Chapter V: Part 5

In this year, the Union of Scotland with England having taken place, the _Cross of St. Andrew_ was placed on the colours of the English regiments in addition to the Cross of St. George--previously displayed; and the ROYAL Regiment obtained as a regimental badge--the _Royal Cypher_, within the _circle of St. Andrew_, surmounted with _a crown_; instead of St. Andrew's Cross, which it had formerly borne on its colours.

[Sidenote: 1708]

While the regiment was reposing in winter quarters in Flanders, the King of France fitted out a fleet and embarked a body of troops at Dunkirk for the purpose of making a descent on the British coast in favour of the Pretender; and the ROYALS, with the Foot Guards and seven other corps, were ordered to return to England to repel the invaders. The ROYAL Regiment marched from Ghent on the 8th March, 1708 (O.S.), embarked at Ostend on the 15th, and arrived at Tynemouth on the 21st. Meanwhile the French fleet, with the Pretender on board, had sailed from Dunkirk; but being chased by the British men-of-war, the enemy returned to Dunkirk without effecting a landing. The ROYALS were then ordered back to Flanders, and having landed at Ostend on the 20th of April, proceeded in boats along the canal to Ghent.

The regiment remained at Ghent until the 22nd of May, when it took the field and engaged in the general operations of the army, and soon afterwards the French obtained possession of Ghent and Bruges by treachery. A more important advantage was, however, gained on the 11th of July by the allied army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough, who crossed the Scheldt and defeated the French army, commanded by the Duke of Burgundy and Marshal Vendôme, near _Oudenarde_. The ROYALS formed part of the division of twenty battalions commanded by the Duke of Argyle, and having traversed the Scheldt by the pontoon bridge between Oudenarde and the Abbey of Eename, they ascended the heights of Bevere; then, inclining to the right, engaged the enemy in the fields and open grounds beyond the rivulet. A fierce conflict of musketry ensued, and charge succeeded charge, until the shades of evening gathered over the scene of conflict, and the combatants could only be discerned by the flashes of musketry which blazed in the fields and marshy grounds. The French, having been driven from hedge to hedge, and from thicket to thicket, were eventually overpowered. Part of their army being separated from the remainder was nearly surrounded and destroyed, and the work of destruction was continued until the darkness became so intense that it was impossible to distinguish friends from foes, when the troops were ordered to cease firing. Night favoured the enemy; many of the corps, which were nearly surrounded, escaped in the dark, and the wreck of the French army made a precipitate retreat to Ghent, leaving the allies in possession of the field of battle, with many prisoners, standards, colours, and other indisputable marks of victory.

The ROYALS were subsequently employed in covering the siege of _Lisle_, the capital of French Flanders, which was captured by Louis XIV. in 1667, and ceded to France by the treaty of peace in 1668. This city being situated on a plain watered by several streams, and protected by a series of stupendous works constructed under the superintendence of Vauban, the celebrated French engineer, and being defended by a garrison of 15,000 men commanded by the veteran Marshal Boufflers, who was prepared with everything requisite for a protracted defence, the siege was considered an undertaking of great magnitude, and it excited universal attention. The French made strenuous exertions to preserve the place, and an immense body of troops advanced against the covering army, of which the ROYAL Regiment formed a part; but the French Marshals were dismayed by the determined countenance of the allies, and frustrated by the superior tactics of the Duke of Marlborough. The enemy next attempted to cut off the supplies of military stores and provision from the army; and a quantity of stores having been sent from England to Ostend, and there placed in waggons, one battalion of the ROYAL Regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton, was detached from the covering army to protect the stores from Ostend to the camp. This battalion was sent, in the first instance, to Oudenburg, with orders to wait there until the convoy had passed, and afterwards to join the escort at Turout. The waggons left Ostend on the 27th of September, and continued their route towards the army; at the same time the French commanders sent a detachment of 22,000 men under the orders of Count de la Motte to intercept the convoy. After the waggons had proceeded a considerable distance on their way, the battalion of the ROYAL Regiment quitted Oudenburg and proceeded to Turout, where information was received of the movements of the enemy, when the battalion marched with all possible expedition to succour the convoy, and arrived at the wood of _Wynendale_ at the moment when Major-General Webb was forming the few troops he had with him in an opening beyond the wood. The French had to pass through the wood, and Major-General Webb placed a battalion in ambush amongst the trees on each side of the defile, and drew up the main body of his detachment, which consisted of about 8000 men, in an open space at the end of the defile. The French advanced in full confidence to overwhelm a force which did not amount to half their own numbers; but, when passing through the wood, they were assailed by the ambush on their left, which put them in some confusion. They, however, continued to advance and broke through two of the battalions of the allies posted at the end of the defile; but the battalion in ambush on the enemy's right having opened its fire, and the head of their column being attacked, the French were repulsed and driven back through the wood. They soon rallied and returned to the attack, and were again assailed by a destructive fire in front and on both flanks, and they shrunk back in dismay. The attack was repeated, and the destructive cross fire was again opened with the same results; and Count de la Motte, being unable to induce his men to return to the charge, he was forced to relinquish the contest and retire. At this moment Lieut.-General Cadogan arrived with a few squadrons of cavalry, and the convoy was conducted in safety to the army. This gallant exploit excited great admiration, and Major-General Webb was honoured with the thanks of parliament, and the approbation of the Queen, for his conduct on this occasion.

