Chapter I: Part 1

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

A superscript is denoted by ^x or ^{x}; for example, S^t or
Esq^{re}.

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

More detail can be found at the end of the book.

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

HISTORICAL RECORDS,
_OF THE_
British Army

_Comprising the
History of every Regiment
IN HER MAJESTY'S SERVICE_.

_By Richard Cannon Esq^{re}._

_Adjutant Generals Office, Horse Guards._

London

_Printed by Authority:_]

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SEVENTEENTH,

OR

THE LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT;

CONTAINING

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT

IN 1688,

AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES

TO 1848.

COMPILED BY
RICHARD CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, HORSE GUARDS.

LONDON:
PARKER, FURNIVALL, & PARKER,
30, CHARING-CROSS.

MDCCCXLVIII.

LONDON. PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.

THE SEVENTEENTH,

OR

THE LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT,

BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR

"_THE ROYAL TIGER_;"

WITH THE WORD

"HINDOOSTAN,"

AS A LASTING TESTIMONY OF THE EXEMPLARY CONDUCT OF THE REGIMENT
DURING ITS SERVICE IN INDIA FROM
1804 TO 1823;

AND THE WORDS

"AFFGHANISTAN," "GHUZNEE," AND "KHELAT,"

IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN AFFGHANISTAN,
THE STORMING OF GHUZNEE, AND THE CAPTURE OF KHELAT,
IN THE YEAR 1839.

SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.

CONTENTS

OF THE

HISTORICAL RECORD.

YEAR PAGE

INTRODUCTION

1688 Formation of the Regiment in the vicinity of
London 1

---- Solomon Richards appointed to be Colonel 2

---- Reported fit for duty, and marched to Windsor,
Slough, Datchet, Staines, and Egham -

---- Furnished a Guard at Windsor Castle, to His
Majesty King James II. -

---- Revolution took place in Great Britain -

---- King James II. proceeded to France -

1689 King William III. and Queen Mary elevated
to the Throne -

---- Regiment adhered to the Protestant interest -

---- Embarked for Ireland with Ninth Foot to aid
in the defence of Londonderry 3

---- Returned to England, having failed to land at
Londonderry -

---- Colonel Richards deprived of his commission by
King William III. -

---- Sir George St. George appointed Colonel -

1693 Embarked for Flanders 4

1694 Quartered for the winter at Ostend 4

1695 Marched to Dixmude -

---- Colonel Courthorpe exchanged with Colonel
Sir George St. George -

---- Engaged at the Fortress of Kenoque -

---- Joined in the Siege of Namur 5

---- Engaged at the storming of St. Denis -

---- Colonel Courthorpe killed 6

---- Lieut.-Colonel Sir Matthew Bridges promoted
to the Colonelcy -

---- Surrender of the Castle of Namur -

---- Quartered for the winter in Bruges -

1696 Encamped near Ghent -

---- Served the Campaign under the Prince of
Vaudemont 7

1697 Engaged in operations in Brabant -

---- Termination of Hostilities by the Treaty of
Ryswick -

---- Returned to England -

---- Embarked for Ireland -

1701 Preparations for War recommenced -

---- Re-embarked from Cork for Holland -

---- Reviewed by King William III. on Breda-heath -

1702 Proceeded to Rosendael -

---- Encamped at Cranenburg -

---- Siege and Capture of Kayserswerth 8

---- ---------------- of Venloo -

---- ---------------- of Ruremonde -

---- ---------------- of Liege -

1703 ---------------- of Huy 9

---- ---------------- of Limburg -

---- Lieut.-Colonel Blood promoted to the Colonelcy,
_vice_ Sir M. Bridges -

---- Embarked from Holland 10

1704 Proceeded to Portugal 10

1705 Siege and Capture of Valencia de Alcantara 11

---- ---------------- of Albuquerque --

---- Siege of Badajoz --

1706 Siege and Capture of Alcantara --

---- Advanced to Placencia --

---- Siege and Capture of Ciudad Rodrigo 12

---- Marched to Madrid --

---- Retreated to Valencia --

1707 Battle of Almanza --

---- Lieut.-Colonel Wightman promoted to the
Colonelcy, in succession to General Blood,
deceased 14

