Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or the King's, Regiment of Light Dragoons

Chapter III: Part 3

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On the 1st of June, 1822, the regiment was reviewed on Hounslow-heath, with the first and second life guards, royal horse guards, tenth and fifteenth hussars, and a brigade of horse of artillery, by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, the Commander-in-Chief, who was pleased to express his approbation of the appearance and movements of the troops.

[Sidenote: 1823]

In the autumn of 1823 General the Earl of Bridgewater died, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the regiment by Lieut.-General Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur, G.C.B., whose regiment, the nineteenth light dragoons, had been disbanded two years previously.

[Sidenote: 1825]

The regiment remained in England until April, 1825, when it embarked at Bideford for Ireland, landed at Waterford, and marched to Cork and Fermoy.

[Sidenote: 1826]

[Sidenote: 1827]

[Sidenote: 1828]

In 1826 the FOURTEENTH marched to Dublin, where its appearance, discipline, and interior economy, were commended by Major-General Sir Colquhoun Grant, K.C.B., at the inspections in June and September. From Dublin the regiment marched in January, 1827, to Athlone, Ballinrobe, Gort, and Loughrea; it returned to Dublin in March, 1828; was commended for its appearance, efficiency and discipline, and also for its good conduct while in Ireland, by Lieut.-General Sir George Murray, K.C.B., commanding the forces in that country, at the inspection on the 22nd of March; and embarked for Liverpool on the 26th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1829]

From Liverpool the regiment marched to Birmingham and Coventry, and while in these quarters Lieut.-Colonel Baker retired,[14] and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel John Townsend, by commission dated the 16th of April 1829. In May, 1829, the regiment marched to Leeds, Burnley, and Rochdale.

[Sidenote: 1830]

In April, 1830, the regiment proceeded to Brighton and Chichester, and its appearance, discipline, and interior economy, were commended by Major-General Sir Hussey Vivian at the inspection on the 24th of May.

The regiment was inspected at Brighton on the 19th of June by its colonel, Lieut.-General Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur, G.C.B. who was pleased to express himself 'much gratified by the highly military appearance of the regiment, the celerity and precision of its movements in the field, and the clean and orderly state of the barracks, as well as the fine condition of the horses, all of which prove the zeal and ability of the commanding officer, and the active assistance he receives from the other officers, as well as the steady good conduct of the non-commissioned officers and privates, which he shall not fail to report to the Commander-in-Chief. He requests Lieut.-Colonel Townsend to accept his thanks, and also to communicate them to the officers, and to the regiment. He cannot omit observing the excellent management of the school, and the great progress of the pupils.'

In the same month Lieut.-General Sir John Ormsby Vandeleur was removed to the sixteenth light dragoons, and was succeeded by Major-General Sir Edward Kerrison, Baronet.

In July the regiment marched to London, and was reviewed by His Majesty, King William IV. on the 26th of that month, who was graciously pleased to express his royal approbation of its appearance, and to command that it should in future bear the distinguished title of "THE FOURTEENTH, or THE KING'S, instead of the _Duchess of York's Own_, REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS." This distinctive appellation occasioned the regiment to discontinue the _orange_, and, as a Royal regiment, to assume the _scarlet_ facing.

[Sidenote: 1831]

From London the regiment marched to Birmingham and Coventry, where it was stationed until July, 1831, when the head-quarters were removed to Gloucester.

In October, 1831, the political feelings of the lower classes of the city of Bristol being in a highly excited state, and riotous proceedings being anticipated, a troop of the FOURTEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS (with one of the third dragoon guards) was ordered to the vicinity, for the purpose of aiding the magistracy in the preservation of order. The arrival of the Recorder, Sir Charles Wetherell, on Saturday the 29th October, for the purpose of holding the sessions, was the immediate cause of the outbreak. Large bodies of the populace assembled from every quarter, parading the streets, throwing stones at the authorities, breaking windows, and committing other acts of violence. This continued throughout the day; but it was not until evening, that serious consequences began to be apprehended. At dusk, the mob attacked and forcibly entered the mansion house, the Riot Act was consequently proclaimed, and the troops were called to the immediate scene of outrage. They cleared the streets in the neighbourhood of the mansion house, but there not being at hand a sufficient body of constables to act in concert with the troops, the mob still retained possession of the courts and alleys of the city, whither the dragoons were unable to follow them. On Sunday the rioters assembled in greater numbers, and during that day, and the following night, succeeded in destroying the mansion house, custom house, excise office, the bishop's palace, and a vast amount of private property.

