Historical Record of the Sixth, or Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons / Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1689, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846

The Regiment remained at Nottingham until June 1844, when it proceeded to Brighton, and remained there until April 1845, when it marched to Birmingham.

In April, 1846, the regiment embarked at Liverpool for Ireland, and on its arrival at Dublin it proceeded to Newbridge, from whence it marched in May to Longford, where the head-quarters are now stationed.

The Sixth, or the Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons, was originally composed of men who evinced an example of valour, constancy, and devotion to the interests of civil and religious liberty, as established by law, at a period of peculiar difficulty and danger, such as seldom has been witnessed in the United Kingdom; and their heroic gallantry ensured to their country the blessings of constitutional monarchy. Loyalty, courage and obedience, have been evinced by the officers and soldiers of the regiment from that period to the present time; and whether in the war of the Austrian succession,—in the seven years' war in Germany,—the early campaigns of the war of the French revolution,—or on the memorable field of Waterloo, the same valour and constancy have been displayed, which shone so brilliantly in the first members of the corps. Being equally conspicuous for good conduct on home service, the regiment has always possessed the confidence, and ranked high in the estimation, of the sovereign and of the country.

1846.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF THE

SIXTH, OR INNISKILLING REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOONS.

Sir Albert Cunningham.

Appointed 31st December, 1689.

Sir Albert Cunningham is represented by historians as a gentleman of great personal merit. He held a commission in the army in Ireland, and was appointed lieutenant-general of the Ordnance in that country; but he was removed from his appointment by King James II., for his stedfast adherence to the established institutions of his country. His cordial co-operation with the Inniskilling men in the defence of their civil and religious liberties, occasioned him to be commissioned by King William III. to raise from among their numbers a corps of dragoons, now the Sixth, or the Inniskilling Regiment. He evinced distinguished courage and ability at the head of his regiment in several battles and skirmishes in Ireland; and was killed by an Irish serjeant in King James's service, after having been taken prisoner at Coloony, near Sligo, in September, 1691, as narrated at page 30, in the Record of the Sixth Dragoons.

Robert Echlin.

Appointed 30th December, 1691.

This officer held the commission of lieutenant-colonel in the Inniskilling dragoons, and was so conspicuous for personal bravery, attention to duty, and devotion to the principles of the Revolution of 1688, that after the death of Sir Albert Cunningham, King William III. promoted him to the colonelcy of the regiment. He was advanced to the rank of brigadier-general in 1703; to that of major-general in 1704; and of lieutenant-general in 1707. A change in the political sentiments of Lieutenant-General Echlin appears to have taken place towards the close of Queen Anne's reign, and soon after the accession of King George I. he was required to dispose of his commission of colonel of the Inniskilling dragoons.

John Earl of Stair, K.T.

Appointed 4th March, 1715.

Lord John Dalrymple served as a volunteer under King William III., in Flanders, and was with the Cameronian regiment (twenty-sixth foot) at the battle of Steinkirk, in 1692. Immediately before the decease of His Majesty, he was nominated lieutenant-colonel of the Scots foot-guards, and his commission was one of the first signed by Queen Anne after her accession. He served as aide-de-camp to the Earl of Marlborough during the campaign of 1702, and in the following year he obtained the colonelcy of a Dutch regiment, which he exchanged, on the 1st of January, 1706, with Colonel James Borthwick, of the Cameronian regiment. In the same year he obtained the rank of brigadier-general; served in that capacity at the battle of Ramilies; and in August he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Scots Greys. On the decease of his father, in January, 1707, he succeeded to the title of Earl of Stair. He commanded a brigade at the battle of Oudenarde, in 1708; and was sent to England with the news of that victory.

Having been appointed major-general on the 1st of January, 1709, he served in that capacity at the battle of Malplaquet; and was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general on the 1st of January, 1710. He passed the winter of 1709-10 in Poland, as envoy extraordinary to that court; but returning to the army in the spring, he served at the siege of Douay, and was honoured in the same year with the order of the Thistle. He was promoted to the rank of general on the 5th of April, 1712, and afterwards served in Flanders under the Duke of Ormond; but having subsequently opposed the ministry, he was ordered to sell the colonelcy of his regiment to the Earl of Portmore.