The ROYAL Regiment continued to form part of the covering army, and was employed in several services connected with the procuring of provision and stores for the besieging troops. In November, the Elector of Bavaria besieged Brussels, and the ROYALS formed part of the force which advanced to relieve the place. The strong positions of the enemy behind the _Scheldt_ were forced on the 27th of November; and when the troops advanced upon Brussels, the Elector of Bavaria raised the siege, and made a precipitate retreat.

The citadel of Lisle, being vigorously pressed, surrendered on the 9th of December. The period for military operations had passed away; but notwithstanding the lateness of the season the Duke of Marlborough resolved to besiege _Ghent_, and the ROYAL Regiment was one of the corps selected for this service. An attack was made on the out-posts of the town on the night of the 24th of December, when a detachment of the ROYALS formed part of the forlorn-hope, and had several men killed and wounded. The trenches were opened during the same night, and the siege being prosecuted with spirit and vigour, the garrison surrendered on the 2nd of January, 1709. Bruges was also vacated by the French; and the ROYAL Regiment, having marched into Ghent when that city was delivered up, remained there during the winter.

[Sidenote: 1709]

The regiment, having reposed for a few months in convenient quarters, and obtained a body of fine recruits from Scotland, advanced from Bruges to the plain of Lisle, and was afterwards encamped with the army on the banks of the Upper Dyle. The French had constructed a new line of entrenchments and forts: the allies advanced with the apparent design of attacking the enemy, when Marshal Villars drew a number of troops out of the neighbouring garrisons, and prepared to make a determined resistance. This was what the Duke of Marlborough wished; and no sooner had a considerable detachment of French troops quitted the garrison of _Tournay_, than the allies struck their tents, marched to the left, and invested the town. Both battalions of the ROYAL Regiment were in the besieging army, and took an active part in the several attacks on the works, and in repulsing the sallies of the garrison. On the 29th of July, while preparations were making to attack the town by storm, the governor surrendered. The citadel still held out; but five British regiments, which had not taken part in the siege of the town, were selected for the siege of the citadel, and the ROYAL Regiment joined the covering army.

During the period the siege of the citadel of Tournay was in progress, Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney was detached, with the grenadier companies of the ROYAL and several other regiments, and twenty squadrons of cavalry, towards St. Ghislain, to seize on certain passes, and to facilitate the subsequent operations of the campaign; and the citadel having surrendered on the 3rd of September, the army afterwards proceeded towards Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault, which the allies intended to besiege. While the troops were on the march, Marshal Villars made several movements with the view to prevent the loss of Mons; and on the 10th of September the French army was in position in front of Taisniere and the hamlet of _Malplaquet_, and having thrown up entrenchments and constructed _abatis de bois_ and other defences, until their camp resembled a fortified citadel, they there awaited the attack of the allies.

At three o'clock on the morning of the 11th September, the forces of the several nations which composed the army commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, were under arms. The two battalions of the ROYAL Regiment appeared on parade on the ground where they had passed the night, and divine service was performed by the chaplain. The French camp was a short distance in front; but a thick mist overspread the woods and open grounds, and concealed the armies from each other. Under cover of the fog, the artillery was brought forward, and dispositions made for the attack: the French heard the din of hostile preparations, and seized their weapons, and two powerful armies, headed by commanders of renown, stood arrayed against each other. The troops of both armies had confidence in their leaders, and were anxious for the combat; the one to acquire new laurels under their favourite chiefs, and the other to retrieve the disasters of eight successive campaigns. The fog lingered on the ground until about half-past seven, when the sun broke forth. The fire of the artillery instantly opened on both sides, and the columns of attack moved forward, and commenced one of the most sanguinary and hard-contested battles on record, in which there was a greater sacrifice of life than at the battles of Blenheim, Ramilies, and Oudenarde, put together. "It is impossible to express the violence of the fire on either side. Besides the enemy's advantageous situation, they defended themselves like brave men, and made all the resistance that could be expected from the best of troops; but then nothing could be a finer sight than to see our foot surmount so many obstacles, resist so great a fire, force the enemy's entrenchments, beat them from thence, and drive them quite out of the wood, and after all, to draw up in good order of battle on the plain, in sight of our enemies, and before their third entrenchments[90]."

The ROYALS formed part of the division commanded by General Count Lottum, and were engaged in the assault of the entrenchments in the wood of Taisniere. Two battalions of Foot Guards led the attack, and, having overcome several local difficulties, they commenced ascending the enemy's breastwork, but were repulsed and driven back. The ROYALS seconded the Foot Guards; Argyle's regiment (3rd Buffs), and several other corps, prolonged the attack to the left; and these troops, rushing forward with the native energy and resolution of Britons, forced the entrenchments in gallant style, and the French fell back fighting and retreating into the woods. The ROYALS, and other corps, pressed forward: the trees and foliage being thick, the ranks were broken; every tree was disputed, and the wood echoed the turmoil of battle on every side.

When the fighting in the wood of Taisniere, where the ROYALS were engaged, had assumed the character of a series of skirmishes, a most sanguinary conflict was raging in other parts of the field, particularly in the centre, where the Prince of Orange led the Dutch infantry against the enemy's treble entrenchments, and at the points of attack allotted to the Germans. Eventually the enemy's position was broken, and a conflict of cavalry ensued, in which the allies proved victorious. Meanwhile the ROYALS, and other corps engaged in the woods, continued to gain ground, and the French were forced to retreat. The allies captured a number of prisoners, colours, standards, and cannon; but this victory was purchased at an immense expense of human life, especially of Germans and Dutch. The ROYALS having fought a great part of the day in the wood, where the men were partly covered by the trees, the regiment did not sustain a very severe loss. Lieutenant Haley and a few private men were killed; and Lieutenants J. Stratton, Dixon, and W. Stratton, were wounded[91].

