Chapter II: Part 2

War commenced between Great Britain and France in 1756, when a French armament attacked the island of Minorca, which was captured in 1708, and ceded to the British crown at the peace of Utrecht in 1713. Lieutenant-General Fowke received orders to send a detachment from Gibraltar, to reinforce the garrison of Port Mahon; but he called a council of war, which passed a resolution against sending the detachment. He was sentenced to be suspended for nine months, for disobeying the order, and King George II. dismissed him from the service. His Majesty afterwards conferred the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Regiment on Colonel Charles Jefferies, from colonel-commandant of the third battalion of the Sixtieth Regiment, who had distinguished himself in the defence of Port Mahon.

[Sidenote: 1759]

[Sidenote: 1760]

[Sidenote: 1761]

In December, 1759, the regiment was relieved from garrison duty at Gibraltar, and embarking for England, arrived, in January, 1760, at Plymouth, from whence it marched to Canterbury, and in the summer it was encamped, with the Nineteenth and Twenty-first Regiments, on Barham Downs under Lieutenant-General Campbell. In October the FOURTEENTH struck their tents, and marched to Dover Castle, where they remained during the following year.

[Sidenote: 1762]

[Sidenote: 1763]

The regiment marched to Maidstone, and furnished a guard over French prisoners of war at Sissinghurst in October, 1762; in December it proceeded to Exeter; from whence it was removed in March, 1763, to Plymouth.

[Sidenote: 1764]

Leaving Plymouth in March, 1764, the regiment proceeded to the vicinity of London, and was reviewed on Wimbledon Common: on the 7th of May it was reviewed in Hyde Park by King George III., who was pleased to express his high approbation of its appearance and discipline; after the review it marched to Chatham and Dover.

[Sidenote: 1765]

Major-General Jefferies died in May, 1765, and the King conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General the Honorable William Keppel, fourth son of William Anne, second Earl of Albemarle, from the Fifty-sixth Foot.

At this period, three companies of the regiment were employed on duty at Windsor and Hampton Court, and their good conduct attracted the attention of the King, George III., who was always ready to confer marks of his royal approbation on corps and individuals. His Majesty made some alterations in the clothing, and directed the "_white horse_," with the motto "_Nec aspera terrent_," to be placed on the black bear-skin caps to be worn by the grenadiers, and on the white caps to be worn by the drummers[3].

[Sidenote: 1766]

Towards the end of May, 1766, the regiment marched into village quarters near Hounslow Heath, where it was reviewed on the 4th of June by the King, who was graciously pleased to express his royal approbation of its appearance and movements in the field. After the review the regiment marched to Salisbury and adjacents.

[Sidenote: 1771]

In June the regiment embarked at Portsmouth for North America, and was stationed in Nova Scotia and Canada until 1771, when it embarked from Halifax for the West Indies, to take part in reducing to submission to the British government, the refractory Caribbees in _St. Vincent's_.

[Sidenote: 1772]

[Sidenote: 1773]

The island of St. Vincent's was captured from the French in 1762, and was ceded to Great Britain at the peace in 1763; it was found to contain two tribes of natives called the _red_ and _black_ Caribs, the former being the Aborigines, and the latter having sprung from a cargo of African slaves, who escaped from a vessel which was wrecked on the island. The Caribbees were devoted to the French interest; they were dangerous and troublesome neighbours to the English planters, and it was found necessary to restrain their conduct, and enforce obedience to a few salutary regulations. They were, however, of a determined spirit, possessed many thickly-wooded fastnesses, and so resolutely resisted all attempts to restrain their roving propensities and mode of life, that it was found necessary to augment the military force on the island. The FOURTEENTH Foot were employed against the refractory Caribbees in 1772 and 1773; numerous skirmishes occurred among the thickly-wooded parts of the country, and several soldiers were killed and wounded, in the bush fighting, which took place daily for some time. At length the Caribbees were reduced to submission: and the regiment returned to North America, leaving a number of sick men and others in the West Indies.

[Sidenote: 1774]

[Sidenote: 1775]

The regiment was stationed at Virginia in North America, when the misunderstanding between Great Britain and these prosperous and wealthy colonies, produced open hostilities. The spirit which the colonists evinced in resisting the acts of the British parliament, for raising a revenue in their country, assumed a serious aspect in the years 1773 and 1774, and in 1775 hostilities commenced in the state of Massachusetts. The FOURTEENTH Regiment remained in the state of Virginia for some time afterwards; it was, consequently, not at Bunker's Hill; but it lost two promising officers at that battle, on the 17th of June, 1775, who were attending Major-General Howe during the engagement: viz., Lieutenant and Adjutant Bruce, who was killed, and Ensign Hesketh mortally wounded.

On the 18th of October, 1775, the colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on Major-General Robert Cunninghame, from the Fifty-eighth Foot, in succession to Lieutenant-General the Honorable William Keppel, removed to the Twelfth Dragoons.

The regiment was stationed at Norfolk, in Virginia, from whence a detachment of one hundred and twenty men, under Captain Fordyce, advanced at midnight on the 8th of December, against the American entrenchments at _Great Bridge_. At day-break the detachment crossed the bridge, and the grenadiers moved forward with great gallantry to storm the works, Lieutenant Batut being at the head of the leading section; but as they approached the entrenchments, a body of Americans, of very superior numbers, assailed them with a destructive fire of musketry: Captain Fordyce and twelve men were killed within a few yards of the breast-work; Lieutenant Batut and sixteen soldiers were wounded and taken prisoners, and the remainder of the detachment retreated across the bridge to a British fort, garrisoned by a detachment under Captain Leslie. The Americans buried Captain Fordyce with military honors.

