HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE TWELFTH, OR THE EAST SUFFOLK

REGIMENT OF FOOT.

1685

After the Restoration in 1660, when King Charles II. had disbanded the army of the commonwealth, a number of non-regimented companies of foot were embodied for garrisoning the fortified towns, and one company was constantly stationed at Windsor, to furnish a guard at the castle. This company sent a detachment to Virginia in 1676. It was commanded by Henry Duke of Norfolk, Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle, and was united to several companies raised in the summer of 1685, and constituted a regiment, of which the Duke of Norfolk was appointed Colonel, by commission dated the 20th of June, 1685. This regiment having been retained in the service to the present time, now bears the title of the Twelfth, or the East Suffolk, regiment of foot.

The formation of this regiment was occasioned by the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, who assembled an army in the west of England to support his pretensions to the throne; and King James II. found it necessary to make a considerable augmentation to the regular army. The companies, of which the regiment was composed, were raised in Norfolk, Suffolk, and the adjoining counties, by Henry Duke of Norfolk, Captains Henry Wharton, Charles Macartney, Dominick Trant, Jasper Patson, Charles Howard, Francis Blathwayt, Sir Alphonso de Mottetts, and George Trapp: the general rendezvous of the regiment was at Norwich, and as the several companies were formed, they were quartered at Norwich, Yarmouth, and Lynn.

1686

The formation of the regiment was not completed when the rebel army was defeated at Sedgemoor, and the Duke of Monmouth was captured soon afterwards, and beheaded; but King James resolved to retain the newly raised corps in his service, and the Duke of Norfolk's regiment was ordered to march to London. It was quartered a few days, in the beginning of August, in the Tower Hamlets, and afterwards encamped on Hounslow-heath, where it was reviewed by the King. In the beginning of September the regiment marched into garrison at Portsmouth.

On the 1st January, 1686, the establishment was fixed at the numbers and rates of pay as shown in the next page.

Leaving Portsmouth in May, 1686, the regiment proceeded to Hounslow, and pitched its tents on the heath, where a numerous army was assembled; and while at this camp the colonelcy was conferred on Edward Earl of Lichfield, by commission dated the 14th of June, 1686.

At the camp on Hounslow-heath, the Earl of Lichfield's regiment was stationed in the centre of the line of infantry; it was distinguished by its white colours bearing the red cross of St. George; the soldiers wore broad-brimmed hats, with the brim turned up on one side, and ornamented with white ribands; scarlet coats lined with white; blue breeches, blue stockings, and high shoes with square toes; and the pikemen, of whom there were twelve in each company, wore white sashes round their waists.

The Duke of Norfolk's Regiment of Foot.Pay per Day.

Staff.£.s.d.

The Colonel, as Colonel0120

Lieut.-Colonel, as Lieut.-Colonel070

Major, as Major050

Chaplain068

Chirurgeon 4s. and 1 Mate 2s. 6d.066

Adjutant040

Quarter-Master and Marshal040

Total Staff252

The Colonel's Company.

The Colonel, as Captain080

Lieutenant040

Ensign030

Two Sergeants, 1s. 6d. each030

Three Corporals, 1s. each030

One Drummer010

Fifty Soldiers, 8d. each1134

Total for one Company2154

Nine Companies more at the same rate24180

Total29186

Per Annum £10,922 12s. 6d.

After passing in review before the King several times, and receiving the expressions of His Majesty's approbation, the regiment struck its tents on the 10th of August, when two companies proceeded to Windsor, three to Tilbury-fort, and the remainder to Jersey and Guernsey.

1687

A grenadier company was added to the regiment when it pitched its tents on Hounslow-heath in the summer of 1687, at which period the following officers were holding commissions, viz.:—

Captains.Lieutenants.Ensigns.

—————————

Edward Earl of Lichfield (col).Charles Potts.James Carlisle.

Thomas Salisbury (lieut.-col).Charles Houston.Henry Bows.

George Trapp (major).Edward Rupert.John Beverly.

Dominick Trant.Robert Doughty.Ferdinand Paris.

Charles Macartney.John Cuthbert.Valentine Saunders.

Sir A. de Mottetts.William Fisher.Isaac Foxley.

Francis Blathwayt.Alexander Waugh.Daniel Mahony.

Henry Wharton.Robert Stourson.Richard Waldegrave.

John Berners.James Seppens.William Timperly.

Thomas Dowcett.John Broder.Miles Bourk.

Thomas Lord Jermyn.George Raleigh.}Grenadier company.

Elric Le Mountay.}

William Denny, Chaplain.John Blakes, Adjutant.

John Ross, Chirurgeon.James Healy, Quarter-Master.

1688

The frequent assembling of a numerous army, admired for its perfect equipment, discipline, and formidable appearance, on Hounslow-heath, was calculated to impress the English nation with a sense of the King's power, and to facilitate the overthrow of the religion and laws of the kingdom, which His Majesty had determined to accomplish. His Majesty resolved to make a trial of the disposition of his soldiers, to gain them over to the support of his measures; thinking, if one regiment could be induced to give a promise of implicit obedience, its example would be followed by the other corps. Accordingly in the summer of 1688, soon after the Earl of Lichfield's regiment had pitched its tents on the heath, it was formed on parade in presence of His Majesty; a short speech was made to the officers and soldiers to induce them to give an unreserved pledge, and the major was directed to call upon all who would not support the repeal of the test and penal laws, to lay down their muskets; when the King was surprised and disappointed at seeing the whole ground their arms, excepting two officers and a very few soldiers, who were Roman Catholics. After some pause His Majesty commanded them to take up their arms, telling them that for the future he would not do them the honour of asking their opinions.

The conduct of the King occasioned the nobility and gentry to solicit the Prince of Orange to come to England with a Dutch army, and when the crisis arrived, His Majesty discovered that his soldiers had as much aversion to papacy and an arbitrary government, as his other subjects.

Soon after the Prince of Orange had landed, the Earl of Lichfield was removed to the first foot guards, and was succeeded in the colonelcy by Robert Lord Hunsdon, whose commission was dated the 30th of November, 1688.

After the flight of King James to France, Lord Hunsdon refused to take the required oath to the Prince of Orange, and His Highness conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Henry Wharton, a gallant officer and a zealous protestant, who raised one of the companies of the regiment at its formation, and possessed the confidence and affection of the officers and soldiers: at the same time Captain Richard Brewer, from the fourteenth regiment of foot, was promoted to the lieut-colonelcy.

1689

In the beginning of 1689 the regiment was stationed in Oxfordshire: it afterwards proceeded to Hull, where it was inspected, on the 28th of May, by the commissioners for remodelling the army.

The elevation of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne, under the title of King William and Queen Mary, was resisted in Ireland; and King James arrived in that country, with a body of troops, from France. King William sent an army thither, under Marshal Duke Schomberg, to rescue that part of his dominions from the power of the Roman Catholics, and the Twelfth regiment, commanded by Colonel Henry Wharton, was selected to take part in this service.

Embarking from England in the early part of August, the regiment arrived in Ireland in the middle of that month; it landed near Bangor, in the county of Down, without opposition, and encamped on the beach. The fortress of Carrickfergus was garrisoned by King James's troops, who were summoned, but refused to surrender; and the first service performed by the regiment, in the field, was the siege of that place.

A practicable breach having been made in the works, the regiment was under arms at six o'clock on the morning of the 27th of August, to take part in storming the town. The soldiers had arrived at the trenches, and Colonel Wharton stood with a pike in his hand ready to give the signal for the attack, when the Irish displayed a white flag on the walls, and agreed to surrender. Story states, in his History of the Wars in Ireland, 'Colonel Wharton lay before the breach with his regiment, and was ready to enter, when the Duke sent to command his men to forbear, which, with some difficulty, they were induced to do, for they had a great mind to enter by force.'

After the surrender of Carrickfergus, the regiment advanced with the army to Dundalk, and the Duke Schomberg, believing King James's forces were more than double his own in numbers, formed an entrenched camp. The situation of this camp was particularly unfavourable; the ground was low, and the weather proving wet, the infantry regiments lost many men from disease. The Twelfth sustained a very serious loss in non-commissioned officers and soldiers; and on the morning of the 28th of October their commanding officer, the gallant Colonel Henry Wharton, died. This officer is represented by historians as possessing a noble disposition, refined understanding, and lofty sentiments of honour, which, added to a tall graceful person, and a gallant bearing, occasioned him to be admired and beloved by the officers and soldiers of his regiment. Story states,—'Colonel Wharton was a brisk, bold man, and had a regiment that would have followed him anywhere, for the officers and soldiers loved him, and this made him ready to push on upon all occasions.... He was of a comely handsome person, gifted with a rare understanding.' Colonel Sir Thomas Gower died on the preceding day, and the remains of these two officers were interred, on the 30th of October, in a vault in Dundalk church, their regiments attending and firing three volleys.

King William promoted the lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, Richard Brewer, to the colonelcy, by commission dated the 1st of November, 1689.

On the 7th of November the regiment struck its tents and marched towards Armagh; and it was employed on various services during the winter.

