HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE THIRTY-NINTH,

OR THE

DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

1700. 1701.

The long-expected decease of King Charles II. of Spain occurred on the 1st of November 1700, and the circumstance of his bequeathing his crown to Philip, Duke of Anjou, second son of the Dauphin of France, involved the several Powers of Europe in a lengthened contest, which has been designated the “War of the Spanish Succession.” England would, probably, have abstained from becoming a principal in the war, had not Louis XIV., upon the death of James II. at St. Germains, on the 16th of September 1701, proclaimed that monarch’s son, known as the Pretender, as King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which so aroused the feelings of the English people as to lead the nation to support with ardour Charles, Archduke of Austria, the second son of Leopold, Emperor of Germany, in his efforts to obtain the throne of Spain, particularly as it was considered that the anticipated union of the crowns of France and Spain would be inimical to the “balance of power” in Europe.

1702.

Active preparations for war commenced, and the Thirty-ninth was one of the regiments raised at this period, and has been since retained on the establishment of the army.[6] The regiment was raised in Ireland by Colonel Richard Coote, under the authority of a royal warrant dated the 13th of February 1702, and continued to be stationed in that country for the five following years.

The sudden decease of King William III. on the 8th of March 1702, did not retard the breaking out of hostilities, for his views were carried into effect by his successor Queen Anne, who declared war against France and Spain on the 4th of May following, and the Earl of Marlborough was appointed to command the forces in Flanders, with the rank of Captain-General.

1703.

Colonel Nicholas Sankey was appointed to the colonelcy of the regiment on the 17th of March 1703, in succession to Colonel Richard Coote, deceased.

1704.

Gibraltar, a name which, in subsequent years, is so gloriously connected with the Thirty-ninth regiment,[7] was taken in July 1704 by the British and Dutch marines, aided by the seamen, under Major-General the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt, and Admiral Sir George Rooke. In October following, the French and Spaniards endeavoured to retake the fortress, but after a siege of some months they desisted from the attempt in March 1705.

1705. 1706.

While the army under the Duke of Marlborough was pursuing a victorious career in Flanders and Germany, the troops which had been employed in Portugal and Spain had likewise gained important successes. In October 1705, the allied troops under the Earl of Peterborough captured Barcelona, and that celebrated city was successfully defended by them in April and May of the following year. Madrid was taken possession of by the Earl of Galway in June 1706, and the fortunes of Charles III. appeared in the ascendant; but the delay of that prince to avail himself of these advantages, by marching at once to the capital of Spain, enabled Philip V. to collect an army superior in numbers to the Allies, and Madrid was again occupied by the enemy in August of the same year.

1707.

On the 25th of April 1707, the allied forces under the Earl of Galway were defeated by the Duke of Berwick at Almanza[8], which materially changed the aspect of affairs in Spain.

Additional troops were shortly afterwards selected for embarkation for Portugal, and the Thirty-ninth was one of the regiments directed to proceed to that country.

Accordingly the Fifth, Twentieth, Thirty-ninth, and a newly raised regiment commanded by Colonel Stanwix (since disbanded), having been selected for this service, sailed from Cork on the 22nd of May 1707, and landed at Lisbon on the 8th of June. This seasonable reinforcement arriving soon after the defeat of the allied army at Almanza, in the south-east of Spain, and at the moment when the enemy, having captured Serpa and Moura in the Alemtejo, had seized on the bridge of Olivenza in Portuguese Estremadura, and menaced that important place with a siege, its presence revived the drooping spirits of the Portuguese.

These four regiments being the only British troops in that part of the country, were disembarked with every possible expedition, and marched to the frontiers under the command of the Marquis de Montandre, when the enemy immediately ceased to act on the offensive, and retired. The four regiments having halted at Estremos, a strong town of the Alemtejo, situated in an agreeable tract on the Tarra, remained in this pleasant quarter during the summer heats, and afterwards encamped in the fruitful valley of the Caya, near Elvas, having detached parties on the flanks to prevent the enemy making incursions into Portugal, in which service the regiments were engaged until November, when they went into quarters in the frontier towns of Portugal.

1708.

In the spring of 1708 the regiment again took the field, and was encamped at Fuente de Sapatores, between Elvas and Campo Mayor. The British division was soon afterwards increased to six regiments, by the arrival of the Thirteenth foot, and a newly raised regiment (Paston’s) from England. The little army in the Alemtejo was commanded by the Marquis de Fronteira, but the characteristic inactivity of the Portuguese occasioned the services of the Thirty-ninth to be limited to defensive operations. The regiment was encamped in the autumn at Campo Mayor, and afterwards went into cantonments.

1709.

The regiment moved from its quarters in the spring of 1709, and became engaged in active operations. It was first encamped near Estremos, and proceeded from thence to Elvas on the 23rd of April 1709; the regiment was subsequently encamped with the army on the banks of the Caya, where the Earl of Galway, who had been removed from the army in Catalonia, appeared at the head of the British division.

On the 7th of May, the French and Spaniards, commanded by the Marquis de Bay, marched in the direction of Campo Mayor; when the Portuguese generals, contrary to the Earl of Galway’s advice, resolved to pass the Caya, and attack the enemy. The Portuguese cavalry and artillery took the lead, and having passed the river and gained the opposite heights, opened a sharp cannonade; but upon the advance of their adversaries to charge, the squadrons faced about and galloped from the field, leaving their cannon behind. The British division, arriving at the moment, repulsed the enemy; the leading brigade, consisting of the Thirteenth, Stanwix’s and Galway’s regiments, commanded by Brigadier-General Thomas Pearce, charging furiously, recaptured the Portuguese guns; but the three regiments, pressing forward too far, were surrounded and made prisoners, and with them Major-General Sankey, the Colonel of the Thirty-ninth; and the Earl of Barrymore, together with Brigadier-General Thomas Pearce, fell into the hands of the enemy.

At the same time the Fifth, Twentieth, Thirty-ninth, and Lord Paston’s regiments, though deserted by the whole of the cavalry, made a determined stand, bearing the brunt of the enemy’s reiterated attacks with admirable firmness, until the Portuguese infantry had retired; then moving to the rear in firm array, while the balls flew thickly on every side, and the Earl of Galway’s horse was shot under him, the enemy advanced in full career, threatening the destruction of this little band; yet, with ranks unbroken and steady tread, these undaunted English calmly retraced their steps, exhibiting one of the noblest spectacles of war, and occasionally punishing the temerity of their pursuers with a cool and deliberate resolution, which laid a thousand Spaniards dead upon the field, and impressed the enemy, and likewise the Portuguese, with a sense of British courage and magnanimity. Thus they effected their retreat, with the loss of only one hundred and fifty men killed and wounded, and passed that night at Arronches.

The Thirty-ninth acquired great honour by its gallantry on this occasion. The regiment was afterwards encamped at Elvas, was subsequently in position on the banks of the Guadiana, and again passed the winter in cantonments in the Alemtejo.

1710.

The casualties of the preceding campaign having been replaced by recruits from England, the regiment again took the field in the spring of 1710, and was employed in the Alemtejo; but the army was weak and unequal to any important undertaking, and the French having obtained some success in the province of Tras os Montes, occasioned a detachment to be sent thither. In the autumn the army advanced across the Guadiana, and on the 4th of October arrived at the rich plains of Xeres de los Cabaleros, on the river Ardilla, in Spanish Estremadura. It was determined to attack this place by storm on the following day, and the Fifth, Twentieth, and Thirty-ninth regiments, having been selected to perform this service under the command of Brigadier-General Stanwix, advanced at four in the afternoon to attack the works near St. Catherine’s gate by escalade. A few minutes after the regiments had commenced the assault, the Governor sent proposals to surrender, which were agreed to, and the garrison, consisting of seven hundred men, became prisoners of war. The army afterwards retired to Portugal by the mountains of Orlor, and went into quarters.

During this summer, the army on the other side of Spain gained two victories—one at Almanara, and the other at Saragossa,—and afterwards advanced to Madrid, when the most pressing instances were made by King Charles III. and General Stanhope to induce the army of Portugal to advance upon the Spanish capital; but the Portuguese generals were unwilling to engage in so great an undertaking.

1711.

The Thirty-ninth, during the campaign of 1711, formed part of the army which assembled at Olivenza in May, and having passed the Guadiana by a pontoon bridge at Jerumenha, advanced against the enemy, who took refuge under the cannon of Badajoz. The regiment was afterwards engaged in the capture of several small towns, and in levying contributions in Spanish Estremadura; but the summer passed without any occurrence of importance, excepting a discovery made by the Earl of Portmore, who commanded the British troops in Portugal, of a clandestine treaty in progress between the crown of Portugal and the enemy, in which the former had agreed to separate from the Allies; to give an excuse for this, a mock battle was to have been fought, in which the British troops were to have been sacrificed. This treaty was broken off, but the British Government soon afterwards entered into negotiations with France.

The claimant of the Spanish throne, Charles III., was in October 1711 elected Emperor of Germany by the title of Charles VI., his brother Joseph having died at Vienna in the preceding April. This circumstance materially affected the war, and inclined Great Britain to agree to peace, for the consolidation of Spain with the empire of Germany would have perilled the balance of power in Europe as much as the anticipated union of the crowns of France and Spain. The course of events had also shown, that a French, and not an Austrian prince, was the choice of the Spanish nation.

1712.

The regiment remained in Portugal, and during the summer of 1712 was encamped on the pleasant plains of the Tarra. In the autumn a suspension of hostilities was proclaimed at the camp by Major-General Pearce, and the regiment went into cantonments.

1713.

On the 11th of April 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht was signed, and by its provisions the fortress of Gibraltar and the island of Minorca, which had been taken by the English during the war, were ceded to Great Britain. The Thirty-ninth proceeded in the first instance to Gibraltar; but in the course of the year 1713, the regiment was selected to form part of the garrison at Minorca.[9]

1719.

Upon the decease of Lieut.-General Nicholas Sankey, in March 1719, His Majesty King George I. appointed, on the 11th of that month, Brigadier-General Thomas Ferrers to be Colonel of the Thirty-ninth regiment.