[Sidenote: 1776]

The American troops afterwards increased in numbers so fast, that the royal forces were withdrawn from Virginia, and the FOURTEENTH Foot proceeded to the army under General Sir William Howe, at New York, where they were joined by a detachment which had been left at Nova Scotia on the embarkation of the regiment for the West Indies. After arriving at New York, part of the regiment was stationed on Staten Island, and the remainder was employed in the general operations of the army.

[Sidenote: 1777]

The regiment had sustained a serious loss at St. Vincent's, and being weak in numbers, it was directed to draft the private soldiers fit for duty to other corps, and return to England, where it arrived in the summer of 1777, and active measures were adopted to recruit its ranks.

[Sidenote: 1778]

[Sidenote: 1779]

During the year 1778 the regiment was stationed in the south of England; and in the summer of 1779 it pitched its tents on Coxheath, where a camp was formed of the Sixth, FOURTEENTH, Fiftieth, Sixty-fifth, and Sixty-ninth Regiments, with sixteen battalions of militia, under Lieutenant-General Pierson.

[Sidenote: 1780]

[Sidenote: 1781]

The regiment marched to Gosport in 1780, and pitched its tents at Stokes-bay, furnishing working parties at Fort Monkton, and a guard over the French, Spanish, and American prisoners of war, at Forton prison. In July the regiment embarked as marines on board the Channel fleet commanded by Admiral Darby, who, in 1781, relieved Gibraltar, which fortress was besieged by a combined French and Spanish force.

[Sidenote: 1782]

Having completed its recruiting, and attained a state of efficiency, the regiment embarked from Portsmouth, in January, 1782, for Jamaica; it was on board of transports in the harbour of St. Lucia, during Admiral Rodney's engagement with the French fleet under Count de Grasse, on the 12th of April, and afterwards mounted guard over the Count, when a prisoner on that island.

The regiment proceeded to Jamaica, and was formed to receive Prince William Henry, (afterwards King William IV.,) then a midshipman, on his landing at Spanish Town, and mounted guard at his quarters during his stay on the island.

Soon after its arrival at Jamaica, the regiment received orders, dated the 31st of August, 1782, to assume the title of the "FOURTEENTH, OR BEDFORDSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT," and to cultivate a connection with that county, so as to create a mutual attachment between the inhabitants of Bedfordshire and the regiment, which might, at all times, be useful towards recruiting the corps.

[Sidenote: 1787]

On the 4th of April, 1787, Lieutenant-General Robert Cunninghame was removed to the Fifth Royal Irish Dragoons, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Foot, by Lieutenant-General John Douglas, who had commanded the Twenty-first Light Dragoons, which corps was disbanded in 1783.

[Sidenote: 1788]

The FOURTEENTH Regiment attended the funeral of the Honorable Captain Chetwynd, of His Majesty's ship "Europa," in November, 1788, at which the Governor of Jamaica,--His Royal Highness Prince William Henry (then a captain of the Royal Navy),--the officers of the squadron, and a number of gentlemen in carriages, were present. The regiment marched at the head of the procession in funeral order, the band playing the Dead March; and the remains of this distinguished officer were interred in the chancel of the church at Spanish Town.

[Sidenote: 1789]

Lieutenant-General Douglas having been removed to the Fifth Dragoon Guards, His Majesty conferred the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH Foot on Colonel George Earl Waldegrave, by commission, dated the 27th of August, 1789. Earl Waldegrave died about six weeks after his appointment, and was succeeded by Colonel George Hotham, from captain and lieutenant-colonel of the First Foot Guards.

[Sidenote: 1791]

[Sidenote: 1792]

Having been relieved from duty at Jamaica, the regiment embarked on board of His Majesty's ship Dover, of forty-four guns, on the 9th of April, 1791, and landed at Portsmouth on the 10th of June. In the autumn it marched to Chatham, and afterwards to Canterbury; and on Friday, the 21st of November, it received their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York, at Dover, on their arrival from the Continent; the Duke of York having married, a few weeks previously, Frederica Charlotte Ulrica, Princess Royal of Prussia.

[Sidenote: 1793]

Early in 1792 the regiment returned to Chatham, and was brigaded with the Third Foot (the Buffs) under the command of Colonel Fox; in June the two regiments encamped on Bagshot-heath, with several other corps, under the command of the Duke of Richmond: at this camp the regiment remained three weeks; it was reviewed several times by His Majesty, and afterwards returned to Chatham, where it remained several months.

In the meantime a revolution had taken place in France, where a republican party had seized the reins of government, beheaded their sovereign, and involved the country in anarchy and bloodshed. Not content with carrying the horrors of democracy into every part of France, the republicans endeavoured to propagate their doctrines in all countries, and to overturn the constitution of every monarchy in Europe. Under these circumstances, the British people became involved in war for the defence of the fixed rights of their sovereign, the preservation of their own civil and religious liberties, and of their honor as a nation.

The FOURTEENTH Regiment was one of the first corps completed to a war establishment, under the zealous and judicious arrangements of its excellent commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel WELBORE ELLIS DOYLE, who assumed the command on the arrival of the regiment from Jamaica in 1791; it was also one of the corps selected for foreign service at the commencement of the war; and embarking at Dover, on the 19th March, 1793, for Holland, to aid the Dutch in repelling an attack of the French, it landed at Helvoetsluys, in the island of Voorn, on the 25th of March, being the first regiment of the line which arrived at the scene of war. The success of the allied arms had removed the theatre of war from Holland to the confines of French Flanders; and the FOURTEENTH Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle, proceeded to Briel, where it embarked for Antwerp, whence it marched to Ghent, and was removed in canal boats to Bruges, where it halted a few days. From Bruges it marched to Tournay, where it arrived towards the end of April; and the flank companies, with those of the Thirty-seventh and Fifty-third Regiments, were placed under the orders of Major Mathews, of the Fifty-third, and detached to Marquain, to watch the motions of the enemy, in which service they were employed until the 20th of May.

