Historical Record of the Seventeenth, or the Leicestershire Regiment of Foot / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1688, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1848

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SEVENTEENTH,

OR THE

LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Early in April, 1707, the regiment joined the allied army under the Marquis das Minas and the Earl of Galway, and, after taking part in several operations, advanced, on the 25th of April, to attack the French and Spanish troops under the Duke of Berwick at Almanza. Fatigued by a long and difficult march, and exposed to a burning sun, the soldiers arrived in presence of their opponents, and prepared for battle. The sixth, SEVENTEENTH, thirty-third, and Lord Montjoy's regiments, were formed in brigade under Major-General Wade, and were posted on the flanks of a brigade of cavalry in the front line of the left wing. The battle was commenced by the British dragoons, who evinced great bravery, but many squadrons of Portuguese cavalry quitted the field in a panic. Major-General Wade's brigade was engaged with nine battalions of French and Spanish infantry, when it was joined by the ninth foot; the five British regiments disputed the ground with sanguinary obstinacy; but while the contest was raging, a body of fresh French and Spanish cavalry drove back the allied squadrons on the left. The sixth, ninth, SEVENTEENTH, thirty-third, and Lord Montjoy's regiments, were bravely contending with seven French and Spanish corps in their front, when they were attacked on the flank by two other of the enemy's battalions, broken, and driven from the field with great loss. The two battalions which attacked them in flank were cut to pieces by Harvey's horse, now second dragoon guards, who were in turn overpowered by the superior numbers of the enemy. The fight still raged in the centre; but the flanks being defeated, the enemy surrounded the centre and made great slaughter. The remains of the English regiments were collected into a body, and were united to some Dutch and Portuguese troops; the whole retreating to the woody hills of Caudete. The men were so exhausted with fatigue that they were unable to proceed, and they passed the night in the wood without food. On the following morning they were surrounded by the enemy; and being without ammunition, ignorant of the country, and destitute of provisions, they surrendered prisoners of war. Such were the results of a battle in which wearied and faint soldiers were hurried forward to fight superior numbers of fresh troops, commanded by a skilful general!

The SEVENTEENTH Regiment had Lieut.-Colonel Woollett, Lieut.-Colonel Withers, and Major Leech, killed; Captains Fitzgerald and Foncebrand, Lieutenants Rivesson, Ingram, and Blood, Ensigns Deaven, Callon, and Bruce, wounded and taken prisoners; Captains Dudley Cosby and Loftus Cosby, Lieutenants Martin, Brown, Brooks, and Tyrell, and Ensign Bland, prisoners.

The officers and soldiers of the regiment, who escaped from the field, joined the cavalry under the Earl of Galway, at Alcira, on the river Xucar; and the approach to the town being by almost inaccessible mountains, his lordship halted there a few days to reorganize the army. The SEVENTEENTH regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Wightman, was encamped some time on the banks of the Ebro above Tortosa, and was afterwards employed in operations for the protection of the province of Catalonia: it was joined by men from command and sick absent, also by several who escaped from prisoners of war, and it mustered two hundred and sixty-six officers and soldiers.

Major-General Blood died on the 19th of August, 1707, and Queen Anne conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on the Lieut.-Colonel, James Wightman, who had been promoted to the rank of brigadier-general a short time previously.

During the period the regiment was in winter-quarters, it received drafts from several corps which were ordered to return to England to recruit: and in the spring of 1708, when it took the field, its appearance was admired. In a letter from the army, published at the time, it was stated: "We cannot yet give any certain account of the number of our forces, but those we have are the finest in the world: such are the regiments of Southwell (sixth), commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Hunt; that of Blood (SEVENTEENTH), commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Bourguet; and that of Mordaunt (twenty-eighth), commanded by Colonel Dalziel."[8]

The regiment was encamped some time on the river Francoli, between Monblanco and Tarragona, and afterwards at Constantino; and it took part in the operations of the army commanded by Marshal Count Guido de Staremberg, for the defence of Catalonia.

After serving the campaign in Catalonia, the regiment received orders to transfer its men fit for duty to other corps, and return to England, where it arrived in 1709, and commenced recruiting its numbers.

In 1710 the regiment was stationed in Scotland; the head-quarters were at Leith, and four companies were detached to Musselburgh.

The regiment remained in Great Britain until the Treaty of Utrecht was signed, when it was placed on the peace establishment and sent to Ireland, where it was stationed in 1714.

On the breaking out of the rebellion of the Earl of Mar, in favour of the Pretender, in the autumn of 1715, the regiment was withdrawn from Ireland, and it joined the troops encamped at Stirling under the Duke of Argyle, and the colonel of the SEVENTEENTH regiment, Major-General Wightman.

