Czytaj książkę: «Historical Record of the First Regiment of Foot»

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 honourable 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, been 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 every thing 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 bandoleers, 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 1635, 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 monarch, 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 an 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 calculated 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.

HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE FIRST, OR ROYAL REGIMENT OF FOOT

882

The Royal Regiment of Foot is the representative of a body of gallant Scots, formerly in the service of the celebrated Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden; and of another body of Scots, many years in the service of the Kings of France; and it claims an origin anterior to that of any other corps in the British army; but, although a laborious research has been made, and much information procured, yet, owing to the little attention which was paid to the history of military bodies previously to the last century, all the circumstances connected with its origin have not been ascertained. Its first Colonel was Sir John Hepburn, a distinguished officer, well known in Europe during the early part of the seventeenth century; but it appears to have existed some time as independent companies before it was constituted a regiment. Tradition has connected its early services with the ancient Scots Guards at the French court; and, in order that the claims of the Royal Regiment to antiquity may be clearly understood, a brief statement of the origin and services of the Scots Guards is introduced into this record.

The Scots have been celebrated for deeds of arms for many centuries, and they have been described by historians as a hardy, valiant, and generous people. Led by a native ardour for military fame, many Scotsmen have quitted their own country, and, like the daring adventurers of the remote ages, they have sought renown in foreign lands, where they have acquired celebrity for martial achievements, long before the practice of forming military bodies into regiments existed. It is recorded in history, that as early as the year 882, Charles III., King of France, had twenty-four armed Scots, in whose fidelity and valour he reposed confidence, to attend his person as a guard.⁶

1254

The life of Louis IX. is stated to have been twice preserved, – once in France, and afterwards in Egypt during the Holy War, by his faithful and valiant Scots attendants; and that monarch, after his return from Palestine, in 1254, increased the number of Scots who attended his person to about one hundred, and constituted them a Corps of Guards.⁷ The practice of having armed Scots attendants appears to have been continued by the succeeding sovereigns of France, and Charles V. is stated to have placed this corps on a regular establishment.

1415

1420

1421

1422

1423

1424

1429

1440

1484

1495

1509

1515

About the year 1484, another auxiliary force proceeded from Scotland to France; and the Scots in the French service signalized themselves in various parts of Europe, but especially in Italy in the year 1495, and they acquired the principal glory in the conquest of Naples.⁸ There were also Scots troops with the French army serving against the Venetians in 1509,⁹ and with King Francis I. of France, in Italy, in 1515, in which year the Scots Guards were nearly all killed in defence of the King's person before Pavia, where he was taken prisoner.¹⁰ After this fatal battle King Francis is stated to have exclaimed, "We have lost everything but our honour!"

1590

Two historical accounts of the origin and services of the First, or Royal, Regiment of Foot, have already been printed, in which this corps is stated to be a continuation of the ancient Scots Guards at the French Court but this is an error, – the Scots Guards were Cavalry, and this was always an Infantry corps, and it never sustained any character in the French army, but that of a regiment of the line. The supposition, that this Regiment was formerly the Body Guard of the Scottish kings is also without foundation.

Milan, a military historian of the 18th century, who evinced much zeal and assiduity in tracing the origin of every British corps, designates the Royal Regiment an "Old Scots Corps; the time of its rise uncertain;" and in the two editions of his succession of Colonels, published in 1742 and 1746, he did not give the date of the appointment of its first Colonel, Sir John Hepburn; but, in a subsequent edition, he states the 26th of January, 1633, to be the date of this officer's commission, as Colonel of the Old Scots Corps. This date appears to be correct, as Sir John Hepburn did not quit Germany until 1632, and no mention of a Scots Regiment in the French service has been met with in any of the military histories, or other French works (of which many volumes have been examined), previously to 1633. This corps must, however, have existed some time as independent companies, previously to its being constituted a regiment, as Père Daniel, in his history of the French army,¹¹ states, that this regiment, which he designates "Le Regiment de Douglas," was sent from Scotland to France in the reign of James VI. (James I. of England), and this monarch commenced his reign in 1567, when he was only a child, and died in 1625; hence it is evident that it had been in France some years before its formation into a regiment, under the command of Sir John Hepburn, took place. Père Daniel also alludes to this corps, in connexion with Henry IV. of France, and thus associates its services with the wars between that monarch and the Leaguers, which fixes the date of its arrival in France about the second year of his reign, viz. 1590. Francis Grose, the author of the British Military Antiquities, does not profess to be in possession of any information respecting the Royal Regiment, beyond what he obtained from Père Daniel; and the French historians of the seventeenth century introduce the regiment into their works abruptly, without saying a word about its origin. Thus, the only intelligence extant relating to the origin of this distinguished corps, and which is corroborated by collateral evidence, amounts to this: – "A body of Scottish Infantry proceeded from Scotland to France in the reign of James VI., to assist Henry IV. in his wars with the Leaguers; and was constituted in January, 1633, a regiment, which is now the First, or Royal, Regiment of Foot in the British line." The companies which proceeded to France were probably raised and commanded by men who had served in the Scots Guards at the French Court, which might give rise to the tradition of the Royal Regiment being connected with that corps; and, as the Scots Guards have ceased to exist, the Royals may be considered as the representative of that ancient body.