The Duke of York assumed the command of the British and Hanoverian troops in Flanders, and co-operated with the Austrians under the Prince of Saxe-Cobourg. On the 23rd of May the FOURTEENTH Regiment was engaged in the attack of the enemy's fortified camp at _Famars_, and evinced great gallantry. Being composed principally of young soldiers, they rushed up the heights with great impetuosity to attack the enemy, but did not preserve sufficient order; Lieut.-Colonel Doyle galloped to the front, halted, and reformed the ranks, then bid the band play the tune "_ça ira_," and using a few encouraging expressions to the men, led them to the attack, when they rushed in compact order upon their opponents, and overpowered all opposition[4]. The French retreated across the Scheldt, and the allied army invested the fortress of Valenciennes. Lieutenant Charles W. Doyle, who performed the duty of brigade-major, was thanked for his conduct.

The loss of the regiment was limited to two serjeants and seven rank and file wounded; the Duke of York expressed his approbation of its conduct in orders.

The FOURTEENTH Regiment was employed at the siege of _Valenciennes_, under the Duke of York, and on the 25th of July, it furnished a detachment to take part in storming the horn-work. Lieut.-Colonel Doyle being appointed to the command of one of the attacking columns, obtained permission to place at the head of his party, one hundred volunteers of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, and having assembled the corps, he said, "Soldiers, one hundred volunteers from among you are to lead the column that I am to command _upon a service of the greatest danger_; I have thought it right to state this before I call upon you; such of you as volunteer this dangerous enterprise, recover arms:" when every man brought his musket to the "_recover_." The colonel was much affected by this display of devotion, and said, "Soldiers, I thank you from my heart; where all are equally desirous of facing the greatest danger, I cannot look, or wish, for volunteers. Officers, call out the first ten men for duty in each company."

On the 26th of July the following general order was issued.--

"His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief returns his thanks to Major-General Abercrombie, Colonel Leigh, and Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle, for the gallantry they showed on the attack last night."

Haying been constantly exposed to the cannon of the town for seven weeks, the men had acquired great steadiness under fire, the attack was made with signal intrepidity and resolution, and the out-works were carried in gallant style.

The regiment had one serjeant and three rank and file killed; one officer, one serjeant, and fourteen rank and file wounded; the flank companies also lost seven men.

Three days afterwards the garrison capitulated, and this important fortress was delivered up to the Duke of York.

After the surrender of Valenciennes the British troops marched towards Cambray, and they subsequently separated from the Austrians, taking with them a few Imperial regiments, for the purpose of undertaking the siege of Dunkirk. On arriving at Menin, it was ascertained that the French had driven the Dutch from _Lincelles_; that post was recaptured by the British Foot Guards under Major-General Lake, on the 18th of August. The FOURTEENTH Regiment was one of the corps ordered to support the Foot Guards, and was left in possession of the village, after its capture, until that post was restored to the Dutch.

The army resumed its march towards _Dunkirk_ on the following day, and on the 24th of August, the FOURTEENTH Foot took part in driving the French out-posts, between the canal of Furnes and the sea, into the town, on which occasion the soldiers had to force their way through strong double hedges, and across deep ditches full of water. A deep ditch, surrounding the garden of a chateau, obstructed the progress of the grenadier company of the FOURTEENTH, when Lieutenant THOMAS GREEN CLAPHAM leaped into the ditch, where he stood up to his breast in water, that the grenadiers might pass swiftly over it, by stepping upon his shoulders, and pursue the French, which they did with great alacrity. The light infantry company also displayed distinguished ardour, and captured three pieces of artillery. Finally the French were driven into the town, and the siege was commenced. The loss of the regiment was limited to a few private soldiers killed and wounded.

On the 6th of September, the French made a sortie from Dunkirk, in great strength, directing their attack principally against the right of the besieging army, when the FOURTEENTH Foot, commanded by Major Alexander Ross, (Lieutenant-Colonel Doyle being ill) was ordered forward to support that part of the position. As they passed the flank of the regiment of Esterhazy, the Germans cheered the FOURTEENTH, and the gallant soldiers rushed into the fight with great energy, overthrowing all opposition, and chasing the French up the covered way. The regiment had one serjeant, one corporal, and eight private soldiers killed; Captains Cochrane and Garnier, Lieutenants Mackenzie, Powell, and Elrington[5], Ensigns Smith and Williams, Volunteer McGrath, one serjeant, one corporal, and thirty-six private soldiers, wounded.

The arrival of the heavy artillery for the siege, and the naval force intended to co-operate with the army, in the reduction of Dunkirk, was so long delayed, that the French had time to convey from every part of France, by coaches, waggons, and other vehicles, such an immense body of troops, to the vicinity of Dunkirk, that the Duke of York had little chance of success.

Another sortie was made by the garrison on the 8th of September, when the FOURTEENTH and Thirty-seventh Regiments advanced to attack the French; as the two corps passed the regiment of Joseph Colloredo, they were cheered by the Austrians, and they succeeded in repulsing the enemy: but no chance of final success remained, and the siege was raised, the FOURTEENTH Regiment marching by Furnes and Ypres, to Menin.

The regiment marched, in October, to Oudenarde, where it furnished a guard over two thousand French prisoners; it was sent forward, several times, to take the out-post duty, and upon a movement in advance, by the enemy, upon Menin and Wevelghem, it repulsed an attack upon the out-post at Vervicke.

[Sidenote: 1794]

Early in 1794 the regiment left Oudenarde for Wevelghem, and remained on outpost duty until April, when the army assembled, and was reviewed by the Emperor of Germany, on the heights of Cateau, where His Royal Highness William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, was nominated to the command of the brigade composed of the FOURTEENTH, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Regiments.