The victory at Malplaquet was followed by the siege and capture of _Mons_, which was terminated by the surrender of the garrison on the 20th of October. The ROYALS formed part of the covering army during the siege, and afterwards marched back to Ghent.

[Sidenote: 1710]

The regiment having passed the winter in its former quarters, quitted Ghent on the 14th of April, 1710, and directing its march towards the frontiers of France, arrived at the rendezvous of the army, in the vicinity of Tournay, on the 19th of that month. The allies, by a forced march, succeeded in passing the French lines at Pont-a-Verdun without opposition, and invested _Douay_. The ROYALS formed part of the covering army during the siege. The French army advanced and menaced the allies with an attack, but retreated after a sharp cannonade, and Douay surrendered on the 27th of June.

After the capture of Douay, the ROYALS marched in the direction of Aubigny, and formed part of the covering army encamped at Villers-Brulin during the siege of _Bethune_. This place having surrendered on the 28th of August, the ROYALS were afterwards detached from the main army, and sent under the command of the Prince of Anhault, to besiege the town of _Aire_, which is situated on the banks of the river Lys. The governor of this place made a vigorous defence; and the regiment was sharply engaged several times in carrying on the attacks and storming the outworks, and had a number of men killed and wounded. The garrison having surrendered on the 9th of November, the regiment afterwards marched back to its former winter-quarters at Ghent, where it arrived on the 23rd of November.

[Sidenote: 1711]

The ROYALS again took the field towards the end of April, 1711, and, advancing up the country, joined the army near Douay, and were reviewed with the remainder of the British infantry, on the 8th of June, by the Duke of Marlborough, at the camp at Warde. On the 14th the army advanced to the plains of Lens. The enemy had thrown up a new line of entrenchments; and the French army, commanded by Marshal Villars, was posted behind these formidable works, which were deemed impregnable. But the British commander, by menacing the enemy's left, occasioned the French troops to be drawn to that quarter; then, by a forced march, passed the lines at an unguarded part at _Arleux_, and afterwards invested _Bouchain_, a fortified town of Hainault, situated on both sides of the river Scheldt. The ROYALS formed part of a division of twenty battalions, commanded by Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney, which took post on the north and north-west side of the town and river.

The French, by a night march, gained possession of the heights of Wavrechin, from whence they expected to be able to relieve the town; and the ROYALS formed part of a division of infantry which advanced to dislodge the enemy; but the position was found too formidable to be attacked, and the regiment retired without firing a shot. During the night a series of works was constructed; a causeway was also made through the deep inundations which the enemy had, by means of sluices on the river, caused to overflow the low grounds near the town; and thus Bouchain was completely invested, and all communication with the troops on the heights of Wavrechin cut off. The siege was then prosecuted with vigour, and the ROYALS took their turn of duty in the trenches, and in carrying on the attacks, and had several men killed and wounded. The total loss of the British troops in this siege was 1,154 officers and men killed and wounded. The garrison agreed to surrender on the 13th of September. The ROYALS remained at Bouchain until the works were repaired, and afterwards went into quarters for the winter.

[Sidenote: 1712]

In the early part of April, 1712, the regiment once more took the field, and on the 19th of that month pitched its tents near Tournay, where the Duke of Ormond arrived on the 9th of May, and took command of the army, the Duke of Marlborough having, for a political cause, been removed from his military appointments.

On the 19th of May the army advanced, and on the 21st encamped on the hills of St. Denis, near Bouchain; thence proceeding across the Scheldt, arrived a few days afterwards near the frontiers of France; and the two grenadier companies of the ROYAL Regiment, forming part of a reconnoitring party, advanced a few miles into Picardy.

The siege of _Quesnoy_ was afterwards undertaken, and the ROYAL Regiment, forming part of the covering army, was encamped at Cateau-Cambresis; but was not engaged in any act of direct hostility. The garrison surrendered on the 4th of July; and soon afterwards the Duke of Ormond having received orders to proclaim a suspension of arms between the British and French, preparatory to a general treaty of peace, the British troops retreated from the frontiers of France to Ghent.

The French monarch having agreed to deliver the city of Dunkirk into the hands of the British as a pledge of his sincerity in the negociations for peace, it was taken possession of by six battalions from England; and on the 4th of August, the ROYALS, with four other British regiments, twenty pieces of cannon, and four mortars, under the command of Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney, marched from the camp near Ghent to Dunkirk, where they arrived on the 6th, and the regiment remained in garrison in this city nearly two years.

[Sidenote: 1713]

[Sidenote: 1714]

A treaty of peace having been concluded at Utrecht, the British troops were ordered to return from Flanders. Several regiments embarked in the spring of 1714; the ROYALS marched from Dunkirk, in May, to Nieuport, where they remained until after the decease of Queen Anne and the accession of King George I., which occurred on the 1st of August, 1714. The first battalion embarked a few days after this event, and landed--seven companies at Dover, and five at Greenwich and Deptford--on the 15th of August; and the second battalion landed at Gravesend and the borough of Southwark on the 22nd of that month. Both battalions assembled in the vicinity of London, and having been reviewed by the Duke of Ormond, afterwards proceeded into garrison at Portsmouth and Plymouth.[92] At the same time a reduction of four companies took place, and the establishment of each battalion was fixed at 10 companies, of 3 officers, 2 serjeants, 2 corporals, 1 drummer, and 36 private men each[93].