1708 Engaged in operations in Catalonia 15

1709 Returned to England --

1710 Stationed in Scotland --

1714 Proceeded to Ireland --

1715 Removed to Scotland --

---- Engaged at Sheriff-Muir --

1722 Promotion of Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Ferrers
to the Colonelcy, in succession to General
Wightman, deceased 16

---- Appointment of Colonel James Tyrell, vice
Colonel Ferrers, deceased --

1726 Embarked for Minorca --

1742 Colonel John Wynyard from the Marines (4th
Regiment) appointed Colonel, in succession
to General Tyrell, deceased --

1748 Peace concluded at Aix la Chapelle 17

---- Embarked for Ireland --

1751 Royal Warrant issued on 1st July for regulating
clothing, colours, &c. --

1752 Colonel Edward Richbell appointed to the
Colonelcy, in succession to General Wynyard,
deceased --

1757 Colonel John Forbes appointed Colonel, in
succession to General Richbell, deceased 17

---- Embarked for Nova Scotia --

1758 Proceeded on an expedition against Cape Breton --

---- Siege of Louisburg, and capture of the island
of Cape Breton 18

---- Joined the troops at Lake George --

1759 Siege of Ticonderago 19

---- Proceeded to Crown Point --

---- Hon. Robert Monckton appointed Colonel,
_vice_ Forbes, deceased --

1760 Embarked from Crown Point, and formed part
of the army which advanced to Montreal, and
effected the conquest of the whole of Canada --

1761 Proceeded to New York 20

---- Encamped at Staten Island --

1762 Embarked for the West Indies --

---- Capture of Martinique --

---- ------ of Grenada 21

---- ------ of St. Lucia --

---- ------ of St. Vincent --

---- Formed part of the expedition against the
Havannah --

---- Siege and Capture of Moro Fort, with nine ships
of war, &c. --

1763 Treaty of Peace concluded 22

---- Havannah restored to Spain in exchange for
Florida --

---- Re-embarked for North America --

1767 Returned to England --

1771 Embarked for Ireland --

1775 Embarked for North America --

1776 Arrived at Boston, and proceeded to Nova Scotia 23

---- Embarked for New York, and landed at Staten
Island --

1776 Proceeded to Long Island 23

---- Engaged with the American army at Brooklyn 24

---- Capture of New York --

---- Engaged at White Plains --

---- Reduction of Fort Washington --

1777 Engagement with the American army at Trenton 25

---- Proceeded on an Expedition to Pennsylvania 26

---- Attacked the American position at Brandywine --

---- Advanced, and took possession of Philadelphia --

---- Took a position at Germantown --

1778 Marched with the army from Philadelphia
through the Jerseys, on its return to New York 27

1779 Placed in garrison at Stoney Point --

---- Attacked and made prisoners of war --

---- Exchanged and united with detachments of
Provincial troops and employed on various
services in Virginia 28