In the general attack on the enemy's positions, on the 17th of April, the regiment formed part of the column under Lieutenant-General Sir William Erskine, and took part in the attack on the village of _Prêmont_, and the wood on its left.

The French having been driven from their positions, the siege of _Landrécies_ was commenced, and the FOURTEENTH Regiment formed part of the covering army encamped on the heights of _Cateau_; this post was attacked on the 26th of April, by the French under General Chapuy, who were repulsed, with great slaughter, by the British cavalry, with the loss of many guns. On this occasion the light company of the regiment behaved with much gallantry, and, having advanced to a wood on the left, kept in check a considerable body of the enemy, who meditated an attack on the batteries.

On the fall of Landrécies, the British troops moved to the vicinity of _Tournay_, where they were attacked on the 10th of May by a numerous body of French, who were defeated with severe loss. The FOURTEENTH Foot lost only one man on this occasion.

At length a combined attack was made on the French positions, with the view of forcing them to evacuate Flanders, in which the FOURTEENTH Regiment had another opportunity of distinguishing itself; it left Tournay on the evening of the 16th of May,--took part in forcing the points of the French position it was destined to attack in the direction of Lisle, on the 17th of May, and was successful; but several Austrian columns failed to accomplish their part in the combined movements. The British troops, having penetrated the French position, and being left unsupported, became exposed to the attack of the enemy's very superior numbers. Early on the 18th of May the FOURTEENTH Regiment was environed and attacked by an overwhelming force, but it stood its ground, and by firing by wings and platoons with as much steadiness and regularity as on parade, held its assailants in check. Its veteran commanding officer, Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel BROWNE, became quite exhausted, and sat for some time on a chair behind the colours. At length an aide-de-camp arrived from Major-General Fox, commanding the brigade, with orders for the FOURTEENTH to retreat; and while performing this retrograde movement, they preserved an unbroken formation. Surrounded by enemies, fired upon by infantry and artillery, and menaced by cavalry, the regiment preserved its order with astonishing firmness, forming divisions in the rear against cavalry, and marching over ground covered with dead bodies. The road to Lannoy, by which the regiment had advanced on the preceding day, was found in possession of the enemy, with an abbatis and cannon formed across it, and the first discharge killed several grenadiers, when Major-General Fox said to Captain Clapham, "I fear we must lay down our arms." "No, sir," replied the captain, "the FOURTEENTH can cut through them." At this moment Corporal GILBERT CIMITIERE[6], of the grenadiers, a French emigrant, well acquainted with the country, stepped forward, and undertook to conduct the brigade through the inclosures, and the troops quitted the main road under his guidance, being followed and assailed by the French. Lieutenant-Colonel Browne was shot through the body, and was carried in a blanket by four grenadiers, but he suffered so much pain that he requested them to stop, and he and they were made prisoners. The command of the regiment devolved on Captain Perry, of the light company, which was afterwards commanded by Lieutenant Graves. This officer, and Lieutenant Elrington, commanded the two rear companies of the column, and formed alternately to repulse the French cavalry. Although every road was fortified, and the hedges lined with troops, the brigade fought its way through the inclosures with astonishing gallantry and resolution, and gained the position at Templeuve, having, however, lost every piece of artillery with the column, excepting one of the battalion guns of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, under Lieutenant Phillott. The guide of the column, Corporal Gilbert Cimitiere, was rewarded with a commission.

The loss of the regiment, on this trying occasion, was one serjeant and thirteen rank and file, killed; twenty-two rank and file wounded: Lieutenant-Colonel Browne wounded and taken prisoner; three serjeants, two drummers, and sixty-eight rank and file, prisoners of war and missing, many of whom were taken in consequence of being wounded and unable to continue the retreat. Lieutenant-Colonel Browne died at Lisle on the following day, and was much regretted by the officers and soldiers he had commanded with distinguished bravery on many trying occasions. The conduct of the brigade was commended by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, and its gallantry is recorded in the histories of the war[7].

The regiment resumed its post in front of _Tournay_, and was in position on the 22nd of May, when General Pichegru attacked the allied army with an immense body of troops, first assailing the right and afterwards the centre of the line. The FOURTEENTH being on the left, were not engaged during the early part of the day; but in the afternoon, the enemy carried the post of Pontechin, on the high road from Courtray to Tournay, and the fortune of the day was evidently flowing in favour of the French, when the brigade, formed of the FOURTEENTH, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Regiments, was ordered to the post of honor and danger.

As the FOURTEENTH quitted their post on the left, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay, the Duke of York addressed them in the most flattering manner, declaring his perfect reliance on their gallantry. The three regiments moved at a running pace; though weak in numbers, they were strong in valour and resolution, and being conscious of their own prowess, they rushed upon their numerous opponents fully determined to conquer or perish in the attempt. The FOURTEENTH charged along the chaussée,--overpowered all resistance,--carried the village,--re-formed beyond the houses under a heavy fire[8],--raised a loud shout, and rushed forward to storm a battery on a rising ground near a windmill, which the French defended a short time, but afterwards abandoned it, leaving the regiment in possession of several pieces of cannon. This sudden burst of British valour, coming like an explosion of thunder, amazed and confounded the French, who gave way before the superior prowess of the British soldiers, and the current of the battle flowed in favour of the allies. There was, however, a protracted resistance in an orchard, where the grenadiers and light infantry of the FOURTEENTH Foot were engaged, and several instances of individual contempt of danger occurred. A grenadier named RYAN refused to avail himself of the advantage of standing behind a tree, saying "They cannot touch me;" but the next moment he fell forward apparently dead, when Captain Clapham turned him over, and said, "Ryan, you are only shot through the face, you will do well yet;" "Is that all?" replied the grenadier, and jumping up and commencing loading his firelock, he added, "Then I will have another rap at them," and he was with difficulty prevailed upon to go to the rear[9]. The French were eventually driven out of the orchard; the British pressed upon their opponents, and a victory was gained over the Republican troops, who were forced to quit the field of battle with severe loss.