The Thirty-ninth regiment remained at Minorca until the year 1719, when it embarked for Ireland, in which country it was stationed for some years.

1722.

Colonel William Newton was appointed by King George I. to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 28th of September 1722, in succession to Brigadier-General Thomas Ferrers, removed to the Seventeenth regiment of foot.

1726.

Spain had relinquished its claim on Gibraltar with reluctance; and that country having resolved to engage in war with Great Britain, a large army, under the command of the Count de las Torres, was assembled in Andalusia towards the end of 1726, in order to commence hostilities with the siege of this important fortress, for which purpose the Spaniards had made very extensive preparations.

The British Government resolved to send certain regiments to reinforce the garrison of Gibraltar, and six men-of-war were also fitted out at Portsmouth with all possible expedition. Admiral Sir Charles Wager was appointed to command the fleet, on board of which three regiments of infantry, Anstruther’s, Disney’s, and Newton’s (Twenty-sixth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirty-ninth regiments), were embarked. On the 24th of December 1726, Sir Charles Wager arrived at Portsmouth, and shortly afterwards sailed for Gibraltar, but was detained for some time at Spithead by the southerly winds. Two other regiments of infantry, Middleton’s and Hayes’s (Twenty-fifth and Thirty-fourth), were ordered to embark at Cork, for the purpose of joining Sir Charles Wager, and of reinforcing the garrison of Gibraltar.

1727.

Admiral Sir Charles Wager arrived in the Bay of Gibraltar on the 2nd of February 1727, after a voyage of fourteen days from Portsmouth. In the previous month the Spanish troops, under General Count de las Torres, had encamped before the fortress, and the bringing up of cannon and mortars occupied several weeks. In February they commenced constructing batteries before any declaration of war had been made, and persisted in the work, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the Lieut.-Governor, Colonel Jasper Clayton.

The garrison opened its fire upon the besiegers towards the end of February, and the reverberation of the thunder of the cannon and mortars among the mountains of Andalusia, proclaimed the strenuous efforts of the enemy, and the gallant defence made by the garrison. The tremendous fire of the Spaniards produced little effect beyond the bursting of many of their own cannon, and rendering others useless. The siege was continued until thousands of the enemy had perished, while very little loss was sustained by the garrison.[10] In the early part of June the fire slackened; and shortly afterwards hostilities ceased, in consequence of preliminary articles for a treaty of peace having been agreed upon. Thus the fortress of Gibraltar was a second time preserved, and continued to form one of the trophies of British prowess.

1729.

Peace having been concluded between Great Britain, France, and Spain, in November 1729, the regiment was ordered to proceed from Gibraltar to Jamaica, and it embarked for that island in the course of the year following.

1730.

Colonel John Cope was appointed to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 10th of November 1730, in succession to Brigadier-General William Newton, deceased.

1732.

In the year 1732 the regiment returned from Jamaica to Ireland.

Colonel Thomas Wentworth was appointed to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 15th of December 1732, in succession to Colonel John Cope, removed to the Fifth fusiliers.

The regiment continued to be stationed in Ireland during 1733 and ten following years.

1737.

Colonel John Campbell, afterwards Duke of Argyle, was appointed to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 27th of June 1737, in succession to Colonel Thomas Wentworth, who was removed to the Twenty-fourth regiment.

1738.

Upon Colonel Campbell being removed to the Twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers on the 1st of November 1738, King George II. appointed Colonel Richard Onslow to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment from that date.

1739.

Colonel Onslow was removed to the Eighth regiment of foot on the 6th of June 1739, and the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth was conferred, from the same date, on Lieut.-Colonel Robert Dalway.

While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, war was proclaimed on the 23rd of October 1739, by Great Britain against Spain, in consequence of the Spanish depredations in the West Indies.

1740.

Lieut.-Colonel Samuel Walter Whitshed was promoted from the Eighth dragoons to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 28th of December 1740, in succession to Colonel Dalway, removed to the Thirteenth dragoons.

While the war was being carried on between Great Britain and Spain, the decease of Charles VI. Emperor of Germany, on the 20th of October 1740, and the support given by France to Charles Albert, Elector of Bavaria, in opposition to the claims of the Archduchess Maria Theresa, the eldest daughter of the late Emperor, to her father’s hereditary territories, occasioned the contest that is designated the “War of the Austrian Succession.”

1742.

The Elector of Bavaria was chosen Emperor of Germany at Frankfort on the Maine, and crowned as Charles VII. on the 11th of February 1742; and in the summer of that year the King of England sent an army of sixteen thousand men, under Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, to Flanders, in order to support the Queen of Hungary, Maria Theresa.

1743.

Colonel Edward Richbell was appointed to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 14th of June 1743, in succession to Colonel Samuel Walter Whitshed, who was removed to the Twelfth dragoons.

The battle of Dettingen was fought on the 27th of June 1743, and is remarkable as the last action in which a British monarch was present; but King George II. at this period did not act as a principal in the war, his troops having been furnished as allies to the Austrians.

1744.

On the 9th of March 1744, the Thirty-ninth regiment proceeded from Ireland to Great Britain, and was employed on board the fleet, as Marines, for two years.

War was at last declared by France against Great Britain on the 20th of March 1744, and a counter-declaration was made by the latter country on the 29th of the same month; thus these two powers, from auxiliaries, now became principals in the contest.

1745.

In January 1745, the Emperor Charles VII. died at Munich, and Francis, Grand Duke of Tuscany, consort of Maria Theresa, became a candidate for the imperial crown; this circumstance changed the aspect of affairs in Germany, and led to the re-establishment of the House of Austria in the imperial dignity.

In July Prince Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, arrived in Scotland, and being joined by several clans, obtained some advantages; but after advancing as far as Derby, he retreated towards the north in December following.

1746.

The hopes of the Pretender were annihilated by the battle of Culloden on the 16th of April 1746, and part of the military force of the kingdom becoming available for other services, an expedition proceeded against the coast of Brittany. Sixteen sail of the line under Admiral Lestock, and eight frigates, conveying five thousand troops (of which the Thirty-ninth formed part), exclusive of Marines, under Lieut.-General St. Clair, sailed from Plymouth on the 14th of September, in order to make an attack on Port L’Orient, the principal station for the French East India Company’s shipping and stores.

The troops landed in Quimperlay Bay on the morning of the 20th of September, and marched on the following day in two columns against Plymeur, which surrendered, and on the following day advanced to within a mile of Port L’Orient. Some affairs took place between the 21st and 26th of September, and the town was cannonaded; but the enemy having assembled a formidable force, it was determined to withdraw the troops, and they were accordingly re-embarked.

The British troops landed on the peninsula of Quiberon on the 4th of October, and captured a fort mounting eighteen guns; and after destroying all the forts and guns, together with those on the islands of Houat and Hedic, the force was re-embarked, sailed for England, and arrived at Spithead on the 26th of October.

1747.

During the years 1747 and 1748, the regiment again served as Marines on board the fleet.

1748.

On the 7th of October 1748, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed, which terminated the war, and the regiment was again stationed in Ireland, where it remained upwards of five years.

1751.

In the royal warrant, dated the 1st of July 1751, for establishing and maintaining uniformity in the clothing, standards, and colours of the army, and regulating the number and rank of regiments, the facings of the Thirty-ninth regiment were directed to be green. The first, or King’s colour, was the Great Union; the second, or regimental colour, was of green silk, with the Union in the upper canton; in the centre of the colour the number of the rank of the regiment, in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk.

At this period the uniform of the regiment was cocked hats bound with white lace; scarlet coats faced and turned up with green, and ornamented with white lace; scarlet waistcoats and breeches; white gaiters, white cravats, and buff belts.

1752.

Colonel John Adlercron was appointed to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 14th of March 1752, in succession to Brigadier-General Edward Richbell, removed to the Seventeenth foot.

1754.

In the beginning of 1754, the Thirty-ninth proceeded from Ireland to the East Indies, being the first King’s regiment employed in that country.

1756.

The regiment remained at Madras until 1756, when events transpired which occasioned a portion of the Thirty-ninth to be embarked for Bengal. Upon the decease of Allaverdy Khan, in April 1756, Surajah Dowlah was proclaimed Soubah, or Nabob of Bengal. During nearly half a century the British at Calcutta had pursued a profitable commerce in peace; but the new ruler soon evinced his hostility to them, and taking the field shortly afterwards, with a numerous army, invested Calcutta, which was captured by him on the 20th of June. Then followed that awful sacrifice of life in the “Black Hole,” a dungeon at Calcutta only eighteen feet square, into which one hundred and forty-six of the prisoners were thrust, and on the following morning only twenty-three survived,—their unfortunate companions having perished from suffocation.

Dark was the cloud which hung over the affairs of the East India Company at this period; self-preservation made it imperative to adopt measures of retaliation, and it was a proud epoch in the career of the Thirty-ninth when a portion of the regiment was selected for service in Bengal, where the subsequent successes, obtained under Lieut.-Colonel Clive, dispersed the prevailing gloom, and paved the way for British ascendancy in India.

The intelligence of these events reached Madras in August 1756, and it was determined to send a force to Bengal, of which Colonel Adlercron, of the Thirty-ninth, claimed the command, but Lieut.-Colonel Robert (afterwards Lord) Clive, was eventually appointed to command the troops. The armament consisted of nine hundred Europeans and fifteen hundred Sepoys: two hundred and fifty of the Europeans belonged to the Thirty-ninth regiment, and the remainder were the best men of the Company’s troops. The naval squadron comprised the Kent of 64 guns, Cumberland of 70, Tiger of 60, Salisbury of 50, Bridgewater of 20, and a fire-ship; to which were added, as transports, three of the Company’s ships, and two smaller vessels. The fleet under Rear-Admirals Watson and Pocock having the troops on board, sailed from Madras on the 16th of October 1756, and anchored in the river Hoogly, off Fulta, twenty miles from Calcutta, on the 15th of December, with the exception of the Cumberland, in which Admiral Pocock had hoisted his flag, which grounded on the sandheads off Saugur, but afterwards bore up to Vizagapatam. The fleet left Fulta on the 27th of December, and anchored in the afternoon of the day following at Mayapore, a town ten miles below the fort of Budge-Budge.