On the morning of the 31st October, an additional troop of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons arrived, and Major Beckwith, who had preceded it, (travelling post from head-quarters at Gloucester), having concerted with the magistrates, who saw the necessity of energetic measures, placed himself at the head of the squadron, and proceeded against the rioters, who were engaged in plundering the cellars of the bishop's palace, which they had destroyed on the day before: the troops were assailed with bottles, stones, &c., but they quickly dispersed the mob; and it having been ascertained that in another part of the city the rioters were about commencing the destruction of the remaining portion of Queen-square, the squadron of the FOURTEENTH proceeded thither, and put the mob to flight; thence it repaired to the jail, which was regained possession of, and restored to the charge of the civil authorities. The squadron then traversed the quays and wharfs, dispersing every riotous assemblage with which it came in contact, and driving out and pursuing, for some miles, a large body of colliers who had been attracted to the scene of outrage. To this energetic conduct of the FOURTEENTH LIGHT DRAGOONS, under Major Beckwith, may be ascribed the restoration of tranquillity and the preservation of the remainder of the city of Bristol.

[Sidenote: 1832]

In June, 1832, the regiment was removed to Hounslow, and was employed on the King's duty, in furnishing escorts for their Majesties and the royal family, &c.

In 1832 the _King's Crest_ was permitted to be borne on the Appointments; and the _Prussian Eagle_, which had been carried as the regimental badge from the year 1798, was authorised to be continued on the second and third corners of the Regimental Guidon.

[Sidenote: 1833]

In March, 1833, the regiment embarked at Bristol for Dublin, from whence it marched in April, 1834, to Longford.

[Sidenote: 1834]

On the 24th May, 1834, His Majesty commanded that the use of Guidons in regiments of Light Dragoons should be discontinued. The Guidons in regiments of _Hussars_ and _Lancers_ had been directed on 12th March, 1834, to be discontinued.

[Sidenote: 1835]

[Sidenote: 1836]

In May, 1835, the regiment was removed to Dundalk, and in May, 1836, it embarked at Belfast for Glasgow.

[Sidenote: 1837]

The regiment was stationed at Glasgow until the spring of 1837, when it marched to Edinburgh, and occupied Piershill barracks.

[Sidenote: 1838]

[Sidenote: 1839]

[Sidenote: 1840]

In the summer of 1838 the regiment left Scotland; it was stationed at Birmingham until April, 1839, when it marched to Hounslow, from whence it proceeded to Dorchester in May, 1840.

[Sidenote: 1841]

The regiment remained at Dorchester until the 30th of March, 1841, when it was removed to Canterbury, where it arrived on the 10th of April, preparatory to its being embarked for Bombay to relieve the fourth light dragoons.

[_To face page 60._
]

The regiment being augmented to the India establishment, Major William Havelock, K.H. (from the fourth light dragoons) was promoted to be the second Lieut.-Colonel, and Captain Edward Harvey was promoted to be second Major, on the 30th April, 1841.

On the 24th of May, the first division, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Townsend, embarked at Gravesend for India in the freight ship "Repulse," and arrived at Bombay on the 8th of September, from whence it proceeded to Kirkee: the second division embarked at Gravesend on board of the freight ship "Reliance" on the 14th of June, under the command of Major Barton, and landing at Bombay on the 5th of October following, marched to join the regiment at Kirkee, where it arrived on the 13th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1842]

[Sidenote: 1843]

[Sidenote: 1844]

The FOURTEENTH light dragoons during the years 1842, 1843, and 1844, continued to be stationed at Kirkee: two squadrons however proceeded on field service to Kolapoor in October, 1844.