1781 Attacked the Americans at Guildford Court
House --

---- Defended York Town, where they became
prisoners of war --

1782 Major-General George Morrison appointed
Colonel, _vice_ Monckton, deceased --

---- Authorized to assume the County Title of
Leicestershire Regiment --

1783 Removed from New York to Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland 28

1786 Embarked for England --

1792 Major-General George Garth appointed Colonel,
_vice_ Morrison, removed to the Fourth Foot --

1793 Embarked for Ireland --

1796 Embarked for St. Domingo --

1798 Re-embarked for England 30

1799 A Second Battalion added to the Establishment of
the Regiment by volunteers from the Militia --

1799 The two Battalions embarked for Holland under
Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby 30

---- Engaged in action with the Enemy on 19th
September --

---- Again engaged at Bergen on 2nd October 31

---- Returned to England --

1800 Embarked for Minorca --

1802 Embarked for Ireland --

---- Second Battalion reduced --

1803 Hostilities with France resumed --

---- Ordered suddenly from Limerick to Dublin, on
account of serious riots --

1804 Embarked from Ireland for the Isle of Wight --

---- Proceeded to the East Indies --

1806 Proceeded to Bundelkund 32

1807 Captured the Fort of Chumar by storm --

---- Attack on the Fort of Comona 33

---- Employed in pursuit of the hostile tribes --

1808 Joined the force under Major-General St. Leger --

---- Proceeded to the Sutlej --

1814 War with Nepaul 34

---- Attack on Jutgurgh --

1816 Flank Companies joined a flank Battalion
forming at Allahabad 35

1817 Battalion Companies ordered to Nagpore --

---- Action at Jubblepore 36

1819 Lieut.-General Sir Josiah Champagné, G.C.H.,
appointed Colonel, _vice_ Garth, deceased --

1823 Embarked for England 37

---- Landed at Gravesend and marched to Chatham --

---- Reviewed at Southsea Common by H. R. H.
the Duke of Clarence 38

1825 Permitted to bear the figure of the Royal Tiger,
with the word Hindoostan superscribed --

---- Proceeded to Scotland --

1826 Returned to England 39

---- Embarked for Ireland --

1829 Returned to England --

1830 Embarked by detachments for New South Wales --

1836 Proceeded to Bombay --

1837 Encamped at Poona --

1838 War with Affghanistan --

---- Proceeded to Tatta in Lower Scinde --

1839 Marched into Scinde 40

---- Captured Hyderabad --

---- Marched into Affghanistan --

---- Fortress of Ghuznee captured by storm 41

---- Expedition against the Khan of Khelat --

---- Khelat captured --

---- Medal presented for storming Ghuznee 42

---- Permitted to bear on its colours and
appointments the words "Affghanistan,"
"Ghuznee," and "Khelat" --

1840 Returned to British India 43

---- General Sir F. A. Wetherall, G.C.H., appointed
Colonel, _vice_ Champagné, deceased --

1841 Proceeded to Aden, in Arabia Felix --

1843 Lieut.-General Sir Peregrine Maitland, K.C.B.,
appointed Colonel, _vice_ Wetherall, deceased 44

1845 Returned to Bombay 45

1847 Embarked for England --

---- Arrived at Gravesend and marched to Canterbury --

1848 Proceeded to London in consequence of Chartist
riots 46

---- The Conclusion --

PLATES.

Costume of the Regiment to face 1

Colours of the Regiment " 46

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.

YEAR PAGE

1688 Solomon Richards 47

1689 Sir George St. George --

1695 James Courthorpe 48

---- Sir Matthew Bridges --

1703 Holcroft Blood --

1707 James Wightman 49

1722 Thomas Ferrers 50

1722 James Tyrrell --

1742 John Wynyard 51

1752 Edward Richbell --

1757 John Forbes --

1759 The Honourable Robert Monckton 52

1782 George Morrison --

1792 George Garth 53

1819 Sir Josiah Champagné, G.C.H. --

1840 Sir Frederick Augustus Wetherall, G.C.H. 55

1843 Sir Peregrine Maitland, K.C.B. 56

GENERAL ORDERS.

_HORSE-GUARDS_,
1_st January_, 1836.

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

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

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

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

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

And,

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

By Command of the Right Honorable

GENERAL LORD HILL,
_Commanding-in-Chief_.

JOHN MACDONALD,
_Adjutant-General_.