It was determined to attack this fort on the following day, and it was resolved to lay an ambuscade in order to intercept the retreat of the garrison towards Calcutta. All the men of the Thirty-ninth who had arrived, being one hundred and twenty, remained on board the ships of war; but five hundred Europeans, with the Sepoys, and two field-pieces, landed, and marched from Mayapore, at sunset, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Clive. Monickchund, the Governor of Calcutta, attempted to make a stand near the fort of Budge-Budge, but was defeated, and forced to return to Calcutta.

Meanwhile the Kent, having outsailed the other ships, anchored before Budge-Budge, and alone silenced the cannon of that fort, which was abandoned by the garrison during the night of the 30th of December.

1757.

The fleet left Budge-Budge on the 31st of December, and anchored, on the 1st of January 1757, between the forts of Tanna and Aligur, which were abandoned by the enemy without firing a shot. On the following morning Lieut.-Colonel Clive, with the greater portion of the Europeans and Sepoys, landed, and advanced towards Calcutta. At nine o’clock the Kent and Tiger anchored before the British fort, which, after a brisk cannonade, was deserted by the enemy, and also the town shortly afterwards, when a detachment from the ships under Captain Eyre Coote, of the Thirty-ninth, (afterwards Lieut.-General Sir Eyre Coote, K.B.), hoisted the British colours in the fort, as the troops under Lieut.-Colonel Clive had not then arrived.

Hoogly, a town about twenty-three miles above Calcutta, was the next object of attack: one hundred and seventy of the Thirty-ninth regiment, with two hundred Sepoys, were embarked on this service on the 4th of January, sailed on the following day, and arrived before the place on the 10th of that month, the delay having been caused by one of the vessels having struck on a sandbank. The fort was garrisoned by two thousand men; three thousand more had been sent from Moorshedabad to guard the town, but these retreated upon the landing of the British troops, remaining, however, within a few miles distance. The fort was battered until night, and although the breach was scarcely practicable, it was resolved to storm it before dawn. At the main gate a false attack was made, while Captain Coote, of the Thirty-ninth, with the other division, accompanied by some sailors, mounted the breach undiscovered by the garrison, who no sooner saw their assailants on the ramparts, than they quitted their posts and fled. Three Europeans and ten Sepoys were killed in the attack. The booty taken in the expedition against Hoogly was estimated at 15,000l. sterling.

On the 12th of January Captain Coote, with fifty of the Thirty-ninth regiment, and twice that number of Sepoys, marched to Bandell, a large village three miles off, where they destroyed several granaries of rice, but on their return were surrounded by the fugitive garrison and the troops sent from Moorshedabad, from whom they disengaged themselves without loss. On the 19th of January the portion of the Thirty-ninth employed on this service, with the smaller vessels, returned to Calcutta.

While this expedition was in progress, the news of the war, which had been declared between Great Britain and France in May of the previous year, was received in India. The Nabob, Surajee Dowlah, exasperated by the attack of Hoogly, commenced his march towards Calcutta, and the British made every preparation to oppose his approach. On the 30th of January the Nabob’s forces commenced their passage of the river about ten miles above Hoogly, and arrived before Calcutta on the 3rd of February. In the afternoon of that day, a numerous body of the enemy commenced entrenching themselves in a large garden, within a mile and a half of the British camp. Upon this Lieut.-Colonel Clive immediately advanced with the greater portion of his troops, and six field-pieces. The attack of so numerous a force appeared extremely hazardous, and Lieut.-Colonel Clive restrained the action to a cannonade, which continued only for an hour, in order that the troops might be enabled to regain the camp before dark. Negotiations for peace had been proposed by Lieut.-Colonel Clive, and failed; it was therefore determined to attack the Nabob’s camp in the morning. At midnight five hundred and sixty-nine sailors, armed with firelocks, were landed from the ships of war: the Europeans amounted to six hundred and fifty, the artillerymen to one hundred, and the Sepoys to eight hundred. Shortly before dawn on the 5th of February, the British line came upon the advance-guards of the enemy, who fled after discharging their matchlocks and some rockets: one of the latter struck the cartouch-box of a Sepoy, set fire to the charges, which exploded, and communicated the mischief to several others: the dread of catching this fire threw the division into confusion, but fortunately none of the enemy were at hand to take advantage of this accidental circumstance, and Captain Coote, of the Thirty-ninth, who marched at the head of the grenadiers, in the rear of the Sepoys, rallied them, and restored the line of march. A desperate contest ensued, during which Ensign Martin Yorke, of the Thirty-ninth, with a platoon of the regiment, rescued one of the field-pieces which was on the point of being captured by the enemy. The British sustained a loss in killed of twenty-seven Europeans, twelve seamen, and eighteen Sepoys: seventy Europeans, twelve seamen, and thirty-five Sepoys were wounded. The Nabob lost twenty-two officers of distinction, six hundred men, four elephants, five hundred horses, some camels, and several bullocks.

A treaty of peace was concluded between the Nabob and the East India Company on the 9th of February, and hostilities terminated.

It was, however, perceived that the Nabob was only temporising, and it was ascertained that he had sent a present of one hundred thousand rupees to the government of Chandernagore, then in possession of the French; and that Nuncomar, the governor of Hoogly, had received instructions to assist the French in case they should be attacked by the British.

Lieut.-Colonel Clive then resolved upon placing Meer Jaffier, one of the distinguished chieftains in Bengal, on the musnud, or government-seat, and of deposing the Nabob Surajee Dowlah, the former having engaged, in the event of his being elevated to the viceroyship, to aid in expelling the French from Bengal. Accordingly, Chandernagore, on the Hoogly, sixteen miles above Calcutta, was invested by Lieut.-Colonel Clive on the 14th of March, and, after a gallant defence, the place surrendered on the 24th of that month. A part of the garrison escaped, and joined the Nabob’s army.

Lieut.-Colonel Clive marched into Chandernagore with the King’s troops, on the following day. Admiral Watson, in his despatch of the 31st of March, 1757, stated that “all the officers and men behaved with great spirit and resolution on this occasion; as did also the Land Forces, who kept up a good and constant fire the whole time from two batteries and two guns which they had raised very near the fort.”

Meer Jaffier having signed the treaty with Admiral Watson, Lieut.-Colonel Clive, and the other counsellors, it was determined to commence operations. On the 12th of June, the troops which were at Calcutta, with one hundred and fifty seamen from the squadron, proceeded to join the army quartered at Chandernagore. The necessary preparations having been made, the army marched from Chandernagore on the following day, leaving a hundred seamen to garrison the fort, so that every soldier might serve in the field.

The British army arrived and halted on the 16th of June at Patlee, a town on the western shore of the Cossimbuzar river. Twelve miles above Patlee was situated the Fort of Cutwah, which commanded the passage of the river. Captain Coote was detached on the 17th against Cutwah, which was taken two days afterwards.

The main body of the army arrived at Cutwah in the evening, and encamped on the plain. The rainy season commenced on the following day with such violence that the troops were compelled to strike their tents, and shelter themselves in the houses of the town.

The co-operation of Meer Jaffier appearing doubtful at this period, made Lieut.-Colonel Clive hesitate as to crossing into the island of Cossimbuzar, and at all risks attack the Nabob Surajee Dowlah. A council of war consisting of sixteen officers was summoned; and contrary to the usual practice of taking the voice of the youngest officer first, and ascending from this to that of the president, Lieut.-Colonel Clive at once declared for remaining at Cutwah, and to continue there during the rainy season. Eight other officers were of the same opinion, and only seven voted for immediate action. Captain Eyre Coote, of the Thirty-ninth, was one of the latter, and argued, “that the soldiers were at present confident of success, and that a stop so near the enemy would naturally quell this ardour, which it would be difficult to restore; that the arrival of the French troops with Mr. Law would add strength to the Nabob’s force and vigour to his councils; that they would surround the English army, and cut off its communication with Calcutta, when distresses, not yet foreseen, might ruin it as effectually as the loss of a battle. He therefore advised that they should either advance and at once decide the contest, or immediately return to Calcutta.”

Lieut.-Colonel Clive’s anxieties were not alleviated by the sanction of the majority. He retired into the adjoining grove, and remained for nearly an hour in deep meditation; the result was that he determined to act on the opinion of Captain Coote and the minority, by giving orders for the passage of the river of Cossimbuzar, a branch of the Ganges.

At sunrise on the 22nd of June, the British troops commenced to pass the river, and all were landed on the opposite shore by four in the afternoon. After a march of fifteen miles they arrived at one o’clock on the following morning at Plassey, and immediately occupied the adjoining grove. The guards being stationed, the remainder of the wearied soldiers were allowed a short interval of repose, which was broke at daybreak, when the Nabob’s hosts issued from their entrenched camp, amounting to about fifteen thousand cavalry, thirty-five thousand infantry, and upwards of forty pieces of cannon.[11] This was a fearful disparity of numbers when contrasted with the small army under Lieut.-Colonel Clive, which consisted of two thousand one hundred Sepoys, one hundred Topasses[12], one hundred Malabar Portuguese, six hundred and fifty European infantry, and one hundred and fifty artillerymen, including fifty seamen, together with eight six-pounders and one howitzer.

The Nabob commenced the attack by six o’clock, and his numerous artillery kept up a heavy cannonade for some hours, which was warmly responded to by the British. Lieut.-Colonel Clive sheltered his troops in the adjacent grove; and they were ordered to sit down, while the field-pieces alone answered the enemy’s cannon from behind the bank. At eleven o’clock Lieut.-Colonel Clive consulted his officers at the drumhead, when it was resolved to maintain the cannonade during the day, and at midnight to attack the enemy. At noon a heavy shower of rain covered the plain, and damaged the enemy’s powder to such on extent that his fire slackened, but the British ammunition remained serviceable.