Shortly after his accession to the throne, King George I. appointed the Earl of Stair, one of the lords of the bedchamber, a member of the privy council, and commander-in-chief in Scotland in the absence of the Duke of Argyle; and in the following spring conferred upon his Lordship the colonelcy of the Inniskilling dragoons. In the same year he was sent to France in a diplomatic character, and afterwards displayed great abilities as ambassador extraordinary at that court, from which he was recalled in 1720. In 1729 he had the appointment of vice-admiral of Scotland; but having joined the opposition against Sir Robert Walpole, his lordship was removed in 1733 from that post, and in the following year from the colonelcy of the Inniskilling dragoons.

After his return from France, in 1720, the active mind of the Earl of Stair was turned to agricultural improvements; but on the dissolution of the Walpole administration, in 1742, his lordship was called from his retirement, appointed governor of Minorca, field-marshal of the forces, and commander-in-chief of the troops sent to Flanders; also ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the States General of Holland. In April, 1743, he was restored to the colonelcy of the Inniskilling dragoons; and he commanded the British troops on the continent during the early part of the campaign of that year. He also commanded, under King George II., at the battle of Dettingen; but, observing that His Majesty gave preference to the advice of the Hanoverian generals, he shortly afterwards obtained permission to resign.

In 1744 the Earl of Stair was appointed commander-in-chief in Great Britain. After the death of his gallant brother-in-law, Sir James Campbell, who fell at Fontenoy, the colonelcy of the Scots Greys was again conferred upon his lordship, and he was appointed general of the marine forces in 1746. He died in 1747.

Charles Lord Cadogan.

Appointed 19th June, 1734.

Charles Cadogan entered the army in 1706, and served in Flanders under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. He was a member of parliament for the borough of Reading, also for Newport, in Hampshire. In 1715 he was appointed captain and lieutenant-colonel in the second foot-guards; and in 1719 he purchased the colonelcy of the King's own regiment of foot. He succeeded, on the decease of his brother, the celebrated William Earl Cadogan, in 1726, to the dignity of Lord Cadogan, Baron of Oakley; and in 1734 he was removed to the Inniskilling dragoons. In 1739 he was promoted to the rank of major-general; in 1742 he was appointed colonel of the second troop of life guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of Gold Stick; and in 1745 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. The government of Sheerness was conferred upon his lordship in 1749, that of Gravesend and Tilbury in 1752, and in 1761 he was promoted to the rank of general. His lordship was a fellow of the Royal Society, and one of the trustees of the British Museum. He died in 1776.

John Earl of Stair, K.T.

Re-appointed 25th April, 1743.—Removed to the Scots Greys in 1745.

John Earl of Rothes.

Appointed 29th May, 1745.

Lord John Leslie was appointed to the captaincy of a troop of dragoons in 1715, and in 1717 he obtained the command of a company in the foot guards. Two years afterwards he was appointed to the lieut.-colonelcy of the Royal North British Fusiliers. On the decease of his father, in 1722, he succeeded to the title of Earl of Rothes, and was appointed governor of Stirling castle. He obtained the colonelcy of the twenty-fifth regiment in May, 1732, and the rank of brigadier-general in 1739. In 1742 he proceeded with the forces under the Earl of Stair to Flanders; was appointed major-general on the 1st of January, 1743, and served in that capacity at the head of the second line of infantry at the battle of Dettingen. In April, 1745, he was removed to the colonelcy of the Scots horse grenadier guards, and in the following month to the Inniskilling dragoons. His lordship distinguished himself at the head of a brigade of cavalry at the battle of Roucoux in 1746; was advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1747; and, in 1750, obtained the colonelcy of the Scots Greys. In the succeeding year he was appointed governor of Duncannon fort, and lieutenant-general on the staff of Ireland; and in April, 1752, he was removed to the colonelcy of the third, or Scots, foot guards. He was constituted a Knight of the Thistle in 1753; and obtained the rank of general in 1765. He died on the 10th of December, 1767.

The Honourable James Cholmondeley.

Appointed 16th January, 1750.