[Sidenote: 1715]

After the arrival of King George I. from Hanover, the Protestant succession to the throne appearing to be peacefully established, the ROYALS were ordered to proceed to Ireland, where the presence of a considerable military force was deemed necessary to restrain the Roman Catholics from taking arms in favour of the Pretender. The regiment was accordingly relieved from garrison duty at Portsmouth and Plymouth by the Third Foot Guards, in March, 1715, and proceeded to Chester, where both battalions embarked for Dublin.

[Sidenote: 1716]

[Sidenote: 1717]

[Sidenote: 1727]

[Sidenote: 1728]

During the remainder of the reign of George I. and the early part of the reign of George II. the regiment was stationed in Ireland. In 1717 its establishment was fixed at 22 companies, of 3 officers, 2 serjeants, 2 corporals, 1 drummer, and 38 private men each; and the expense of the regiment was estimated at £16,710 18_s._ 4_d._ per annum. Thus it continued for several years; but in 1727, when 10,000 men were held in readiness to embark for Holland to assist the Dutch in the war with Austria, an augmentation of 20 serjeants, 20 corporals, 20 drummers, and 500 men, was added to the establishment; no embarkation, however, took place, and the regiment was afterwards placed upon a peace establishment.

[Sidenote: 1737]

In January, 1737, Field Marshal the Earl of Orkney, who had commanded the ROYALS nearly 45 years, and had often led the regiment to battle and to victory, died in London; and in June King George II. conferred the Colonelcy on the Honorable James St. Clair, from the 22nd Regiment of Foot.

[Sidenote: 1740]

The death of Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, having occurred in the autumn of 1740, the succession of the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, as Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, was disputed by the Elector of Bavaria, and immediate signs of war appearing, an augmentation was made to the strength of the ROYAL Regiment; and its establishment was increased to 1628 officers and men.

[Sidenote: 1741]

[Sidenote: 2nd Batt.]

[Sidenote: 1742]

[Sidenote: 1743]

Previous to this period both battalions had usually been employed at the same station: they were considered as one corps, and few instances occurred of their being engaged in separate services, even for short periods; but on the 21st of October, 1741, while the first battalion remained in Ireland, the second battalion, having been placed on the English establishment, embarked at Cork for the West Indies. It however remained in the West Indies only a few months, and arrived in England in December, 1742, together with the 6th, 15th, and 24th regiments[94]. In the following year it returned to Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1st Batt.]

In the meantime, the French having taken part with the Elector of Bavaria against the Archduchess Maria-Theresa, a British force had been sent to Flanders to co-operate with the Austrians; and in the spring of 1743 the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment was ordered to proceed from Ireland to Flanders to join the army. It accordingly embarked from Ireland, and on its arrival at Ostend, in June, took charge, together with three other regiments, of the clothing for the army which had marched from Flanders to Germany. From Ostend the ROYALS marched with the clothing to Brussels, where they arrived on the 10th of July; thence, continuing their route for Germany, passed the Maese on the 14th and joined the army at Hanau, a few days after King George II. had gained a victory over the French at Dettingen. The ROYALS were afterwards engaged in operations in the west of Germany, but returned to the Netherlands in the autumn.

[Sidenote: 1744]

During the following year the first battalion of the ROYALS formed part of the army commanded by Field Marshal Wade, and was employed in several operations in the Netherlands; but no general engagement occurred.

[Sidenote: 1745]

In the spring of 1745 the French besieged Tournay; and the ROYALS formed part of the army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, who advanced to the relief of the town. The French took up a position near the village of _Fontenoy_ to cover the siege; and the Duke of Cumberland, though inferior to the enemy in numbers, resolved to attack the position. The army accordingly advanced to the vicinity of Tournay, drove in the French out-posts on the 10th of May, and on the morning of the following day moved from its camp-ground to attack the enemy. Having passed through some narrow defiles and broken ground, the troops deployed on the plain in front of the enemy, and the British infantry commenced the attack with a spirit and resolution which overcame all opposition. But the Dutch having failed in their attack on the village of Fontenoy, and a brigade of infantry ordered to storm a battery above Vezont having delayed its attack, the British infantry, which had forced the French lines, were exposed to a dreadful cross-fire, and were ordered to retire. A second attack was afterwards made, with similar results: the cavalry advanced to charge; but the failure of the Dutch on Fontenoy, and the delay of the brigade detached against the flank battery at Vezont, rendered a retreat necessary; and the army withdrew from the field of battle, and halted that night under the cannon of Aeth. Although the attack failed, yet the army succeeded in impressing the French with a sense of British valour and magnanimity, and the honour of the British arms was preserved untarnished. The loss on both sides was nearly equal; that of the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment was 2 serjeants and 85 rank and file killed; with Captains Thompson and Edmonstone, Lieutenants Cockburn, Nairn, Elliott, Abernethy, and Grant, Ensign Jones, 5 serjeants, and 178 rank and file, wounded; also 8 rank and file missing.

The ROYALS were subsequently encamped with the army on the plain of Lessines, from whence they retired to Grammont, and afterwards occupied a position near Brussels to cover Dutch Brabant; but the French, by means of their immense superiority of numbers, captured several towns in the Austrian Netherlands. In the autumn the army went into winter quarters.