A crisis had arrived, and Lieut.-Colonel Clive, no longer acting on the defensive, became the assailant. Seizing the opportunity, he advanced, and obtained possession of a tank, and two other posts of consequence, which the enemy vainly attempted to recover. A successful attack was then made upon the eminence and angle of the Nabob’s camp, defended by forty French soldiers (the men who had escaped from the garrison of Chandernagore), and their two pieces of cannon were captured. This was followed by a general rout, and the discomfited enemy was pursued for six miles: upwards of forty pieces of cannon, abandoned by the fugitives, fell into the hands of the victors.

In this astonishing victory, which laid the foundation of the British dominion in Bengal, five hundred of the enemy were killed, while the army under Lieut.-Colonel Clive sustained a loss of only twenty-two killed and fifty wounded.

It appears from a manuscript journal kept by Captain Eyre Coote, now in the library of the Honourable East India Company, that the following officers of the Thirty-ninth were present in the battle of Plassey: namely, Captains Archibald Grant, and Eyre Coote; Lieutenant John Corneille; and Ensigns Joseph Adnett, and Martin Yorke.

The motto “Primus in Indis,” and the word “Plassey,” borne by royal authority on the regimental colour and appointments of the Thirty-ninth, are proud memorials of its having been the first King’s regiment which served in India, and of the gallantry displayed in this battle.[13]

Lieut.-Colonel Clive, accompanied by a guard of two hundred Europeans, and three hundred Sepoys, entered the city of Moorshedabad on the 29th of June, and saluted Meer Jaffier as Nabob, who received the usual homage from the people as Soubah of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa. Surajee was subsequently taken prisoner, and fell a victim to the dagger of the son of Meer Jaffier.

Mr. Law, who was the French chief at Cossimbuzar, had collected nearly two hundred French European troops, and was proceeding to the assistance of the late Nabob;—when within a few hours’ march of him, he was taken prisoner, and Mr. Law, receiving that intelligence, advanced no further. Lieut.-Colonel Clive thereupon detached a party in pursuit under the command of Captain Coote, of the Thirty-ninth regiment, consisting of two hundred Europeans and five hundred Sepoys, who were to be joined by two thousand of Meer Jaffier’s cavalry. After long and harassing marches, in which the troops suffered much fatigue, Captain Coote received orders to return, and arrived at Moorshedabad in September, when his detachment was subsequently stationed in the factory at Cossimbuzar. The rest of the troops, which had served at Plassey, proceeded to Chandernagore, that station being considered more healthy than Calcutta.

While the portion of the Thirty-ninth had been thus engaged in Bengal, the remainder of the regiment left at Madras had not been unemployed. An expedition having been determined upon against Nelloure, Major Francis Forde, of the Thirty-ninth, was selected to command the force selected for that service, which consisted of one hundred Europeans, fifty-six Caffres, and three hundred Sepoys. He effected a junction with the army of the Nabob of Arcot, or of the Carnatic, at Serapely on the 25th of April 1757. Two days afterwards the troops encamped before Nelloure. A practicable breach having been made, at sunrise on the 5th of May the assault was commenced; but in consequence of the Sepoys being seized with a panic, the attack was not successful. The troops subsequently returned towards Serapely, where Major Forde received express orders to return to Madras, in order to prevent the designs of the French on Trichinopoly.

In consequence of the danger to which Trichinopoly was exposed, Colonel Adlercron marched from Madras on the 26th of May with three hundred Europeans, being the whole of the Thirty-ninth at that station, together with five hundred Sepoys, thirty of the King’s artillery, and four field-pieces. Intelligence having been received of the relief of Trichinopoly by Captain Caillaud, who had been selected to command the expedition against Madura[14], Colonel Adlercron was directed to invest the fortress of Wandewash, and accordingly marched towards that place on the 5th of June. On the following day he entered the town; but before the heavy cannon could arrive, the greater part of the French army from Trichinopoly reached Pondicherry, and marched to the relief of Wandewash, upon which Colonel Adlercron withdrew from the town, and encamped a few miles off. Several marches and countermarches were afterwards made, but no general engagement took place, and it being seen that nothing but the certainty of advantage would bring the enemy from his entrenched camp to action, the troops marched for Conjeveram on the 26th of July, at which place they arrived on the 28th of that month, where five hundred Europeans and fifteen hundred Sepoys remained in cantonments under the command of Major Francis Forde, of the Thirty-ninth, and the rest of the troops returned to the garrisons and stations from whence they had been drawn.

Shortly afterwards orders were received from England recalling the Thirty-ninth regiment, when most of the men, and certain of the officers, entered the East India Company’s service.

1758.

The regiment remained in India until the end of the year 1758, when it returned to Ireland, on the western coast of which it was wrecked.

1759.

After remaining in Ireland some time, and being recruited to its establishment, the regiment was greatly reduced by a large detachment sent to Germany to join the British troops serving under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. No record has been preserved by the regiment of the services of this detachment, and the research made to supply the deficiency has not been attended with success.

1763.

The Seven Years’ War, which had commenced in 1756, while the regiment was serving in India, was terminated by the peace concluded at Paris in February 1763.

1766.

Colonel Robert Boyd was appointed from the First foot guards to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 6th of August 1766, in succession to Lieut.-General Adlercron, deceased.

1767.

During the years 1766, 1767, and 1768, the regiment continued to be stationed in Ireland.

1769.

In the year 1769 the Thirty-ninth again proceeded to Gibraltar; and while serving in that garrison, events transpired which enabled the regiment to acquire additional honor.

1779.

The possession of this fortress by the English had been regarded by the Spaniards with great jealousy, but every effort for its recovery had signally failed. The contest between the colonists in North America and Great Britain, seemed to offer the Spanish monarch a favourable opportunity for regaining possession of Gibraltar. The French monarch, in the previous year, had concluded a treaty of defensive alliance with the American colonies, which involved Great Britain in a war with France. The Court of Versailles subsequently engaged that of Madrid to take a part in the contest, and on the 16th of June 1779 the Spanish ambassador presented a manifesto at St. James’s, equivalent to a declaration of war, and immediately departed from London; and shortly afterwards the siege of Gibraltar was commenced by the Spaniards, the anticipated reduction of that important fortress being one of the principal objects which induced Spain to become a party in the contest.

Gibraltar was accordingly beset, by sea and land, by the Spanish fleets and armies. The following return shows the strength of the garrison at the commencement of the blockade on the 21st of June 1779:—

British. Officers. Men.

Royal Artillery 25 460

Royal Engineers 8 114[15]

12th foot 29 570

39th ” 29 557

56th ” 27 560

58th ” 28 577

72nd ” (Royal Manchester Volunteers), disbanded in 1783 33 1013

—— —— 4030

Hanoverian.

Hardenberg’s regiment 29 423

Reden’s ” 27 417

De La Motte’s ” 33 423

—— —— 1352

Total —— 5382

The Thirty-ninth regiment was commanded by Brevet Lieut.-Colonel William Kellett, major of the corps, and the garrison, mustering five thousand three hundred and eighty-two men, was under the orders of General the Right Hon. George Augustus Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield. Being thus blockaded by sea and besieged by land, the troops at Gibraltar became cut off from communication with other countries, and the garrison appeared a little world within itself.[16] The arrangements for the defence were devised with judgment, and executed with skill. The soldiers cheerfully conformed to the strict rules which their circumstances rendered necessary, and severe exercise and short diet became habitual to them; at the same time the great importance of the place, and the determined character of General Eliott and his garrison, occasioned this siege to be regarded with universal interest by the several nations of Europe.

The following officers of the Thirty-ninth regiment were appointed to the staff at Gibraltar: Captain James Horsburgh, from town-major, to be adjutant-general; Captain William Wilson and Lieutenant Richard Henry Buckeridge, to be aides-de-camp to Lieut.-General Robert Boyd, Colonel of the Thirty-ninth, and Lieut.-Governor of Gibraltar.

On the 20th of August the marksmen of the garrison were embodied into a company of two non-commissioned officers and sixty-four men, and the command was given to Lieutenant Charles Burleigh of the Thirty-ninth regiment.

As the enemy’s works progressed, the pavement of the streets was taken up, the towers of conspicuous buildings were pulled down, the guard-houses unroofed, the stone sentry-boxes removed, traverses raised, a covered way commenced, and every measure adopted to lessen the effects of a bombardment.

In Colonel Drinkwater’s Work on the siege of Gibraltar, from which the particulars relating to the Thirty-ninth, in connection with that event, have been chiefly collected, is given the following account of an experiment recommended by Captain John Mercier of the regiment; “namely, to fire out of guns 5½ inch shells, with short fuses, which were tried on the 25th of September, and found to answer extremely well. These small shells, according to Captain Mercier’s method, were thrown with such precision, and the fuses cut by calculation with such exactness, that the shell often burst over their heads, and wounded them before they could get under cover. This mode of annoyance was eligible on several other accounts: less powder was used, and the enemy were more seriously molested. The former was an advantage of no small consequence, since it enabled the Governor to reserve, at this period, what might be probably expended to the greater benefit of the service on a future occasion. It will also account for the extraordinary number of shells which were discharged from the garrison.”

1780.

Early in 1780 provisions became short, and the soldiers willingly submitted to privation; but soon afterwards the garrison was relieved by a fleet from England: the wants of the troops were, however, not supplied in many important articles.

1781.

The Spaniards renewed the blockade by sea, and sent nine fire-ships into the harbour, but failed in their attempt to destroy the shipping. Provisions again became deficient: vegetables were cultivated on the rock with partial success: a precarious supply of several articles was obtained from the Moors, and in April 1781 the garrison was again relieved.

The siege was continued, and a severe bombardment reduced a great portion of the town to a heap of ruins.