PREFACE.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTRODUCTION TO THE INFANTRY.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOOTNOTES:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOR CANNON'S MILITARY RECORDS]

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE SEVENTEENTH, OR THE LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

[Sidenote: 1688]

In the autumn of 1688, when the adoption of pernicious counsels by the Court had given rise to the preparation of an armament in Holland to support the British people in the preservation of their religion and laws, and King James II. began to entertain apprehension for the permanence of his government, His Majesty issued commissions for adding to his regular army five regiments of cavalry and seven of infantry, including two corps formed of men who had quitted the Dutch service; and of these twelve regiments, the sixteenth and SEVENTEENTH regiments of foot in the British line are the only remaining corps.[6]

The SEVENTEENTH regiment was raised in London and its immediate vicinity, and the colonelcy was conferred on Solomon Richards, by commission dated the 27th of September, 1688.

Great success attended the efforts made to procure men for completing the ranks of the regiment, and in three weeks after the letter of service for its formation was issued, it was embodied, armed, and clothed. It was composed to a great extent of men who had entered the army at the augmentation in 1685, and had been discharged after the suppression of the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion. The regiment was speedily reported fit for duty, and on the 23rd of October orders were received for four companies to march to Colnbrook and Longford, four to Staines and Egham, and five to Windsor, Datchet, and Slough; at the same time two companies were directed to mount guard at the Castle at Windsor: thus were the first duties of the regiment those of a guard to the Royal person.

On the 29th of October the quarters were changed to Maidenhead, Datchet, and Windsor; and on the 6th of November, when the Prince of Orange had landed in Devonshire, the regiment received orders to march to Greenwich and Deptford, to be in readiness to protect the establishments in the vicinity of those places, and to aid, if required, in the preservation of the peace of the Metropolis.

[Sidenote: 1689]

The events which followed in rapid succession occasioned the flight of King James to France, and the services of the regiment were transferred to the Prince and Princess of Orange, who were elevated to the throne by the title of King William and Queen Mary, in February, 1689.

In Ireland, the army adhered to the interest of King James; but the Protestants of Inniskilling and Londonderry embraced the principles of the Revolution, and wrote to King William for assistance to enable them to preserve those places in his interest. The ninth and SEVENTEENTH regiments were directed to proceed to Ireland, to support the people of Londonderry; and the two corps sailed from Liverpool on the 3rd of April. Contrary winds forced the transports to anchor at Highlake; but they again put to sea on the 10th of that month, and on the 15th arrived in the vicinity of Londonderry. The governor, Colonel Lundy, had resolved to surrender the place to King James, who had arrived in Ireland with a body of troops from France, and this officer called a council of war, to which he stated, that there was not provision in the town for the garrison for more than ten days, and that it would be impossible to resist the army which was advancing against it, and a resolution was passed against the two regiments landing. The two colonels had received orders to obey the governor, and they accordingly returned with their regiments to England. It afterwards appeared that the governor's statements were not true; the town was defended, and King William, considering that the two colonels (Cunningham and Richards) had not sufficiently investigated the state of the fortress, and of its stores, deprived them of their commissions.

The colonelcy of the SEVENTEENTH regiment was conferred on Sir George St. George, by commission dated the 1st of May, 1689.

[Sidenote: 1690]

[Sidenote: 1691]

[Sidenote: 1692]

[Sidenote: 1693]

The regiment was employed on home service during the years 1690, 1691, and 1692. In 1693, the confederate army in the Netherlands, commanded by King William III., sustained severe loss at the battle of Landen, on the 29th of July; and after His Majesty's return to England, at the end of the campaign, the SEVENTEENTH regiment received orders to hold itself in readiness for foreign service. It embarked for Flanders, and was stationed in garrison at Ostend until the spring of 1694.

[Sidenote: 1694]

During the campaign of this year, the regiment served in the brigade commanded by Brigadier-General Stewart; and it took part in the operations of the army commanded by the British monarch,--performing many long and toilsome marches in Flanders and Brabant; but it had no opportunity of distinguishing itself in action, and in the autumn it returned to the port of Ostend, where it passed the winter.

[Sidenote: 1695]

In May, 1695, the regiment marched to Dixmude, where a body of troops was assembled under the Duke of Wirtemberg for the purpose of making a diversion in favour of the main army.

