Chapter III: Part 3

While the French commander was manœuvring, Lord Wellington took advantage of an injudicious movement, and ordered his divisions forward to attack their adversaries, when the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS took ground to their right, passed the village of Arapiles, and advancing in support of the third and fifth divisions, were exposed to a heavy cannonade. The French army, being attacked at the moment it was making a complicated evolution, was unable to withstand the British forces; in a short time, a favourable opportunity for a charge of the heavy cavalry occurred, and the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, were ordered to attack.[10] The bugles sounded; the brigade moved forward, increasing its pace, with Major-General Le Marchant at its head, and a most animated scene presented itself. The din of battle was heard on every side; clouds of dust and rising columns of smoke darkened the air, and enveloped the foaming squadrons as they dashed forward and shook the ground with their trampling hoofs. In front, the glittering bayonets and waving colours of French infantry were dimly seen through the thickened atmosphere; these formidable ranks of war were, in an instant, broken and overthrown by the terrific charge of this brigade; the resolute troopers, mingling with their discomfited antagonists, cut them down with a dreadful carnage, while the British infantry raised shouts of triumph and applause at the success of the cavalry, and numbers of the enemy laid down their arms, and surrendered prisoners of war. Major-General Le Marchant was shot through the body, which terminated the career of that gallant and talented officer; the command of the brigade devolved on the brave Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and the officers and men of the regiment, emulating the heroic fire and energy of their favourite leader, performed deeds of valour worthy the high character of their corps. Having subdued one body of infantry, they continued their career through a wood in their front without waiting to re-form their ranks; another formidable mass of fresh adversaries presented itself; the undaunted heavy horsemen, conscious of their power, flushed with success, stimulated to new energies by seeing Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton Cotton and his staff at their head, rushed forward with reckless fury; though assailed by a volley of musketry, which proved fatal to many, the survivors passed through the curling smoke, scarcely seeming to touch the ground, and the next moment the French column was broken with a dreadful crash. That mass of infantry, a moment before so menacing and conspicuous, was become a confused rabble, while the victorious troopers, exulting in uncontrollable might, trampled down and plunged their horses through the enemy's ranks, sabring their dismayed adversaries, and producing havoc and confusion on every hand.[11] Five guns and more than two thousand prisoners were captured, and a division of French infantry was destroyed; two guns were seized by the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and sent to the rear immediately after they broke through the enemy's ranks. Such were the splendid results of this gallant and dreadful charge, in which the weight, prowess, and daring impetuosity of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, seconded by the light brigade, proved irresistible, and contributed materially in deciding the fortune of a battle in which the French army sustained a decisive overthrow, and eleven guns and two _eagles_ remained in possession of the conquerors. The British commander stated in his public despatch,--"The cavalry, under Sir Stapleton Cotton, made a most gallant and successful charge upon a body of French infantry, which they overthrew and cut to pieces:" Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby was presented with a gold medal for his conduct as commanding officer; and the regiment was afterwards rewarded with the honour of bearing the word SALAMANCA on its standards and appointments. Its loss was Captain Osborne, two serjeants, one corporal, and twelve private men killed; Lieutenant Christie, one serjeant, one corporal, and fourteen private men wounded.

At the Battle of Salamanca, 22nd July, 1812. [_To face page 60._]

The left squadron of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS was attached to Major-General Bock's brigade of heavy German cavalry, and sent in pursuit of the wreck of the French army, which retreated by Alba upon Valladolid; the French rear-guard was overtaken about three leagues beyond _Alba de Tormes_, a sharp engagement ensued, and about nine hundred prisoners were captured.

Colonel the Honourable William Ponsonby, of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, having been appointed to the staff of the army, and to the command of the heavy cavalry brigade, issued the following order on the subject:--

"_Camp near Flores de Avila,_
_25th July, 1812._

"REGIMENTAL ORDERS,

"His Excellency, the commander of the forces, having been pleased
to appoint Colonel Ponsonby to the staff of this army, and to the
distinguished honour of commanding this brigade, Major Prescott
will be pleased to take upon himself the command of the regiment.

"The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS well know how highly Colonel Ponsonby
has always prized the honour of commanding them; and if the pride
he has long felt in the command of a regiment deservedly of such
high character admitted of augmentation, its most gallant and
glorious achievements in the field, as well as its soldier-like
conduct in quarters, since its arrival in this country, could
not fail to enhance it. He assures the officers and men of the
regiment, that it is now with considerable regret he takes his
leave of them as their regimental commanding officer, although
in the course of professional promotion; and he requests Major
Prescott, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and the whole
of the regiment, will accept his warm and sincere thanks for the
past, as well as his heartfelt and anxious good wishes for the
future. May the Fifth Dragoon Guards long continue to be ranked
as second to none in His Majesty's service."

The regiment accompanied the army in the subsequent movements, and in the advance upon the capital of Spain; and it formed part of the personal escort of the Marquis of Wellington when he entered Madrid on the 12th of August; it was formed up at the Segovia-gate, when his lordship received the keys from the municipality. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS entered the city amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants, and occupied quarters there until the 18th of August.