The efforts of the enemy were deliberately watched by the Governor, General Eliott, who kept his garrison close within the fortress until a favourable opportunity occurred for a sally, and on the evening of the 26th of November the following garrison order was issued:—

“Countersign, Steady.—All the grenadiers and light infantry in the garrison, and all the men of the Twelfth and Hardenberg’s regiments, with the officers and non-commissioned officers on duty, to be immediately relieved and join their regiments; to form a detachment, consisting of the Twelfth and Hardenberg’s regiments complete; the grenadiers and light infantry of all the other regiments[17]; one captain, three lieutenants, ten non-commissioned officers, and a hundred artillery; three engineers, seven officers, ten non-commissioned officers, overseers, with a hundred and sixty workmen from the line, and forty workmen from the artificer corps; each man to have thirty-six rounds of ammunition, with a good flint in his piece, and another in his pocket; the whole to be commanded by Brigadier-General Ross, and to assemble on the red sands, at twelve o’clock this night, to make a sortie upon the enemy’s batteries. The Thirty-ninth and Fifty-eighth regiments to parade at the same hour, on the Grand Parade, under the command of Brigadier-General Picton, to sustain the sortie, if necessary.”

At midnight the soldiers assembled for this enterprise; the moon at first shining brightly on the sands, but between two and three o’clock darkness overspread the place, and the troops silently issued from the fortress. They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy’s sentries, but the British soldiers rushed forward, overpowered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries in gallant style: the defenders of the works fled in dismay, and communicated the panic to the troops in their rear. The wooden batteries were soon prepared for ignition; the flames spread with astonishing rapidity, and a column of fire and smoke arose from the works, illuminating the surrounding objects and casting a lurid glare upon this unparalleled scene, of which words fail to give an adequate description. In an hour the object of the sortie was effected: the Spaniards, being dismayed, did not venture to interrupt the work; trains were laid to the enemy’s magazines, and the soldiers withdrew. As they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions shook the ground, and rising columns of smoke, flame, and burning timber, proclaimed the destruction of the enemy’s immense stores of gunpowder to be completed. General Eliott declared in orders:—“The bearing and conduct of the whole detachment—officers, seamen, and soldiers—on this glorious occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledgments.”

For some days the Spaniards appeared confounded at their disgrace: the smoke of the burning batteries continued to rise, and no attempt was made to extinguish the flames; but several executions took place in their camp, probably of persons who fled so precipitately from the batteries. In the beginning of December they began to arouse themselves, and a thousand workmen commenced labouring to restore the batteries, in which they were retarded by the fire of the garrison. The gallant defenders of the fortress were equally indefatigable: every serjeant, drummer, musician, officer’s servant, and private soldier was required to use the musket, shovel, and pickaxe, as his services became necessary.

The Spaniards, by their heavy fire on the fortress, had already spoiled three sets of guns; but the Court of Madrid appeared determined to obtain possession of Gibraltar. An immense collection of ordnance of larger calibre was provided, several batteries were prepared, and the Duke of Crillon assumed the command of the besieging army. He was assisted by a celebrated French engineer, Monsieur d’Arcon, and by Admiral Moreno: a French army likewise arrived to take part in the siege. At the same time stupendous preparations were made on a new principle, and floating batteries were constructed with great art and labour, which were reckoned the most perfect contrivance of the kind ever seen.

1782.

A crisis was evidently approaching, and in the spring and summer of 1782, the garrison of Gibraltar made preparations with calm determination for the hour of trial: both officers and men were fully impressed with the importance of the fortress confided to their care, and their successful resistance against the efforts of the Spanish army and navy for upwards of two years, inspired them, if possible, to greater exertions. All the damaged works were carefully repaired, new ones were constructed, vast subterraneous works were made, and forges for heating red-hot shot were prepared.[18] The effect of the red-hot shot was proved on some of the enemy’s wooden batteries on the sands, which were speedily destroyed.

Princes of the royal blood of France, the Spanish nobility, and other celebrated characters of Europe, visited the camp of the Duke of Crillon, who naturally anticipated the most signal success from his extensive preparations. The new batteries on shore were unmasked, and fired a volley of sixty shells, which was succeeded by the thunder of one hundred and seventy guns of large calibre. Gibraltar was thus assailed by a storm of iron, which threatened to reduce the place to a heap of ruins; and this was only a prelude to the tremendous fire which was afterwards opened upon the garrison.

The ten battering ships took their station before the fortress on the 13th of September, in the presence of the combined fleets of France and Spain: the enemy’s camp and the neighbouring hills were crowded with spectators from various parts of Europe to witness the effect of these stupendous vessels; and such a storm of war was opened upon the place, as had probably never been equalled since the invention of cannon. The batteries of the fortress answered this tremendous fire with vigour, and the deafening thunder of four hundred pieces of heavy artillery was heard for several miles. For some hours the attack and defence were so equally well supported, as scarcely to admit any appearance of superiority in the cannonade on either side. The wonderful construction of the battering ships appeared to bid defiance to the heaviest ordnance: shells rebounded from their tops, and a thirty-two pound shot scarcely seemed to make any impression on them. The effect of the red-hot shot was doubted; sometimes smoke came from the ships, but the fire-engines within soon occasioned it to cease, and the result was uncertain: the fire was, however, persevered in, and incessant showers of red-hot bullets, shells, and carcases flew through the air. In the afternoon the red-hot shot had performed its work, and volumes of smoke issued from the flagship: the admiral’s second ship was soon perceived to be in the same condition, and confusion prevailed. The Spaniards expected that the firing of red-hot bullets could not be persevered in beyond a few rounds; but the fire was continued with the same precision and vivacity as cold shot; this occasioned the enemy’s cannonade to abate, and about eight o’clock it almost totally ceased. The battering ships made signals to inform the combined fleets of their extreme danger and distress, when several boats were sent to their assistance.

At this period the fire of the garrison produced great carnage, and the most pitiable cries and groans were heard, as the incessant showers of shot and shells were poured into the floating batteries. Soon after midnight one ship was in flames, and by two o’clock it appeared one sheet of fire from head to stern; a second was soon in the same condition, and the light of the conflagration enabled the British artillery to point their guns with precision, when soon after three o’clock six more ships exhibited the effects of the red-hot shot. The burning ships exhibited one of the grandest spectacles of destruction ever beheld; and amidst this exciting scene the British seamen pushed off in boats to rescue the Spaniards from the blazing vessels. They preserved between three and four hundred, and while they were thus engaged, one of the ships blew up with a dreadful explosion; four others met the same fate before seven o’clock, and another shortly afterwards, and the remainder burnt to the water’s edge, their magazines having been inundated. Not one could be preserved as a trophy.

During the hottest period of “the enemy’s cannonade (Colonel Drinkwater relates), the Governor was present on the King’s bastion, whilst Lieut.-General Boyd took his station upon the South bastion, animating the garrison by their presence, and encouraging them to emulation. The exertions and activity of the brave artillery in this well fought contest deserve the highest commendations. To their skill, perseverance, and courage, with the zealous assistance of the line (particularly the corps in town, the Thirty-ninth, and the late Seventy-second regiment), was Gibraltar indebted for its safety against the combined powers, by sea and land, of France and Spain.”

The Colonel also adds the following singular circumstance. When Lieut.-General Boyd laid the foundation stone of the King’s bastion in 1773, upon fixing the stone in its place, he remarked that “this is the first stone of a work which I name the ‘King’s Bastion;’ may it be as gallantly defended, as I know it will be ably executed; and may I live to see it resist the united efforts of France and Spain!” This wish was fully accomplished.

In this manner the mighty efforts of France and Spain ended in defeat and destruction, while the conduct of the garrison of Gibraltar elicited the admiration of the nations of Europe. In England the most enthusiastic applause was universal; illuminations and other modes of testifying the joy of the people followed the receipt of the news of the destruction of the supposed invincible battering ships, and every family which could boast a defender of Gibraltar belonging to it, was proud of the honor. The loss of the garrison on the 13th and 14th of September, was limited to one officer, two serjeants, and thirteen private soldiers killed; five officers and sixty-three rank and file wounded: that of the enemy exceeded two thousand officers and soldiers.

Although the enemy gave up all hopes of reducing Gibraltar by force of arms, yet some expectation was entertained, that, if the blockade was continued, the garrison might be forced to surrender from the want of provisions; the combined fleet therefore remained in the bay, the besieging army continued in the lines, and about a thousand shots were fired every day from the Spanish batteries. The garrison was encouraged to continue resolute in the defence of the fortress by assurances of their Sovereign’s favour and high approbation. The principal Secretary of State, writing to General Eliott, stated,—“I am honored with His Majesty’s commands to assure you, in the strongest terms, that no encouragement shall be wanting to the brave officers and soldiers under your command. His royal approbation of the past will no doubt be a powerful incentive to future exertions; and I have the King’s authority to assure you, that every distinguished act of emulation and gallantry, which shall be performed in the course of the siege by any, even of the lowest rank, will meet with ample reward from his gracious protection and favour.”

In October the combined fleet was much damaged by a storm, and soon afterwards a British naval force arrived, and the garrison was again relieved, when two regiments, the Twenty-fifth and Fifty-ninth, landed to take part in the defence of the fortress.

1783.

After the garrison was thus relieved and reinforced a third time, the Court of Madrid relinquished the idea of recovering Gibraltar either by force or stratagem; negotiations ensued, and in February 1783 the Spanish army withdrew, the preliminary articles for a treaty of peace having been signed in the preceding month. Thus terminated the siege of Gibraltar, which is celebrated in the military annals of the eighteenth century; and the successful defence of that fortress ranks amongst the noblest efforts of the British arms: it exceeded in duration the famous siege of Ostend in the beginning of the seventeenth century; and it is a proud circumstance in the services of the Thirty-ninth, that the regiment had twice shared in the defence of Gibraltar, having (as stated at page 9) been present when the place was besieged by the Spaniards in the year 1727.

The Thirty-ninth regiment was rewarded, with the other corps which took part in this long and arduous service, with the thanks of the Sovereign, and of the Houses of Parliament, and with the honor of bearing on the regimental colour and appointments the word “Gibraltar,” with the “Castle and Key,” and the motto “Montis Insignia Calpé,” in commemoration of its services during the siege.[19]

The loss of the regiment during the siege was—

Officers. Serjeants. Drummers. Rank and File.