At this period Colonel Sir George St. George obtained His Majesty's permission to exchange with Colonel James Courthorpe, to a newly-raised regiment, which was afterwards disbanded.

The troops under the Duke of Wirtemberg encamped before the _Kenoque_, a fortress at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, where the French had a garrison. The SEVENTEENTH regiment, commanded by Colonel Courthorpe, took part in the capture of several outposts belonging to the fort, and its grenadier company was engaged on the 9th of June in driving the French from the entrenchments and houses near the Loo Canal, and had several men killed and wounded.

While the regiment was before the Kenoque, King William invested the strong fortress of _Namur_, and the SEVENTEENTH and several other corps marched to join the covering army, under Charles Henry of Lorraine, Prince of Vaudemont. Against this army Marshal Villeroy advanced with a French force of about seventy thousand men; and the Prince, not having above thirty-six thousand men under his orders, withdrew to the vicinity of Ghent.

The regiment was subsequently employed in operations to protect the maritime and other towns of Flanders, and to cover the troops carrying on the siege of Namur; and after the surrender of the town it was selected to relieve one of the corps which had suffered severely in the siege, and to take part in the operations against the castle. The regiment arrived at Namur on the 11th of August, and took its turn of duty in the trenches, and in all services connected with this great undertaking; it had several men killed and wounded, and on the 16th of August Captain Hart was killed in the trenches.

When Marshal Villeroy approached at the head of a numerous army to raise the siege, the SEVENTEENTH regiment was in position at the post of St. Denis, where it was expected that the most vigorous exertions of the enemy would be made. The French not hazarding an engagement, the regiment was selected to take part in storming the outworks of the castle on the 30th of August. About midday the signal for the assault was given, when the grenadiers rushed forward, under a heavy fire from the castle, to storm the breach of the Terra Nova, and were followed by the SEVENTEENTH regiment with drums beating and colours flying,[7] and a gallant effort was made; but the three regiments ordered to support the assault did not move forward in time, and the assailants were overpowered by superior numbers. The SEVENTEENTH advanced in gallant style; but they were assailed by a storm of bullets which nearly annihilated the regiment; Colonel Courthorpe was killed, Lieut.-Colonel Sir Matthew Bridges was severely wounded; and two hundred and fifty officers and soldiers were put _hors de combat_ in a few minutes, when the survivors received orders to withdraw from the unequal contest. Some partial advantages were gained, but the loss was very severe.

The SEVENTEENTH had Colonel Courthorpe, Captain Coote, Lieutenant Evans, and one hundred and one serjeants and rank and file killed; Lieut.-Colonel Sir Matthew Bridges, Captains Wolfe and Du Bourgnay, Lieutenants Disbordes and Ashe, Ensigns Foncebrand, Eyres, and Dennis, and one hundred and forty-nine soldiers wounded.

King William was pleased to confer the colonelcy of the regiment on the Lieut.-Colonel, Sir Matthew Bridges, who had evinced great gallantry on this occasion.

Preparations were made for a second assault of the works, which was prevented by the surrender of the garrison. The SEVENTEENTH remained a short time near the captured fortress, and afterwards marched to the opulent city of Bruges, where they passed the winter.

[Sidenote: 1696]

Early in the spring of 1696, the regiment was joined by a numerous body of recruits from England, and on the 12th of May it marched from Bruges to Marykirk, and it was afterwards encamped along the canal towards Ghent. It was formed in brigade with the third, fifth, and eighteenth regiments, under Brigadier-General Selwyn, and served the campaign with the army of Flanders under the Prince of Vaudemont; but no general engagement occurred, and in the autumn the regiment marched into quarters at Bruges.

[Sidenote: 1697]

On the 13th of March, 1697, the regiment quitted its quarters at Bruges, and was afterwards stationed a few weeks in villages between Brussels, Vilvorde, and Malines; it was subsequently formed in brigade with a battalion of the royals, the fifth, and two regiments in the Dutch service, under Brigadier-General the Earl of Orkney, and it took part in the operations of the army of Brabant, under King William, until hostilities were terminated by the treaty of Ryswick, and the British monarch saw his efforts to preserve the liberties and balance of power in Europe attended with complete success.