[Sidenote: 1845]

Lieut.-Colonel Townsend received leave from India, and he died at Castle Townsend, in Ireland, on the 22nd April, 1845.[15] He was succeeded by Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Edward Harvey, on the 23rd of April.

The two squadrons of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, which had proceeded on field service in the southern Mahratta country, rejoined the head-quarters on the 19th of March, 1845, and in the following December the regiment marched from Kirkee, en route to Mhow and Agra.

[Sidenote: 1846]

On the 4th of March, 1846, the regiment marched from Agra to Meerut, arriving at the latter station on the 16th of that month; and in April, 1846, the regiment proceeded to Umballa, where it has continued to the end of the year 1846.

The statement of the services of the FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S, LIGHT DRAGOONS, from the period of the formation of the regiment in 1715 to the present time, (as given in the preceding pages,) affords abundant proofs of the value of its services abroad, as well as at home; and its order, discipline, good conduct, and bravery, have, on numerous occasions, been attested by the general officers under whom the regiment has been employed.

During the Peninsular War, from 1808 to 1814, the _Fourteenth_ and _Sixteenth_ Light Dragoons were principally employed on the important duties of _out-posts_, on which the safety of an army in the field, and the success of its movements greatly depend.

In the mode of performing these peculiar and important services, the Fourteenth and Sixteenth Light Dragoons, under the direction of active and intelligent officers, acquired the confidence of the Commander of the Forces, and of the division of the army of which they formed a portion.

At the period of the conclusion of this Record, (1846) the regiment is reported to be in a high state of efficiency, and in readiness to evince its prowess whenever the public service may again require its assistance.

FOOTNOTES:

[10] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 75.

[11] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 75.

[12] Colonel Napier's History of the Peninsular War.

[13] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 76.

[14] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 76.

[15] See Memoir in Appendix. Page 76.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

FOURTEENTH, (THE KING'S) REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS.

JAMES DORMER.

_Appointed 22nd July, 1715._

JAMES DORMER obtained a commission at the augmentation of the army in 1701, and his attention to duty, zeal for the service, and personal bravery, evinced while serving under the celebrated John, Duke of Marlborough, were rewarded in 1707 with the rank of colonel in the army, and he was soon afterwards appointed colonel of a newly-raised Irish regiment of foot, with which he embarked for Spain in 1709. He distinguished himself at the battle of Saragossa, and in the advance to Madrid, in 1710, but was surrounded and made prisoner, with his regiment, in the mountains of Castile in the following winter. He was exchanged, and on arriving in England, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General; and in 1712, he succeeded Lord Mohun, who was killed in a duel with the Duke of Hamilton, in the command of a regiment of foot, which was disbanded at the peace of Utrecht. At the augmentation in the summer of 1715, he was commissioned to raise a corps of dragoons,--the present FOURTEENTH, THE KING'S REGIMENT OF LIGHT DRAGOONS. He commanded a brigade at the attack of the rebels at Preston, and was wounded at the storming of the avenue leading to Lancaster. He was removed in 1720, to the sixth foot; he was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1727, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1735. In 1738, he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the first troop of horse grenadier guards, and he retained this appointment until his decease in 1742.

CLEMENT NEVILLE.

_Appointed 9th April, 1720._

This Officer entered the army at the Revolution in 1688, and he served under King William III, in the Netherlands. He also served in the wars of Queen Anne; was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of Munden's regiment of foot, with which he served in Spain, and signalized himself at the battle of Saragossa in 1710; but was made prisoner at Brihuega. He was shortly afterwards exchanged, and at the close of the campaign of 1711, he was rewarded with the rank of colonel in the army. At the peace of Utrecht, his regiment was disbanded; and in the summer of 1715, he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the thirteenth dragoons. In 1720 he was promoted to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, from which he was removed to the eighth dragoons in 1737, and in 1739, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. In 1740, he was appointed colonel of the sixth horse, now fifth dragoon guards; and in 1743, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died in 1744.

ARCHIBALD HAMILTON.