1690

In February, 1690, the regiment was stationed at Belturbet, with the Inniskilling horse and dragoons (now sixth), and the Queen Dowager's foot (now second); and information having been received that the enemy was assembling a body of troops at Cavan, Colonel Wolseley left Belturbet on the night of the 10th of February, with three hundred horse and dragoons, and seven hundred foot of the second and Twelfth regiments, to surprise the enemy in his quarters. Encountering difficulties on the march, the day had dawned before the Colonel came in sight of Cavan, when he was surprised at discovering four thousand Irish soldiers, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, formed on a rising ground to oppose him. The Colonel had only one thousand tired soldiers[6] to attack four thousand fresh opponents with, but trusting to the valour of his men, he sent the cavalry forward to commence the action. The enemy's cavalry drove back the Inniskilling dragoons; but a volley from the English musketeers, brought down ten Irish horsemen, and the survivors fell back. Wolseley's infantry formed line and advanced: arriving within pistol-shot of their opponents, they opened a sharp fire with good effect, and after a few volleys, drew their swords to charge, but on the smoke clearing, they discovered that their opponents had fled. Pursuing the fugitives, they entered the town, and finding stores of necessaries and provisions, they halted to possess themselves of the booty; when the Irish rallied and resumed the fight, but were repulsed by the reserve. After the action the troops returned to Belturbet.

A numerous body of recruits from England replaced the losses of the regiment, and in June it brought five hundred musketeers, one hundred and sixty pikemen, and sixty grenadiers into the field, to serve under King William III., who commanded the army in Ireland in person.

The Twelfth regiment, commanded by Colonel Brewer, had the honour of taking part at the forcing of the passage of the Boyne on the 1st of July: it formed part of the main body under King William III., and after fording the river, engaged King James's army, and contributed to the gaining of a decisive victory. After the loss of this battle, King James fled to France; but the Irish Roman Catholics, aided by the French troops, adhered to his interest.

From the field of battle the regiment accompanied King William to Dublin; it afterwards proceeded to Limerick, but on arriving at Carrick-on-Suir, it was detached, under Major General Kirke, to besiege Waterford: the garrison of this place surrendered without waiting for an attack.

King William afterwards besieged Limerick; but King James's soldiers made a more resolute defence than appears to have been expected, and His Majesty was induced to raise the siege, and send the troops into quarters.

The Twelfth regiment was employed in various services during the winter, and detached parties of the corps had several rencounters with the bands of armed peasantry called Rapparees. Towards the end of December, the regiment was in motion against the enemy, and on the 31st of that month it approached the town of Lanesborough, when it encountered some opposition from a body of Irish troops formed up to oppose its advance. Colonel Brewer led the regiment forward with great gallantry; some sharp fighting ensued, and the enemy was driven from the trenches cut across the road, through the town, and across the river. The Twelfth were unable to follow their opponents for want of boats or other means to cross the stream.

1691

From Lanesborough the regiment marched to Mullingar, of which place its commanding officer, Colonel Brewer, was appointed governor. The quarters of the regiment were infested with parties of armed Roman Catholic peasantry, called rapparees, and on the 28th of April, Colonel Brewer advanced with six hundred men of the Twelfth and eighteenth regiments, and twenty dragoons, towards the castle of Donore, beyond which place two thousand rapparees had taken post and occupied a number of huts. At daybreak the following morning the soldiers arrived at the quarters of the rapparees, who formed for battle on the hills; but when the musketeers of the Twelfth and eighteenth advanced to commence the action, the enemy fled; the soldiers pursued some distance, and killed fifty of the fugitives.

Parties of rapparees continued to hover round Mullingar, and on the 2nd of May, they intercepted a serjeant and four soldiers of the Twelfth regiment between that place and Kinnegad; they put the serjeant and three of the soldiers to death, and put out the eyes of the fourth soldier. Three of the perpetrators of this cruelty were captured; two of them were hanged on the spot, and the third, to save his life, guided Captain Poynes and a hundred soldiers of the regiment, to one of the lurking-places of the rapparees, where the men of the Twelfth fell suddenly upon a large company of these marauders, killed forty, dispersed the remainder, and recovered a quantity of property, which had been taken from the Protestants.

Towards the end of May, one division of the army encamped at Mullingar, where General De Ginkell arrived and assumed the command.

From Mullingar the army advanced to the fort of Ballymore, which was besieged, and surrendered on the 8th of June.

After repairing the breaches of Ballymore, and putting the place in a state of defence, the army advanced to Athlone, and on the 20th of June, the regiment was ordered to support the storming party at the attack of the Westmeath side of the town. Major-General Mackay commanded the troops employed on this service, and after making the necessary arrangements for the attack, took his post on the battery to see the issue, when he observed that the advanced party had missed its way and halted. He instantly hastened to the Twelfth regiment, and taking the first captain he came to by the hand, pointed the way to the breach. The regiment immediately rushed forward, stormed the breach in gallant style, and overcoming the resistance of the Irish, drove them across the bridge to the Connaught side of the town.

Several batteries were raised against the works on the Connaught side of the river, and the grenadier company of the Twelfth was engaged in forcing the passage of the Shannon, and in capturing the town by storm, on the 30th of June, which was a most desperate service, and was performed with distinguished valour and intrepidity.

The Irish army, commanded by a French officer of talent and reputation, General St. Ruth, took up a position near Aghrim, where it was attacked on the 12th of July. During the action, Major-General Mackay ordered the Twelfth, and three other regiments, to pass a difficult bog, ford a rivulet, and drive the Irish from behind the hedges of the nearest enclosures. The soldiers waded through the bog and rivulet, which was waist deep, and drove the Irish out of the first enclosures in gallant style. They afterwards pressed forward with too much ardour, before the troops designed to support them had arrived, and becoming insulated, they were attacked in front and on both flanks by very superior numbers, and driven back to the edge of the bog. The Irish followed, shouting and plying them with musketry; but a support arriving under Major-General Talmash, the four regiments faced about, repulsed their pursuers, and by a spirited effort recovered their lost ground; the cavalry passed the bog near the castle of Aghrim, and by a determined charge completed the overthrow of the Irish army: the French general, St. Ruth, was killed towards the close of the action by a cannon-ball.

The Twelfth regiment had one major, one captain, one ensign, and a number of private soldiers killed, one lieutenant, and seven rank and file wounded.

The regiment afterwards marched with the army to Galway, and formed part of the force employed in the siege of that place, which surrendered on the 21st, and was delivered up on the 26th of July. Major-General Bellasis was appointed governor of Galway, and the Twelfth, twenty-second, and twenty-third regiments were selected to form the garrison of that fortress.

During the remainder of the campaign, the Twelfth regiment was stationed at Galway; and in the autumn, the war in Ireland was terminated by the surrender of Limerick, which delivered that country from the power of King James the Second.

The conquest of Ireland enabled King William to withdraw several regiments from thence to strengthen the allied army in the Netherlands, assembled to oppose the progress of the French conquests in that country. The Twelfth regiment marched from Galway on the 23rd of November, embarked at Kinsale towards the end of that month, and sailed to Plymouth, where it landed in the beginning of December.

1692

During the summer of 1692, the regiment was selected to form part of an expedition against the coast of France, under the command of the Duke of Leinster: it embarked at Southampton, and the expedition menaced the French coast at several places, occasioning much alarm; but the French had assembled so great a number of regiments to oppose the descent, that a council of war decided against landing. The troops afterwards sailed to Ostend, where they landed, and being joined by a detachment from the confederate army under King William III., they took possession of the towns of Furnes and Dixmude, which they fortified, to be occupied as frontier posts during the winter. After these places were put in a state of defence, the regiment returned to England.

1693

During the year 1693, the regiment remained in Great Britain; but the loss of the battle of Landen, by King William, rendered it necessary for the confederate army in Flanders to be augmented, and Colonel Brewer's was one of the regiments selected to proceed on service.

1694

The regiment embarked for Flanders in the spring of 1694; it was stationed at Malines a short time, and afterwards formed part of the escort which accompanied the train of artillery to the army at Tirlemont, where it arrived on the 6th of June; on the 10th the regiment was reviewed by the King, who expressed his approbation of its appearance and discipline. It was formed in brigade with a battalion of the Royal, the third, fourth, seventh, and nineteenth regiments, under Brigadier-General Erle, and was engaged in the toilsome operations of the campaign, which was passed in manœuvring, without a general engagement. The regiment formed part of the covering army during the siege of Huy, and after the capture of this fortress it was stationed at Bruges.

1695

The progress of the French conquests had been arrested, and in 1694 the current of success flowed in favour of the Confederates. In 1695, King William resolved to undertake the siege of Namur. As a preparative measure, the Twelfth, and several other regiments, marched to Dixmude, in May; in June an attack was made on the fort of Kenoque,—a strong post situate at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, to draw the French forces to that part of their line of fortifications. The Twelfth were engaged in this attack; and they were formed in brigade with the fourteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth regiments, under Colonel Leslie; they had several men killed and wounded. The French troops having taken post behind their lines, leaving Namur exposed, the King seized the favourable moment and invested the town. The attack on fort Kenoque was then discontinued, and the Twelfth marched into garrison at Dixmude, where three British and five Dutch regiments of foot, and the Queen's (now third) dragoons, were stationed under a Dutch officer,—Major-General Ellemberg.

A powerful French army, commanded by Marshal Villeroy, approached the town of Dixmude, and on the 15th of July the place was invested by a strong division under General de Montal. The trenches were opened on the same night, and on the following day a battery of eight guns and three mortars commenced a heavy fire. The works beginning to crumble under fire, Major-General Ellemberg called a council of war of the commanding officers of regiments, and suggested the necessity of surrendering, using, at the same time, various arguments to induce the other officers to agree to his proposal. Colonel Brewer, of the Twelfth foot, remonstrated against this measure, and recommended a resolute defence of the town to the last extremity; but a majority in the council of war voted for surrendering. The garrison expected to march out with the honors of war; but the French King sent orders to make the whole prisoners of war. The soldiers in garrison were anxious to be permitted to defend the town; many of them broke their arms sooner than deliver them up to the French, and several stands of regimental colours were destroyed by the men, that they might not become trophies in the hands of the enemy. The regiments in garrison were all made prisoners of war, and were marched into the territory subject to France, Louis XIV. refusing to deliver them up on the conditions of the cartel previously agreed upon.