Killed 1 3 1 16

Died of wounds 1 1 - 6

Disabled by wounds - - - 10

Wounded, that recovered 3 5 1 44

Died of diseases - 1 - 37

Total 5 10 2 113

During the period the Thirty-ninth were engaged in the defence of Gibraltar, county titles were given to the several regiments of infantry; and the communication with England having become free, the Thirty-ninth received directions to assume, in addition to the numerical title, the designation of “The East Middlesex” regiment, in order that a connexion between the corps and that part of the county should be cultivated, which might be useful in promoting the success of the recruiting service. The letter conveying His Majesty’s pleasure that county titles should be conferred on the infantry, was dated the 31st of August 1782.

In November 1783 the Thirty-ninth regiment quitted Gibraltar, and on its arrival in England was for some time stationed in South Britain.

1789.

The regiment proceeded from Great Britain to Ireland in May 1789.

1790 to 1792.

During the years 1790, 1791, and 1792, the regiment continued to be stationed in Ireland.

1793.

While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, the National Convention of France declared war against Great Britain and Holland. This occurred on the 1st of February 1793, and in September following, the Thirty-ninth regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Stephen Fremantle, embarked from Ireland for Barbadoes, in order to take part in an attack on the French West India Islands.

1794.

An armament was assembled at Barbadoes in the beginning of 1794, under Lieut.-General Sir Charles, afterwards Earl Grey, K.B., and Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis, K.B., for the capture of Martinique, and the Thirty-ninth had the honor to share in this enterprise. This island had been captured by the British in 1762, but was restored to France at the Peace of Fontainebleau of the following year. The expedition sailed from Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, early in February, and landing at three different points on the island of Martinique, on the 5th, 6th, and 8th of that month, drove the enemy from several strong posts. Fort Royal and Fort Bourbon were afterwards besieged; the former was captured on the 20th of March, and the latter surrendered two days afterwards. The loss of the regiment on this service was limited to a few soldiers killed and wounded.

While the brigade of grenadiers under the command of His Royal Highness Prince Edward, afterwards Duke of Kent, the brigade of Light Infantry under Major-General Dundas, and the Sixth, Ninth, and Forty-third regiments under Colonel Sir Charles Gordon, proceeded to St. Lucia, which island was captured on the 4th of April, the Thirty-ninth remained to garrison Martinique.

An expedition subsequently proceeded from Martinique against Guadeloupe: a determined resistance was experienced at this place, but the island was captured by the 20th of April. Sir Charles Grey stated in his public despatch, that he “could not find words to convey an adequate idea, or to express the high sense he entertained of the extraordinary merit evinced by the officers and soldiers in this service.”

France did not view with indifference the loss of these valuable possessions, and in June a French armament arrived at Guadeloupe for the recovery of that island. In the night attack on the French camp at Point Gabbare on the 13th of June 1794, the Thirty-ninth regiment, under the command of Major Henry Magan[20], greatly distinguished itself, and was thanked in general orders by Sir Charles Grey. In this severe conflict the enemy precipitated themselves into the sea in order to swim across the harbour to Point-à-Pitre; but few succeeded in the desperate attempt, many being drowned, and more shot by the British infantry, who followed them closely in their flight. One hundred and seventy-nine of the enemy were left dead on the field, while the loss of the British was limited to seven men killed and twelve wounded. The enemy’s camp, colours, baggage, and ammunition, with one piece of artillery, fell into the hands of the victors.

Major-General Nisbett Balfour was appointed colonel of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 2nd of July 1794, in succession to General Sir Robert Boyd, K.B., deceased.

During the remainder of the operations the Thirty-ninth regiment remained at Berville. Several skirmishes took place at various poets, but the troops suffered so severely from the climate at Guadeloupe, and the arduous duties they had to perform, that on the 1st of September only three hundred and eighty-nine soldiers could be mustered fit for duty.[21]

Lieut.-Colonel Colin Graham, of the Twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers, was appointed to the command of the troops in Basse Terre; and he defended Berville camp with the utmost gallantry, until the 6th of October, when he was forced to surrender, his force having become reduced by excessive exertion, and the unhealthiness of the climate, to one hundred and twenty-five rank and file fit for duty.

By the articles of capitulation the British troops were to march out with the honors of war, and it was agreed to send the garrison to England on board French ships, as soon as transports were ready. The latter part of the agreement was not, however, complied with, as they remained prisoners for more than a year afterwards, during which time many of them died. The garrison consisted of the flank companies of the Seventeenth, Thirty-first, and Thirty-fourth regiments; the Thirty-ninth, Forty-third, Fifty-sixth (three companies), and Sixty-fifth regiments. Their loss in the different actions between the 27th of September and the 6th of October amounted to two officers killed and five wounded; twenty-five non-commissioned officers and privates killed, and fifty-one wounded.

The whole island of Guadeloupe, with the exception of Fort Matilda, had been recaptured by the French under General Victor Hughes: this fort was defended by the troops under Lieut.-General Prescott until the 10th of December, when it was evacuated by the British.

During this campaign the Thirty-ninth regiment lost several officers, who died of fever or other disorders, amongst whom was Lieut.-Colonel Stephen Fremantle. Captain George Bell and some few officers escaped with the colours of the regiment, and arrived in open boats at the Islands of the Saints; in the beginning of the forthcoming year, they proceeded to Ireland.

1795.

The regiment, having speedily recruited its ranks by large drafts from the One hundred and fourth and other corps, was again destined to proceed to the West Indies, and it embarked for Barbadoes towards the end of the year 1795.

1796.

Great Britain now began to see her former allies converted into enemies; and Holland, having become united to France in the early part of the previous year, was styled the Batavian Republic. In April 1796, a secret service having been ordered by Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, then Commander-in-chief in the West Indies, the Thirty-ninth, and the late Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth regiments, with a detachment of the Royal Artillery, were embarked at Barbadoes on this expedition, which proved to be against the Dutch colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice. The troops were under the orders of Major-General John Whyte, and the Thirty-ninth regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Hislop. The force sailed for its destination on the 15th of April, and arrived on the coast of Demerara on the 21st of that month: on the following day the Governor and Council were summoned to surrender the colony to His Britannic Majesty, and the capitulation was signed on the 23rd of April. The British troops accordingly occupied the fort and colony, and Lieut.-Colonel Hislop was left as Commandant of Demerara and Essequibo; but Major-General Whyte proceeded to take possession of the neighbouring colony of Berbice, which accepted the terms offered to Demerara.[22]

The Thirty-ninth remained at Demerara, upon the capitulation of that colony, and, in September, it received six hundred and ninety-one men, from the Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth having been directed to be drafted into the regiment. This raised the regiment to fifty-two serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and one thousand and ninety-three rank and file.

1797 to 1799.

During the years 1797, 1798, and 1799, the Thirty-ninth regiment continued to be stationed at Demerara. On the 1st of November 1799, the regiment had been reduced by deaths to twenty-five serjeants, ten drummers, and four hundred and sixty-eight rank and file.

1800.

In October 1800 the regiment proceeded from Demerara to Surinam.

1801.

The regiment remained at Surinam during the year 1801.

1802.

On the 27th of March 1802, a definitive treaty of peace was signed at Amiens between the French Republic, Spain, and the Batavian Republic, on the one part, and Great Britain on the other. The principal features of the treaty were, that Great Britain restored all her conquests during the war, excepting Trinidad and Ceylon, which were ceded to her, the former by Spain, and the latter by the Batavian Republic. Portugal was maintained in its integrity, excepting that some of its possessions in Guiana were ceded to France. The territories of the Ottoman Porte were likewise maintained in their integrity. The Ionian Republic was recognised, and Malta was to be restored to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The French agreed to evacuate the Neapolitan and Roman States, and Great Britain all the ports that she held in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.

Surinam was evacuated in December 1802, and the Thirty-ninth regiment embarked for Barbadoes, and proceeded thence to Antigua.

1803.

In the beginning of March 1803, the Thirty-ninth embarked for England; and the regiment, consisting of thirty-three serjeants, nineteen drummers, and three hundred and fifteen rank and file, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel George Bell, arrived at Spithead on board the “Thalia” transport, on the 22nd of April. During its service on the different stations in South America, upwards of two thousand men had fallen victims to the climate.

The Peace of Amiens was of short duration, and on the 18th of May 1803 war was declared against France. Preparations were accordingly made by the British Government to meet the emergency, and the “Army of Reserve Act” was passed in July following, for raising men for home service by ballot, by which a second battalion was added to the Thirty-ninth regiment.[23] The second battalion was placed on the establishment from the 9th of July 1803, and was composed of men raised in Cheshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The chief part of the men immediately afterwards volunteered for general service, whereby the first battalion of the regiment became available for foreign service.

At this period, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Chief Consul of France, was making preparations for the invasion of England, for which purpose he collected an immense flotilla at Boulogne. The threat of invasion aroused the patriotism of the British people, and the most strenuous measures were adopted to defeat this design; volunteer and yeomanry corps were formed in every part of the kingdom, and all parties united in one grand effort for the preservation of their native land.

1804.

In May 1804 Napoleon was invested with the dignity of Emperor of the French, and on the 26th of May of the following year he was crowned at Milan as King of Italy.

2nd Batt.

Further measures of defence were adopted by Great Britain, and the “Additional Force Act” was passed on the 29th of June 1804.[24] Under the provisions of this act, the second battalion was augmented with men raised in the county of Shropshire, and its establishment was subsequently fixed at the same strength as the first battalion, namely, forty-four serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and eight hundred rank and file. The second battalion, which, since its formation, had been quartered at Battle, in Sussex, embarked at Plymouth on the 27th of November 1804 for Guernsey, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel George Wilson.

1st Batt.

In the year 1804, during the threatened invasion, the first battalion was stationed on the coast of Sussex.

The first battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan, which was selected to proceed with the expedition under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig to the Mediterranean, embarked at Portsmouth on the 26th of March 1805, and arrived at Malta on the 22nd of July following, where it formed part of the garrison.

In the autumn of 1805, Napoleon led his army into Germany to crush the confederacy forming against his interests. From the commencement of the war with England, Naples was occupied by French troops; but at this period a treaty of neutrality was concluded between France and Naples, the French troops were withdrawn, and the King of Naples was bound not to admit the fleets or armies of any power engaged in hostilities with France into his ports or territories. While the war in Germany was undecided, the flank companies of the first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment were, in November 1805, detached to Naples, and landed at that city on the 22nd of that month. A Russian armament also arrived at Naples.