The Honourable James Cholmondeley, third son of George, second Earl of Cholmondeley, was appointed guidon and major in the first troop (now first regiment) of life guards on the 12th of May, 1725; in 1731 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and lieutenant-colonel in the third troop of life guards; and in January, 1741, King George II. conferred upon him the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment, then numbered the fifty-ninth, and now the forty-eighth foot; from which he was removed in December, 1742, to the colonelcy of the thirty-fourth regiment. In 1744 he proceeded with his regiment to Flanders, and served the campaign of that year with the allied army under Field-Marshal Wade. He was at the battle of Fontenoy on the 11th of May, 1745, and on the 8th of the following month he was appointed brigadier-general, in which capacity he served the remainder of that campaign. On the breaking out of the rebellion in Scotland, in the winter of the same year, he was ordered to England, with a brigade of infantry, and after his arrival he was sent to Chester to take command of two battalions which had recently arrived from Ireland, with which he joined the army commanded by Field-Marshal Wade, in Yorkshire. After the flight of the rebels from Derby, he was detached to Scotland, where he served under Lieutenant-General Hawley, and signalized himself in a most conspicuous manner at the battle of Falkirk, on the 17th of January, 1746; but the excessive fatigue he underwent, with continued exposure to severe weather, deprived him of the use of his limbs for some time. On the 23rd of September, 1747, he was promoted to the rank of major-general; on the 24th of July, 1749, he was removed to the twelfth dragoons; and in November of the same year to the third Irish horse, now sixth dragoon guards. He was again removed on the 16th of January, 1750, to the Sixth dragoons; and on the 2nd of May, 1754, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. He was many years lieutenant-governor of Chester; and died on the 13th of October, 1775.

Edward Harvey.

Appointed 18th October, 1775.

Edward Harvey was many years an officer of the Sixth, or Inniskilling regiment of dragoons, with which corps he served at the battles of Dettingen, Fontenoy, Roucoux, and Val. On the 29th of May, 1754, he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment; and under his care and attention to all the duties of commanding officer, the Inniskilling dragoons became celebrated as a corps of heavy cavalry. Proceeding with his regiment to Germany, in the summer of 1758, he was present at nearly every action during the remainder of the seven years' war, and was twice wounded, viz., at Wetter, in August, 1759, where he highly distinguished himself, and at Campen, in October, 1760. He commanded a brigade of cavalry during the summer of 1762, and was highly commended for his signal gallantry and ability at the dislodging of a French corps from Homburg in August of that year, when he led the Blues to the charge in gallant style, and overthrew all opposition. On the 17th of March, 1763, King George III. promoted him to the colonelcy of the twelfth dragoons, and in the following year he was removed to the third Irish horse, or carabineers. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1762, and to that of lieutenant-general in 1772. He performed the duties of adjutant-general of the forces several years, to which appointment he was nominated by King George III. soon after the termination of the seven years' war. On the decease of General Cholmondeley, His Majesty gave him the colonelcy of the Inniskilling dragoons, with which corps his early services were connected. He died in 1778.

James Johnston.

Appointed 2nd April, 1778.

This officer obtained the commission of cornet in the thirteenth dragoons on the 5th of October, 1736, and was removed to the royal dragoons in 1739, in which corps he rose to the rank of major, and was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the thirteenth dragoons on the 2nd of December, 1754. In April, 1759, he was re-appointed to the first royal dragoons, and proceeding in command of the regiment to Germany, served in the battles and skirmishes of that and the two succeeding campaigns under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. He particularly distinguished himself at the battle of Warbourg, and was wounded at the battle of Campen. In 1762 he was promoted to the local rank of major-general in Germany, and he commanded a brigade of cavalry during the campaign of that year. He was distinguished alike for the sterner military virtues,—for a gentlemanly deportment,—and an amiable disposition, which procured him the esteem of all ranks; and on the breaking up of the army on the continent he received a flattering mark of the approbation of the hereditary Prince of Brunswick,[17]—namely, a valuable gold snuff-box embellished with highly-chased military trophies, accompanied by an autograph letter from the prince. His services were rewarded with the appointment of lieutenant-governor of the island of Minorca in 1763, and he was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1770. In the following year this meritorious officer was rewarded with the colonelcy of the ninth dragoons; in 1774 he was constituted governor of Quebec; and in 1775 he obtained the colonelcy of the first Irish horse (now fourth dragoon guards). Two years afterwards he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general; in 1778 he was removed from the first Irish horse to the Sixth Inniskilling dragoons; and was further promoted to the rank of general in 1793: he is stated to have been one of the most celebrated swordsmen of his time. The decease of this distinguished veteran occurred on the 13th of December, 1797, at Hampton, from whence he was removed with great state for interment in Westminster Abbey on the 21st of that month.