In the mean time King William was carrying on the siege of Namur, and when the citadel was surrendered, he permitted the garrison to march out with the honors of war, but ordered Marshal Boufflers to be arrested, and detained, until the regiments made prisoners by the French at Dixmude, and detained contrary to the cartel, were delivered up.

This produced the desired effect—the Twelfth, and other corps in prison, were liberated, and rejoined the army, and the necessary arms, equipments, and clothing, were procured as speedily as possible, to enable the regiment to resume its duties; it was afterwards placed in garrison at Malines.

A general court-martial assembled for the trial of the officers who delivered up Dixmude and its garrison to the enemy; Major-General Ellemberg was sentenced to be beheaded, and executed at Ghent on the 20th of November; Colonels Graham, Leslie, and the Dutch Colonel Aüer were cashiered; Colonel Brewer of the Twelfth foot, and the other commanding officers, who remonstrated against the surrender of the town, were acquitted.

1696

The French monarch made preparations for the invasion of England in favour of King James, and in the spring of 1696, several regiments were withdrawn from Flanders, when the Twelfth marched from Malines to Ostend and Bruges; but the enemy did not venture to put to sea, and the regiment was not required to embark for England.

On the 28th of May, the regiment joined the troops encamped between Ghent and Bruges; it was formed in brigade with the first battalion of the royals, the fifteenth, and Collingwood's (afterwards disbanded) regiments, under Brigadier-General the Earl of Orkney, and served the campaign of this year with the army of Flanders, under the Prince of Vaudemont. The troops of that army were encamped behind the Bruges canal, nearly all the summer, to cover Ghent, Bruges, and the maritime towns of Flanders: in the autumn the regiment was ordered to occupy quarters in the town of Bruges.

1697

In the spring of 1697, the English regiments were ordered to proceed to Brabant, to join the army commanded by King William in person; the Twelfth foot were, however, detained in Flanders until the Brandenburg troops arrived, when they marched to Brabant, and served under the King during the remainder of the campaign. They were formed in brigade with a battalion of the first royals, and the fifth, Collier's and Lauder's (afterwards disbanded) regiments, commanded by the Earl of Orkney.

The regiment was encamped before Brussels, when the war was terminated by the treaty of Ryswick, and King William saw his efforts, to prevent the aggrandizement of France by conquest, attended with complete success. During the winter the regiment returned to England.

1698 1699

Considerable reductions were made in the establishment of the army in 1698 and 1699, and the Twelfth were ordered to proceed to Ireland.

1700 1701

While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, the death of Charles II., King of Spain, occurred, and he was succeeded by Philip, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV., in violation of existing treaties, which rekindled the war in Europe.

1702

Various circumstances occurred to induce Great Britain to take part in the contest, and Queen Anne declared war against France and Spain, in May, 1702.

The establishment of the Twelfth regiment was augmented, and it was held in readiness to proceed on foreign service; but it was detained in Ireland several months, during which period Colonel Brewer was succeeded in the colonelcy by Lieut.-Colonel Livesay, by commission, dated the 28th of September 1702.

As soon as hostilities were commenced, Vice-Admiral Benbow, commanding the British naval force in the West Indies, began an active warfare against the commerce of the enemy, with some success. Soon afterwards the Twelfth regiment was ordered to form part of a powerful armament, designed to be sent to the West Indies, under Charles Earl of Peterborough who was promoted to the local rank of General, and a Dutch naval and land force arrived at Spithead, to accompany the British fleet; but this joint expedition was laid aside.

1703

The Twelfth regiment embarked for the West Indies during the winter. In the early part of March, 1703, an unsuccessful attack was made on the island of Guadaloupe, by the troops under Colonel Codrington; two regiments landed and gained some advantages, but the expedition was not of sufficient strength to capture the island.

1704

Additional regiments were afterwards sent to the West Indies:[7] but nothing of importance took place, and the Twelfth were sent to the island of Jamaica, where they were stationed during the year 1704.

1705

The regiment sustained very serious losses from the effects of the climate, and, in 1705, it transferred the non-commissioned officers and soldiers fit for service, to the twenty-second foot, and the officers and a few of the serjeants returned to England to recruit.

1706 1707 1708

During the years 1706 and 1707, the regiment was employed in recruiting, training, and disciplining its ranks, and having attained a state of efficiency, it was reported fit for service, and in the spring of 1708, it was held in readiness to serve on board the fleet as marines.

During the summer, the regiment was encamped in the Isle of Wight, where it was reviewed, on the 19th of July, by Major-General Erle, and afterwards embarked on an expedition against the coast of France, the fleet being under the orders of Admiral Sir George Byng, and the land forces under Major-General Erle.[8] The fleet sailed from Spithead on the 27th of July, and menaced the coast of Picardy with a descent, creating considerable alarm and consternation; a landing was afterwards effected a few miles from Boulogne, but nothing of importance was accomplished.

In the mean time, the allied army, commanded by the great Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, was carrying on the siege of the celebrated city of Lisle, the capital of French Flanders, which was defended by fifteen thousand men, under Marshal Boufflers. The French and Spaniards, thinking to prevent the allied army receiving supplies from the coast, detached a body of troops, under General Count de la Motte, towards Ostend; and the troops employed in alarming the French coast, were suddenly ordered to proceed to that port, where they arrived on the 21st of September. The Twelfth, and other regiments of the expedition, having landed at Ostend, the French general retired; first cutting the dykes, to lay the country between Ostend and Nieuport under water, and to prevent the troops, under Major-General Erle, communicating with the grand army under the Duke of Marlborough. A strong detachment from the Twelfth, and two other regiments, seized on Leffinghen, constructed some works, and established a post at that village.

At this period, the army before Lisle was deficient in ammunition for carrying on the siege, and the Duke of Marlborough, having heard of the arrival of the troops at Ostend, and of their having established a post at Leffinghen, sent seven hundred waggons thither, under a strong guard, for supplies. The soldiers of the Twelfth, and other corps at Ostend, were employed in draining the inundations; they built a bridge over the canal of Leffinghen, opened a communication with the grand army, and assisted in loading the seven hundred waggons with ammunition and other necessaries.

The waggons left Ostend on the 27th of September; the troops employed to guard the convoy, under Major-General Webb, were attacked on the following day in the wood of Wynendale, by twenty-two thousand French and Spaniards, under Count de la Motte, who was repulsed, and the convoy arrived in safety at the head-quarters of the army. Major-General Webb received the thanks of Parliament for his conduct on this occasion.

The Duke of Vendôme was so chagrined at this success, that he advanced with a numerous army to Oudenburg, posted his men along the canal between Plassendael and Nieuport, and caused the dykes to be cut in several places, in order to let in the sea, and lay a great extent of country under water. The Twelfth, and other corps under Major-General Erle, were encamped on the high grounds of Raversein, and watched the enemy's movements; at length, the Duke of Marlborough put the covering army in motion, to attack the enemy, when the Duke of Vendôme made a precipitate retreat. The Twelfth were afterwards employed in conveying another supply of ammunition and other necessaries, for the besieging army, across the inundations in boats, which enabled the generals of the allied army to continue the siege of Lisle, and insured the reduction of that fortress. The Duke of Vendôme sent a body of troops to besiege Leffinghen, which was captured after a short resistance; the enemy also menaced the camp at Raversein, when the Twelfth, and other regiments under Major-General Erle, retired into the outworks of Ostend. The supplies furnished to the army, however, proved sufficient, and the citadel of Lisle surrendered on the 9th of December.

1709

The service, for which the regiment was sent to Flanders having been accomplished, it returned to England in the early part of 1709, and was stationed in garrison at Portsmouth.

1710

On the 4th of July, 1710, the regiments of Livesay (Twelfth), and of Montandre, Lord Mark Kerr, and Windsor (afterwards disbanded), were reviewed at Portsmouth by Lieut.-General Erle.

1711

The regiment was detained on home service in 1711.

1712

Colonel Livesay was succeeded in the colonelcy of the regiment by Lieut.-Col. Richard Phillips, whose commission was dated the 16th of March, 1712.

Being in an efficient state, the regiment was embarked for Spain, to reinforce the allied army in that country. In the summer of 1712, preliminary articles for a treaty of peace were agreed upon, which was followed by a cessation of hostilities, and the Twelfth regiment proceeded to the island of Minorca, which had been captured by a body of troops under Major-General Stanhope in 1708.

1713

Minorca was ceded to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, and the Twelfth regiment was one of the corps selected to form part of the garrison of that island.

1717

Colonel Phillips was appointed to the command of the fortieth foot, on the formation of that regiment from non-regimented companies in America, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the Twelfth by Colonel Thomas Stanwix, from the thirtieth foot, whose commission was dated the 25th of August, 1717.

1719

Having been relieved from duty at Minorca, in 1719, the regiment returned to England, where it arrived in October of that year.

1722

In the summer of 1722, the regiment was encamped on Salisbury Plain, and it was reviewed on the 30th of August by King George I., and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, afterwards King George II.

1725

On the 14th of March, 1725, Brigadier-General Thomas Stanwix died, and King George I. conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Major-General Thomas Whetham, from the twenty-seventh foot.