Leaving the metropolis of Spain to engage in operations against the French army, the regiment proceeded to St. Ildefonso, remained there a few days, and afterwards proceeded to the vicinity of _Burgos_, where the enemy was found in position on the 17th of September. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, were ordered to the front, and dispositions were made for the attack; but the French commander withdrew his forces, leaving a strong garrison in the castle of Burgos. This fortress was besieged, and the regiment, forming part of the covering army, was stationed at Villamar, the head quarters of the cavalry. On the 19th of October, the enemy attempted to relieve the besieged, and attacked and carried the village of Quintanapalla; the left wing of infantry and FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, advanced to retake the village, but on the approach of this force the French retreated.

At length, the movements of the superior numbers of the enemy, rendered it necessary for the main army to unite with the forces under Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill, and a retreat was resolved upon. Withdrawing from Burgos with great secrecy on the night of the 21st of October, the army commenced its celebrated retreat to the frontiers of Portugal, which was performed under peculiar difficulties, and in presence of an immense superiority of numbers, with the same signal ability which distinguished all the operations of the British commander, who evinced, on many occasions during this war, the sublimity of military talent.

On the 23rd of October, the army continued its retreat in two columns; the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, covering the retreat of the column from Hormillos; the enemy menaced the rear with an immense force of cavalry, but was unable to make a serious impression, and the British troops bivouacked that night on the hills above Cordovilla. Resuming the march an hour before daylight on the following morning, the column passed the bridge of Cordovilla and crossed the Carrion, covered by Colonel Ponsonby's brigade, and the head quarters were established at Duenas, from whence two squadrons of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS and Third Dragoons were detached, to cover the working parties employed in mining the bridges of Palencia for destruction; but the French advancing in great force gained possession of the bridges in an unbroken state. On the 26th the army resumed its retrograde movement, crossed the Pisuerga at Cabeçon, and occupied that town and its vicinity until the 29th, when it again retired, and, having crossed the Douro, occupied a position beyond that river several days. On the 6th of November the army retreated on Salamanca; on the 15th it resumed its march, and having crossed the Agueda, proceeded into quarters in Portugal. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS halted eight days at Gallegos, in the province of Biera, and afterwards proceeded to Ervidal, where they remained until the 28th of December, and subsequently marched to Goes.

Thus ended this eventful campaign, in which the allied army, after capturing the two important fortresses of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, gaining the glorious victory of Salamanca, and penetrating to the metropolis of Spain, was forced, by the superior number of the enemy's concentrated forces, to return to its former posts. The gigantic power to which the French revolution had given birth was, however, on the eve of being broken; Bonaparte, the tyrant of Europe, had resolved on the fatal expedition to Russia, where he lost a powerful army in the snow, and the victory at Salamanca was the precursor of greater triumphs over the disturbers of christendom. The immense distance marched by the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS during the year 1812, with the scarcity of forage and constant exposure to every description of weather, occasioned the loss of many horses; it has been computed that the regiment marched about two thousand miles within twelve months.

[Sidenote: 1813]

The regiment was again in motion in February, 1813, and having taken post at Viride, in the valley of the Mondego, occupied that station until the middle of April, when it proceeded to Guimarers, and halted there seventeen days.

In May the army commenced operations with a prospect of more splendid results than on any former occasion; and Colonel Ponsonby's brigade, which still consisted of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, traversed the wild and mountainous country of Trasos-Montes, and crossed the Esla on the 26th of May. The enemy, no longer possessing that superiority of numbers by which he had formerly gained so many advantages, abandoned the line of the Douro; Ponsonby's brigade directed its march on Valencia, passed that town, and advanced on Burgos. On the 12th of June, the brigade overtook the enemy's rear-guard on the heights of Estepar, when the Third Dragoons were detached to cut off part of the enemy's force, in which they succeeded, and Captain Miles, of the Fourteenth Dragoons, charging, took some prisoners and one gun. During the succeeding night, the French blew up the castle of Burgos, and retired behind the Ebro. Colonel Ponsonby's brigade moved to the left, and after traversing a romantic tract of country, over mountains and rugged precipices, crossed the Ebro on the 15th of June, and advanced on _Vittoria_, where the enemy concentrated his forces and took up a defensive position.

At day-break, on the morning of the 21st of June, the allied army advanced against the enemy, and the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS supported the columns of attack. The British infantry dislodged their adversaries from the several eminences and strong posts at the point of the bayonet, and being supported and sustained by the cavalry, forced the enemy, after a dreadful slaughter had taken place, to retreat with the loss of his guns, ammunition, and baggage. The cavalry, having been prevented by the nature of the ground from charging during the early part of the day, was enabled to dash forward towards the close of the action, and to complete the rout and discomfiture of the French army. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS had only one man wounded on this occasion. Their gallant bearing throughout the day, procured them the honour of displaying the word VITTORIA on their standards and appointments, and their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Prescott, was rewarded with a gold medal. The brigade continued the pursuit of the enemy on the following day, and on the 27th of June was detached, to endeavour to intercept the retreat of a division of the French army, under General Clausel; but this body of troops escaped to France by the pass of Jaca. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS had advanced to Tafalla, where they remained fourteen days, when, forage becoming scarce, they proceeded to Miranda. In the mean time, the infantry having blockaded Pampeluna, penetrated the Pyrenean mountains. Marshal Soult advanced to relieve Pampeluna, when these celebrated mountains became the scene of several fierce and deadly contests between the English and French infantry, and the cavalry were ordered forward in support. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS left Mirando on the 26th of July, and were formed up at the foot of the Pyrenees during the actions in the mountains towards the end of the month, when the French were defeated and forced to retire with great loss.