The FOURTEENTH Regiment gained great honor on this occasion; its loss was one serjeant and four rank and file killed; Captain Cochrane, Major of brigade, died of his wounds; one serjeant and twenty-eight rank and file wounded; five men missing. Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay's horse was killed, and the Lieutenant-Colonel received four musket balls through his hat.

The following general order, dated Tournay, 23rd of May, 1794, was published.--

"His Royal Highness the Commander-in-chief desires to express his most particular thanks to Major-General Fox; to the FOURTEENTH Regiment under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay; to the Thirty-seventh Regiment commanded by Captain Lightburne; to the Fifty-third Regiment commanded by Major Wiseman, and to the detachment of artillery attached to them under the command of Captain Trotter, for _that display of intrepidity and good conduct, which reflects the greatest honor upon themselves, at the same time that it was highly instrumental in deciding the important victory of the 22nd instant_.

"His Royal Highness much laments the loss they have sustained; but flatters himself they feel it, in some measure, compensated by the credit they have gained."

In his public despatch the Duke of York, speaking of the FOURTEENTH, Thirty-seventh, and Fifty-third Regiments, stated,--"_Nothing could exceed the spirit and gallantry with which they conducted themselves_, particularly in the storm of the village of Pontechin, which they forced with the bayonet." Historians have recorded the gallant conduct of the regiment[10]; and the royal authority was afterwards given for it to bear the word "_Tournay_" on its colours, to commemorate its distinguished conduct on this memorable occasion.

Notwithstanding these displays of valour, the enemy brought forward so great a superiority of numbers that it was found necessary to retreat, and a series of retrograde movements followed, during which little fighting occurred, and few corps had opportunities of distinguishing themselves. Various positions were occupied for short periods, and after quitting the Austrian Netherlands, attempts were made to defend Holland; but the people of that country had imbibed the doctrines of republicanism, and they made little effort to preserve the United Provinces from the French. In August the FOURTEENTH regiment was encamped near Antwerp; it was afterwards in position in the vicinity of Breda, from whence it retired to a post beyond Bois-le-duc, and, subsequently, to Nimeguen: it formed part of the garrison of Nimeguen for a short period, and when that town was evacuated, the regiment proceeded to Linden Castle; the army occupying a position beyond the Waal, for the defence of the passage of that river. Towards the end of December the river became frozen, and a body of the enemy crossed on the ice; but was driven back on the 30th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1795]

The frost afterwards became more severe, and on the 4th of January, 1795, another body of French troops passed the river on the ice. At this period, the FOURTEENTH Regiment was at Linden Castle, from whence it advanced to take part in a combined attack on the enemy, under Major-General David Dundas. On the 7th of January it traversed the Rhine on the ice at Rhenen, and proceeded to Bueren Castle. On the following morning Major-General Lord Cathcart advanced with the light companies, thirty hulans, and a detachment of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, to reconnoitre; and the FOURTEENTH and Twenty-seventh regiments were afterwards brought up to attack the enemy at _Gueldermalsen_. The FOURTEENTH formed on the ice, on the left of the dyke, and the Twenty-seventh across the inclosure on the right, supported by the piquets, hulans, and afterwards by a squadron of light dragoons; and the field pieces were protected by the grenadiers of the FOURTEENTH under Lieutenant Elrington, who marched before the guns. Advancing in this order, the troops drove the French before them, until they arrived at Gueldermalsen, where a protracted resistance was made. Lieutenant Elrington, with the grenadiers of the FOURTEENTH, charged the French artillery at the bridge, and bayonetted the enemy at the gun, carrying the post with great gallantry. The British battalion guns cleared the street; the soldiers rushed forward, and were engaged from house to house, until they had passed the village, when they were assailed by the enemy in force. The FOURTEENTH defended the streets; the Twenty-seventh, the church-yard; and the Twenty-eighth coming up most opportunely on the right, threw in a flanking fire, which compelled the enemy to retire[11]. The brigade remained in the village during the night; it was ordered to retire on the following morning, and the three regiments were thanked in orders for their distinguished conduct: Lieutenant ELRINGTON, of the FOURTEENTH, was thanked by name for his gallantry at the attack of the bridge defended by a gun. The regiment had twelve rank and file killed; Lieutenant-Colonel Hope (afterwards General Sir Alexander Hope, G.C.B.), Captain Perry, one serjeant, and twenty rank and file, wounded: Lieutenant-Colonel Hope lost the use of his right arm from a wound in the shoulder[12]. Captain Perry died of his wounds.

After this action the regiment marched to Cullenburg, and was on duty about a week, on the banks of the Leek, without house, tent, or any other cover from the weather, which was particularly severe.

Numerical superiority gave the enemy so decided an advantage, that a retreat through Holland to Germany became necessary, which took place in the depth of winter, and was attended with severe privation and suffering. On one occasion, after a long march, the FOURTEENTH Foot found themselves on a dreary heath, on a dark night, exposed to severe frost, and a snowstorm; the men's limbs were so benumbed with cold, that the most fatal results were apprehended; but the discovery of a large farm-house, and a barn upon the heath, proved particularly fortunate to the soldiers. These hardships were aggravated by the mortifying reflection, that the regiment was retiring before an enemy, whom it had never encountered without proving victorious. At length the regiment arrived in Germany, where it obtained repose in comfortable quarters; it embarked at Bremen-lee on the 9th of April, and landed at Harwich on the 7th of May.