When the rebel army advanced with the view of penetrating southwards, the King's troops quitted the camp at Stirling and proceeded to the vicinity of Dumblain, and on the 13th of November an engagement took place on Sheriff Muir, when both armies had one wing victorious and one wing defeated, and both commanders claimed the victory; but the rebels were prevented marching southwards, and they did not hazard another engagement, which proved the advantage gained over them. The SEVENTEENTH regiment had seven men killed and five wounded on this occasion.

Additional forces having joined the Royal army, the Duke of Argyle advanced, in January, 1716, over ice and through snow, towards Perth, when the Pretender retreated, and soon afterwards fled, with the leaders of the rebellion, to France. The SEVENTEENTH regiment pursued the insurgents some distance, and was afterwards stationed at Perth.

From this date the regiment was stationed in Great Britain during a period of ten years.

On the 28th of September, 1722, Major-General Wightman died, and King George II. conferred the colonelcy of the regiment on Brigadier-General Thomas Ferrers, from the thirty-ninth regiment; and this officer dying three weeks afterwards, he was succeeded by Colonel James Tyrell, who had commanded one of the regiments of dragoons disbanded in 1718.

In 1726 the regiment proceeded to Minorca, the second of the Balearic Islands, situate in the Mediterranean, near the coast of Spain: this island was captured by the British in 1708, and was ceded to Great Britain at the peace in 1713.

In this island, which is diversified with hill and valley, and in some parts rich in vegetation and abounding with the necessaries and many of the luxuries of life, the regiment was stationed twenty-five years. In 1727 it sent a detachment to Gibraltar, to assist in the defence of that fortress against the Spaniards. When the siege was raised, the detachment returned to Minorca.

On the 1st of August, 1742, Lieut.-General Tyrell died; the colonelcy remained vacant three weeks, and was then conferred on Colonel John Wynyard, from the fourth marines, who had previously held the commission of lieut.-colonel in the SEVENTEENTH regiment upwards of twenty years, and performed the duties of commanding officer with good reputation.

At the termination of the war of the Austrian succession in 1748, the regiment was relieved from duty at the island of Minorca, and proceeded to Ireland, where it was stationed during the following six years.

On the 1st of July, 1751, a Royal Warrant was issued, regulating the clothing, standards, and colours of the several regiments of the British army; in which the uniform of the SEVENTEENTH regiment was directed to be scarlet, faced and lined with greyish white. The first, or king's colour, to be the great union; the second, or regimental colour, to be the red cross of St. George in a white field, with the union in the upper canton; in the centre of each colour the number of the rank of the regiment, in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk.

Lieut.-General Wynyard died in 1752, and King George II. nominated Brigadier-General Edward Richbell to the colonelcy of the regiment. This officer died on the 24th of February, 1757, and was succeeded by Colonel John Forbes, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the Scots Greys.

In the mean time another war had commenced with France, and in May of this year the regiment embarked from Cork, and sailed to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, where it arrived in the early part of July, in order to take part in an attack on the French possessions in Canada: but the expedition was deferred until the following year, and the regiment remained in Nova Scotia during the winter.

The regiment sailed from Halifax in May, 1758, with the expedition against Cape Breton, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, under Lieut.-General (afterwards Lord) Amherst. The regiment mustered thirty-one officers, and nine hundred and sixty-seven non-commissioned officers and soldiers, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Arthur Morris; and on the 8th of June it was in boats, with the division under Brigadier-General Wightman, proceeding towards White Point, to alarm the French at that quarter, while the troops under Brigadier-General James Wolfe effected a landing, which was accomplished in gallant style. The SEVENTEENTH were afterwards engaged in the siege of Louisburg, the capital of the island, which was captured on the 26th of July; and with the capital the whole island was also surrendered. On this occasion the regiment had Captain William Earl of Dundonald killed; Captain Paul Rycant and Lieutenant Francis Tew wounded; also several men killed and wounded.

During the period the regiment was at Cape Breton, a body of troops under Major-General Abercromby was repulsed at Fort Ticonderago, on the west shore of Lake Champlain; and on the 30th of August the SEVENTEENTH and several other corps embarked from Louisburg, and, sailing to Boston, marched through the woods to Lake George, where they joined the troops under Major-General Abercromby.

In the beginning of June, 1759, the regiment joined the troops assembling on the east bank of Hudson's River, about fifty miles from Albany, and afterwards marched to Lake George, where a fort was erected, and boats were procured to convey the troops along the lake, which occupied a month. On the 21st of July the regiments embarked in boats, and, using blankets for sails, arrived at the Second Narrows on the following morning. Advancing towards Ticonderago, they drove a body of French regulars and native Indians from a strong post two miles from the fort, and evinced such steady resolution, that the French commander quitted his fortified lines and embarked for Crown Point, leaving a garrison at Ticonderago. The siege of this place was commenced; and on the 25th of July the garrison blew up the fort and sailed to Crown Point, which place the French commander also abandoned, and retired down the lake to Isle aux Noix. The SEVENTEENTH proceeded to Crown Point, where a new fort was erected, and a small naval force prepared for navigating the lake. In October the troops embarked, and sailed down the lake in four divisions; but encountering high northerly winds, and a frost having set in, they returned, and went into winter-quarters.