_Appointed 27th June, 1737._

ARCHIBALD HAMILTON entered the army in November, 1688, and at the Revolution he adhered to the Prince of Orange, afterwards King William III, under whose command he served in Flanders. In the reign of Queen Anne, he served in Portugal and Spain, and his regiment (Montjoy's foot), was nearly annihilated at the battle of Almanza in 1707, where he was taken prisoner. This corps was subsequently incorporated into other regiments, and the officers sent home to recruit, and at the peace of Utrecht it was disbanded. In the summer of 1715, he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the eleventh dragoons, and in May, 1732, he was promoted to the colonelcy of the twenty-seventh foot: from which he was removed, in 1737, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons. He died in 1749.

JAMES LORD TYRAWLEY.

_Appointed 24th July, 1749._

THE HON. JAMES O'HARA was appointed lieutenant in the royal regiment of fusiliers, commanded by his father, on the 15th of March, 1703, and in 1706 he proceeded with his regiment to the relief of Barcelona. In the following year he served on the staff of the army in Spain, and was wounded at the battle of Almanza, where, it is said, he was instrumental in saving the Earl of Galway's life. He served several years at Minorca, and, in 1713, obtained the colonelcy of the royal fusiliers in succession to his father, at whose decease, in 1733, he succeeded to the dignity of BARON TYRAWLEY. The rank of brigadier-general was conferred on his lordship on the 23rd of November, 1735; that of major-general on the 2nd of July, 1739; and in August of the latter year, he was removed from the royal fusiliers to the fifth horse, now fourth dragoon guards. In March, 1743, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and in the following month obtained the colonelcy of the second troop of horse grenadier guards, from which he was removed, in 1745, to the third troop of life guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of Gold Stick. In 1746, when King George II. had resolved to disband the third and fourth troops of life guards, his lordship was removed to the tenth foot; he was removed, in 1749, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons; in 1752, to the third dragoons; and in 1755, to the second, or Coldstream regiment of foot guards. He was appointed Governor of Portsmouth on the 1st of May, 1759, and was promoted to the rank of General on the 7th of March, 1761. He held the appointment of Governor of Minorca for several years, and was employed as envoy and ambassador to the courts of Portugal and Russia. He died at Twickenham on the 13th of July, 1773.

LOUIS DEJEAN.

_Appointed 27th November, 1752._

LOUIS DEJEAN served many years in the first troop of horse grenadier guards, in which corps he rose to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and in 1746 he was promoted to the colonelcy of a regiment of foot, which was afterwards disbanded. In 1752, he was appointed to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons; in 1756, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General; in 1757, he was removed to the third Irish horse, now sixth dragoon guards; and in 1759, he was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died at Dublin, in 1764.

JOHN CAMPBELL.

_Appointed 5th April, 1757._

JOHN CAMPBELL entered the army in the reign of King George II., and in 1745, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the fifty-fourth regiment, now forty-third, or Monmouthshire light infantry, with which corps he served a short period in the Netherlands. The rebellion breaking out in Scotland, he quitted Flanders, and in January, 1746, he joined Lieut.-General Hawley, with a thousand Argyleshire highlanders, on the day of the unfortunate battle of Falkirk. He subsequently joined the Duke of Cumberland at Perth, and accompanied His Royal Highness to the north. He was promoted to the rank of colonel, and appointed aide-de-camp to the King in November, 1755; in the following month he was nominated colonel of the fifty-fourth regiment, then first embodied, from which he was removed in 1757, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons, and in 1759, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and appointed colonel of the Argyleshire fencibles; in January 1761, he was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General. On the decease of his uncle, Archibald, third Duke of Argyle, in 1761, his father, General John Campbell, of the Scots Greys, succeeded to that title, and Lieut.-General Campbell, of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, became MARQUIS OF LORNE. In the following year he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, and in 1765 he was removed to the royal regiment of foot. He was again appointed Commander-in-Chief in Scotland in 1767, and in 1770 he succeeded to the title of DUKE OF ARGYLE. He was promoted to the rank of General in 1778; removed to the third foot guards in 1782, and advanced to the rank of Field Marshal in 1796. Being distinguished for many social, private, and public virtues, he was highly honoured and respected in society, and he died lamented, on the 24th day of May, 1806, in the eighty-third year of his age.

CHARLES FITZROY.