From Harwich the regiment marched to Hitchin and its neighbourhood; and when passing through the several towns on its route it was hailed with acclamations by the inhabitants; almost every officer and soldier bore marks of bullets having passed through his accoutrements or clothing; the colours were perforated in many places, and were borne by Lieutenants Stuart and Graves, the two senior subalterns,--so many casualties had occurred among the officers. The achievements of the regiment had been made known, and it was everywhere congratulated on its gallant exploits.

In June the regiment pitched its tents at Warley, in Essex, and in July received orders to march to Nusthaling, near Southampton. On passing through Dartford, the band played the republican tune _ça ira_ (which it played when the regiment charged the position at Famars, in 1793), when the inhabitants evinced their aversion to democracy by throwing stones at the musicians for playing so offensive a tune; but upon an explanation being given, the people responded with three cheers to the honour of the brave soldiers of the FOURTEENTH who fought at Famars.

The regiment afterwards embarked for Quiberon-bay, to support the French emigrants under M. Sombreuil, but being detained by contrary winds, it was directed to disembark and return to Southampton.

At this period an armament was fitting out to complete the deliverance of the French West India islands from the power of republicanism, and to reduce to obedience the insurgents of St. Vincent and Grenada. The FOURTEENTH Regiment joined the expedition, and sailed with the immense fleet of Indiamen, transports, and merchant-vessels, under the convoy of a squadron of the royal navy commanded by Admiral Christian, which, on quitting the British shores, presented a magnificent spectacle calculated to impress the mind with a just idea of British power; but the voyage had been delayed until a very late period of the year, and the fleet encountered so severe a storm that several ships foundered at sea, others were wrecked on the western coast of England, and the greater part returned to port. The fleet was re-fitted and again put to sea, but, after encountering severe gales, it returned to Portsmouth a second time. The "Calypso" transport, having part of the FOURTEENTH Regiment on board, was nearly run down during a heavy gale, by the "Charon" of forty-four guns, and lost the main yard; but this transport continued the voyage and arrived at Barbadoes in eleven weeks.

[Sidenote: 1796]

Several of the regiments, which returned to port, had their destination changed; but the portion of the FOURTEENTH, which had put back, re-embarked in February, 1796, and arrived in April at Barbadoes, where four companies of the Twenty-eighth Foot were attached to the regiment.

The FOURTEENTH Foot constituted part of the expedition against _St. Lucia_, commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby; and sailed from Carlisle-bay, Barbadoes, on the 22nd of April, for the rendezvous of the troops to be employed in the enterprise, at Martinique, from whence the expedition sailed, on the morning of the 26th of April, for St. Lucia, where the head quarters landed on the 27th, near Pigeon Island, and marched to Choque Bay, to cover the landing of the remainder of the troops. They continued in position there a short time, till the batteries against Morne Fortuné were completed, when they were ordered up to take part in the ulterior operations. Prior to landing, three companies were detached, with a force under Brigadier-General Perryn, on the side of the Grand Cul de Sac, to facilitate the investment of _Morne Fortuné_, and an attempt was made to drive the enemy from the batteries on the base of the mountain, on that side; and Major Donkin's battalion, consisting of three companies of the FOURTEENTH and four of the Twenty-eighth, formed part of the force employed on this service. This battalion supported the Forty-fourth Regiment, in the column commanded by Colonel Riddell. On advancing to the attack, the battalion was checked, at a sudden turn in a winding road cut on the side of a steep hill, by an _abattis_ occupied by French troops, when Captain James Graves sprang up the bank by the aid of a branch, and being assisted by Captain Henry Cox, and Lieutenant George Morris, he helped a few soldiers to climb up the side of the hill, who fired down upon the flank of the troops in the _abattis_, who instantly abandoned it, and the FOURTEENTH continued their advance. On arriving on more open ground, the fire of the enemy's batteries was heavy; when Captain James Graves, of the FOURTEENTH, and Captain John Frederic Brown, of the Twenty-eighth, stormed the lower battery, called _Chapuis_, with a few men of the two regiments. Captain Brown, Lieutenants William F. Dalton and John Grady, with several private soldiers, fell wounded in the advance, but the battery was captured, and was held by Captain Graves, Lieutenant John Hutchinson, and about forty rank and file. The soldiers being fired upon from a house, it was forced by a few men under Lieutenant Owen, and all the defenders bayonetted. The firing on the right indicating a retrograde movement on the part of the British troops at that point, Serjeant Shaw of the FOURTEENTH was detached to reconnoitre; he returned wounded, and reported the retreat of the British, and the advance of a fresh column of the enemy. Under these circumstances the guns in the battery were spiked, and the soldiers retired, fighting their way through a woody country, until they joined the column under Brigadier-General Perryn. From the failure of part of the attacking force the operations were not successful.

The loss of the FOURTEENTH was limited to five men killed; Captain Cox, and one serjeant wounded. On sending a flag of truce, on the following day, to inquire for prisoners, the answer received was, "The republicans have made no prisoners."

An attack was afterwards made on the north side of Morne Fortuné; a battery opened its fire against the enemy's works on the 16th of May, and on the 24th the French desired a suspension of arms, which was followed by the surrender of the island.

After the surrender of St. Lucia, the FOURTEENTH formed part of the expedition against the island of _St. Vincent_, and a landing was effected on the 8th of June: the Caribs having surrendered, the French troops retired, in a body, to the strong fort of La Vigie. It having been ascertained that the fort was badly provisioned, and worse provided with water, it was clear that the garrison could not hold out many days; and the Commander-in-Chief shortly received information that they intended to effect an escape, by night, by descending along the course of a deep ravine, which led from the town through high and inaccessible rocks. A party of the FOURTEENTH, consisting of three officers, and one hundred men, was ordered out to occupy the pass:--they took up a position in the bed of the river, behind some large stones, over which the men rested their bayonets. The darkness of the night, and the position between the woods, precluded the possibility of seeing anything, and the rushing of the water prevented anything from being heard. The first intimation that the party in ambuscade received of the enemy's approach, was the fact of their actually pressing upon their bayonets. Immediately a desultory firing took place, which ceased only when the enemy were supposed to have retreated. When daylight broke, a horrid spectacle of killed and wounded presented itself. Such of the garrison as succeeded in returning to La Vigie surrendered the next day. Captain Powell, who commanded, Lieutenants Gibson and Beavan, and the whole party, received the thanks of Sir Ralph Abercromby.

