Historical Record of the Thirty-first, or, the Huntingdonshire Regiment of Foot; / containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1702, and of its subsequent services to 1850

[6]

[7] Minorca, an island in the Mediterranean, on the eastern coast of Spain, is about thirty miles in length and twelve in breadth, and is chiefly valuable for the excellent harbour of Port Mahon. In September, 1708, Minorca was taken by Admiral Leake and a land force under Lieut.-General Stanhope, after a siege of about three weeks. The island was ceded to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht, and remained in its possession until 1756, when, in April of that year, it was besieged by the French, under Marshal the Duke de Richelieu. After a brave defence by the Governor, General Blakeney, the garrison, consisting of the 4th, 23rd, 24th, and 34th regiments, surrendered, and, in consideration of their gallantry, were permitted to march out with all the honors of war. At the peace of Fontainebleau, in 1763, Minorca was restored to the English in exchange for Belle-Isle. In February, 1782, the garrison, under the Governor, Lieut.-General the Honorable James Murray, after suffering severely from sickness, surrendered to the Duke de Crillon, the Commander-in-Chief of the combined French and Spanish forces, and Minorca was retained by Spain at the peace of 1783. Minorca again surrendered to a British force under General the Honorable Charles Stuart, on the 15th of November, 1798; and at the peace of Amiens, in 1802, Minorca was restored to the Spaniards, under whose sway it remains at the present period.

[8] The nature of the services on which the Marine Corps were employed has since obtained for them the Royal authority to bear the motto, “Per mare, per terram.”

[9] “On the morning of Sunday, the 10th of June, 1688, a day long kept sacred by the too faithful adherents of a bad cause, was born James Francis Edward Stuart, the most unfortunate of princes, destined to seventy-seven years of exile and wandering,—of vain projects,—of honours more galling than insults,—and of hopes such as make the heart sick.”—‘History of England,’ by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Vol. ii. page 363.

[10] James Francis Edward, “The Pretender,” son of James II., and of Mary, daughter of the Duke of Modena, his second wife; was born on the 10th June, 1688. He married, in 1719, Mary Clementina, daughter of Prince James Sobieski, and granddaughter of John Sobieski, King of Poland. He died on the 1st June, 1766 (aged 78 years), leaving issue two sons:—

1. Charles Edward Louis Cassimir, termed in England “The Young Pretender;” born on the 30th November, 1720, who married the Princess Stohlberg of Germany, and died at Rome, without issue, on the 31st January, 1788.

2. Henry Benedict, called The Cardinal York; born on the 24th March, 1725. When the last grand effort for the restoration of his family, in 1745, proved abortive, he took holy orders, and was elevated to the Purple by Pope Benedict XIV. in 1747, and died at Rome in 1807. The Cardinal was the last male branch of the House of Stuart.

[11] From the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, in April, 1718, until 1739, the only events that appeared at times to threaten the general tranquillity of Europe which prevailed during the above period, arose from the Rebellion in Scotland, in favour of the Pretender, in 1715, which was suppressed by the Battle of Sheriffmuir, on the 13th of November of that year. Charles XII., of Sweden, also espoused the cause of the Pretender in 1717, but the death of King Charles, in the following year, put an end to the projected expedition to Great Britain. In 1719 Spain supported the Pretender with troops, which were, however, defeated at Glenshiel, on the 10th of June, 1719. This was followed by the British expedition against Spain, but in January, 1720, the Spanish Monarch accepted the conditions of Peace. In 1726 Spain made an unsuccessful attempt to recover Gibraltar, and in 1729 a treaty of Peace was concluded at Seville, which remained unbroken for the ten following years.

[12] The “Pragmatic Sanction” was published by the Emperor Charles VI. on the 17th of April, 1713, whereby, in case of his having no male issue, his daughters were to succeed to his hereditary dominions, in preference to the sons of his late brother, Joseph I.

[13] See list of British regiments which served in Flanders and Germany between 1742 and 1748, during the “War of the Austrian Succession.”—Appendix, page 224.