_Appointed 11th September, 1765._

CHARLES FITZROY, brother of Augustus Henry, Duke of Grafton, was appointed ensign in the first foot guards in 1752; in 1758, he was promoted to the command of a company, with the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and in 1762 he was appointed colonel of the 119th, or the Prince's Own regiment of foot, which was disbanded in the following year. He was appointed to the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, in 1765; was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and removed to the third dragoons in 1772, and in 1777, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General; in 1780, he was created LORD SOUTHAMPTON. In 1793, he was advanced to the rank of General. He died in 1797.

DANIEL WEBB.

_Appointed 20th October, 1772._

DANIEL WEBB was many years an officer of the eighth horse, now seventh dragoon guards, at a period when that corps acquired a high reputation for discipline, efficiency, and valour, and was designated Ligonier's horse. He rose to the rank of major in the regiment; commanded a squadron at the Battle of Dettingen in 1743, where his corps highly distinguished itself under the eye of its sovereign; and he also commanded a squadron at the battle of Fontenoy, in 1745. In a few days after the battle, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Francis Ligonier, who was promoted to the colonelcy of the forty-eighth foot. Lieut.-Colonel Webb performed the duties of commanding officer of the eighth horse, until November, 1755, when he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the forty-eighth foot: in 1759, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. He served in Germany under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and commanded a brigade of cavalry at the battle of Warbourg in 1760; in 1761, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. In 1766, he was removed to the eighth foot, and in 1772, to the FOURTEENTH dragoons, the command of which corps he retained until his decease in the following year.

GEORGE WARDE.

_Appointed 11th November, 1773._

This officer held a commission in the eleventh dragoons for many years, and was appointed major of the regiment in 1756. In 1758, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the fourth dragoons, and he brought that corps into so excellent a state of discipline and efficiency, that he received the expression of the high approbation of King George III., on several occasions, when His Majesty reviewed the regiment. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1772; in the following year, the King rewarded him with the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons, and four years afterwards he was advanced to the rank of Major-General. In 1778, he was removed to the first Irish horse, now fourth dragoon guards, and he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1782. In 1792 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Ireland, and while in that country he devoted much of his time in bringing his regiment into a perfect condition for active service. He possessed sound ideas of what cavalry ought to be; he had an aversion to slow movements, and, although nearly seventy years of age, he exercised his regiment five times a week,--often leading it across the country over hedge and ditch, to the astonishment of every one. In 1796, he was promoted to the rank of General. He was celebrated for philanthropy, and is represented by historians as a "man of inviolable disinterested integrity, public and private; and the bestower of benefactions scarcely less secret than extensive." He died in March 1803.

SIR ROBERT SLOPER, K.B.

_Appointed 2nd April, 1778._

ROBERT SLOPER was appointed by King George II., to a commission in the tenth dragoons, and at the augmentation of the army in December, 1755, His Majesty promoted him to the majority of the regiment. In February, 1759, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the first dragoon guards, and he commanded that regiment during the remainder of the seven years' war in Germany, where he was repeatedly commended by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and other general officers under whose command he served. While under his orders, the first dragoon guards were preserved in a high state of discipline and efficiency. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1771, and in 1778, King George III. rewarded him with the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH dragoons. In 1782, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General, and to that of General in 1796; and in the following year he was removed to the fourth dragoons. He was further rewarded with the dignity of a Knight of the Bath, and the government of Duncannon fort. He died in 1802.

JOHN WILLIAM EGERTON.

_Appointed 1st June, 1797._

JOHN WILLIAM EGERTON, (eldest son of the Rev. John Egerton, afterwards Lord Bishop of Durham), was appointed cornet in the seventh dragoons in January 1771; he obtained the command of a troop in 1776, and in 1779 he was promoted to the majority of the twenty-second light dragoons, from which he was removed to the twentieth in 1781; and in 1782, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the twenty-first light dragoons, which corps was disbanded in the following year, in consequence of the termination of the American war. In 1790, he was appointed to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the seventh light dragoons; he was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1793, and to that of Major-General in 1795. He served some time on the staff in Ireland, and was removed to the eastern district of England in 1796: in the following year His Majesty conferred upon him the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, and promoted him in 1802, to the rank of Lieut.-General. On the decease of his cousin, Francis, third Duke of Bridgewater, in 1803, he succeeded to the title of EARL OF BRIDGEWATER, and in 1812, he was promoted to the rank of General. He retained the colonelcy of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons twenty-six years, and was particularly proud of the high reputation which his regiment acquired during the Peninsular war. He died in 1823.