These captures having been accomplished, the FOURTEENTH Regiment returned to Barbadoes, where it was stationed during the remainder of the year.

[Sidenote: 1797]

Spain having united with France in the war against Great Britain, orders were issued to attack the Spanish possessions in the West Indies, and in the early part of February, 1797, the FOURTEENTH Regiment proceeded to Cariacou, where an expedition was assembled to attack the island of _Trinidad_. On the morning of the 15th of February the fleet sailed on the enterprise, and as it anchored near the shores of Trinidad, the Spaniards became conscious of their inability to resist, and set fire to their naval force in the harbour. The troops landed on the 17th of February, and the Spaniards immediately surrendered, delivering up the island.

From Trinidad the regiment proceed to Martinique, where it was stationed several weeks.

Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby assembled a small force, in the beginning of April, for the attack of the Spanish island of _Porto Rico_, and the FOURTEENTH were withdrawn from Martinique to take part in the enterprise. The fleet entered a narrow channel three leagues eastward of the town, and the troops landed on the 18th of April; but met with great opposition by a heavy fire of musketry from the Spaniards, who were lodged behind a breastwork on the beach. The FOURTEENTH were in flat-bottomed boats, pulled by the Lascars of the Indiamen in which they had been conveyed. The impetuosity of the men could not bear delay; but, leaping out of the boats, and wading ashore, they soon drove the enemy from their position, at the point of the bayonet. Lieutenant-Colonel Burnett was ordered to pursue, with all possible speed, to endeavour to get possession of the bridge which led over the river between the town and the beach. So closely were the enemy pursued by the FOURTEENTH, and particularly by the _Light Company_, that many threw away their arms and accoutrements, and fairly ran for it: they succeeded in gaining the bridge; and, as soon as the men of the FOURTEENTH approached the tête-de-pont, the Spaniards blew up the bridge at the moment when many of their own people were crossing it. The destruction of the bridge obliged the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Ralph Abercromby, to change his plan, which had, originally, been to take the town by a coup-de-main. The next day, therefore, the army began to erect batteries. The second day after their completion, the enemy kept up such an incessant fire, that they succeeded in dismounting two of the guns of one of the batteries, and otherwise seriously injuring the works. A strong party was, therefore, ordered out at night to repair the damage: this party consisted of three hundred and fifty men, under the command of Captain Powell, afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel and Major of the regiment, of which number one hundred and fifty were to be employed in the trenches, and two hundred were placed at some distance from the battery to act as a covering party. The same night Major Ronald Hamilton, of the FOURTEENTH, made an attempt to ford the river, with a view of ascertaining if it were fordable for infantry; but, being discovered, he was fired upon by an advanced sentry. This creating some alarm, caused an irregular fire of musketry to be carried on all night. Under cover of this, and of the darkness, a party of five hundred Spaniards contrived to cross the river higher up, and then descending along its edge, secreted themselves among the brushwood between the river and the battery. At dawn of day a serjeant and twelve men of the FOURTEENTH, who had been on piquet in the bushes, were called in, and, at the very same moment, as if by magic, the whole party of Spaniards rushed, in one dense mass, into the battery.

Sir Ralph Abercromby, Colonel Hope, the Adjutant-General, (afterwards Lord Niddry) Colonel Maitland, with the whole staff of the Commander-in-Chief, had arrived, about an hour before, to inspect the work, and were at the moment in the battery. The sudden inrush of the Spaniards created surprise; and the increased number of persons thus in the battery produced great confusion. The only British who had arms were the twelve men from the piquet; but all the Spaniards were provided with bayonets, or short swords, evidently intended for the butchery of the whole working party. For a short time it seemed as if they were to be utterly at the mercy of the enemy; but, soon recovering themselves, they fell to work with good will with shovels, pickaxes, and other implements of labour, and that with such terrible effect, that every Spaniard was either killed, or taken prisoner, before the covering party could arrive to assist their comrades. The working party had five men killed, and seventeen wounded. Captain Powell, and Lieutenants Gibson and Wren, received thanks in general orders[13].

From Porto Rico the regiment again proceeded to Martinique, where it was stationed upwards of three years.

[Sidenote: 1800]

Towards the end of the year 1800, the regiment relieved the Seventieth Foot at Trinidad.

[Sidenote: 1802]

[Sidenote: 1803]

On the conclusion of the treaty of Amiens in 1802, Great Britain gave up the captured possessions of France, Spain, and Holland. The FOURTEENTH were relieved from duty in the West Indies in April, 1803, and returning to England, landed at Gosport, from whence they marched to Winchester, under Captain Graves, who had performed the duty of commanding officer nearly twelve months.

Previously to the arrival of the regiment in England, the short respite from the horrors of war, granted by the treaty of Amiens, had terminated; the ambitious designs of Bonaparte, First Consul of France, had involved Great Britain in another contest, and orders had been issued for augmenting the regular army. Every effort was made to complete the establishment of the FOURTEENTH Foot, which was attended with great success, and when Bonaparte assembled an army for the invasion of England, the regiment marched to Silver Hill Barracks, and afterwards to Winchelsea, where it was held in readiness to repel the legions of France, had they ventured to land on the British coast. At this momentous period the measures of the government were nobly seconded by the people; a patriotic enthusiasm pervaded the country; and the attitude the nation assumed, with the strength and energy it evinced, while breathing defiance to the gigantic military power by which it was menaced, left no room for doubt respecting the result of the contest had the French army attempted to carry into effect the threats of its leader.