Meanwhile Charles-Edward, the eldest son of the Pretender, being encouraged by several chiefs of the Highland clans, who were disaffected to the Protestant succession, landed on the western coast of Scotland, and was soon joined by a number of hardy mountaineers, with whom he advanced to Edinburgh, and obtained possession of that city. This success of the young Pretender occasioned the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment to be withdrawn from the Netherlands, and it arrived in the Thames on the 25th of October. It was afterwards ordered to form part of the army assembled in the south of England to oppose the threatened descent of the French.

[Sidenote: 2nd Batt.]

[Sidenote: 1746]

In the meantime the second battalion, having embarked from Dublin on the 30th of September, 1745, had arrived in England, and formed part of the army under Field Marshal Wade, assembled in order to prevent the advance of the Highlanders into England. The rebels, however, succeeded in eluding the vigilance of the King's troops, and penetrated as far as Derby. The second battalion of the ROYAL Regiment was at this time in Yorkshire; and when the young Pretender, being disappointed of the expected aid in England, was forced to make a precipitate retreat to Scotland, this battalion marched in pursuit of the rebels, and arrived at Newcastle-on-Tyne on the 24th of December. From Newcastle this battalion marched to Edinburgh, where it arrived in the early part of January, 1746, and was placed under the command of Lieut.-General Hawley.

The young Pretender had, in the meantime, been joined by some new levies, and having procured a supply of artillery and ammunition, he occupied the town of Stirling and commenced the siege of the Castle. A few regiments having been assembled at Edinburgh, one division, commanded by Major-General Huske, advanced on the 13th of January and drove a party of rebels out of Linlithgow; another division advanced to Barroustouness, and on the 16th the whole proceeded to _Falkirk_ and encamped near the town. On the 17th, about mid-day, the rebel army was discovered advancing towards the high grounds on Falkirk Moor; the King's troops quitted their camp and marched through the broken and rugged grounds towards the enemy, and between three and four in the afternoon the action commenced. But at this moment a tremendous storm of wind and rain beat in the faces of the King's troops and nearly blinded them, and their muskets became so wet that the soldiers could not fire. At the same time the storm beating on the backs of the Highlanders caused them little annoyance, and they charged their nearly blinded antagonists under such advantageous circumstances, that several regiments were instantly broken and driven from the ground. The reserve, however, stood firm, and the ROYALS having rallied, joined these troops under Major-General Huske. This body of troops made a resolute stand; the storm had abated a little, and when the Highlanders attempted to charge the reserve, they were assailed by a shower of bullets, which caused them to shrink back; and they were eventually driven up the hill with precipitation. This division, of which the ROYALS formed part, maintained its ground to the last, and remained on the field until dark, when no enemy being in sight, and the night being cold and stormy, the troops retired from the Moor to their camp, and afterwards to Linlithgow, where the soldiers, who were all dripping wet and nearly exhausted, were put under cover, and on the following day they marched to Edinburgh.

Additional forces were afterwards sent to Scotland; the Duke of Cumberland arrived at Edinburgh and took the command; and on the 31st of January the troops were again in motion towards the Highlanders, who raised the siege of Stirling Castle and made a precipitate retreat for Inverness, and one division for the Highlands.

The second battalion of the ROYAL Regiment also took part in the several movements which preceded the battle of _Culloden_, which was fought on the 16th of April, on Culloden Moor, a few miles from Inverness. The army had advanced on the 14th to the Royal burgh of Nairn, about 16 miles from Inverness. During the night between the 15th and 16th of April, the Pretender attempted, by a forced march, to surprise the Royal camp, but the out-posts were found alert and the surprise impracticable, and he retreated towards Inverness, and halted on Culloden Moor. On the following day the King's army was discovered advancing in order of battle, with the second battalion of the ROYAL Regiment on the right of the first line, commanded by Lieut.-General the Earl of Albemarle. The action commenced between twelve and one, and in less than one hour the rebel army was overpowered and chased from the Moor with dreadful slaughter. This victory was decisive. The young Pretender fled from the field, and after wandering for some time in disguise amongst the isles and mountains, he escaped to France. The ROYALS, after returning from the pursuit of the fugitive Highlanders, pitched their tents near Inverness, where they remained for several weeks, and afterwards marched to Perth.

[Sidenote: 1st Batt.]

The rebellion being thus finally suppressed, part of the forces in England became disposable for other services; and the nation being at war with France, an attack on the French possessions in Canada was meditated; and the first battalion of the ROYAL Regiment, being at this period in the south of England, was selected to form part of the expedition, under its Colonel, Lieut.-General the Hon. James St. Clair, which was accompanied by a naval force under Admiral Lestock. The fleet was, however, detained so long by contrary winds that the attack on Canada was deferred, and an attempt on _L'Orient_, a considerable sea-port on the north-west of France, and the principal station for the French East India Company's shipping and stores, was resolved upon. The expedition sailed from Plymouth on the 14th of September, and on the 20th a landing was effected in Quimperle Bay, and a body of French troops were driven from the shore. On the following day the troops advanced in two columns towards L'Orient, the ROYALS being in the right column; some French militia fired upon the troops from the woods, but a few skirmishers were thrown out, and the militia were driven back. On arriving at Plemur the leading companies of the column entering the village were fired upon from the houses; but this resistance was speedily overcome, and the villagers were punished for their temerity. On the 22nd the troops appeared before L'Orient, when the governor sent a flag of truce, and proposed to surrender the town on certain conditions. These conditions were, however, considered too favourable to the French, and they were rejected in consequence of a report of the engineers stating the practicability of reducing the town. The siege was immediately commenced, the sallies of the garrison were repulsed, and the town was set on fire in three places by the bombs; but the expedition proved of insufficient force for the capture of the town, and the siege was raised on the evening of the 26th. The roads being bad, four pieces of cannon, one mortar, and some ammunition, were left behind; and the troops retreated to Quimperle Bay and re-embarked without opposition.