SIR JOHN ORMSBY VANDELEUR, G.C.B.

_Appointed 28th October, 1823._

GENERAL SIR JOHN ORMSBY VANDELEUR, G.C.B., was removed to the sixteenth lancers on the 18th of June 1830.

SIR EDWARD KERRISON, BART., K.C.B., G.C.H.

_Appointed 18th June, 1830._

APPENDIX.

GENERAL SIR SAMUEL HAWKER, G.C.H., entered the army as a Cornet in the Sixteenth Light Dragoons, on the 15th May, 1779, and rose to the rank of Major in April, 1797. On the 6th June, 1799, he was appointed to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Sussex Fencible Cavalry, and was removed to the Fourteenth Light Dragoons on the 12th of June, 1800. On the 25th April, 1808, he was appointed one of the aides-de-camp to King George III, with the rank of Colonel in the army, as a mark of His Majesty's approval of his services, and of the efficient state of the Fourteenth Light Dragoons. In December, 1808, he embarked for Portugal in command of the regiment, and was engaged in several actions with the French army, particularly at the memorable battle of Talavera, where the regiment distinguished itself, and was highly commended in the official despatches:--He was promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 4th June, 1811, and relinquished the command of the regiment at that period: he was appointed to serve as a Major-General upon the staff of Great Britain on the 25th November, 1811, and was employed in the eastern district until the 24th September, 1814: he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General on the 19th July, 1821; and on the 22nd July, 1829, was appointed Captain of Yarmouth Castle in the Isle of Wight.

On the 22nd April, 1831, he was nominated by His Majesty King William IV., to the Colonelcy of the Third, or Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards; he was advanced to the rank of General on the 28th June, 1838; and he died on the 27th December of that year, after a faithful service of nearly sixty years.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL NEIL TALBOT entered the army as an ensign in the twenty-seventh regiment on the 25th June 1789; was promoted to a lieutenancy on the 30th November 1791; and to a company in the hundred and eighteenth regiment, on the 10th July 1794. On the 19th October 1796, Captain Talbot was removed to the FOURTEENTH light dragoons; he was promoted to a majority on the 25th June 1802, and to a lieut.-colonelcy on the 22nd August 1805. In December 1808, he embarked with the regiment for the Peninsula. Lieutenant-Colonel Talbot was engaged in an affair with the enemy near Sexmiro on the 11th July 1810, when an attempt was made to cut off the French piquets on the Agueda. On this occasion Lieutenant-Colonel Talbot was killed.