1739

The regiment was employed on home service for several years; and on the breaking out of the war with Spain, in 1739, its establishment was augmented to nine hundred officers and soldiers.

1740

In the summer of 1740, the regiment pitched its tents near Newbury, where an encampment was formed of two regiments of horse, three of dragoons, and four of infantry, under Lieut.-General Wade. It afterwards served on board the fleet as marines.

In the autumn of this year, Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, died, and the succession of his daughter Maria Theresa, as Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, was disputed by the Elector of Bavaria, who was aided by a French army.

1741

King George II. resolved to support the house of Austria, and the Twelfth was one of the regiments selected to proceed on foreign service. It was encamped, in the summer of 1741, on Lexden Heath, and was held in readiness to embark; in the autumn it went into cantonments.

General Whetham died on the 28th of April; and the colonelcy remained vacant until August, when His Majesty conferred that appointment on the lieut.-colonel of the regiment, Scipio Duroure, who had performed the duties of commanding officer with reputation during the preceding seven years.

1742

During the summer of 1742, King George II. sent an army to Flanders under Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair, to support the house of Austria, and the Twelfth foot embarked on this service under Colonel Duroure.

1743

The regiment passed several months in Flanders, and in February 1743 it commenced its march for Germany. It was encamped a short period near the forest d'Armstadt, and afterwards at Aschaffenburg, where the King and His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland joined the army.

On the 27th of June, as the forces commanded by His Majesty were marching along the bank of the river Maine, the French under Marshal Noailles crossed the stream and took post near Dettingen, to intercept the march. The allied army formed for battle and a severe engagement took place, in which the Twelfth had an opportunity of distinguishing themselves under the eye of their Sovereign. On one occasion they repulsed a charge of the French cavalry, and afterwards engaged the enemy's infantry with signal intrepidity and determination. The opposing army was forced to give way before the steady valour of the infantry of the allied army, and the charges of the British cavalry completed the overthrow of the French host, which was driven across the river Maine with severe loss.

The Twelfth regiment had Captain Phillips, Lieutenant Monro, and twenty-seven rank and file killed; Captain Campbell, Lieutenant Williams, Ensign Townshend, three serjeants, two drummers, and sixty rank and file wounded, on this occasion.

After passing the night on the field of battle, the regiment marched to Hanau; it was encamped several weeks on the banks of the Kinzig, and in August marched towards the Rhine. It crossed that river above Mentz, and was employed in various services until October, when the army marched in divisions back to Flanders. The Twelfth formed part of the fifth division, under Major-General the Earl of Rothes, and arrived on the 22nd of November, at Brussels, from whence they proceeded to Ostend for winter quarters.

1744

The Twelfth regiment served the campaign of 1744 under Field-Marshal Wade: it was encamped some time on the banks of the Scheldt, and took part in several operations, but no general engagement occurred: in the autumn it was again stationed in Flanders.

1745

In the spring of 1745, a very powerful French army appeared in the Austrian provinces of the Netherlands, and commenced the siege of Tournay. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland assumed the command of the allied army, and advanced to the relief of the besieged fortress; and the Twelfth regiment of foot was withdrawn from garrison to take part in the enterprise. The French army took up a position at the village of Fontenoy; and the allies, though much inferior to the enemy in numbers, resolved to hazard a general engagement.

At two o'clock on the morning of the 11th of May, the allied army advanced to attack the formidable position occupied by the enemy, and the Twelfth regiment, commanded by Colonel Duroure, was detached with several other corps, under Brigadier-General Ingoldsby, to attack a large fort, mounted with cannon, in the wood of Barri. Against this post the regiment advanced, but the fort was found too formidable to be attacked without artillery, and some delay occurred. Brigadier-General Ingoldsby did not clearly understand his orders, and the regiment was detained a long time in a state of inactivity exposed to a heavy cannonade; during which time the British infantry had forced the enemy's centre, but were obliged to retire in consequence of the Dutch having failed on Fontenoy, and Brigadier-General Ingoldsby having lost the opportunity of attacking the batteries in the wood of Barri. A second attack was, however, determined on, in the hope that the Dutch would make a more determined effort, and the Twelfth were brought into action; Brigadier-General Ingoldsby was wounded at the head of the regiment, and removed to the rear. Impatient of the state of inactivity in which they had been detained, the soldiers of the Twelfth rushed into action with distinguished ardour, and were conspicuous for their gallant bearing throughout the remainder of the contest. They were exposed to a heavy fire, and had to contend against very superior numbers. Their commanding officer, Colonel Duroure, fell mortally wounded; Lieut.-Colonel Whitmore was killed; Major Cosseley was wounded, and the command devolved on Captain Rainsford, who was also wounded: but the regiment preserved its firm array, and when more than half the non-commissioned officers and soldiers had fallen, the survivors continued the fight, advancing over the killed and wounded of both armies. The Dutch, however, failed a second time; the British who had penetrated the enemy's line became insulated, and constantly exposed to the attack of fresh troops, and a retreat was ordered; the army withdrawing from the field of battle to Aeth.

The conduct of the Twelfth regiment was commended in the Duke of Cumberland's public despatch; its loss was greater than any other corps in the army, and amounted to three hundred and twenty-one officers and soldiers: viz., Lieut.-Colonel Whitmore, Captain Campbell, Lieutenants Bockland and Lane, Ensigns Cannon and Clifton, five serjeants, and one hundred and forty-eight rank and file killed; Colonel Duroure, Major Cosseley, Captains Rainsford and Robinson, Lieutenants Murray, Townshend, Millington, and Delgaire, Ensigns Dagers and Pearce, seven serjeants, and one hundred and forty-two private soldiers wounded; Captain de Cosne, Captain-Lieut. Goulston, and Lieut. Salt, missing.

Colonel Duroure died of his wounds, and was succeeded by Brigadier-General Henry Skelton, from the thirty-second regiment of foot. Major Cosseley recovered of his wounds, and was promoted to the lieut.-colonelcy, and Captain Rainsford was appointed Major.

The regiment was encamped with the army on the plain of Lessines, and afterwards near Brussels; and the French, by their superior numbers, were enabled to capture several fortified towns.

In the meantime a rebellion had broken out in Scotland, headed by Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender. This adventurer, being guided by desperate and designing men,—urged on by the wily politics of France,—personally sanguine in his disposition, and disposed to listen to every representation that flattered his views, embarked on his expedition in a style little adequate to the extent of his designs, which were to dethrone the reigning monarch, and to overturn the constitution of a brave and free people. Arriving in Scotland, he was joined by several of the Highland clans, and the King's troops being in Flanders, success attended his efforts for a short period.

The Twelfth regiment was one of the corps ordered to return to England on this occasion: it arrived at Gravesend on the 4th of November, afterwards formed part of the army assembled under the Duke of Cumberland, when the clans penetrated England as far as Derby.

Being little accustomed to hear the sound of war at their own gates, the British were at first alarmed at the novelty; but soon recovering, they evinced loyalty and union in sustaining the fixed rights of their sovereign, and in defending their own liberties. Addresses, backed by associations, were daily made to the King; the army arrived from Flanders, and the Pretender made a precipitate retreat back to Scotland.

The Twelfth regiment pursued the Highlanders as far as Carlisle, and was before that town when the rebel garrison surrendered.

1746

In the early part of 1746 the regiment was withdrawn from the north of England; but after the loss of the battle of Falkirk by the troops under Lieut.-General Hawley, it was ordered to proceed to Scotland. Various circumstances occurred to prevent its proceeding thither immediately; but it embarked from Plymouth towards the end of March, and sailed for Scotland in the early part of April.

Before the regiment joined the army under the Duke of Cumberland, the battle of Culloden had decided the fate of the young Pretender, who was transformed, by the events of that day, from an imaginary monarch to an humble fugitive, and after concealing himself some time in the Highlands and Hebrides, he escaped to the continent. The regiment was stationed several months at Perth.

1747

During the summer of 1747 the Twelfth were encamped in a rugged valley, surrounded by gloomy precipices, near Fort Augustus, in the Highlands of Scotland; in the autumn the regiment was withdrawn from North Britain and stationed in England.

1748

In the meantime, the war on the Continent had been continued, and in the beginning of the year 1748, the regiment embarked at Shields for Holland, to join the allied army in that country.

In the spring, the regiment took the field, and was engaged in several services: hostilities were afterwards terminated by a treaty of peace concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle, and during the winter the Twelfth foot returned to England.

1749

Immediately after its arrival from Holland, the regiment embarked for the island of Minorca, where it was stationed three years.

1751

On the 1st of July, 1751, a royal warrant was issued regulating the standards, colours, and clothing of the several regiments. At this period the costume of the Twelfth foot was—cocked hats, bound with white lace, scarlet coats faced and lined with yellow, and ornamented with white lace; scarlet waistcoats and breeches, and white gaiters. The first, or Kings colour, was the great union; the second, or regimental colour, was of yellow silk, in the centre XII. in gold characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk, and the union in the upper canton.

MONTIS INSIGNIA CALPE. TWELFTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.

1752

Towards the end of the year 1751 the Twelfth were relieved from duty at Minorca by the fifty-first regiment, and returned to England, where they arrived in the beginning of 1752.

1755 1756 1757

The progress of colonization in North America involved Great Britain in disputes with the French government respecting the country near the river Ohio, which occasioned the commencement of the Seven Years' War, in 1756. The establishment of the Twelfth regiment was augmented on this occasion; and in 1757 it consisted of two battalions.