In the early part of October another descent was made on the French coast. The troops effected a landing on the peninsula of _Quiberon_, and Lieut.-General St. Clair, at the head of the ROYALS and 42nd Highlanders, took a fort with 18 guns, and having fortified the isthmus the troops were cantoned in the villages and farm-houses. The forts and guns in the peninsula, with those in the isles of Houat and Hedic, having been destroyed, and the country laid in ruins, the troops re-embarked and returned to England.

[Sidenote: 1747]

The war had, in the meantime, continued to rage in the Netherlands, and the French, having reduced the Austrian provinces, advanced, in April, 1747, into Dutch Flanders, and captured Sluys and Sas van Ghent, and besieged Hulst. The 1st battalion of the Royal Regiment had, in the meantime, proceeded to Holland, and was in cantonments in the province of Zealand, from whence it was detached, with Bragg's (28th) and Lord John Murray's Highland (42nd) Regiments, under the command of Major-General Fuller, to the relief of _Hulst_, and, having landed at Stapledyke on the 1st of May, was employed in the defence of an outwork called _Fort Sandberg_. On the 3rd of May the French attacked Sandberg by storm; the Dutch made a gallant resistance, and, on the advance of the British brigade, the enemy was driven back. On the 5th the ROYALS were on duty in the fort, and the French, having carried the sap along the dyke to within a few paces of the pallisades, attacked the place by storm about nine o'clock in the evening. The assailants advanced with all the spirit and fury which usually distinguishes the first attack of the French; the out-guards and piquets were instantly forced back into the garrison, and a Dutch regiment was disconcerted and gave way. The enemy continued his triumphant career until he encountered the ROYALS, when a most sanguinary conflict of musketry ensued, which was kept up throughout the night. "The narrowness of the ground in which the battalion was drawn up would not admit of wheeling outwards to the right and left, as is requisite in common street-firing, as it contained only a platoon abreast; so the first platoon fired their 24 rounds, and then filed off man by man, and were succeeded by the next and following platoons, which acted in the same manner; and what is extraordinary, all this, though in the night, was performed without any disorder and confusion."[95]

The morning light had already dawned upon this scene of conflict and carnage,--between three and four hundred officers and men of the ROYALS were _hors de combat_; yet the survivors,--though standing amidst the dying and the dead, and being unable to take one step without treading on a killed or wounded man,--maintained their ground with resolution, and continued to pour their fatal volleys upon the enemy, who had sustained an equal or greater loss, until five o'clock, when the ROYALS were relieved by the Highlanders; and the French, dismayed by the sanguinary tenacity of the defence, retreated.[96] In this desperate service Major Sir Charles Erskine was killed; Lieut.-Colonel Abercrombie, Lieutenants Forbes, Grant, Gordon, and Rutherford, with Ensigns Campbell and St. Clair, were wounded; and several of these officers afterwards died of their wounds: the battalion had also about four hundred non-commissioned officers and private men killed and wounded.[97]

The fire of the French batteries being resumed with increased fury, Fort Sandberg was rendered untenable a few days afterwards, and the Dutch governor, General La Roque, having resolved to vacate the Fort and surrender the town of Hulst, the British brigade proceeded to Welshorden, where it was attacked by the French; but, having repulsed the enemy, it embarked in small vessels, and, sailing to South Beveland, went into cantonments on that island. The ROYALS appear to have remained in South Beveland some time, and they did not engage in any other military operation this year.

[Sidenote: 1748]

[Sidenote: 2nd Batt.]

In the spring of 1748 the 2nd battalion of the ROYAL

Regiment, having been withdrawn from Scotland, embarked for Holland, and joined the allied army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland, at the camp near Ruremonde. Preliminary articles for a treaty of peace having been agreed upon, a suspension of arms took place.

[Sidenote: 1749]

[Sidenote: Both Batts.]

After the conclusion of the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, the British troops were withdrawn from Holland, and both battalions of the ROYAL Regiment proceeded to Ireland, and were placed upon the Irish Establishment in 1749.

[Sidenote: 1751]

On the 1st of July, 1751, a warrant was issued under the sign manual for regulating the standards, colours, and clothing of the army, in which numerical titles were given to the several corps, and this was styled the "FIRST, OR ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT." The rank of the several regiments was first established by a board of general officers assembled in the Netherlands, by command of King William, on the 10th of June, 1694; another board of general officers was assembled by Queen Anne in 1713, to decide on the rank and seniority of regiments raised after 1694; and a third board was assembled by command of King George I. in 1715, on the same subject. These boards decided that English regiments raised in England should take rank from the date of their formation, and Scots and Irish regiments, with English regiments raised for the service of a foreign power, should take rank from the date of their being first placed on the English establishment. Thus the ROYAL Regiment obtained rank from 1661, as before stated.