[14] The following tradition has been preserved in the regiment:—The facings and breeches of the THIRTY-FIRST being of the same colour as those worn by the Third “Buffs,” King George II. mistook it for the latter regiment, and called out “Bravo, Buffs,” with a view of animating the men to further gallantry; and when reminded that it was the THIRTY-FIRST, and not the “Old Buffs,” His Majesty then rejoined, “Bravo, Young Buffs;” and this name, valuable for the time and manner of its being conferred, has been since retained by the Regiment.

[15] Although the results of the Battle of Dettingen, fought on the 27th of June, 1743, were not equal to those attending the victories gained over the French by Edward the Third and Henry the Fifth, yet there are circumstances which render the conflict at Dettingen similar to those of Creçy and Agincourt. At Creçy, on the 26th of August, 1346, King Edward the Third and his son Edward the Black Prince were present; and at Dettingen, King George the Second was accompanied by his son the Duke of Cumberland. It was the début of both the Royal Princes on the tented plain, and the chivalrous bearing of the Black Prince, particularly his behaviour to the prisoners, finds a parallel in the conduct of the Duke of Cumberland, who refused to have his wound attended to, until the surgeons had examined that of a French officer, the Count De Fenelon, who had been taken prisoner and conveyed to the Duke’s tent. “Begin,” said His Royal Highness, “with the wound of the French officer; he is more dangerously hurt than I am, and stands more in need of assistance.”

The disadvantage under which the British fought at Dettingen was equal to that at Agincourt, and the impetuosity of the enemy, in both instances, prevented the English army perishing from want of provisions.

All these battles are likewise noted for the number of the French Royal family and nobility who were present; and the battle of Dettingen is further remarkable as being the last action in which a British Monarch commanded the army.

The want of provisions and tents, unfortunately, compelled the victors to abandon the field of battle, otherwise Dettingen might have rivalled many of the achievements recorded in British History.

[16] “The Dutch, in their flight, breaking in on the English ranks, were fired upon by those troops, which did them considerable damage; a Highlander in Lord Semphill’s (forty-second) regiment being asked ‘Why he fired upon them; they were his friends?’ replied, ‘I am sure they are the greatest enemy we have seen this day.’”—Biggs’s Military History of Europe from 1739 to 1748.

[17] Vide List of Battles, Sieges, &c., inserted in Appendix, page 223.

[18] The regiments which returned to England from Flanders, on this occasion, are specified in the List inserted in the Appendix, page 224.

[19]

The 71st, 72nd, 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments were disbanded after the peace of Fontainebleau in 1763.

[20] Major-General John Burgoyne was promoted, to the rank of Lieut.-General on the 20th of August, 1777.

[21] Martinique was captured by the English in 1762, but was restored to France at the Peace of Fontainebleau in 1763.

[22] Promoted to the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel on the 1st of March, 1794.

[23] Return of the Troops at Guadaloupe on the 1st of September, 1794.

The Grenadier and Light Infantry battalions were composed of the flank companies of the 8th, 12th, 17th, 31st, 33rd, 34th, 38th, 40th, 44th, and 55th Regiments.

[24] While stationed at Jersey, a soldier of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment displayed the following example of courage and presence of mind:—On the 4th of June, 1804, a salute had been fired in honor of the anniversary of the birthday of King George III. The bombardier, whose duty it was to deposit the slow match in the magazine on the Town Hill at St. Heliers, after the performance of the ceremony, neglected to observe whether it was extinguished; it unfortunately was still alight, and set fire to the building; there were within the place three hundred and twenty-five barrels of powder, and, from its central situation, an explosion would have destroyed the greater portion of the town. Private William Pentenny, of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, assisted by two inhabitants of Jersey, broke open the magazine, when another moment’s delay would probably have been too late, the fire having nearly reached the spot where the powder was deposited, when he entered. With infinite coolness and decision, he carried the nearest barrels away in his arms, and continued so to act until the whole stock was removed out of danger. This important service was highly appreciated. The Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s awarded Private William Pentenny a pension of 20l. a year, while the states of Jersey conferred an additional 12l. upon this deserving soldier, and presented to him a gold medal, struck on purpose to commemorate the achievement, which he was permitted to wear. The Governor, Major-General the Honorable William Stewart, ordered a ring of silver lace to be worn round his arm as a further distinction.