The heavy cavalry not being required in the mountain operations of the army, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS marched to Estella, a city of Navarre, where they arrived on the 11th of August, and remained until the 27th of December, when, forage becoming scarce, they proceeded to the plains of Vittoria, and occupied Guérena and adjacent villages.

[Sidenote: 1814]

Towards the end of February, 1814, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS again advanced. After passing through the Pyrenean mountains, they entered France, and followed the route of the French troops retreating on Bayonne. On the 19th of March, the army, under Marshal Soult, was discovered in position near _Tarbes_, when a division of infantry and Major-General Ponsonby's brigade of cavalry were ordered to turn the enemy's right flank at Rabastens, but the French, being thus threatened, retired. Following the rear of the French army, the brigade crossed the Garonne, on a pontoon bridge, at St. Roques, on the 31st of March, and seized the bridge on the Arriege, at Cintagabelle; but the roads were found so bad in this direction, that the troops were recalled, and the pontoon bridge being removed to Grenade, the brigade passed the river on the 4th of April, took post at Grissolles, and placed a strong picquet on the road to Montauban.

In the mean time, the French army had taken up a strong position to cover _Toulouse_, where they were attacked by the allied army on the 10th of April. The infantry attacked the enemy's entrenchments with their usual intrepidity. The cavalry brigade, consisting of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, was commanded on this occasion by Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles Manners; it was employed in supporting the Spanish forces, and, by its firm countenance, it enabled them, after having been thrown into some confusion, to rally and re-form their broken ranks. It also saved the Portuguese guns from being captured by the French, and subsequently supported Lieutenant-General Clinton's division: at length, the enemy was driven from his works, and forced to take shelter in the town. The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS had one corporal killed and Cornet Lucas wounded; and their services on this occasion were rewarded with the honour of bearing the word TOULOUSE on their standards and appointments.

Shortly after this victory hostilities were terminated, by the removal of Buonaparte from the throne of France, and the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty. Thus ended the toils and conflicts of this destructive war, and the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, after traversing kingdoms, enduring privations, and gaining victories, had the gratification of witnessing the restoration of peace. The French forces, after fighting to add province to province, and kingdom to kingdom, to found new empires upon the ruins of conquered states, to subject mankind to the tyranny of a lawless despot, saw their hopes blasted, their conquests wrested from them, their country invaded and subject to the power of foreigners; but the British army, which fought under the immortal Wellington for the good of Europe,--for the welfare of other nations, preserved its own country from the horrors of war, and had the glory of conquering to establish the peace of Christendom.

The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS remained in cantonments until the 1st of June, when, having sent their dismounted men and heavy baggage to Bourdeaux, they commenced their march for Boulogne.[12] This long march, from one extremity of France to another, was performed in the short period of six weeks; and, previous to embarking, Major-General Ponsonby expressed to the three regiments in brigade orders, "the high sense he entertained of their uniformly excellent conduct both in quarters and in the field:" adding, "It is a gratifying circumstance that, during the whole period of service, they have, in no instance, individually or collectively, incurred animadversion in general orders; that no individual of the brigade has been brought before a general court martial; and that not one instance has occurred (to the major-general's knowledge) of interior disagreement in the brigade. With equal truth the major-general can assert, that upon every occasion which has presented itself of acting against the enemy, whether regimentally or in brigade, they have nobly sustained the superiority of the British cavalry, and fully justified the high opinion so repeatedly expressed with regard to them by his Grace the Duke of Wellington. The three regiments will ever have to congratulate themselves on its having fallen to their lot to be the brigade employed in that glorious and effectual charge, which contributed in so eminent a degree to decide the fate of the day at SALAMANCA, and to secure the signal and complete defeat of the French army. It only remains for the major-general to declare his satisfaction at the exemplary conduct of the brigade during the march through France; and he concludes by requesting that Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Charles Manners, Lieutenant-Colonel Prescott, and Major Hugonin, will themselves accept, and have the goodness to communicate to the regiments under their respective commands, his best and warmest thanks for their zealous and steady services during the time he has had the honour of commanding the brigade, together with his earnest and sincere good wishes for their future welfare. He also requests Brigade-Major Hill will accept his best thanks for the zeal and assiduous attention with which he has discharged the duties of his situation."

The FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS embarked at Boulogne on the 17th and 18th of July, landed at Dover on the 19th and 20th, and marched from thence to Woodbridge barracks, where the depôt and heavy baggage joined from Canterbury, and a reduction of two troops was made in the establishment. In October the regiment marched to Ipswich and adjacents.

[Sidenote: 1815]

In April, 1815, "His Royal Highness the Prince Regent was pleased, in the name and on the behalf of His Majesty, to approve of the FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS, being permitted to bear on its standards and appointments (in addition to any other badges or devices which may have been heretofore granted to the regiment), the word 'PENINSULA,' in commemoration of its services during the late war in Portugal, Spain, and France, under the command of Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington."

On the 8th of April, the regiment marched to Nottingham, Coventry, Northampton, and Leicester; and the return of Napoleon Buonaparte to France, in breach of the treaty of 1814, having occasioned a declaration of war, six troops were ordered to be held in readiness for foreign service; but, to the great regret of the officers and men, who panted for another opportunity of signalizing themselves under the Duke of Wellington, the order was subsequently countermanded in consequence of the number of young and untrained horses in the regiment.

In June, the officers and men of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS received the painful intelligence of the fall of Major-General Sir William Ponsonby, G.C.B., at the battle of Waterloo.[13]

In July, the regiment marched to York, Sheffield, Leeds, Huddersfield, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne: in September, the several troops proceeded to Newcastle, in consequence of the riotous conduct of the seamen in the ports of that neighbourhood.

[Sidenote: 1816]

In January, 1816, the regiment occupied Newcastle, York, Carlisle, Penrith, and Whitehaven; during the summer, it proceeded to Ireland, and, arriving at Dublin towards the end of August, remained on duty in that garrison six months.

General Bland died at Isleworth on the 14th of October, 1816; and on the 18th of that month, His Royal Highness Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg of Saalfield, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.H., was appointed Colonel of the FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

[Sidenote: 1817]

The regiment left Ireland in February, 1817, and proceeded to Scotland, where it remained until the autumn; and, on its arrival in England, it occupied Ipswich, Norwich, &c.

THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES died on the 6th of November of this year, but the title of the regiment is continued, in honour of the memory of that amiable Princess.

[Sidenote: 1818]

[Sidenote: 1819]

[Sidenote: 1820]

In July, 1818, the regiment proceeded to York, where the establishment was reduced to fifty men and thirty-four horses per troop; in the summer of 1819, it marched to Birmingham, Coventry, and Wolverhampton; in April, 1820, to Manchester,[14] Oldham, and Ashton; and in August of the same year, to York, Leeds, and Huddersfield.

On the 3rd of September a communication was received from Major-General Sir John Byng commanding the northern district, enclosing a letter from the Military Secretary, wherein it was stated that "His Royal Highness the commander-in-chief approved highly of the general good conduct, loyalty, and steadiness of the regiment, of which favourable report was made to His Royal Highness from all quarters."

[Sidenote: 1821]

In April, 1821, the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS marched to Scotland, and occupied Hamilton, Glasgow, and Paisley: in August the regiment proceeded to Ireland, and was quartered at Belfast, Belturbet, Sligo, Enniskillen, and Dundalk; at the same time a reduction of two troops was made in the establishment, leaving the numbers six troops, of three officers, fifty-five men, and forty-two troop-horses each.

[Sidenote: 1822]

[Sidenote: 1823]

[Sidenote: 1824]

The regiment marched to Porto Bello barracks, Dublin, in July, 1822; from thence to Ballinrobe, Gort, Loughrea, Athlone, Roscommon, and Dunmore, in May, 1823: and in July, 1824, to Dundalk and Belturbet.

[Sidenote: 1825]

The regiment left Ireland in April, 1825, and proceeding to Scotland, was stationed at Glasgow and Hamilton.

[Sidenote: 1826]

Leaving Scotland in the spring of 1826, the regiment proceeded to York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, with a detachment on revenue duty at Beverley. In April the regiment was ordered into the manufacturing districts of Yorkshire, in consequence of some disturbance amongst the operatives, but returned to York in June.

[Sidenote: 1827]

In February, 1827, the regiment proceeded to Leeds, Rochdale, and Sheffield.

[Sidenote: 1828]

[Sidenote: 1829]

In May, 1828, the regiment marched to Dorchester, Weymouth, Troubridge, and Christ Church, with detached parties on coast duty, and in the following summer it proceeded to Canterbury.

[Sidenote: 1830]

Leaving Canterbury in April, 1830, the regiment marched to Coventry and Birmingham. In July of the same year His Majesty, King William IV., was pleased to command that the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS should proceed to Windsor, to undertake the duties usually performed by the household cavalry; and, shortly after their arrival there, they were inspected by Field Marshal Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, when his Royal Highness expressed himself much gratified with the excellent appearance and discipline of his corps.