In the warrant of 1751 the facing of the ROYALS is directed to be BLUE.[98] "In the centre of their colours the King's cypher, within the circle of St. Andrew, and the crown over it; in the three corners of the second colour, the thistle and crown. The distinction of the colours of the second battalion is, a flaming ray of gold descending from the upper corner of each colour towards the centre.[99]

"On the grenadier caps the same device as in the centre of the colours, white horse, and the King's motto over it, on the little flap.

"The drums and bells of arms to have the same device painted on them, with the number or rank of the regiment under it."

[Sidenote: 1755]

Both battalions remained in Ireland until the undetermined limits of the British territory in North America gave rise to another war. The colonies on the coast had extended themselves on every side, while the Indian trade drew many wandering dealers into the inland country, where they found well-watered plains, a delightful climate, and a fruitful soil. These advantages appearing to compensate for the distance from the sea, a company of merchants and planters obtained a charter for a tract of land beyond the Allegany Mountains and near the river Ohio, and commenced establishing a settlement. The French laid claim to this part of the country, drove away the new settlers, and built a strong fort called Du Quesne, to command the entrance into the country on the Ohio and Mississippi. Another dispute had, in the meantime, occurred respecting Nova Scotia.

[Sidenote: 1757]

[Sidenote: 2nd Batt.]

These aggressions on the part of the French occasioned a body of British troops to be sent to North America in 1755. War was declared against France in 1756; and in May, 1757, the 2nd battalion of the ROYALS embarked at Cork, and proceeded with the 17th, 27th, 28th, 43rd, 46th, 55th, and 58th regiments to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, where they arrived in the early part of July, being designed to form part of an expedition under the Earl of Loudoun against an island belonging to the French in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, called _Cape Breton_. On arriving at Halifax the ROYALS were landed and formed in brigade with the 28th, 44th, and 55th regiments, commanded by Major-General Hopson; and the expedition was deferred until the succeeding year.

[Sidenote: 1758]

In May, 1758, the troops were again embarked, and sailed under the orders of Lieut.-General Amherst (afterwards Lord Amherst)--the naval force being under Admiral Boscawen; but owing to the unfavourable state of the weather a landing could not be effected on the island until the 8th of June, when the troops proceeded in boats towards the shore in three divisions. The ROYALS, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Forster, formed part of the right division under Brigadier-General Whiteman, which proceeded towards White Point to make a diversion, while the men of the centre division, led by the gallant Brigadier-General James Wolfe, jumped into the water, in the face of a tremendous fire of cannon and musketry, hastened to the shore, attacked the French with fixed bayonets, and drove them from their posts in gallant style. The other divisions followed; but the surf was so high that several boats were overset, others were dashed to pieces, and many men were drowned.

The siege of _Louisburg_, the capital of the island, was afterwards commenced; and in carrying on the approaches the troops underwent great fatigues with a cheerful alacrity which redounded to their honour. By their meritorious perseverance, and the co-operation of the fleet, the town was taken by surrender on the 26th of July, and with it the whole island and two other small islands in the Gulf also surrendered. The French garrison was made prisoners, and eleven stand of colours were sent to England. The ROYALS lost in this service Lieutenants Fenton and Howe, killed; with Lieutenants Fitzsimmons, Bailey, and Ashe, and Ensign Waterton, wounded. This conquest was considered of great importance to the nation, and the meritorious conduct of the officers and soldiers was rewarded with the approbation of their Sovereign and the thanks of Parliament.

While the ROYALS were at Cape Breton, a body of British troops, employed on the continent of North America under the command of Major-General Abercrombie, had advanced against the fort at Ticonderago, which had been built by the French in 1756 on the west shore of Lake Champlain; and in the attack on this place the British troops were repulsed. Lieut.-General Amherst, having received information of this disaster, embarked from Louisburg on the 30th of August with the 2nd battalion of the ROYALS, 17th, 47th, and 48th regiments, and Frazer's Highlanders, and sailed to Boston, where he disembarked the troops, and, marching through the woods to Lake George, joined the camp of the forces under Major-General Abercrombie.

A resolution to attack the French possessions in North America at four different points at one time was ultimately agreed upon; and the ROYALS were selected to form part of the force, under Lieut.-General Amherst, designed to make a second attempt on _Ticonderago_.

[Sidenote: 1759]

The troops assembled for this purpose on the east bank of Hudson's River, about fifty miles from Albany, in the beginning of June, 1759, where they were encamped three weeks. Advancing from thence on the 21st of June, they arrived at the banks of Lake George in the evening, and there pitched their tents, and commenced erecting a fort; at the same time means were used to collect boats to convey the troops along the lake. This occupied one month, and on the 21st of July the regiments struck their tents, went on board the boats, and, using blankets for sails, arrived at the second Narrows on the following morning, and effected a landing. Thence, advancing towards Ticonderago, the van-guard encountered 400 French regulars and native Indians near the saw-mills two miles from the fort, and routed them in a few moments. The French commander, M. Bourlemaque, had fortified a post in front of the fort, but, when he saw the steady resolution of his opponents, he quitted his lines, placed a garrison in the fort, and embarked with his main body for _Crown Point_, another fort on Lake Champlain, erected by the French in 1731. The siege of Ticonderago was then prosecuted with vigour, and on the 25th of July the garrison blew up the fort and sailed to Crown Point; which place the French commander also abandoned, and retired down the lake to Isle aux Noix. The ROYALS and other forces afterwards proceeded to Crown Point and commenced erecting a new fort; vessels were also built in order to have a naval force on the lake. This work was in progress until the 11th of October, when the large boats, with a brigantine mounting eighteen guns and two swivels, and a sloop mounting sixteen guns, being ready, the troops embarked, and sailed down the lake in four divisions; but afterwards encountering high northerly winds, and a severe frost having set in, the expedition was countermanded; the troops returned to Crown Point and Ticonderago, and the ROYALS proceeded to New York for winter quarters.