[25] This extract is from an excellent pamphlet published in Edinburgh soon after the event, by a “Passenger.” It was written by Major Duncan M‘Gregor of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, who was afterwards the Lieutenant-Colonel of the ninety-third Highlanders.

[26] General Avitabile, one of the military instructors of the Sikhs, was a native of Italy, and at the conclusion of Napoleon’s bright, but evanescent career, sought employment in the East. He was handsomely rewarded by the Sovereign of the Punjaub, Runjeet Singh, together with another Italian officer, named Ventura, and two Frenchmen, Allard and Court, for introducing European tactics into the Sikh army. Runjeet Singh also conferred the governorship of Peshawur upon General Avitabile, and by his vigorous administration it was reduced from a state of anarchy to one of comparative security. Peshawur signifies “advanced post,” that name having been conferred upon it by its founder, the Mogul Emperor Akbar, in consequence of its being the frontier town of India towards Affghanistan.

Runjeet Singh died in 1839, and his son and successor, Kurruck Singh, being of weak intellect, was shortly afterwards deposed, when his son, Noo Nehal Singh, assumed the reins of Government. His death, which occurred in returning from his father’s funeral, caused the throne to be again vacant, and the crown was bestowed on Prince Shere Singh, a twin-son of Runjeet Singh. Shere Singh was a firm friend to the English, and by his interference Major-General Pollock was permitted to proceed with his army through the Punjaub to Cabool in 1842, although the Sikh Sirdars were disposed to attack the British troops.

[27] Vide Memoir of Lieut.-Colonel Skinner, Appendix, p. 226.

[28] The Punjaub derives its name from two Persian words (punj, five, and aub waters), signifying five waters. In fact there are six rivers intersecting the country, namely the Indus, Jhelum, Chenaub, Ravee, Beas, and Sutlej. The course of the Beas is much shorter than the five other rivers, so that it appears to have been disregarded when the name of the Punjaub was bestowed.

[29] On the death of Assistant-Surgeon Gahan, Assistant-Surgeon Patrick Gammie, of the 80th regiment, was appointed to take medical charge of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment.

[30] Vide Memoir of Colonel Bolton, inserted in Appendix, page 225.

[31] Vide Memoir of Major Baldwin, inserted in Appendix, page 230.

[32] Shortly after the storming of the village of Aliwal, an European officer in the Sikh service was given in charge to the regiment, having surrendered himself as a prisoner to an officer of one of the cavalry regiments in the Company’s service. He said his servant had galloped off with his charger, and, being rather stout, preferred giving himself up to the chance of running away; his name was John Potter, a native of Maidstone in Kent; he had deserted from the Company’s Artillery twenty years before, and was at this period a Colonel of Artillery in the Sikh service, having a native wife and family at Lahore. At first he was kept a very strict prisoner, but the severity of his confinement was gradually relaxed, and when the army encamped before Lahore, he was released altogether. The Governor-General afterwards permitted him to hold an appointment in the Sikh service.

[33] This officer was promoted from Quarter-master-Serjeant to Ensign after the battle of Ferozeshah.

[34] This part of the action is represented in the engraving of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment at the battle of Sobraon.

[35] In some copies of this General Order it was erroneously stated that Brigadier Hicks commanded the first brigade: he was not at the battle of Sobraon.

[36] Vide pages 146 and 165 of Regimental Record.

[37] A beautiful silver inkstand has been recently presented to Lieut.-Colonel Spence, by the Officers of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment. It is an elegant testimonial, and is tastefully embellished with military trophies, a soldier of the regiment being introduced on the two extremities, in the position to receive cavalry,—the whole surmounted by the British Lion. The following inscription is engraved on the testimonial:—

Presented to
Lieutenant-Colonel Spence, C.B.,
By Lieutenant-Colonel Staunton and Officers of the THIRTY-FIRST Regiment,
As a token of their esteem and attachment,
On his leaving the Regiment, in which he had served for a period of forty-one years,
With high distinction to himself and honor to his Country.