On the 14th of August the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, commanded by Prince Leopold in person, were reviewed in the barrack square at Windsor, by his Majesty King William IV., accompanied by the Queen and other members of the royal family. His Majesty having made a minute inspection of the regiment, was pleased to express his high approbation of its martial appearance and efficiency: and the officers were then severally presented to the King, by Prince Leopold. After the review their Majesties, with the other members of the royal family and distinguished personages present, partook of a _déjeuné_ prepared by order of Prince Leopold, under tents on the green, and in the officers' mess-room.

His Majesty, accompanied by Lord Hill (the general commanding-in-chief) inspected the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS in the great quadrangle at Windsor Castle, on the 29th of August, and again expressed his royal approbation of their appearance and discipline.

In October of the same year the regiment marched to Maidstone and adjacent places. In the following month the head quarters proceeded to Tunbridge Wells, and, in consequence of the riotous conduct of the agricultural labourers in Sussex, the remainder of the corps was dispersed in various parts of that county. In December the head quarters proceeded to Brighton, and occupied the cavalry barrack at that town during His Majesty's residence at the Royal Pavilion.

[Sidenote: 1831]

Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg having been elected king of the Belgians, resigned the commission of Colonel of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and King William IV. was graciously pleased to confer that appointment on Lieutenant-General Sir John Slade, Bart. G.C.H., by commission, dated 20th July, 1831.

[Sidenote: 1834]

The regiment embarked at Bristol on the 17th April, 1831, and landed at Dublin on the following day. It continued on duty at various stations in Ireland until April, 1834, when it again returned to England, disembarked at Liverpool on the 22d of that month, and was stationed for one year at Manchester.

[Sidenote: 1835]

[Sidenote: 1836]

[Sidenote: 1837]

[Sidenote: 1838]

In May, 1835, the regiment proceeded to Scotland, from whence it returned in the following year, and was stationed at Leeds; in April, 1837, its head-quarters were established at Birmingham; and in May, 1838, at York.

The foregoing pages contain an account of the services of the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS to the termination of the year 1838, and its record bears ample testimony to the zeal and bravery which have been evinced by this distinguished corps on occasions when it has had an opportunity to attest its valour in presence of a foreign enemy.

Its noble and gallant conduct, as a regiment of HORSE, at the battle of the _Boyne_ in 1690;--at the heights of _Schellenberg_;--also at the memorable battle of _Blenheim_, where the French and Bavarian armies were nearly destroyed, and their commander, standards, and colours were captured, in 1704;--its heroic achievements in 1705 at the forcing of the French lines at _Helixem_ and _Neer-Hespen_, where it captured the standards of the Bavarian horse-guards;--the glorious part it took in annihilating one of the finest and best appointed armies France ever brought into the field, at _Ramilies_ in 1706;--its intrepid bearing, as a corps of CUIRASSIERS, in 1708 in the field at _Oudenarde_, and in the action at _Wynendale_;--the valour it displayed in close combat with the French household troops at the sanguinary battle of _Malplaquet_ in 1709;--the ardour it evinced in the movements and skirmishes which led to the capture of the fortress of _Bouchain_ in 1711;--its gallantry as a corps of DRAGOON GUARDS in 1794 at the battle of _Cateau_, where the French commander, many officers and men, and thirty-five pieces of cannon were captured;--its brilliant charge at _Llerena_;--its victorious career on the plains of _Salamanca_ in 1812;--its spirited conduct at Vittoria in 1813;--and at Toulouse in 1814;--the eminent qualities it displayed on these and other occasions, as set forth in the public despatches and national records, afford most honourable proof that the FIFTH REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS has never lost sight of the ancient motto on its standards _Vestigia nulla retrorsum_.

The conduct of the regiment on home, as well as on foreign service, has, on all occasions, been such as to evince its usefulness, efficiency, and constant readiness to support the honour and dignity of the crown, and the prosperity of the country; thus holding forth a bright example to stimulate to good conduct the soldiers of the present and future ages, under all the circumstances of service in which the calls of their sovereign and country may occasion them to be placed.

FOOTNOTES:

[7] Charles Butler, second son of Thomas Earl of Ossory, and grandson of James first Duke of Ormond, was created Earl of the islands of Arran, in the county of Galway, in January, 1694. The Earl of Arran, mentioned at page 7, was the eldest son of William Duke of Hamilton, and obtained his father's title in 1698.

[8] This officer's name is spelt Napper, instead of Napier, in the lists of killed and wounded published at the time; but he is the same officer who was appointed Colonel of the regiment by King George I., on the 27th of May, 1717.