The Emperor Napoleon being triumphant in Germany, seized the moment of victory to denounce vengeance against the King of Naples for permitting a British and Russian armament to enter his ports and land on his shores; and on the morning after signing the Treaty of Presburg, Napoleon issued a proclamation declaring that “the Neapolitan dynasty had ceased to reign.” This was followed by the march of a numerous French army, under Joseph Bonaparte, to take possession of Naples: the Russians withdrew; and the British, under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig, were too few in numbers to think of defending that kingdom against the numerous forces sent to that devoted country.

1806. 1st Batt.

The flank companies of the first battalion embarked from Naples in January 1806, and proceeded to Sicily, to which island the King and Queen of Naples had resorted, and which was preserved in their interest by the British. The Neapolitans abandoned their royal family to its fate, and submitted to the dictates of Napoleon, who issued a decree conferring the crown of Naples on his brother Joseph. The city of Naples was illuminated, and the nobles were eager to show their attachment to their new sovereign. Insurrections occurred in several places; but the French arms were successful, and the provinces became tranquil.

The flank companies returned to Malta in February 1806.[25]

2nd Batt.

The second battalion remained at Guernsey until the 26th of February 1806, when it proceeded to Ireland, and arrived at Cork on the 15th of March. Having been a short time stationed in the county of Cork, it proceeded to Dublin, and, after performing garrison duty for some months, received orders to transfer all its limited service men to a garrison battalion, and all its disposable men to the first battalion at Malta.

1807.

Being thus reduced to a skeleton, the officers and non-commissioned officers proceeded to England in January 1807, for the purpose of recruiting the ranks of the second battalion, and arrived at Liverpool on the 30th of that month. Having distributed recruiting parties to various stations, the head-quarters marched to Edmonton and Enfield, near London.

On the 29th of October 1807, His Majesty King George III. was pleased to direct that the county title of the Thirty-ninth regiment should be changed from East Middlesex to Dorsetshire.

1808. 1st Batt.

The flank companies of the first battalion proceeded from Malta to Sicily in May 1808.

2nd Batt.

The recruiting continued from the militia and in the ordinary mode with such success that the second battalion was soon increased to five hundred strong; and after being some time stationed at Berry-Head, embarked from thence for Guernsey, where it arrived on the 24th of May 1808. Subsequently, a general volunteering from the militia took place, when the battalion was augmented to about seven hundred rank and file, and being organised in the course of a short period, Lieut.-General Sir John Doyle, Bart., then Lieut.-Governor of Guernsey, was so pleased with the general appearance of the corps as to express his entire satisfaction with it, and to report the battalion fit for immediate foreign service.

1809. 1st Batt.

In June 1809, Lieut.-General Sir John Stuart, commanding in chief in the Mediterranean, resolved to menace the capital and kingdom of Naples, as a diversion in favour of the Austrians, who were contending against numerous difficulties in their war with France. The flank companies of the first battalion were employed on this service; and after menacing a considerable extent of coast, which produced much alarm, the romantic and fruitful island of Ischia, celebrated for the beauty of its scenery, and situated in the Bay of Naples, about six miles from the coast, was attacked. A landing was effected in the face of a formidable line of batteries, from which the enemy was speedily driven. The siege of the castle was undertaken, and in a few days the garrison was forced to surrender. The island of Procida surrendered on being summoned. Two valuable islands were thus rescued from the power of the Grand Duke of Berg, General Murat, upon whom the Emperor Napoleon had, in the preceding year, conferred the sovereignty of Naples, in succession to Joseph Bonaparte, who had been nominated by his brother to be King of Spain; and one thousand five hundred regular troops, with one hundred pieces of ordnance, were captured. An attempt was, at this period, made to reduce the castle of Scylla; but the large force which the enemy possessed in Calabria, rendered this impracticable.

2nd Batt.

The assumption of the sovereignty of Spain by Joseph Bonaparte, although the strongest places and most commanding positions in the Peninsula were occupied by French troops, had excited the indignation of the Spanish people, who solicited, and readily obtained, the aid of Great Britain; and the latter power had, in April 1809, sent Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley with reinforcements to Portugal, to save that country from invasion, and also to assist the Spaniards in their struggle for independence.

The second battalion was selected to proceed to join the army in the Peninsula under the command of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley: it embarked on the 22nd of June 1809 for the Tagus, and arrived at Lisbon on the 2nd of July. The battalion shortly afterwards proceeded with a division, consisting of reinforcements, under the command of Brigadier-General Catlin Crawfurd, who endeavoured, by a forced march, to arrive in time for the battle of Talavera, which was fought on the 27th and 28th of July, and for which victory Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley was raised to the peerage by the title of Viscount Wellington. When the second battalion arrived at Sarza la Mayor, a despatch was received from Sir Arthur Wellesley, ordering the brigade and detachments to halt and bivouac at Niza until his arrival with the head-quarters at Badajoz, after which the battalion was stationed at the village of Torre Mayor: here it suffered severely from sickness, which at that season of the year is prevalent in Estremadura, and particularly on the banks of the Guadiana. On the 3rd of September the head-quarters arrived at Badajoz, and the army was distributed about Elvas, Campo Mayor, and other places adjacent; but when Viscount Wellington broke up from the Guadiana in the month of December, and crossed the Tagus, he left Major-General Rowland Hill (afterwards Viscount Hill), with a force of 10,000 men, British and Portuguese, at Abrantes: among the former was the second battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment.

1810. 1st Batt.

In the summer of 1810, Joachim Murat, King of Naples, assembled upwards of a hundred heavy gunboats, a number of others more lightly armed, and about four hundred transport boats, and brought thirty thousand troops to the coast of Calabria for the purpose of invading Sicily. The battalion companies, under the command of Brevet-Lieut.-Colonel Cavendish Sturt, accordingly proceeded from Malta, in June 1810, to Sicily, where they were employed in the defence of the island against the threatened invasion.

2nd Batt.

The second battalion accompanied the force under Major-General Rowland Hill in all its movements in Portugal and on the frontiers of Spain, and in August 1810 was one of the corps of the second division, when it formed, by forced marches, the memorable junction with Viscount Wellington on the heights of Busaco. Lieut.-Colonel George Wilson being appointed to the charge of a brigade, Major Patrick Lindesay, afterwards Major-General Sir Patrick Lindesay[26], commanded the battalion, which formed part of the right of the army in the battle at Busaco, on the 27th of September, but the battalion was not engaged in the action. When General Regnier attacked the position held by the third and fifth divisions, Major-General Hill withdrew towards his left to support them: it was unnecessary, however, these divisions having repulsed the enemy, and he therefore continued in his original position.

After the battle of Busaco, the second battalion accompanied the army in its retrograde movement to the Lines of Torres Vedras, where it remained until orders were given to advance in pursuit of the French troops towards Santarem, when it crossed the Tagus with the corps under Major-General Hill, and occupied cantonments at Almeirem, immediately opposite the head-quarters of the enemy.

1811. 2nd Batt.

In consequence of the French army retreating from Portugal into Spain, the second battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment accompanied the second division in its movements towards the frontiers, and was present at the expulsion of the enemy from the fortress of Campo Mayor on the 25th of March 1811; subsequently the battalion crossed the Guadiana at Jerumenha, and was present with the second division in a variety of skirmishes at Los Santos and Zafra, as well as at the investment of Badajoz on the 2nd of May, where the battalion was actively employed in making approaches and constructing batteries against that fortress until the 14th of May, when it marched with the corps under Marshal Sir William Carr (now Viscount) Beresford to Albuhera, where the battalion arrived on the evening of the 15th of that month, and was attacked on the following day by the French army under Marshal Soult.

In the battle of Albuhera, fought on the 16th of May, the second battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment, although only four hundred strong, bore a distinguished part. The brigade to which it belonged, having been brought up at a critical moment, materially assisted in deciding the fate of the day, preventing by its fire the deployment of a heavy column of the enemy’s reserve, which was ultimately obliged to give way with considerable loss, and retreated in confusion across the river Albuhera.

On this occasion the second battalion had Lieutenant George Beard and fourteen rank and file killed; Captain James Brine, Lieutenants John William Pollard, Francis H. Hart, Ensign Charles Cox, four serjeants, and seventy-three rank and file wounded.

For this action Major Patrick Lindesay, being in command of the battalion, obtained the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and was presented with a medal. Captain Charles Carthew, who commanded the light company, was publicly thanked by Major-General the Honorable William Stewart, commanding the division, for the gallant conduct of himself, the officers, and company, in their skirmishing with the enemy.

The royal authority was afterwards given for the Thirty-ninth to bear the word “Albuhera” on the regimental colour and appointments, to commemorate the distinguished conduct of the second battalion on that occasion.

The French army having retreated on the road to Seville, the battalion moved forward with the corps, and on the march made many prisoners, the hospitals and wounded having, in many instances, fallen into the hands of the British. The enemy having been completely driven over the Sierra Morena, the battalion retired with the division, and was cantoned on the frontiers until the 22nd of October, when it marched with the troops under Lieut.-General Rowland Hill, and on the 28th of that month arrived close to the village of Arroyo dos Molinos, where a division of the French army was surprised, and about fourteen hundred prisoners, with all its artillery and baggage, were taken. Several officers of rank and consideration, including General Brun and Colonel the Prince d’Aremberg, were amongst the prisoners. The light companies of the brigade, acting in battalion, were under the command of Major Roger Parke of the Thirty-ninth regiment.