Brigadier-General Forbes died in the spring of this year, and the colonelcy of the regiment was conferred on Brigadier-General the Honorable Robert Monckton, from colonel-commandant of the second battalion of the sixtieth regiment.

The French possessions in Canada were invaded by the British troops in 1760, at three different points; the whole advancing upon Montreal: the first division from Lake Ontario, the second from Lake Champlain, and the third from Quebec (which was captured in 1759) up the River St. Lawrence. The SEVENTEENTH regiment formed part of the second division, under Colonel Haviland, which embarked from Crown Point on the 11th of August, and, sailing towards Isle aux Noix, landed on the left bank of the river Richelieu, and captured a fort near the river: two other forts were abandoned by the enemy, and the British took possession of Isle aux Noix. The regiment afterwards advanced upon Montreal; and the French governor, being unable to withstand the forces opposed to him, surrendered: thus was the conquest of Canada accomplished with little loss.

From Montreal the regiment traversed the country to New York, during the summer of 1761, and in August encamped on Staten Island. Towards the end of October it embarked for the West Indies, and arrived at Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, on the 24th of December.

An armament was assembled at Barbadoes, for the attack of the French West India Islands, and the land forces were placed under the orders of Major-General the Honorable Robert Monckton, colonel of the SEVENTEENTH; this regiment being one of the corps selected to take part in the enterprise. The armament sailed from Carlisle Bay, on the 5th of January, 1762, and proceeded against the island of Martinique, which was colonised by the French about the year 1635. After menacing the coast at several points, a landing was effected in the middle of January, in Cas des Navières Bay, and the SEVENTEENTH were actively engaged in the operations for the reduction of the island. Many difficulties were encountered, from the rugged surface of the country, and from the formidable heights occupied by the enemy; but these were overcome by British skill, discipline, and valour; the heights of Morné Tortenson were carried on the 24th of January, and of Morné Garnier on the 27th; Fort Royal surrendered early in February, and these successes were followed by the submission of the island to the British Crown. Major-General the Honorable Robert Monckton commended the conduct of the troops in his despatch, and added,—"The difficulties they had to encounter in the attack of an enemy possessed of every advantage of art and nature were great; and their perseverance in surmounting these obstacles furnishes a noble example of British spirit."

The capture of Martinique was followed by the submission of Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent.

The loss of the SEVENTEENTH at Martinique was limited to a few private soldiers killed and wounded.

War had, in the mean time, been declared against Spain, and the SEVENTEENTH, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Campbell, and mustering five hundred and thirty-five rank and file, joined the armament under General the Earl of Albemarle, for the purpose of proceeding against the wealthy Spanish settlement of the Havannah, in the island of Cuba. The regiment formed part of the brigade commanded by Brigadier-General Grant; and, accompanying the expedition through the Straits of Bahama, arrived within six leagues of Havannah on the 6th of June: a landing was effected on the following day, and on the 9th the troops took up a position between Coximar and the Moro fort. The regiment took part in the services connected with the siege and capture of Moro fort, which was the key position of the extensive works which covered the town. The difficulties encountered in carrying on operations were particularly great, and the artillery had to be dragged several miles over a rocky country, and under a burning sun; but every obstacle was overcome by the unanimity which existed between the land and sea forces. The Moro fort was captured by storm on the 30th of July; and on the 11th of August, a series of batteries opened so well-directed a fire on the defences of the town, that the guns of the garrison were soon silenced, and flags of truce were hung out. The capitulation was signed two days afterwards, and the British troops took possession of this valuable settlement, with nine ships of war in the harbour, and two upon the stocks; three ships of war were also found sunk at the entrance of the harbour.

A treaty of peace was soon afterwards concluded, when the Havannah was restored to Spain in exchange for Florida. The SEVENTEENTH regiment returned to North America, where it was stationed during the years 1763, 1764, 1765, and 1766.

In the summer of 1767 the regiment was relieved from duty in America, and returned to England, where it arrived in September.

The regiment remained in England during the years 1768, 1769, and 1770.

Embarking from Liverpool in the spring of 1771, the regiment proceeded to Ireland, where it was stationed during the three following years.

Serious disputes had, in the mean time, arisen between the British colonists in North America and the government, and the colonists evinced a daring spirit of resistance, in their opposition to the measures for raising a revenue in their country, which, in April 1775, was followed by open hostility, some provincial militia firing on a detachment of the king's troops, on its march from Boston to Concord, to take possession of a quantity of military stores at the latter place. This was followed by the assembling of multitudes of armed men near Boston; and when the news of these occurrences arrived in England, several regiments were ordered to embark for America. The SEVENTEENTH regiment was afterwards directed to hold itself in readiness for service abroad, and on the 23rd of September it embarked from Ireland for North America.