[9] "The Sunday following was appointed for a day of thanks-giving, and after divine service the army drew out to fire a _feu-de-joie_ for the victory. Marshal Tallard and the officers with him were invited to ride out to see the army fire, which they did with much persuasion. Our generals paid Tallard the compliment of riding next the army, and ordered all the officers to salute him. When the firing was over, the Duke of Marlborough asked Tallard how he liked the army; he answered with a shrug, _Very well; but they have had the honour of beating the best troops in the world_. The Duke replied, _What will the world think of the troops that beat them?_"--_Parker's Memoirs._

[10] The following very spirited description of the charge of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and Third and Fourth Dragoons, is copied from Colonel Napier's admirable History of the Peninsular War:--

"While Pakenham, bearing onward with a conquering violence,
was closing on their flank, and the fifth division advancing
with a storm of fire on their front, the interval between
the two attacks was suddenly filled with a whirling cloud of
dust, which moving swiftly forward carried within its womb the
trampling sound of a charging multitude. As it passed the left
of the third division Le Marchant's heavy horsemen, flanked by
Anson's light cavalry, broke forth from it at full speed, and
the next instant twelve hundred French infantry though formed
in several lines were trampled down with a terrible clamour and
disturbance. Bewildered and blinded, they cast away their arms
and ran through the openings of the British squadrons stooping
and demanding quarter, while the dragoons, big men and on big
horses, rode onward smiting with their long glittering swords in
uncontrollable power, and the third division followed at speed,
shouting as the French masses fell in succession before this
dreadful charge."

"Nor were these valiant swordsmen yet exhausted. Their own
general, Le Marchant, and many officers had fallen, but Cotton
and all his staff were at their head, and with ranks confused,
and blended together in one mass, still galloping forward they
sustained from a fresh column an irregular stream of fire which
emptied a hundred saddles; yet with fine courage, and downright
force, the survivors broke through this the third and strongest
body of men that had encountered them, and Lord Edward Somerset,
continuing his course at the head of one squadron, with a happy
perseverance, captured five guns. The French left was entirely
broken, more than two thousand prisoners were taken, the French
light horsemen abandoned that part of the field, and Thomiere's
division no longer existed as a military body. Anson's cavalry,
which had passed quite over the hill, and had suffered little in
the charge, was now joined by D'Urban's troopers, and took the
place of Le Marchant's exhausted men; the heavy German dragoons
followed in reserve, and with the third and fifth divisions and
the guns formed one formidable line two miles in advance of
where Pakenham first attacked, and that impetuous officer with
unmitigated strength still pressed forward spreading terror and
disorder on the enemy's left."

[11] The sixty-sixth French regiment of infantry of the line, was one of the corps which was nearly annihilated, and the staff of the drum-major of that regiment is preserved as a trophy by the FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS, and carried on parades, &c., by the trumpet-major.

[12] While at Boulogne the regiment was inspected by Major-General Sir Henry Fane, who expressed much gratification at its condition after so long a march, and selected a number of horses to be given up to the French government, for the purpose of mounting the royal guard of Louis XVIII.

[13] The Honourable William Ponsonby, (son of Lord Ponsonby,) after holding the commissions of ensign in Captain Bulwer's independent company, lieutenant in Captain Davis's independent company, and captain in the eighty-third regiment, was appointed major in the Loyal Irish Fencibles, in December, 1794: in March, 1798 he was removed to the majority of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and he served with his regiment in Ireland during the rebellion, which broke out in the following summer. On the 1st of January, 1800, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the army; in February, 1803, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel, in the Fifth Dragoon Guards; and on the 25th of July, 1810, he was advanced to the brevet rank of colonel. He commanded the six troops of the Fifth Dragoon Guards on foreign service in 1811, and 1812, and while at the theatre of war he was so conspicuous for a gallant and chivalrous spirit, with cheerful alacrity in moments of peril and privation, united with a kind and benevolent disposition, that he won the affection and esteem of those individuals who had the happiness of becoming acquainted with him, and he was the favourite of the troopers of his regiment. At the battle of Salamanca he led the Fifth Dragoon Guards to the charge with his characteristic zeal and gallantry; after the fall of Major-General Le Marchant he was appointed to the command of the heavy brigade, which he held until the end of the war; and no officer better qualified for that important trust, or one who possessed the confidence of the officers and men in a greater degree, could have been found in the army. He was promoted to the rank of major-general on the 4th of June, 1813; and was afterwards chosen a knight commander of the honourable military order of the Bath. On the recommencement of hostilities in 1815, this distinguished officer was placed on the staff of the army in Belgium, and appointed to the command of the second cavalry brigade, consisting of the Royal, Scots Greys, and Inniskilling dragoons, which corps he led to the charge of the French infantry at the battle of Waterloo with that intrepidity for which he had always been so eminently distinguished. Having cut through the first column, he continued his career against fresh adversaries; while passing through a newly-ploughed field, which was so soft and miry from recent heavy rain that his charger sunk deeply in the soil at every step and became exhausted, he was attacked by a regiment of Polish lancers; being in front of his brigade, no one was near him except one aide-de-camp, and at the moment when his horse was unable to extricate itself, a body of lancers approached him at full speed. His own death he knew was inevitable; but supposing his aide-de-camp might escape, he drew from his bosom the picture of his lady, and was in the act of delivering it and his watch to his attendant, to be conveyed to his wife and family, when the lancers came up, and they were both speared on the spot. Thus fell the brave, the ingenuous Ponsonby, whose death occasioned deep sorrow in the Fifth Dragoon Guards, and the troopers expressed regret that they were not at Waterloo to revenge the death of their former commander, who had led them to battle and to victory. His death is thus alluded to by the Duke of Wellington in his public despatch. "I have received a report that Major-General Sir William Ponsonby is killed; and in announcing this intelligence I have to add the expression of my grief for the fate of an officer who had already rendered very brilliant and important services, and was an ornament to his profession."