General Skelton died on the 9th of April, 1757, and King George II. conferred the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot on Major-General Robert Napier, from the fifty-first regiment.

1758

In 1758 the second battalion of the Twelfth foot was constituted the sixty-fifth regiment, under the command of Colonel Armiger, from captain and lieut.-colonel of the first foot guards.[9]

Meanwhile the war, which commenced in America, had extended to Hanover, and the electorate was overrun by the armies of France. A body of Hanoverian, Hessian, and Brunswick troops, commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, opposed the forces of the enemy, and in the summer of 1758, the Twelfth regiment, after encamping a short time in the Isle of Wight, was ordered to proceed to Germany to join the allied army. The regiment arrived at Embden on the 1st of August, landed a few miles above the town on the 3rd, and on the 5th commenced its march to join the army, which it accomplished in twelve days, and was reviewed on the 20th of that month by Prince Ferdinand.

During the remainder of the campaign, the regiment was actively employed, and performed many fatiguing services. Towards the end of November it marched into quarters in Munster, a city situate in a fruitful and agreeable country on the river Aa.

1759

Operations were commenced early in the spring of 1759, and the allies gained some advantage; but when the French forces were assembled, they possessed so great a superiority in numbers, that Prince Ferdinand was obliged to fall back as the enemy advanced. A series of retrograde movements brought the allied army to the vicinity of Minden, situate on the bank of the river Weser, in Westphalia.

The French army, commanded by Marshal de Contades, took possession of Minden, and occupied a strong position near that city.

Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick manœuvred: he detached one body of troops under his nephew, the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, and appeared to leave another exposed to the attack of the whole of the opposing army. The destruction of this corps was resolved upon by the French commander, and he put his army in motion for that purpose, during the night between the 31st of July and the 1st of August. While the French were on the march, Prince Ferdinand advanced with the allied army, and early on the morning of the 1st of August, as the leading column of the enemy attained the summit of an eminence, it was surprised at discovering, instead of a few weak corps, the allied army formed in order of battle. Thus the French marshal suddenly found himself committed, and under the necessity of fighting upon unfavourable ground. After some delay he formed line, and the battle commenced.

The Twelfth, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel William Robinson, with the twenty-third and thirty-seventh British regiments, followed by the twentieth, twenty-fifth, and fifty-first, under Major-General Waldegrave and Major-General Kingsley, flanked by two battalions of Hanoverian foot guards, and the Hanoverian regiment of Hardenberg, and supported by three regiments of Hanoverians and a battalion of Hessian foot guards, advanced to attack the left wing of the French army, where Marshal de Contades had posted the élite of his cavalry, the carabineers and gendarmes. The Twelfth, twenty-third, and thirty-seventh, led the attack with signal intrepidity: as they moved forward in firm array, the enemy's artillery opened a tremendous fire, which rent chasms in the ranks, and the French carabineers advanced to charge them; but a rolling volley from the three British regiments smote the hostile squadrons, when many men fell, and the survivors reined up their horses, wheeled about, and galloped to the rear; their artillery recommencing its fire as the repulsed squadrons withdrew. The Hanoverian brigade came up on the left of the Twelfth, twenty-third, and thirty-seventh, and the other three British regiments on the right. Soon, another line of French cavaliers, gay in splendid uniforms, and formidable in numbers, came forward, the soldiers shouting and waving their swords; but they were struck in mid-onset by a tempest of bullets from the British regiments, broken, and driven back with severe loss. Still pressing forward with a conquering violence, the three brigades became exposed to the fire of the enemy's infantry on their flanks; but nothing could stop them: encouraged by success, and confident in their own prowess, they followed up their advantage, routed the whole of the French cavalry, and drove it from the field.[10] Two brigades of French infantry endeavoured to stem the torrent of battle; but they were quickly broken and dispersed.[11] A body of Saxon troops made a show of coming down upon the conquering British regiments, but they were soon put to flight, and the triumphant English continued their splendid career, overpowering all opposition.

The action commenced between six and seven o'clock in the morning; about nine the enemy began to give way; a general confusion followed; and at ten o'clock the whole French army fled in disorder, with the loss of forty-three pieces of cannon, ten stand of colours, and seven standards.

The Twelfth regiment had Lieutenants William Falkingham, Henry Probyn, and George Townsend, four serjeants, one drummer, and seventy-seven rank and file killed; Lieut.-Colonel William Robinson, Captains Mathias Murray, William Cloudesley, and Peter Campbell, Captain-Lieutenant Peter Dunbar; Lieutenants Thomas Fletcher, William Barlow, Thomas Lawless, Edward Freeman, John Campbell, and George Rose; Ensigns John Forbes, David Parkill, and John Kay, eleven serjeants, four drummers, and one hundred and seventy-five rank and file wounded; Captains Peter Chalbert, and Robert Ackland, and eleven rank and file missing.

The Twelfth regiment was thanked in orders, in common with the other British regiments, on the following day; and its distinguished conduct on this occasion was afterwards honoured with the King's authority to bear the word "Minden" on its colours and appointments in commemoration of its gallantry.[12]

Minden was taken possession of on the following day, and the French army was forced to make a precipitate retreat to a distance of about two hundred miles. The allies followed the retiring enemy with great energy, ascending precipices, passing morasses, overcoming numerous difficulties, and pressing upon and attacking the retreating army, with so much resolution, that several French corps were nearly annihilated, and many prisoners, with a great quantity of baggage, were captured. The Twelfth foot shared in the hazards, toils and conflicts of this brilliant success, and when the weather became too severe for the troops to remain in the field, the regiment went into cantonments in the bishopric of Osnaburg in Westphalia.

1760

The regiment left its quarters on the 5th of May, 1760, to take the field, and on the 12th of that month it arrived in the vicinity of Paderborn; it was joined by a numerous body of recruits from England, to replace the losses of the preceding campaign.

A hundred thousand French troops took the field under the Duke of Broglio, with a separate corps under the Count de St. Germain, and so far outnumbered the allied army, that the latter was obliged to act on the defensive. The Twelfth took part in numerous operations. Towards the end of May they were encamped on the heights near Fritzlar; in July they proceeded to the vicinity of Saxenhausen, from whence they retreated towards Cassel, and encamped near Kalle.

Upwards of thirty thousand French troops crossed the river Dymel, and took post near Warbourg, to cut off the communication of the allies with Westphalia, when Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick quitted the camp at Kalle, and crossed the river to attack this portion of the French army. The battle commenced on the morning of the 31st of July, at which time the Twelfth, and other British infantry corps, were several miles from the scene of conflict. The soldiers hurried forward to share in the action with extraordinary zeal: it was a hot summer's day; they had a rugged country to traverse, morasses to pass, and numerous difficulties to overcome, and they exerted themselves with so much energy, that several men dropped on the road;[13] but before they arrived at Warbourg, the French troops had retreated across the river.

During the remainder of the campaign, the regiment was employed upon the Dymel; and the allied army, by secret and expeditious movements, by daring and rapid advances, and by sudden and unexpected attacks, kept the enemy in constant alarm. In the winter, the regiment went into quarters in the bishopric of Paderborn.

1761

The enemy having amassed immense magazines in the country of Hesse, and on the Lower Rhine, the allied army made a sudden advance into the enemy's cantonments, in February, 1761, captured several strong towns, and seized on numerous stores of provision. The Twelfth shared in this enterprise, advancing through a deep snow, and taking part in several important captures: when this service was performed, they retired to their former quarters.

In June, 1761, the regiment again took the field, and was employed in several operations; it was formed in brigade with the fifth, twenty-fourth, and thirty-seventh regiments, under the command of Brigadier-General Sandford, and was posted in the Marquis of Granby's division. After several harassing marches, the regiment was stationed in front of the village of Kirch Denkern, and near to Vellinghausen, in the bishopric of Paderborn. The French, commanded by Marshals Soubise and the Duke of Broglio, attacked this post on the 15th of July; but the ground was maintained with firmness and resolution by the British infantry, and the enemy was repulsed with loss. The fire of the skirmishers was continued during the night, and on the following day the attack was repeated with fresh troops, when the Twelfth evinced great gallantry in the defence of the position. After five hours' sharp fighting, some disorder appeared in the enemy's ranks, when the brigade charged and routed the opposing battalions with great slaughter. The loss of the regiment, on this occasion, was limited to three private soldiers killed, and nine wounded.

The Twelfth were stationed near Kirch Denkern until the 27th of July: they were subsequently employed in manœuvring and skirmishing in various parts of the bishopric of Paderborn and on the river Weser, and in September they were employed in the country of Hesse. They were engaged in several skirmishes in the electorate of Hanover in the early part of November; and were subsequently quartered for several months in the bishopric of Osnaburg.

1762

The regiment left its cantonments in Osnaburg in the spring of 1762, and was formed in brigade with the same regiments as in the preceding year. It was engaged, on the 24th of June, in the surprise of the French army encamped at Groebenstein: on the morning of that day it was in motion at an early hour, crossed the river Dymel at Liebenau at four o'clock, and advancing several miles through a woody country, arrived in front of the enemy's camp. The French were surprised and confounded; they abandoned their camp, leaving their tents standing, and retreated towards Cassel; one division, under General Stainville, throwing itself into the woods of Wilhelmsthal, to cover the movement. This division was attacked, and nearly annihilated; and after the loss of many men killed and wounded, the remainder surrendered to the fifth foot, which was the leading regiment of the brigade to which the Twelfth belonged.