COLONEL SIR FELTON BATHURST HERVEY, BART., entered the army as a cornet in the third dragoon guards on the 6th May 1800. He was promoted to a company of infantry on the 9th July 1803, and removed to the FOURTEENTH light dragoons on the 28th of July of that year; he was promoted major on the 8th May 1806. On the 2nd August 1810, he was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the regiment in succession to Lieutenant-Colonel Talbot. He was appointed aide-de-camp to the Prince Regent with the rank of colonel, on the 4th June 1814. After commanding the regiment during four years of the Peninsular war, and obtaining several distinctions for gallant conduct, he died on 24th September 1819, to the great regret of the regiment, and of his numerous military and other friends.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL CHARLES MASSEY BAKER, entered the army as an ensign in the twenty-seventh regiment on the 30th March 1788; was promoted to a lieutenancy on the 30th November 1791; and to a troop in the twenty-second dragoons on the 31st August 1795. He was removed to the FOURTEENTH light dragoons on the 3rd March 1804; was promoted to a majority on the 30th January 1813, and to the lieut.-colonelcy of the regiment on the 30th September 1819 in succession to Colonel Sir Felton B. Hervey, deceased. Lieutenant-Colonel Baker retired from the service on the 15th April 1829, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel John Townsend.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN TOWNSEND, entered the army as a cornet in the FOURTEENTH light dragoons on the 24th June 1805; was promoted to a lieutenancy on the 27th February 1806; to be captain of a troop on the 6th June 1811. He served in the Peninsula from December 1808, until taken prisoner near the city of Pau in France on the 8th March 1814, including the different affairs of the 10th and 11th May and in crossing the Douro on the 12th May 1809; battle of Talavera in July 1809; affair with the enemy's advanced posts on the 11th July 1810 in front of Ciudad Rodrigo under the command of Colonel Talbot, who was killed; passage of the Coa; skirmishes of the rear guard from Almeida to the lines of Torres Vedras in 1810; affairs in the enemy's retreat from Santarem to the frontiers of Spain from 6th March to 4th April 1811; battle of Fuentes d'Onor, where he was wounded; affair with the enemy's lancers on the 25th September 1811; siege of Badajoz; affairs with the enemy's cavalry at Usagre, Llerena, in front of Salamanca, and near Castrillos; battle of Salamanca; affair with the enemy's rear guard near Panerandos; several skirmishes from Madrid to Ciudad Rodrigo, and from the 26th May near Salamanca to the battle of Vittoria; taking of a gun from the enemy near Pampeluna, and several engagements and skirmishes from the entrance of the British army into France, until the battle of Orthes. He embarked for America in October 1814, and was present at the attack on New Orleans on the 8th of January 1815. He was promoted to a majority on the 13th September 1821; and to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment on the 16th April 1829. He embarked in command of the regiment for India on the 24th May 1841, and was appointed aide-de-camp to the Queen, with the rank of colonel, on the 23rd November, 1841. He returned from India, on leave of absence, in the early part of the year 1845, and died at Castle Townsend, in Ireland, on the 22nd April 1845.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL WILLIAM HAVELOCK, entered the army as ensign in the forty-third regiment on the 12th July 1810; was promoted lieutenant on the 12th May 1812, and captain in the thirty-second regiment on the 19th February 1818: he exchanged to the fourth light dragoons on the 19th July 1821, and was promoted major on the 31st December 1830. Major Havelock was promoted from the fourth light dragoons to be lieut.-colonel, on the augmentation of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons to the India establishment, on the 30th April 1841.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL EDWARD HARVEY, entered the army as cornet in the fourth light dragoons on the 24th March 1825; was promoted lieutenant on the 4th May 1826, and captain of infantry on the 12th October 1830; he exchanged to the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, on the 27th December 1833, and was promoted major on the 30th April 1841. On the 31st December 1841, he received the rank of lieutenant-colonel by brevet, and was appointed second lieutenant-colonel of the FOURTEENTH light dragoons, on the decease of Lieutenant-Colonel Townsend, on the 23rd April 1845.

SUCCESSION OF MAJORS OF THE FOURTEENTH, OR THE KING'S LIGHT DRAGOONS.

The following list of the principal Battles, Sieges, and Actions
which took place in the Peninsular War from 1808 to 1814, was
prepared by the special command of His late Majesty King William
the Fourth:--

[N.B. Honorary distinctions were granted for the nineteen actions marked thus *.]

_Adjutant-General's Office, Horse Guards, 7th Nov., 1835._

1808.

Lourinha 15th August.
* Roleia 17th ditto.
* Vimiera 21st ditto.
* Sahagun, Benevente, &c. (Cavalry actions). 20th and 29th December.

1809.

* Corunna. 16th January.
Passage of the Vouga 10th May.
Grigon, Heights of 11th ditto.
Passage of the Douro}
and } 12th ditto.
Capture of Oporto }
Salamonde 16th ditto.
* Talavera 27th and 28th July.

1810.

Barba del Puerco 19th March.
Ciudad Rodrigo surrendered to Marshal Ney 10th July.
Almeida surrendered 24th ditto.
Affair on the Coa 24th ditto.
Taking up the Lines at Busaco 25th and 26th Sept.
* Busaco 27th ditto.
Coimbra, Capture of 8th October.