[14] _Manchester, August 23d, 1820._

Sir,

Although the Fifth Dragoon Guards were only placed at Manchester as a temporary quarter, I should be wanting in what is due from me to that distinguished corps, did I withhold from you the expression of my admiration of it as a regiment, or from the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, my unqualified approbation of their conduct, and my satisfaction at the readiness and good-will with which they performed all the duties required of them whilst under my orders. I request you will do me the honour to make known these my sentiments to them, with the assurance that it will be ever gratifying to me to hear of their continued welfare and prosperity.

I have &c.

JAMES LYON, Major-General.

_Major Irwin, commanding Fifth Dragoon Guards._

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

FIFTH, OR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF WALES'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS.

CHARLES EARL OF SHREWSBURY,

_Appointed 29th of July, 1685_.

CHARLES TALBOT succeeded, when in the seventh year of his age, to the title of EARL OF SHREWSBURY, on the decease of his father who died on the 16th of March, 1667, of a wound received in a duel with the Duke of Buckingham. In 1681 he was appointed lord-lieutenant of the county of Stafford; and having previously devoted much time to the consideration of the doctrines of Christianity, on the discovery of the Popish plot he abjured the tenets of the church of Rome. He, however, continued steadfast in his loyalty even to a Popish sovereign, and on the breaking out of the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth in June, 1685, he raised a troop of horse for the service of King James II, and in the following month he was appointed colonel of the regiment which now bears the title of FIFTH DRAGOON GUARDS. He soon afterwards discovered that the arbitrary measures of the court were directed to the subversion of the Protestant religion, of which he was become a determined supporter; and having resigned his commission and mortgaged his estate for forty thousand pounds, he proceeded to Holland and made an offer of his sword and purse to the Prince of Orange, provided His Highness would attempt to deliver England from the power of the papists. From this period, until the revolution in 1688, his active mind was engaged in the glorious and patriotic labour of devising plans for the good of his native country, and he was one of the nobles in whom the Prince of Orange placed the greatest confidence, and by whose advice he was principally guided.

When William and Mary were elevated to the throne, the Earl of Shrewsbury was sworn of the Privy Council, and appointed principal Secretary of State; and in April, 1694, he was elected a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and created Marquis of Alton and DUKE OF SHREWSBURY. After devoting himself to the service of his king and country in the important office of principal Secretary of State, for a period of ten years, he sustained a serious injury in the breast, from an unlucky fall of his horse while hunting, which rendered him incapable of attending so closely to business as his office required, and he resigned the seals as Secretary of State, but was shortly afterwards appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Household. This office he resigned in 1700, in order to proceed to a warmer climate, and he resided for a short period at Montpellier in France. After the decease of the King of Spain and the accession of the Duke of Anjou to the throne of that kingdom, he quitted France and proceeded to Geneva, and subsequently crossed the Alps into Italy. After his return to England he was reappointed by Queen Anne to the office of Lord Chamberlain, and in 1712 he was appointed ambassador to the French court to finish the negociations for peace. In 1713 he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; and in the reign of George I. he was a member of the Privy Council and Lord Chamberlain of the Household. He was one of the most accomplished gentlemen of the age in which he lived; was remarkably handsome in person, had an admirable address, was just in his dealings, and distinguished for gallantry among the ladies; but was studious and reserved as a public character. He died at Isleworth on the 1st of February, 1718.

MARMADUKE LORD LANGDALE,

_Appointed 22d January, 1687_.

This nobleman was the son of Sir Marmaduke Langdale of Holme, in Spaldingmore, Yorkshire, who, when the rebellion broke out in the reign of Charles I., raised at his own charge three companies of foot and a troop of horse for the king's service, with which force he defeated a party of Scots at Corbridge in Northumberland. Having been appointed to the command of a body of troops sent by the King from Oxford into Lincolnshire, he defeated Colonel Rosseter; then marching against Fairfax, put him to flight and relieved Pontefract Castle. He subsequently took Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the castle of Carlisle, but being involved in the defeat of the Duke of Hamilton, he was taken prisoner at Preston. Having escaped from confinement he fled to the continent, and in February, 1658, he was elevated to the peerage by the title of BARON LANGDALE of Holme, in Spaldingmore, Yorkshire.

MARMADUKE, second LORD LANGDALE, imbibed from his father strict principles of loyalty and attachment to the crown, and being known to be a faithful adherent to the house of Stuart, he was considered a suitable person to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers, now Fifth Dragoon Guards, at the critical period when the proceedings of the court had alarmed the nation, and commotions were expected to follow; but he was soon afterwards relieved from that charge by an officer of more experience in military affairs, and appointed to the important trust of Governor of Hull. This place he held in the interest of James II. at the Revolution in 1688; but he was surprised and made prisoner by Colonel Copeley, and a party of men who had taken arms and declared for the Prince of Orange. His lordship was not afterwards employed in any public capacity; and he died in 1703.