After the action, the regiment encamped on the heights of Wilhelmsthal; it was subsequently employed in various operations; and on the 23rd of July its grenadier company took part in driving the Saxons, under Prince Xavier, from their post at Lutterberg, and in the capture of thirteen pieces of cannon.

On the 24th of July a hundred men of the Twelfth foot were engaged in dislodging a detachment of the enemy from the heights of Homburg. The regiment was afterwards employed in operations on the rivers Ohm and Lahn, and in covering the siege of Cassel, which fortress surrendered in the beginning of November.

A suspension of hostilities took place soon after the surrender of Cassel, which was followed by a treaty of peace, concluded at Fontainbleau: the regiment was quartered in the bishopric of Munster about ten weeks.

1763

In the beginning of 1763, the thanks of Parliament were communicated to the army for its conduct during the war. In February, the regiment marched through Holland to Williamstadt, where it embarked for England: its effective strength, according to the embarkation return, was twenty-seven officers, six hundred and eighty-nine non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

1764 1765 1766

On arriving in England, from Germany, the Twelfth were ordered to proceed to Scotland, where they were stationed during the following three years.

Lieut.-General Napier died in November, 1766, when King George III. conferred the command of the regiment on Colonel Henry Clinton, from captain and lieut.-colonel in the first foot guards.

1767 1769

In 1767, the Twelfth were stationed in England; and in 1769, they proceeded to Gibraltar, to relieve the twentieth regiment on garrison duty at that fortress.

1775 1778 1779

The American war commenced in 1775, and the colonel of the regiment, Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, distinguished himself in that country: in December, 1778, he was appointed colonel of the eighty-fourth regiment, or Royal Highland emigrants, then first embodied for service in North America, and afterwards disbanded. The Colonelcy of the Twelfth foot remained vacant until the 21st of April, 1779, when it was conferred on Colonel William Picton, from the seventy-fifth regiment; a newly-raised corps, which was disbanded at the peace in 1782-3.

The Twelfth regiment remained at Gibraltar. The possession of this fortress by the English, with a British garrison on the top of the rocky promontory overlooking the provinces of Spain, had been regarded by the Spaniards with great jealousy: every attempt to retake it had failed. Great Britain attached much importance to the possession of it; but the contest between the revolted provinces in North America and England appeared to present to the Spanish monarch a favourable opportunity for regaining possession of this valuable fortress. When the French monarch acknowledged the independence of the United States, and commenced hostilities against Britain, the time appeared particularly favourable for another effort to recapture Gibraltar, and in the summer of 1779, that fortress was beset, by sea and land, by the Spanish fleets and armies.

The garrison consisted of the Twelfth, thirty-ninth, fifty-sixth, fifty-eighth, and (late) seventy-second British, with the Hanoverian regiments of Hardenberg, Reden, and De la Motte, and a proportion of artillery and engineers. The Twelfth mustered twenty-nine officers, twenty-nine serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and five hundred and nineteen rank and file, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Trigge: the garrison mustered five thousand three hundred and eighty-two men, under the orders of General Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield.[14]

Being blockaded by sea and besieged by land, the troops at Gibraltar became cut off from communication with all countries, and the garrison was like a little world within itself. The arrangements for the defence were devised with judgment, and executed with skill. The soldiers 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 extensive preparations of the enemy, the great importance of the fortress, and the determined character of General Eliott and his garrison, occasioned this siege to become a subject of universal interest, and the eyes of all Europe were directed towards Gibraltar, watching the result of the contest.

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 begun, and every measure adopted to prevent the bombardment of the place being attended with serious results.

1780

Early in 1780 provisions became short, and the soldiers cheerfully 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 the attempt to destroy the shipping. Provisions soon became deficient again; vegetables were cultivated on the rock with some 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 part of the town to a heap of ruins.

General Eliott deliberately watched the progress of the enemy, and kept his garrison close within the fortress, until a favourable opportunity presented itself for a sally, when the following 'Evening garrison order' was issued, dated November 26, 1781: '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; 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.'

The Twelfth appeared on parade at the appointed hour, and mustered twenty-six officers, twenty-eight serjeants, two drummers, and four hundred and thirty rank and file, ready to engage in this enterprise. It was the hour of midnight; the moon shone brightly, and all was still in the enemy's camp. The soldiers waited two hours, when the moon set, darkness overspread the sky, and they issued silently from the fortress. The Spanish regiments were asleep in the camp; their guards at the batteries were also reposing, when suddenly the sound of a trampling multitude was heard approaching them; their sentries called, and receiving no answer, fired their muskets and hurried to the guards. They were followed by the British at a running pace; the guards were surprised, the batteries captured, and two Spanish officers, with sixteen soldiers, were made prisoners; the Spanish guards were astounded by the suddenness of the onset in the dark; they hurried to their lines, communicating a panic to the troops in their rear. The British instantly commenced the work of destruction. 'The batteries (constructed of wood upon the sands) were soon in a state for the fire-faggots to operate, and the flame spread with astonishing rapidity into every part. The column of fire and smoke which rolled from the works, beautifully illuminated the troops and neighbouring objects, forming altogether a coup-d'œil not possible to be described.'[15]

In one hour the object of the sortie was fully effected; the Spaniards, being dismayed, did not venture to interrupt the work; and trains being laid to the enemy's magazines, the Twelfth, and other troops which had made the sally, retired; as they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions shook the ground like the shocks of an earthquake, accompanied by rising volumes of smoke, flame, and burning timber, which proclaimed the destruction of the enemy's immense stores of gunpowder.

Thus was completed, with success beyond the expectations of every one, an enterprise of the greatest magnitude; and General Eliott declared in orders, 'the bravery and conduct of the whole detachment, officers, soldiers, and sailors, on this glorious occasion, surpassed his utmost expectation.' The loss of the Twelfth regiment was limited to Lieutenant Tweedie and four private soldiers wounded: the total loss of the garrison was four soldiers killed, one officer and twenty-four soldiers wounded, one man missing.[16]

For several 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 Spaniards, by their heavy fire on the fortress, had already spoiled three sets of guns; but the court of Madrid appeared bent on capturing Gibraltar. An immense quantity of ordnance of larger calibre was provided, numerous 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, and a French army 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, and were accounted 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 cool determination for the hour of trial: the officers and soldiers appeared to be impressed with their peculiar situation; an important fortress was confided to their protection; they had defended it against the efforts of the Spanish army and navy upwards of two years; and the eyes of all Europe were directed towards them. The damaged works were carefully repaired, new ones were constructed, extensive subterraneous works were prepared, and forges for heating red-hot shot were got ready; every serjeant, drummer, musician, and officer's servant, as well as the corporals and private soldiers, used a shovel, pickaxe, or musket, according as their services were required. The effect of the red-hot shot was proved on some of the enemy's wooden batteries on the sands, which were speedily destroyed.

The Duke of Crillon anticipated the most signal success from the extensive preparations he was making; his camp was visited by princes of the royal blood of France, by Spanish nobility, and other dignified characters of Europe, who came to be spectators of the fall of the fortress under the heavy fire of artillery which was about to be opened upon it. The new batteries on shore were unmasked, and fired a volley of sixty shells, which was followed by the thunder of one hundred and seventy guns of large calibre. Thus was Gibraltar assailed by a storm of iron, which threatened to reduce the fortress to a heap of ruins, and this was only a prelude to the tremendous fire which was afterwards opened upon the garrison.

On the 13th of September, the ten battering ships took their station before the fortress, in the presence of the combined fleets of France and Spain: the enemy's camp and 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 garrison, as was probably never heard before 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 many 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 seemed 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 effects of the red-hot shot became apparent, and volumes of smoke issued from the flag-ship; the Admiral's second ship was 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. The effects of the hot balls 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, and several boats were sent to their aid. 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 she appeared one sheet of fire from head to stern; a second was soon in the same state; the flames enabled the British artillery to point their guns with precision, and 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 dreadful scene of conflagration, the British seamen in boats were seen endeavouring to rescue the Spaniards from the blazing ships. 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.

Thus did the mighty efforts of France and Spain end in defeat and destruction, and the gallant efforts of the brave soldiers who defended Gibraltar elicited the admiration of the nations in 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 boasted invincible battering ships, and every family which could boast a defender of Gibraltar belonging to it, was proud of the honour. 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 were 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.'

1783

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.

After the garrison was thus relieved and reinforced a third time, the Court of Madrid gave up all hopes of gaining possession of Gibraltar either by force or stratagem: negociations ensued, and in February, 1783, the Spanish army decamped; the preliminary articles for a treaty of peace having been signed in the preceding month. Thus ended the siege of "Gibraltar," which is celebrated in the military annals of the eighteenth century, and the successful defence of that fortress, ranks among the noblest efforts of the British arms: it exceeded in duration the famous siege of Ostend, in the beginning of the seventeenth century.[17]

The Twelfth regiment of foot was rewarded, with the other corps which took part in this long and arduous service, with the thanks of its Sovereign, and of the Houses of Parliament, and with the honour of bearing on its colours the word 'Gibraltar,' with the 'Castle and Key,' and the motto 'Montis Insignia Calpé,' in commemoration of its services during the siege.[18]

The loss of the regiment during the siege of Gibraltar was—

Officers.Serjeants.Drummers.Rank and File.

Killed13113

Died of Wounds......10

Disabled by Wounds1....10

Wounded, that recovered24789

Died of Diseases..3..32

Total410 8154

During the period the Twelfth were engaged in the glorious defence of Gibraltar, county-titles were given to the several regiments of infantry, and the communication with England having become free, the Twelfth received directions to assume the title of the 'East Suffolk Regiment,' and to cultivate a connection with that part of the country, in order to facilitate the recruiting of the regiment.