General Girard, who commanded the French division, escaped, with about five hundred men, by ascending the Sierra de Montanches, when the second battalion of the Thirty-ninth was ordered to pursue them; but the French throwing away their knapsacks, and in many instances their appointments, they marched with such rapidity, that the battalion could only come up with the rear-guard, which occasionally occupied most favorable positions to cover their retreat. After some skirmishing the French descended into the plain: the battalion being excessively fatigued by a continued and harassing march, from two o’clock in the morning until six in the evening, Brevet-Lieut.-Colonel Patrick Lindesay, then in command, finding further pursuit unavailing, tried the success of a “ruse de guerre,” by riding up to the enemy with a flag of truce, and proposing to General Girard to surrender, as no doubt he would be intercepted by the British cavalry on the plain, and that a Spanish corps under General Morillo was at hand. A captain and twenty men left the column, and surrendered to the battalion, then rapidly advancing in pursuit. The French general, mortified by the surprise and loss of his division, declared he would rather die than surrender. Unfortunately only one troop of cavalry arrived, and Morillo’s force was unable to come up, so that General Girard, and the remainder of his division, escaped by the bridge of Medellin.

In this affair the second battalion had Captain Hardress Saunderson, one serjeant, and nine rank and file wounded.

On the following morning the second battalion rejoined the division at Arroyo dos Molinos, and returned to Albuquerque.

1st Batt.

Meanwhile the first battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan, had embarked from Sicily on the 20th of August 1811, to join the army in the Peninsula, and arrived at Lisbon in October following. The battalion moved towards the frontiers of Portugal, and on its arrival at Crato was joined by the second battalion on the 24th of December 1811, commanded by Brevet-Lieut.-Colonel Patrick Lindesay.

2nd Batt.

On the 25th of December 1811, the second battalion transferred all its effective men to the first battalion, after which the skeleton marched to Lisbon, where it embarked for England on the 27th of January following.

1st Batt.

The first battalion, thus completed to twelve hundred rank and file, proceeded on the 26th of December to join the second division of the army under Lieut.-General Rowland Hill.

1812. 2nd Batt.

The portion of the second battalion, which had proceeded to England, disembarked at Weymouth on the 2nd of March 1812.

1st Batt.

In March Badajoz was invested for the third time, and the first battalion formed part of the covering army under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill[27] at the successful siege of this important fortress, which was taken by the British on the night of the 6th of April. The battalion afterwards continued with the division in all its various movements from the frontiers of Portugal to the Spanish capital. The victory gained at Salamanca on the 22nd of July by the army under the immediate command of the Earl of Wellington, for which he was raised to the title of Marquis, was followed by the surrender of Madrid to the allies, who entered that city on the 12th of August, and were joyfully received by the inhabitants. The situation of the British commander at Madrid was critical; and it being deemed impracticable to remain there, the Marquis of Wellington on the 1st of September departed from that city, and advanced to Burgos; but the siege of the castle at that place was not successful, and a retrograde movement was made in order to unite with the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Rowland Hill, information having been received that Marshal Soult and King Joseph, with their combined forces, were advancing from Valencia, and that their advanced guard was in the neighbourhood of Ocanna, and moving on Madrid. Lieut.-General Hill, at the approach of Marshal Soult, abandoned that city, and retired slowly towards Salamanca. On the retreat from Madrid to the Tormes, the first battalion formed part of the rear-guard of the army; here the battalion rejoined the second division, and continued the march by Salamanca until its arrival at Coria on the 1st of December 1812, where it remained for the winter.

2nd Batt.

The second battalion, upon its arrival in England in February 1812, was stationed at Weymouth until October following, when it proceeded to Exeter, but returned to Weymouth in December.

1813. 1st Batt.

Shortly after the arrival of the first battalion at Coria, the Thirty-ninth sustained the loss of a most gallant and distinguished officer in Colonel George Wilson, who died on the 6th of January 1813. This officer had served in the regiment upwards of twenty-nine years, and was at the period of his decease aide-de-camp to His Majesty King George III., lieut.-colonel of the second battalion, colonel on the staff of the army, and commanding the brigade to which the first battalion was attached.[28]

On the 15th of May the first battalion, still belonging to the second division, moved forward without interruption until its arrival at Vittoria on the 21st of June: it bore a considerable share in the battle on that day, in taking, defending, and maintaining the village of Subijana de Alava, a post in front of the left of the French line, which they considered of such importance as to induce them to make several vigorous attacks to repossess themselves of it, but which proved unavailing. In this glorious action the battalion lost, in killed and wounded, above one-third of its number. Captains Charles Carthew, Robert Walton, and William Hicks, were wounded. Captain Hicks died of his wounds on the 3rd of July; Lieutenant the Honorable Michael De Courcy Meade died of his wounds on the 9th of July. Lieutenants Francis C. Crotty, Coyne Reynolds, Thomas Baynes, and Alexander G. Speirs, were wounded.

Two serjeants and thirty-two rank and file were killed; six serjeants and one hundred and ninety-four rank and file were wounded.

The French, being driven from all their defences, retreated with such precipitation towards Pampeluna as to abandon all their baggage, artillery, ammunition, military chests, and the court equipage of King Joseph, whose carriage being seized, he had barely time to escape on horseback. The defeat was the most complete that the French had experienced in Spain.

The baton of Marshal Jourdan was taken by the Eighty-seventh regiment, and the Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of His Majesty, appointed the Marquis of Wellington a Field-Marshal. In a most flattering letter, the Prince Regent thus conferred the honor:—“You have sent me among the trophies of our unrivalled fame, the staff of a French Marshal, and I send you in return that of England.”

To commemorate this victory the Thirty-ninth subsequently received the royal authority to bear the word “Vittoria” on the regimental colour and appointments. A medal was granted to Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan, of the Thirty-ninth regiment, in temporary command of the brigade, who was specially noticed in the Marquis of Wellington’s despatch, “as having maintained the village of Subijana de Alava against all the efforts of the enemy to gain possession of it;” and also to Brevet-Lieut.-Colonel Charles Bruce, in immediate command of the first battalion.

From Vittoria the first battalion moved forward with the army on the evening of the same day towards the Pyrenees. Some affairs of little importance occurred, and on the 7th of July the French occupied a position across the valley of Bastan; the second battalion of the Thirty-fourth and the first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiments were moved through the mountains to turn their right; towards evening they fell in with a piquet of the enemy near the extremity of the valley, which was driven in, and found to be supported by a great portion of the French army, which kept up a heavy fire until night. From a thick fog, and the nature of the ground, the enemy did not perceive the comparatively small force opposed to him, nor did the battalion suffer much for the same reason. On the morning of the 8th the enemy retired within the French territory. Four days afterwards Marshal Soult, who had been sent to the seat of war by Napoleon, with the rank of “Lieutenant of the Emperor,” assumed the command of the army of Spain, when all his energies were directed to retrieve its disasters, and to drive the British across the Ebro.

Nothing particular occurred until the 25th of July, when Count D’Erlon attacked the pass of Maya with an overwhelming force. This pass was occupied by the piquets of the brigade, to whose support the battalion, with the brigade, moved forward; but on their arrival found the pass in possession of the enemy: this circumstance, and his great superiority of numbers, obliged the troops to retire, which they did in good order, but with great loss.

In the subsequent action near Pampeluna the battalion occupied some strong ground on the left of the British line, and was but little engaged. It again moved forward on the retreat of the enemy, and on the 31st of July, two attempts having failed to carry the heights of Donna Maria, the Thirty-ninth, being selected for a third, happily succeeded. The enemy after this made no further stand, but retreated beyond the Pyrenees.

In the operations of the army from the 25th to the 31st of July, the loss of the Thirty-ninth was as follows:—

Lieutenants John Lord, and Trevor Williams, killed in action on the 25th of July. Lieutenant Connell Scanlan was wounded and taken prisoner, and died of his wounds. Captain Joseph A. Jones, Lieutenants Francis H. Hart, Charles Cox, and Purefoy Poe, Ensigns William Allan Courtenay and Robert Rhodes were wounded on the 25th of July. Lieutenant William Johnston Hughes was taken prisoner.

Six serjeants and twenty-three rank and file were killed; five serjeants and one hundred and four rank and file were wounded; two serjeants, one drummer, and nineteen rank and file were missing.

For the several actions in the Pyrenees from the 25th to the 31st of July, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in the name and behalf of His Majesty, was graciously pleased to grant medals to Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan, commanding the brigade, Brevet-Lieut.-Colonel Charles Bruce, commanding the battalion; and to Captain Duncan Campbell, of the Thirty-ninth, in command of the light companies of the brigade.

The Thirty-ninth also received the royal authority to bear the word “Pyrenees” on the regimental colour and appointments, to commemorate the services of the first battalion in these actions.

The enemy having been driven over the Pyrenees, the British remained in possession of the several passes, the Thirty-ninth occupying those of Maya, Roncesvalles, and Alduides, alternately, until the 9th of November, when the battalion entered France by the pass of Maya without opposition, except driving in the enemy’s advance-posts, until its arrival at the river Nivelle, the passage of which was contested by the French army. The battalion, however, succeeded in crossing with trifling loss on the 10th of November, and the enemy was afterwards driven from all his strong and fortified positions on the heights of Sarre, where the Thirty-ninth remained for the night. In commemoration of this service the Thirty-ninth subsequently received the royal authority to bear the word “Nivelle” on the regimental colour and appointments.

Captain George D’Arcy, of the Thirty-ninth, was promoted to the brevet rank of Major on the 22nd of November 1813.

The battalion subsequently moved forward to the Nive, the left bank of which it occupied until the 9th of December, when the army crossed that river,—the Thirty-ninth by a ford at Laressor, under great difficulties, as well from the depth of the river as the opposition made by the enemy. The passage having been effected, the enemy retired to the heights of St. Pierre, near Bayonne.

In crossing the Nive the battalion had one man killed, and twelve rank and file wounded.

On the morning of the 10th of December the division took possession of the high ground in the neighbourhood of Bayonne, the Thirty-ninth occupying Ville Franche on the left of the line, and on the right bank of the Nive. Early on the morning of the 13th of December, Marshal Soult made a most desperate attack on the second division with all his force; but the battalion being on the extreme left of the position was not materially engaged, having only one serjeant killed, and Ensign John Burns and thirteen rank and file wounded. The enemy, being defeated in his attack, retired to Bayonne that night; the division still retained its position and continued therein until the 13th of February, the Thirty-ninth occupying the village of Petite Moguerre.