RICHARD HAMILTON,

_Appointed 15th February, 1687_.

RICHARD HAMILTON was many years in the service of Louis XIV. of France, during the period that monarch was permitted, by King Charles II., to employ an English regiment of horse and one English and one Scots brigade of foot in his service. While engaged in the French wars he acquired the character of a gallant and enterprising officer; and he quitted the service of Louis XIV. when Charles II. demanded the return of his subjects from France in 1678. On the breaking out of Monmouth's rebellion he raised a troop of dragoons for the service of King James II., and was afterwards appointed colonel of one of the regiments of dragoons embodied at that period. After the suppression of the rebellion he was sent with his regiment to Ireland, and being a Papist and an officer of experience, he assisted Tyrconnel in remodelling the Irish army, by dismissing the Protestants and replacing them with Papists. His fame as an officer, and his zeal for his religion, occasioned him to be placed at the head of the Seventh Regiment of Cuirassiers; but the remodelling of the English army was not completed when the Revolution took place, and the Roman Catholic officers and soldiers were placed in confinement. At this period Earl Tyrconnel had given out new commissions for levying thirty thousand men in Ireland, and reports were spread that a general massacre of the Protestants would take place; Richard Hamilton, though a Papist, was believed to be a man of honour, and he was known to have great influence with Tyrconnel, and also with the Irish Papists of all ranks, and having promised either to induce the Lord Lieutenant to resign the government, or to return and give an account of the negotiation, he was released from confinement and sent to Ireland; but on his arrival at Dublin he violated his engagement, and persuaded Tyrconnel to hold Ireland in the interest of King James. This breach of trust was rewarded with the rank of lieutenant-general, and an important post in the Irish army; but he did not long enjoy his new honours,--having been wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of the Boyne. Immediately after he was made prisoner, he was brought into the presence of King William, who put some questions to him respecting the Irish army, which he answered in the affirmative, and added the words _upon my honour_: the King repeated the words _your honour!_ and turned from him, which was all the rebuke His Majesty gave him for his faithless conduct. He remained a prisoner until the termination of the war in Ireland, when he was exchanged for Lord Mountjoy, and proceeding to France, he appears to have passed the remainder of his life in that country.

JOHN COY,

_Appointed 31st December, 1688_.

This officer served a short time with the French army in the reign of Louis XIV., and afterwards commanded a troop in the Duke of Monmouth's regiment of horse, which regiment was disbanded in 1678. In 1680 he raised a troop of horse for service at Tangier in Africa; this fortress being besieged by the forces of the Emperor of Morocco, he proceeded to that country immediately, and distinguished himself in action with the Moors. In 1683 his troop of horse was constituted Royal Dragoons; with which corps he continued to serve, and was engaged at the battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. In 1686 he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of Shrewsbury's Cuirassiers: and at the Revolution in 1688 he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the regiment; with which he served with distinction in Ireland and Flanders. Having become infirm from age and long service, he obtained the King's permission to dispose of his commission, in 1697, to the Earl of Arran; and from this period he led a retired life until his decease.

CHARLES EARL OF ARRAN,

_Appointed 1st July, 1697_.

This nobleman descended from the illustrious family of Butler, so renowned in the past ages for the many valiant, and loyal persons it has produced. He was the second son of Thomas Butler Earl of Ossory, (a nobleman distinguished for deeds of valour, loyalty to his sovereign, and the mild and social virtues which rendered him an ornament to society,) and grandson of the celebrated James, _first_ Duke of Ormond. Having served under King William III. in Ireland and Flanders, where he evinced the same martial spirit and private virtues which had adorned his ancestors, he was elevated to the peerage of Ireland in January, 1693, by the titles of Baron of Cloghgrenan in the Queen's county, Viscount of Tullo in the county of Cutherlough, and EARL OF the islands of ARRAN in the county of Galway; he was also, at the same time, created an English peer by the title of Lord Butler, of Weston, in the county of Huntingdon. On the 16th of February, 1694, he was promoted to the colonelcy of a newly raised regiment of horse (which was disbanded at the peace of Ryswick), and in the summer of 1697 he purchased the colonelcy of the SIXTH HORSE, now Fifth Dragoon Guards. In March, 1703, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Third Troop of Life Guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of gold stick in waiting to Queen Anne; in 1712 Her Majesty constituted him Master-General of the Ordnance in Ireland; and in the following year appointed him Governor of Dover Castle, and Deputy Warden of the Cinque Ports. Soon after the accession of King George I. his Lordship was elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford. After the impeachment of his brother, James, second Duke of Ormond, for high treason, the Earl of Arran quitted the army. In February, 1716, he was constituted Lord High Steward of Westminster: and in 1721 he was permitted, by an Act of Parliament, to purchase his brother's forfeited estates. He died on the 17th of December, 1758, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.

WILLIAM CADOGAN,

_Appointed 2d March, 1703_.