J. M. Jopling del^t.

Madeley Lith. 3 Wellington S^t Strand.

TWELFTH REGIMENT OF FOOT. VIEW OF THE NORTH PART OF GIBRALTAR, AND OF THE ATTACK BY LAND AND SEA SEPT^R 13^TH & 14^TH 1782 For Cannons Military Records

In November, the Twelfth were relieved from duty at the fortress of Gibraltar, which they had so gallantly defended, and returned to England; they landed at Portsmouth, from whence they proceeded to Hilsea barracks, and in December, they marched to Windsor.

1784

King George III. was highly gratified at having a corps, which had distinguished itself during the memorable siege of Gibraltar, employed near his person, and on the 1st and 8th of June, 1784, His Majesty reviewed the Twelfth regiment in Windsor Park, in the presence of the Royal Family, and many distinguished personages, and expressed, in very gracious terms, his high approbation of its appearance and discipline, and of its conduct during the siege of Gibraltar.

The regiment remained at Windsor on the King's duty until November, when it proceeded to Chatham.

1785 1786 1787 1788

During the years 1785, 1786, and 1787, the regiment was stationed successively at Newcastle, Tynemouth, Sunderland, Musselburgh, Ayr, Edinburgh, and Plymouth; on the 10th of January, 1788, it was reviewed by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, afterwards King George IV., who was then in the seventeenth year of his age, and his person and accomplishments excited the admiration of all who beheld him. In a few days after the review, the regiment proceeded to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey.

1790

The Twelfth were relieved from duty at Jersey and Guernsey in March, 1790, and sailed to Portsmouth. Two months afterwards, orders were received for the regiment to serve on board the fleet as marines, and in the middle of June it embarked on board of His Majesty's ships 'Barfleur,' 'Carnatic,' 'Bellona,' 'Impregnable,' 'Magnificent,' and 'Edgar'; at the same time the staff officers, musicians, and a few soldiers who were not employed on this service, proceeded to Hilsea barracks.

After six months' service as marines the companies landed and joined the head-quarters at Hilsea barracks; towards the end of December the whole embarked for Ireland.

1791 1792 1793

The regiment landed near Cork on the 5th of January, 1791, and marched to Kinsale; in the summer of 1792, it proceeded to Dublin, from whence it was removed in March, 1793, to Drogheda.

In the meantime a revolution had taken place in France; men of violent republican principles had seized on the reins of government, beheaded their Sovereign, and involved Europe in another war. The pernicious doctrines of liberty and equality had been disseminated in the French West India Islands, and the European planters had solicited the protection of the British arms against the fury of the mulattoes and negroes. War was commenced to arrest the tyrannical proceedings of aggression pursued by the French republic;—a British army was sent to Flanders under His Royal Highness the Duke of York; additional forces were sent to the West Indies, and in November the flank companies of the Twelfth foot, commanded by Captains Tweedie and Perryn, Lieutenants Mathews, Leister, Leister junior, and O'Brien, embarked for the West Indies.

1794

The deliverance of the French West India Islands from republican domination, was undertaken in January, 1794; the flank companies of the Twelfth joined the expedition under General Sir Charles Grey, K. B. (afterwards Earl Grey), at Barbadoes, and were engaged in the attack of Martinico. A landing was effected at three different points in the early part of February, and after some sharp fighting, in which the companies of the Twelfth signalized themselves, particularly the grenadier company, forming part of the brigade commanded by Prince Edward (afterwards Duke of Kent), which captured Fort Royal by escalade on the 17th of March, and carried Morne Tartisson by storm, the island was captured. In his despatch, Sir Charles Grey stated,—'All the officers and soldiers of this little army merit the greatest praise.' The loss of the Twelfth foot was limited to a few private soldiers killed and wounded.

From Martinico the flank companies of the Twelfth sailed with the expedition against St. Lucia, where the troops arrived on the 1st of April, and the companies of the Twelfth took part in the reduction of that island, which was accomplished in three days without loss.

The flank companies were afterwards engaged in the capture of Guadaloupe and its dependencies, in which service they lost several men. The rapid success with which the British empire was thus extended, by the addition of three valuable islands and their dependencies, excited great admiration; and Sir Charles Grey stated in his 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.'

While the flank companies were engaged in the capture of the French West India Islands, the regiment was withdrawn from Ireland to reinforce the troops under the Duke of York in Flanders; it embarked from Drogheda on the 7th of March, landed at Parkgate on the 14th, re-embarked at Greenwich on the 1st of May, and landed at Ostend on the 6th of that month.

On arriving at the seat of war, the regiment was ordered to join the corps under the Austrian General Count Clerfait, who commanded the troops in West Flanders, and it was attached to the division under Major-General Hammerstein, together with the thirty-eighth and fifty-fifth regiments, and the eighth light dragoons.

The Twelfth regiment, commanded by Major Frederick Bowes, consisting of eight hundred and fifteen rank and file, took part in numerous operations, and was engaged in the general attack on the French positions on the 17th and 18th of May. On the latter day, the Twelfth were engaged in driving the enemy from Werwick, and in forcing the passage of the river Lys, on which occasion they highly distinguished themselves; but the operations on the above two days were not successful, from the want of a more perfect combination in the movements of the several divisions, and from the superior numbers of the enemy.

In division orders, dated Camp near Tournay, 20th May, 1794, Major-General Whyte stated 'he had great pleasure in informing the British troops, that General Count Clerfait has highly approved of their spirited conduct in the field, and great exertions in going through such excessive fatigues, as they necessarily have had since their first movement from Ostend. Major-General Whyte laments the loss sustained by the eighth light dragoons, whose spirited and distinguished gallantry, led on by Lieut.-Colonel Hart, has gained them the highest honour; and he desires his thanks may be accepted by the commanding officers, and all the officers and men of the thirty-eighth and fifty-fifth regiments; and also by Major Bowes and the officers and men of the Twelfth regiment, whose conduct has been highly approved of by Major-General Hammerstein, under whose immediate command they served. To Lieut.-Colonel Hart, who led on the squadron of the eighth light dragoons to the attack at Rousbeck, his best and distinguished thanks are due; and also to Lieut.-Colonel M'Donald, who led on the fifty-fifth regiment to support the attack on the front. He is perfectly convinced the same praise would have been due to Lieut.-Colonel Pitcairn of the thirty-eighth, had they been called into action.'

The Twelfth foot continued to serve under General Count Clerfait, and when the French besieged Ypres, with thirty thousand men, with a covering army of twenty-five thousand, the regiment was engaged in the attempt to relieve that fortress. The Austrian advance-guard was repulsed at Olglede on the 7th of June; but the French were defeated in their attempt on Rouselaer. Still entertaining hopes of being able to raise the siege, Count Clerfait attacked the French again on the 13th of June, at Hoogledge, and Major-General Hammerstein engaged a body of the enemy, of very superior numbers, at Kootmarke, and was repulsed. He afterwards retreated to Bruges, detaching the eighth light dragoons, and thirty-eighth and fifty-fifth foot to Ostend.

The very superior numbers of the enemy gave them so great an advantage, that the allied army was forced to commence retrograde movements. The Twelfth foot remained with Major-General Hammerstein's division until the 9th of July, when the following paragraph appeared in the division orders issued at the camp at Contiche,—'As the Twelfth British regiment is going to leave Major-General Hammerstein's brigade, he takes this opportunity to assure the regiment of his best acknowledgments for the good and gallant behaviour it has shown during the time the general has had the honour to command it; he likewise thanks it for the readiness and good will with which it has borne so many and great fatigues.'

On its removal from Major-General Hammerstein's command, the regiment was formed in brigade with the thirty-third, forty-second, and forty-fourth foot, under Major-General Balfour. In August it was in position near Breda, and in the beginning of September retired to the vicinity of Bois-le-duc.

In the middle of September the enemy advanced in great force, and attacked all the British posts on the right; the outpost at Boxtel, being most advanced, was forced, and the troops of Hesse D'Armstadt, who occupied it, sustained a severe loss. The post, occupied by a detachment of the Twelfth regiment, was environed and assailed by very superior numbers; it was defended with great gallantry for a short time, but the soldiers were unable to withstand so overwhelming a force as that by which they were assailed. The regiment had a few soldiers killed and wounded, and Lieutenant Eustace, three serjeants, one drummer, and forty-four rank and file taken prisoners. The British troops afterwards retired beyond the river Maese.

In the meantime, the flank companies had been engaged in the defence of the island of Guadaloupe, where about two thousand French troops had arrived from Europe, and being joined by a multitude of mulattoes and blacks, among whom the doctrines of liberty and equality were disseminated, they gained possession of part of the island, and frightful outrages were perpetrated. The companies of the Twelfth were engaged in an attempt to regain possession of Grand-Terre; but the troops employed in this service were not sufficiently numerous. The Twelfth had Lieutenant John Leister and several soldiers killed, and others wounded.

The companies of the Twelfth were employed in the defence of Guadaloupe under great disadvantages, and they were nearly annihilated. The island was given up in October, and the few remaining officers and soldiers proceeded to St. Domingo.

Meanwhile the Twelfth regiment, serving under the Duke of York, in Holland, was exposed to much suffering and privation. The Dutch, having imbibed the revolutionary doctrines of equality, beheld the advance of the French without alarm, and surrendered their fortresses without much resistance. The British troops had no chance of ultimate success, yet they held their positions with firmness, and they did not fail to impress the enemy with a just idea of British valour. The Twelfth were in position near Nimeguen in September, and afterwards attempted to defend the passage of the Waal.