[Sidenote: 1699]

During the winter the regiment returned to England, and it was shortly afterwards removed to Ireland, where it was stationed during the years 1699 and 1700.

[Sidenote: 1700]

[Sidenote: 1701]

The decease of Charles II., King of Spain, on the 1st of November, 1700, was followed by the elevation of the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., to the throne of that kingdom, in violation of existing treaties; and war being resolved upon, the SEVENTEENTH regiment embarked from Cork on the 15th of June, 1701, and sailed for Holland, where it was placed in garrison at Gorcum. In September it was reviewed by King William III. on Breda-heath.

[Sidenote: 1702]

On the 10th of March, 1702, the regiment quitted its quarters, and proceeded to Rosendael, where the officers and soldiers received information of the death of King William III., and of the accession of Queen Anne. They afterwards marched across the country to the Duchy of Cleves, and encamped with the army, under the Earl of Athlone, at Cranenburg, during the siege of _Kayserswerth_ by the Germans. During the night of the 10th of June the army quitted Cranenburg, to preserve its communication with _Nimeguen_, in front of which fortress the regiment skirmished with the French on the following morning.

The Earl of Marlborough assembled the army, composed of the troops of several nations, and advanced against the French, who withdrew to avoid a general engagement; and the regiment was afterwards selected to take part in the siege of _Venloo_, a town in the province of Limburg, on the east side of the river Maese, with a detached fortress beyond the river, against which the British troops carried on their attacks. The SEVENTEENTH took their turn of duty in the trenches, and their grenadier company was engaged in storming the counter-scarp of _Fort St. Michael_ on the 18th of September, when the soldiers followed up their first advantage with astonishing intrepidity, and captured the fort.

On this occasion, Lieut.-Colonel Holcroft Blood of the regiment, who was performing the duty of principal engineer, highly distinguished himself.

In a few days after the capture of Fort St. Michael, the besieging army formed to fire a _feu-de-joie_ for the taking of Landau by the Germans, when the people and garrison of _Venloo_, supposing a general attack was about to be made on the town, induced the governor to surrender.

The SEVENTEENTH were afterwards employed in the siege of _Ruremonde_, which fortress was invested towards the end of September, and was forced to surrender before the middle of October.

Rejoining the main army after the surrender of Ruremonde, the regiment advanced to the city of _Liege_, and its grenadier company was engaged in the siege of the citadel, which was captured by storm on the 23rd of October. After these conquests the regiment marched back to Holland.

[Sidenote: 1703]

Towards the end of April, 1703, the regiment marched in the direction of Maestricht, and it was in position near that city when the French army under Marshal Villeroy and Marshal Boufflers approached, and some cannonading occurred, but the enemy did not hazard a general engagement.

The Duke of Marlborough assembled the army, and the SEVENTEENTH took part in the movements which occasioned the French commanders to make a sudden retreat from their position at Tongres, and to take post behind their fortified lines; where the English general was desirous of attacking them, but he was prevented by the Dutch generals and field-deputies. The services of the SEVENTEENTH regiment were afterwards connected with the siege of _Huy_, a strong fortress on the river Maese, above the city of Liege, which was captured in ten days. Another proposal to attack the French lines having been objected to by the Dutch, the regiment was employed in covering the siege of _Limburg_, a city of the Spanish Netherlands situate on a pleasant eminence among the woods near the banks of the river Weze. The siege of this place commenced on the 10th of September, and on the 28th the garrison surrendered.

On the 26th of August Lieut.-Colonel Blood was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment, in succession to Colonel Sir Matthew Bridges.