1811.

* Barrosa 5th March.
Pombal, Redinha, Casal Nova, and Foz } 11th, 12th, 14th, and
d'Arronce } 15th ditto.
Campo Mayor 25th ditto.
Guarda 29th ditto.
Sabugal 3rd April.
Olivença 15th ditto.
* Fuentes d'Onor 3rd and 5th May.
Badajoz, Siege of (raised 15th May) 8th to 15th ditto.
Barba del Puerco 11th ditto.
* Albuhera 16th ditto.
Usagre (Cavalry Action) 25th ditto.
Badajoz, Second Siege (raised 11th June) 30th May to 11th June.
Affair near Campo Mayor 22nd June.
El Bodon 25th September.
Aldea de Ponte 27th ditto.
Arroyo dos Molinos 28th October.
Tarifa 31st December.

1812.

* Ciudad Rodrigo, Siege of (taken 8th to 19th January.
19th January)
* Badajoz, Third Siege of (taken 6th April) 17th March to 6th April.
Almaraz 19th May.
Llerena 11th June.
Villares, Heights of 22nd ditto.
Forts of Salamanca (taken 27th June) 18th to 27th ditto.
Castrajon 18th July.
* Salamanca 22nd ditto.
Ribera 24th ditto.
Majalahonda (Cavalry Action) 11th August.
Occupation of Madrid 12th ditto.
Fort Retiro, Madrid, capitulated 14th ditto.
Seville, Capture of 27th ditto.
Burgos, Fort St. Michael, near 19th September.
------ Siege of (raised 20th October) 20th Sept. to 20th Oct.
Actions on the Retreat from Burgos {23rd, 25th, 27th,} Oct.
{28th, and 29th }
Puente larga, on the Xarama 30th October.
Alba de Tormes 10th and 11th Nov.

1813.

Castalla 13th April.
Salamanca 26th May.
Morales (Cavalry Action) 2nd June.
Tarragona, Siege raised by Sir John Murray 13th ditto.
{ Hormaza 12th ditto.
On the Ebro. { Osma 18th ditto.
{ Bayas 19th ditto.
* Vittoria 21st ditto.
Villa Franca and Tolosa 24th and 25th ditto.
Bastan, Valley of 4th, 5th, and 7th July.
St. Bartholomew, near St. Sebastian 17th ditto.
Pass of Maya 25th ditto.
Roncevalles 25th ditto.
St. Sebastian, Assault of (failed) 25th July.
Attack on General Picton's Division 27th ditto.
* Pyrenees 28th July to 2nd Aug.
* St. Sebastian, Assault and Capture 31st August.
St. Marcial, Heights of 31st ditto.
Ordal, Pass of 12th and 13th Sept.
Bidassoa, Passage of 7th October.
-------- forcing Enemy's Lines 9th ditto.
* Nivelle 10th November.
* Nive 9th to 13th December.

1814.

Hellette 14th February.
Garris, near St. Palais, Heights of 15th ditto.
Arrivarette ditto 17th ditto.
Passage of the Adour 23rd and 24th ditto.
* Orthes 27th ditto.
{ Aire 2nd March.
{ Vic Bigorre 18th ditto.
Affairs at { Tarbes 20th ditto.
{ St. Gandens 22nd ditto.
Cavalry Affair near Toulouse 8th April.
* Toulouse 10th ditto.
Sortie from Bayonne 14th ditto.

London: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street, For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

The contraction d' sometimes had a space after it, sometimes not (eg
d'Aver and d' Aver). For consistency the space when present has been
removed in the etext.

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been
corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within
the text and consultation of external sources.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text,
and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example,
daylight, day-light; head quarters, head-quarters; musquet, musket;
piquet; pistolls; rencounter.

Pg xvi, 'alightness has' replaced by 'a lightness has'.
Pg xxxix, (to face page) '62' replaced by '60'.
Pg 11, Sidenotes '1751 1769 1765' replaced by '1759 1761 1765'.
Pg 59, 'Fourteenth' in italics changed to ALLCAPS.

Comments

Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or the King's, Regiment of Light DragoonsChapter III: Part 3

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