[Sidenote: 1804]

In 1804 the French army remained inactive at Boulogne, and Great Britain preserved an attitude of defence. In the autumn of this year a _second battalion_ was added to the FOURTEENTH Regiment.

[Sidenote: 1805]

The first battalion remained on the Sussex coast in readiness for active service whenever it might be required. In the mean time the French nation had conferred on its First Consul, Bonaparte, the dignity of Emperor, and he was also crowned King of Italy. In the autumn Napoleon reviewed his army at Boulogne, and afterwards marched against the forces of Russia and Austria, to crush the coalition forming against his interests in Germany. At this period the French troops were withdrawn from Hanover, which country they seized on resuming hostilities in 1803. Towards the end of October, the first battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment embarked for Hanover, where a body of British troops was assembled under Lieutenant-General Lord Cathcart. The defeat of the Austrians and Russians at Austerlitz, established the preponderance of the French power on the continent for a short period, and in the treaty concluded at Vienna soon afterwards, it was stipulated that Hanover should be occupied by the Prussians. Under these circumstances the troops under Lord Cathcart returned to England.

[Sidenote: 1806]

The first battalion landed from Hanover in February, 1806, and was quartered in Kent.

On the decease of General Hotham, King George III. conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General Sir Harry Calvert, from the Fifth West India Regiment, by commission dated the 8th of February, 1806.

In this year the second battalion proceeded to Ireland.

The first battalion was encamped at Shorncliffe, where it was formed in brigade with the Ninth and Ninety-first Foot, under Major-General Rowland Hill, (afterwards General Lord Hill); this brigade was reviewed with the Forty-third Regiment by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, who expressed his high approbation of the appearance and discipline of the several corps. In December the first battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment proceeded to Ireland.

[Sidenote: 1807]

After remaining in Ireland five months the first battalion returned to England, and in June, 1807, it embarked under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel James Watson, for the East Indies, where it arrived in November of the same year, and landed at Fort St. George, Madras.

[Sidenote: 1808]

The influence of French councils at the court of Denmark, had involved that country in hostilities with Great Britain, and in the beginning of 1808 the first battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment sailed from Madras with the expedition against the Danish settlement of _Tranquebar_, situate at one of the mouths of the Caveri river, in the Carnatic, which surrendered to the British arms on the 8th of February, when Lieutenant Colonel Watson, with the head quarters, returned to Madras, and shortly afterwards to Bengal.

[Sidenote: 1809]

In the mean time important events had occurred in Europe, which called the second battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment into active service. After reducing Germany to submission to his will, and forcing Russia to accede to his decrees, Napoleon was prompted by his restless ambition to attempt the subjugation of Spain and Portugal. The Spaniards and Portuguese rose in arms to assert their national rights, and in the summer of 1808 Portugal was delivered by a British army under Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Wellesley. In the autumn Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore received orders to advance with a body of British troops from Portugal, into the heart of Spain, at the same time several regiments were sent from the United Kingdom to co-operate in this enterprise. The second battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Jasper Nicolls, embarked from Cork for Spain, and landed at Corunna, forming part of the force under Lieutenant-General Sir David Baird. Advancing up the country, the British troops encountered many difficulties and privations, and the Spanish armies, with which they were directed to co-operate, were defeated and dispersed by the legions of Napoleon, who had three hundred thousand men in Spain. To confront this host of veterans, the British general had not twenty-five thousand men; yet, with that intrepidity for which he was always distinguished, he advanced and menaced the enemy's lines. Sir David Baird's division joined the troops under Sir John Moore on the 20th of December, at Majorga, from whence the army advanced to Sahagun, and preparations were made for attacking the French troops under Marshal Soult; but information being received that Napoleon was advancing at the head of an overwhelming force, the army retreated towards the coast. In this retrograde movement of two hundred and fifty miles, along roads covered with snow, over rivers and mountains, and along narrow defiles, the troops endured privation and suffering of various kinds; but the ability of their commander was conspicuous, and the army arrived, unbroken, at _Corunna_, in January, 1809. The soldiers obtained shelter, food, and repose in the town and neighbouring villages, and their wasted strength was recruited while they waited the arrival of shipping to transport them to England.

The French army under Marshal Soult approaching, the British troops formed for battle on a range of heights in front of Corunna; the FOURTEENTH were formed in brigade with the Second, Fifth, and Thirty-second Regiments, under Major-General (afterwards Lord) Hill, and were posted towards the left of the position. On the 16th of January the French troops descended the mountains and attacked the British position in three columns; the first column carried the village of Elvina; then dividing, attempted to turn the right of Lieutenant-General Sir David Baird's division by the valley, and to break its front; the second column advanced against the British centre, and the third attacked the left at the village of Palavia Abaxo. The furious onsets of the enemy were met and repulsed with a firmness and determination which proved the unconquerable spirit and excellent discipline of the British troops. The enemy finding his efforts unavailing on the right and centre, determined to render the attack on the left more serious, and succeeded in obtaining possession of Palavia Abaxo, the village through which the great road to Madrid passes, and which was situate in front of that part of the line; from this post the French were, however, soon expelled, by a very gallant attack of some companies of the second battalion of the FOURTEENTH Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Nicolls[14]. The enemy was repulsed at all points, and the lustre of the British arms shone with peculiar brilliance amidst the most disadvantageous circumstances; but the army sustained the loss of its gallant commander, Lieutenant-General Sir John Moore, who was mortally wounded during the engagement.