeded to St. Kitt’s in June following.

[Sidenote: 1804.]

On the 28th of July 1804 the regiment embarked from St. Kitt’s, and on the 28th of September following it landed at Plymouth, after a service of eight years in the West Indies, having lost during that period, by the diseases incident to the climate, many officers, and between seven and eight hundred men.

On the 31st of October the regiment embarked, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Sir Edward Butler, from Plymouth, for Guernsey, of which island Major-General Doyle had been appointed to the command and to the Lieutenant-Governorship.

The British Government, having ascertained that the King of Spain had engaged to furnish powerful aid to France, felt itself compelled to consider Spain as an enemy, and accordingly issued orders for intercepting some frigates off Cadiz, which were on their way to France with cargoes of treasure: a declaration of war was consequently issued by the Court of Madrid against Great Britain on the 12th of December 1804.

The establishment of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, which had been authorised to receive men raised in certain counties of Ireland, under the Act of Parliament, dated 14th July 1804, termed the “_Additional Force Act_,” was augmented by a second battalion, of which a distinct account is commenced at page 41.[6]

[Sidenote: 1805.]

On the 10th of March 1805, a detachment, consisting of twenty-eight serjeants, fifteen drummers, and five hundred and twenty-eight rank and file, being drafts from the levy then raising in the county of Mayo by the Honorable H. E. Browne, embarked from Ireland for Guernsey, and joined the first battalion on the 15th of April following, thus considerably augmenting the effective strength of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment.

[Sidenote: 1806.]

On the 2nd of November 1805, the first battalion embarked from Guernsey, and proceeded to Portsmouth.

The first battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment embarked at Portsmouth on the 23rd of July 1806, and proceeded to Plymouth, where it disembarked on the 6th of September following. On the 12th of that month it embarked for South America, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Sir Edward Butler; the effective numbers were, fifty-three serjeants, eighteen drummers, and eight hundred and five rank and file.[7]

[Sidenote: 1807.]

The first battalion arrived in the Rio de la Plata in January 1807, and disembarked on the 16th of that month near _Monte Video_, where it took up a position in advance, protecting the breaching batteries, it having been arranged between Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty and Rear-Admiral Stirling to lay siege to the place. The piquets of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH, under Major Miller, were attacked by the Spaniards, who were defeated with great loss. On the 3rd of February, a practicable breach being made, the troops proceeded to storm the town, which was carried, and the citadel soon afterwards surrendered.

The EIGHTY-SEVENTH, under Lieut.-Colonel Sir Edward Butler, had three officers and sixty men killed, and three officers and eighty men wounded: total, one hundred and forty-six; strength in the field, seven hundred and eighty-eight.

_Killed._

_Captain_—Charles Beaumont.
_Lieutenant_—Hugh Irwine.
_Surgeon_—Wilde.

_Wounded._

_Captain_—John Evans.
” R. McCrea.
_Lieutenant_—W. Boucher.

In the public thanks issued by Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty, the regiment is thus mentioned:—

“The EIGHTY-SEVENTH, under Lieut.-Colonel Sir Edward Butler, were
equally forward; and to their credit, it must be noticed, that
they were posted under the great gate, to rush into the town when
it should be opened by the troops, who entered at the breach; but
their ardour would not allow them to wait; they scaled the walls,
and _opened themselves a passage_.
(Signed) “T. BRADFORD,
“_Dep. Adjutant-General_.”

The EIGHTY-SEVENTH subsequently received the royal authority to bear the words “MONTE VIDEO” on the regimental colour and appointments in commemoration of the gallantry evinced in the capture of that place on the 3rd of February 1807.

On the 10th of May, Lieut.-General Whitelocke having arrived from England with reinforcements, proceeded as Commander-in-chief to prepare for the attack of Buenos Ayres. In a brilliant affair at Colonia on the 7th of June, the light company of the battalion was creditably engaged. On the 18th of June the troops embarked at Monte Video, and on the 28th of the same month landed at _Ensenada da Barragon_, about twenty-eight miles from Buenos Ayres, without firing a shot. Major-General John Levison Gower was the second in command to Lieut.-General Whitelocke, and the EIGHTY-SEVENTH were posted in the right brigade under Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty.

In the assault of _Buenos Ayres_ on the morning of the 5th of July 1807, the EIGHTY-SEVENTH were formed by wings, the right commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir Edward Butler, and the left by Major Miller. The orders were to pierce by the two streets to the right of the Retiro, in performing which (in company with the Thirty-eighth regiment) they suffered very severely. In the course of this service, Lieutenant William Hutchinson, in command of Captain Frederick Desbarres’s company, took two of the enemy’s guns, turned them on the Plazo del Toro, and, after a few rounds, the enemy, to the number of fifteen hundred, surrendered to him. The thanks of Sir Samuel Auchmuty were given to Lieutenant Hutchinson for his gallant conduct upon this occasion. Serjeant Byrne also distinguished himself by his bravery. Twenty-nine pieces of artillery, with a quantity of military stores, were taken. The light company, which was detached from the regiment, was taken prisoners in the convent of St. Domingo, and remained for three days, when it was restored agreeably to the articles of the treaty.

The loss of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH on this occasion was seven officers and eighty men killed, and ten officers and three hundred and twenty men wounded: total, four hundred and seventeen; strength in the field, six hundred and forty-two; remained, two hundred and twenty-five.

_Killed._

_Capt._—David Considine.
” Noblet Johnston.
” Peter Gordon.

_Lieut._—Robert Hamilton.
” Michael Barry.
_Quarterm^r._—Wm. Buchanan.
_Assist.-Surgeon_—Buxton.

_Wounded._

_Major_—Francis Miller.
_Capt._—Alexander Rose.
” Frederick Desbarres.
” Henry Blake.
_Lieut._—James O’Brien.
” Edward Fitzgerald.
” William Crowe.
” Hen. Taylor Budd.
” Robert John Love.
_Ensign_—Godfrey Green.