1591

1595

The occasion of these Scots companies being raised and sent to France in the reign of James VI., was the succession of Henry of Navarre, a Protestant prince, to the throne of France, in 1589, by the title of Henry IV., when a sanguinary war commenced between him and the combined Roman Catholic princes and nobles, called the Leaguers, who opposed his accession to the throne with all their power and influence. Queen Elizabeth furnished the French monarch with auxiliary English forces; the King of Scotland permitted his subjects to aid the Protestant cause, and several companies of Scottish foot were raised and sent to France. The British troops highly distinguished themselves under the Lord Willoughby, Sir John Norris, Sir Roger Williams, and other commanders. The English afterwards quitted France, but Henry IV., having discovered the value of these companies of hardy and valiant Scots, retained them in his service.

1609

1610

In 1609, and the early part of 1610, Henry IV. made preparations for engaging in a war with the House of Austria; but he was murdered in the streets of Paris on the 14th of May, 1610; and, after his death, his son, Louis XIII., being a minor, the preparations for war were discontinued, and part of the army was disbanded.

Leaving the Scots companies in France, where they appear to have been employed in garrison duty for many years, the Record commences the narrative of the services of another body of Scots, under the King of Sweden, of which the Royal Regiment is also the representative.

1611

1613

Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, who was designated "the lion of the north," succeeded to the throne in 1611, and he soon began to take an important part in the affairs of Europe. Having heard of the valour of the Scots, he procured, in 1613, a number of companies from Scotland and from the Netherlands,¹² and formed two Scots regiments. He also hired fifteen ships from the Scots nation, which took the town and district of Drontheim, and sailed afterwards to the southernmost shores of Sweden.¹³

1615

1616

A peace was soon afterwards concluded between Sweden and Denmark; but Gustavus retained his Scots veterans in his service; and in 1615 he commenced a war with Russia. He soon rendered himself master of the province of Ingria, – took by storm the strong fort of Kexholm, and besieged Plesko; but he was induced to desist from further enterprises by the pacific interposition of King James I. of England, and a cessation of hostilities took place.

1617

1619

The Scots in the service of Gustavus were, however, allowed but a short period of repose before they were again called upon to take the field. In 1617 Gustavus invaded Poland; and his troops were engaged in various actions until 1619, when a truce was agreed upon by the contending powers.

1620

1621

In 1620 the King of Sweden renewed the war; and the Scots, under Colonels Ruthven and Seaton, distinguished themselves at the siege and capture of Riga, the capital city of Livonia. The towns of Dunamond and Mittau were also captured soon afterwards; and these successes were followed by another truce.

Meanwhile events had transpired which gave rise to the formation of another body of Scots, with whose services the Royal Regiment is also connected. The Protestants of Bohemia having revolted from the dominion of Austria, elected to the throne the Count Palatine, who was assisted by an English regiment under Sir Horace Hore; and had also in his service a regiment of English and Scots, under Colonel Gray; and one of the Scots companies was commanded by John Hepburn, who was the first Colonel of the Royal Regiment. Gray's regiment was employed in 1620 to guard the King of Bohemia's person; but after the loss of the battle of Prague in 1621, His Majesty fled to Holland. Gray's regiment formed part of the force rallied by the Earl of Mansfield; after many enterprises, it retreated to the Palatinate, and was employed in Alsace and Germany.