George Augustus Earl of Pembroke, K.G.

Appointed 15th December, 1797.

George Augustus Lord Herbert entered the army on the 10th of September, 1775, as ensign in the twelfth foot, then stationed at Gibraltar, and obtained the rank of lieutenant in 1777. In January, 1778, he obtained a company in the seventy-fifth, or Prince of Wales's regiment of foot, then being raised, and in December following he was removed to the royal regiment of dragoons. In 1781 he was appointed major of the twenty-second light dragoons, and in the following year he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the second dragoon guards.

In 1793 he proceeded with his regiment to Flanders, and soon after his arrival, he was detached by the Duke of York, with the second and third dragoon guards, to join the Prussians. Having united the two regiments with Lieutenant-General Count Hohenzollern's corps, he was employed in covering the left flank of the Prussian army during the siege of Valenciennes, in which service he was several times engaged in skirmishes with the French, and evinced signal ardour and gallantry. He subsequently rejoined the Duke of York's army, and was employed in covering the siege of Dunkirk; having under his command four British and Hanoverian squadrons and four pieces of flying artillery, he dislodged a body of French from Hundschuyt. His lordship was principally employed in the out-post duty during the remainder of the campaign.

On the decease of his father, in January, 1794, he succeeded to the dignity of Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery. In 1795 he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and was employed, in 1797, on the staff under General Sir Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey, and in the same year he was nominated to the colonelcy of the Inniskilling dragoons. He commanded the south-west district in 1779, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1802, and was invested with the order of the Garter in 1805. In 1807 he was sent on a special embassy to Vienna. His lordship was also appointed governor of Guernsey in the same year; and in 1812 he was promoted to the rank of general. He died on the 26th of October, 1827.

The Honorable Sir William Lumley, G.C.B.

Appointed 3rd November, 1827.—Removed to the First, or King's Dragoon Guards, 30th April, 1840.

Sir Joseph Straton, K.C.H.

Appointed 30th April, 1840.

Joseph Muter entered the army as cornet in the second dragoon guards in December, 1794; he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in December, 1795, and to the commission of captain of a troop in the thirteenth light dragoons on the 2nd of March, 1797; in 1801 he was appointed major in the same corps. In the years 1804 and 1805 he studied in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, and on his examination he obtained a diploma of the first qualification. He was appointed to the staff of the Duke of Gloucester at the same period, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1808. In February, 1810, he embarked for Portugal with his regiment, with which he served three campaigns in the Peninsula, and was present at the several actions in which his regiment took part during that period. He commanded the thirteenth light dragoons at the gallant affair at Arroyo dos Molinos on the 28th of October, 1811, and was commended in the public despatch of Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill. On the 4th of June, 1813, he was nominated to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Sixth dragoons, and was promoted to the rank of colonel in June, 1814. He commanded the Inniskilling dragoons at the battle of Waterloo, until the fall of the gallant Major-General Sir William Ponsonby, when the command of the brigade, consisting of the first, second, and sixth dragoons, devolved on Colonel Muter. This brigade was mentioned in the Duke of Wellington's despatch as having particularly distinguished itself; and towards the close of the action Colonel Muter was wounded; his horse received two wounds. He received a Waterloo medal, was honoured with the dignity of Companion of the Bath, the fourth class of the Order of St. Wladimir of Russia, and Knight Commander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic order. He was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1825, and to that of lieutenant-general in 1838. On succeeding to the property of his aunt, Miss Straton, at Kirkside, near Montrose, in 1816, he was permitted to assume the sirname of Straton. He was promoted to the colonelcy of the Eighth Hussars in 1839, and was removed to the Sixth dragoons in April, 1840. He died in October of the same year.

Sir George Pownall Adams, K.C.H.

Appointed 26th October, 1840.

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For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.