1795

During the winter the river Waal became frozen, so as to admit the immense masses of the enemy to pass on the ice, and the British were obliged to retreat through Holland to Germany. The sufferings of the soldiers during this retrograde movement were very great; long marches, exposed to snow-storms and tempests, along roads choked with ice and snow, and a deficiency of provisions, put to a severe test the strength of the officers and soldiers. In March, 1795, they arrived at Bremen, where the hardships they had endured were ended. The Twelfth regiment lost so many men during the campaign and retreat through Holland, that its numbers were reduced from eight hundred and fifteen to four hundred and twenty-five rank and file.

The regiment embarked from Bremenlee on the 11th of April, landed at Gosport on the 12th of May, and marched from thence to Portchester, where it was joined by Lieutenant O'Brien, one serjeant, and one private soldier from the West Indies; being the only surviving individuals of the two fine flank companies which proceeded to the West Indies in 1793.

Every effort was made to recruit the regiment as speedily as possible, and on the 2nd of July, it was reviewed by His Royal Highness the Duke of York, who expressed his approbation of its appearance.

On the 19th of October, the regiment embarked from Southampton, and sailed to Spithead, where it remained a few days, and afterwards put to sea. On the 5th of October, it landed on the Isle de Dieu, in conjunction with a small force under Major-General Needham, and a body of French emigrants, accompanied by the Count D'Artois, brother of the King of France. No circumstances occurred to favour any further attempts connected with this enterprise, and in December the regiment left the island; it was exposed to several violent storms at sea, but arrived safely at Southampton in ten days, and marched from thence to Iron-hill barracks.

1796

The regiment was stationed in the neighbourhood of Southampton, and in the Isle of Wight, until the 8th of June, 1796, when it embarked in the 'Rockingham,' 'Hawksbury,' 'Airly castle,' and 'Melville castle' Indiamen, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Henry Harvey Aston, in order to transfer its services to the East Indies. The regiment sailed from St. Helens on the 27th of June, and on the 19th of September anchored in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope; that colony having been captured from the Dutch a short time previously. The regiment remained on board, but small parties landed daily for the benefit of their health. While the Indiamen were in Table Bay, a dreadful hurricane threatened the destruction of every ship, and they all sustained some injury, several losing their anchors. Serious apprehensions were entertained for the safety of the regiment; but providentially it did not sustain any loss, and it sailed from the Cape of Good Hope on the 10th of November.

1797

On the 10th of January, 1797, the Indiamen anchored in Madras roads; the regiment landed on the following day at Fort St George, and mustered eight hundred and seventy rank and file, whose appearance excited admiration.

The regiment was employed on garrison duty at Fort St. George until the middle of August, when it embarked for Manilla, the capital of the Spanish settlements in the Philippine Islands, situate on the banks of a bay, at the mouth of the river Pasig, in the island of Luconan. On the 23rd of August six companies proceeded on the voyage; the other four companies were embarked on board of men-of-war, and were about to follow, when orders were received for their disembarking, in consequence of intelligence from the Mysore country, indicating a projected irruption into the British territory by the celebrated Tippoo Saib.

The six companies continued the voyage, and arrived in September at the Prince of Wales's Island, called also Penang, or Betel Nut Island, situated off the west coast of the Malay peninsula, from which it is separated by a narrow strait. At this place a large fleet was assembled, with a numerous body of troops, from the Presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, for the expedition against Luconan and the other Philippine islands; the Prince of Wales's Island having been selected for the rendezvous of the forces to be employed in this enterprise. The prospect of the services of the troops being speedily required in more important military operations on the continent of India, occasioned orders to be issued for their immediate return. Towards the end of September, the 'Express' sloop arrived with despatches from Madras, and in a few days afterwards the six companies of the Twelfth sailed from the Prince of Wales's Island. They encountered contrary winds, and it being found impossible for the transports to contend against the north-west monsoon, the Twelfth returned to the island in October. They again sailed for Madras on the 15th of November, and landed at Fort George on the 12th of December; during their absence the other four companies of the regiment had exchanged a few shots with a French squadron, which had appeared in Madras-roads, and succeeded in driving an Indiaman on shore under the works of the fort.

1798

Among the various schemes of aggrandizement entertained by the republican government of France, was the wild and extravagant idea of being able to gain possession of the British territory in the East Indies. To strike an effectual blow at the naval, commercial, and colonial greatness of the British nation, was an object of primary consideration with the French directory, and to excite the jealousy of the native princes of India, and induce them to take up arms against the English, was one of the means used to accomplish this object. In the ruler of the fruitful province of Mysore, the celebrated Tippoo Sultan, the French found a chieftain eager to seize on the first opportunity for being revenged on the British, who had punished his former aggressions by depriving him of a considerable portion of territory, and inflicting a fine equal to three and a half millions sterling. This chief entered zealously into the design to drive the English out of India, and endeavoured to induce other princes to join in the enterprise. After the discovery of the designs of the enemy, hostilities were delayed some time, and the Twelfth regiment marched for Tanjore, the capital of a well-cultivated province in the Carnatic, where it arrived on the 1st of March, 1798.

The regiment was reviewed at Tanjore, by Major-General Floyd, who expressed in orders to Colonel Aston, the officers, and soldiers, 'the satisfaction he received on inspecting the eight companies of the Twelfth regiment of infantry at the station;' and added—'In the masterly hands of their commanding officer, there is every reason to expect that His Majesty's Twelfth regiment of infantry will, whenever called upon, be ready and disposed to renew in the east the glories of Minden and Gibraltar.'

Preparatory to the grand enterprise of driving the English out of India, General Bonaparte was sent with a French army to Egypt; many French officers and men were introduced into the army of Tippoo Sultan, and other measures were adopted calculated to forward the design. Under these circumstances the Governor-General of India, Lord Mornington, deemed it necessary to assemble a body of troops on the coast of Coromandel, and to engage the Nizam of the Deccan to furnish an auxiliary force. The Twelfth regiment marched from the fortress of Tanjore, on the 22nd of July, to join the army assembling under the orders of Lieut.-General Harris.

1799

On the 1st of January, 1799, the regiment joined the camp of the army advancing towards Mysore, and negociations having failed, the troops penetrated the territory of Tippoo Sultan in the beginning of March. The Twelfth, seventy-fourth, and Scots brigade, formed the first brigade of infantry under Major-General Baird.

During the night of the 7th of March, the regiment was employed, under Major-General Baird, in an attempt to surprise the camp of a body of the enemy's cavalry, but the Mysoreans obtained information of the design and made a precipitate retreat.

On the following day, the light company of the Twelfth, commanded by Captain Woodhall, took possession of Neldroog without opposition.

The British advanced direct upon the capital of the Mysore country, Seringapatam,[19] and Tippoo endeavoured to harass the march by skirmishes, and impede the progress of the troops by burning villages and laying waste the country. The regiment having entered upon active warfare, the Commanding Officer issued the following order:—'As the Twelfth regiment, from having the honour to be the eldest King's regiment with the army, is more liable to be called on for immediate service than other corps, the Commanding Officer expects the Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Private Men, will be ready, night or day, to turn out at the shortest notice, and to parade under arms without noise or confusion. On all sudden alarms the light infantry is instantly to accoutre without waiting for orders, and to be in readiness to march whenever their services may be required.'

On the 27th of March, as the Lascars were pitching the tents of the army on a fine plain beyond the fort of Malleville, they were suddenly assailed by a heavy cannonade from an eminence in front; at the same time the advance-piquet, under Captain McPherson of the Twelfth regiment, was attacked by a force of very superior numbers, but repulsed its assailants with distinguished bravery. The army arriving on the plain, advanced in close column of regiments towards the eminence, upon which large bodies of Mysorean cavalry and infantry were formed, who withdrew their heavy guns, but annoyed the advancing columns with rockets.

As the British columns approached the height, they formed line, and ascended to the summit, which was abandoned by the enemy, but a short distance beyond the eminence appeared the army of Mysore in order of battle. As the Twelfth moved forward, a large body of Mysorean cavalry formed in the shape of a wedge, having an elephant with a howdah on his back in front, appeared advancing to charge the regiment, and the British line halted to receive the attack. Immediately afterwards two other very large bodies of the enemy were discovered in two topes, or woods, preparing to support the first charge. Lieut.-General Harris, seeing the danger which menaced the regiment, placed himself in its rear, frequently repeating the words, 'Steady, Twelfth!' 'Steady, old Twelfth!' and when the wedge approached within a hundred yards of the line, the Mysoreans discharged their carbines and pistols, but without doing execution. The Twelfth remained steady, with their muskets at the recover, until the enemy arrived within about thirty yards, when a well-directed volley, followed by a rapid file firing, carried destruction into the enemy's ranks; a rampart of killed and wounded men and horses lying along the front of the regiment. The rear of the wedge was embarrassed by the killed and wounded in front, and could not continue their charge. The elephant was severely wounded, his conductor killed, the chiefs on his back had fallen, and he turned round and directed all his fury upon the Mysoreans, overturning everything in his retrograde movement, and producing great havoc with a prodigious chain, which he swayed. A few Mysorean horsemen broke through the regiment, but they were instantly shot in its rear, and the British artillery arriving, and opening its fire, the enemy's cavalry fell back; at the same time the British line advanced, and decided the fate of the day at that part of the field; a distant cannonade, however, indicated that the battle was raging elsewhere.