[Sidenote: 1760]

Meanwhile the _Cherokee Indians_ had been carrying on a cruel warfare against the settlers on the frontiers of the southern provinces of North America, and in the early part of 1760 the two flank and four battalion companies of the ROYALS, mustering 400 men, were ordered to proceed, under the command of Major Frederick Hamilton, to South Carolina, to strike a decisive blow against the aggressors. They accordingly embarked from New York, and, with a battalion of Highlanders and some provincial troops commanded by Colonel Montgomery, sailed to Charleston, and marched from thence up the country to Fort Ninety-six, situate on the borders of the Cherokee territory. Having halted a short time at this place, the troops advanced on the 28th of May, and arrived on the 1st of June at Twelve-mile River. The scouts being unable to find any Indian tracks, it was concluded that the Cherokees were not informed of the march; and, although the men had already traversed twenty miles of rugged ground that morning, from Beaver-dams to the river, the commanding officer resolved to push forward immediately. The tents, waggons, and cattle, were placed in a square, a guard was placed over them, and, just as the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, the troops moved quietly forward along the rugged wood-lands. After a march of sixteen miles the detachment arrived at an Indian hamlet called Little Keowee, and the light company of the ROYALS was ordered to surround the houses and bayonet the inhabitants. As the ROYALS approached the houses, a company of Indian warriors, who were sleeping under the trees near the hamlet, raised their usual war-cry, and opened a scattering fire; but the soldiers--undaunted by the dismal yell of their antagonists--fired one volley,--then, rushing forward, encountered the Indians in close fight, and bayoneted the whole except the women and children. The troops then continued their route, and just as the first rays of morning began to dawn they arrived at Estatoe, the capital of the Lower Cherokees; the town had, however, been abandoned nearly an hour before; but about a dozen warriors were intercepted and slain. The town, which was found well provided with ammunition, provision, and magazines of corn, was plundered and laid in ashes, and many of the inhabitants who had concealed themselves perished in the flames. This service performed, the troops resumed their march, and laid several other towns and villages in ashes; an act of necessary severity, which excited painful feelings in the breasts of the brave men who executed it. Colonel Grant observes, in his narrative of these transactions, published in the South Carolina Gazette,--"I could not help pitying them; their villages were agreeably situated, their houses neatly built and well provided, having abundance of everything; they must be pretty numerous, for Estatoe and Sugartown consisted at least of two hundred houses, and every other village of at least one hundred houses. After killing all we could find, and burning every house, we marched to Keowee, and arrived on the 2nd of June, after a march of sixty miles without sleeping, at Fort Prince George, at four in the evening." This service was performed with the loss of four men killed, and Lieutenants Marshal and Hamilton, of the ROYALS, wounded.

After this severe chastisement, pacific overtures were made to the Cherokee nation, but without the desired effect; and a second expedition into their country was resolved upon. For this purpose the six companies of the ROYALS and other troops were in motion at day-break on the morning of the 24th of June, taking with them six days' provision, and arrived that night at Orkonee Creek. Thence proceeding on the following day through woody dells and narrow tracts and chasms between mountains, reached War-woman's Creek in the evening. Continuing the march on the 26th through a country wild and rugged beyond description, the detachment arrived on the following morning within eighteen miles of the Indian town called Etchöey, and the troops proceeded forward with caution. A few horsemen marched in front and on each flank,--the grenadiers and light infantry scoured the thickets,--and the four battalion companies of the ROYALS marched in the rear. Arriving at a valley covered with trees and bushes, and overlooked by hills on both sides, Captain Morrison and a few men pushed forward into the thickets, and were assailed by a straggling fire, which proved fatal to the captain, and the next moment the woods echoed with the dismal howlings of a thousand Indians raising their war-cry. Undaunted by this appalling noise, the grenadiers and light infantry rushed forward amongst the trees to encounter the Indian warriors,--the four battalion companies of the ROYALS supported the attack,--while the Highlanders pushed forward on the left to cut off the retreat of the Indians to the hills. The savage warriors soon gave way,--the Highlanders intercepted them in their retreat,--the ROYALS pressed upon the rear, and a number of Indians were slaughtered amongst the trees on the side of the hill. The main body of the Indian army appeared soon afterwards on the face of the mountain on the left of the line of march, and, with frantic gestures and horrid sounds, bid defiance to their white adversaries. The ROYALS, having gained the front of the column, pushed forward to engage their fierce opponents with distinguished bravery. The Indians opened a scattering fire, and made the valley echo with their whooping and howling; but this noise produced little effect on the soldiers, who dashed through the bushes and thick foliage with a "valour, discipline, and steadiness, worthy of admiration;" and, although the warriors kept up a sharp fire with their rifles for some time, yet they eventually gave way. "The action lasted about an hour. Captain Manley Williams, of the ROYALS, was killed: he was truly a gentleman and an extreme good officer."[100] The ROYALS had also eight private men killed; and Captain Peter Gordon, Ensigns Edrington and Knight, one serjeant, and thirty-two private men, wounded.