During the summer of this year, Archduke Charles of Austria was acknowledged as King of Spain, by England, Holland, and several other states of Europe; and the SEVENTEENTH regiment was one of the corps selected to proceed with him to Portugal, to endeavour to place him on the throne of Spain by force of arms.

[Sidenote: 1704]

The regiment embarked from Holland in October, and sailed to Portsmouth, where it was detained by contrary winds; it put to sea in January, 1704, but, encountering a severe storm, was driven back to port, and several ships of the fleet were much damaged. The voyage was afterwards resumed, the regiment arrived at Lisbon in the early part of March, and landed on the 15th of that month. The King of Portugal being afraid to intrust the protection of his frontier towns to his own troops, the British regiments were placed in garrison.

Tardiness in the preparations for opening the campaign was manifested by the Portuguese authorities, and the Duke of Berwick attacked the frontiers of Portugal with the combined French and Spanish armies before the allies were prepared to take the field. The SEVENTEENTH were called from garrison to take part in attempting to arrest the progress of the enemy; they were employed in the Alemtejo, and in July they were encamped near Estremos,--a town situate in an agreeable tract on the Tarra; towards the end of July, they marched into cantonments in the town.

In the autumn the allied army was enabled to act on the offensive, and the SEVENTEENTH was one of the regiments which penetrated Spain, to the vicinity of Ciudad Rodrigo; but the enemy was found so advantageously posted, beyond the Agueda, that the Portuguese generals objected to attempt the passage of the river, and the army returned to Portugal, where the regiment passed the winter.

[Sidenote: 1705]

The regiment again proceeded to Estremos, in the Alemtejo, in April, 1705, and it was afterwards engaged in the siege of _Valencia de Alcantara_, which place was captured by storm on the 8th of May. The SEVENTEENTH was also employed at the siege and capture of _Albuquerque_; and when the summer heats became too great for the troops to remain in the field, the regiment went into quarters at the ancient town of Moura, near the banks of the Guadiana river.

In the autumn the army crossed the Guadiana, and the SEVENTEENTH regiment was engaged in the siege of _Badajoz_, the capital of Spanish Estremadura; but the army not being sufficiently numerous to invest the place, the garrison was relieved on the 14th of October, and the siege was afterwards raised. At this siege the British general, the Earl of Galway, lost his hand by a cannon-ball.

[Sidenote: 1706]

After passing the winter in cantonments on the confines of Portugal, the regiment again took the field in March, 1706, and in April it was employed in the siege of _Alcantara_, a fortified town situate on a rock near the river Tagus, in Spanish Estremadura. On the 10th of April the SEVENTEENTH and thirty-third regiments attacked the convent of St. Francis, situate near the town, and captured this post with great gallantry: the two regiments had fifty officers and men killed and wounded, Colonel Wade (afterwards Field-marshal) and Lieut.-Colonel de Harcourt being among the wounded. The garrison surrendered on the 14th of April.

From Alcantara the army advanced to the vicinity of Placencia, and afterwards drove the enemy from his position on the banks of the Tietar,--sending forward a detachment to destroy the bridge of Almaraz; but, subsequently changing its route, proceeded to the province of Leon, and the SEVENTEENTH regiment was employed in the siege of _Ciudad Rodrigo_, which fortress surrendered on the 26th of May.

On the 3rd of June the army commenced its march from Ciudad Rodrigo for the capital of Spain, proceeding by Salamanca, through the Guadarrama Mountains; and, arriving at Madrid on the 24th and 27th of June, encamped in the vicinity of that city, where Archduke Charles of Austria was proclaimed King of Spain with the usual solemnities. This tide of success was changed by the delay of King Charles to come to Madrid from Barcelona, which fortress had been captured by the Earl of Peterborough in the preceding year. This delay occasioned his friends to be discouraged; the partisans of King Philip took up arms; and, numerous bodies of French and Spanish troops joining the army under the Duke of Berwick, the allied army retreated from Madrid to the province of Valencia, where the SEVENTEENTH regiment was stationed during the winter.

[Sidenote: 1707]