The regiment was afterwards encamped near Seringapatam, where it was joined in December, 1800, by the seventy-seventh foot, some battalions of Sepoys, and a proportion of native cavalry, forming a small army under Colonel Pater, for the purpose of reducing the warlike tribes of the Wynaad country,—a mountainous district overrun with woods, and comprising about twelve hundred square miles, situate in the province of Malabar.
Leaving the vicinity of Seringapatam on the 26th of December, five companies of the regiment arrived at Manantoddy on the 9th of January, 1801, and were employed until the 23rd of that month, in stockading the small hill fort, and in making arrangements for entering the woody districts of the Wynaad country.
From Manantoddy the Twelfth proceeded to Peria Colgum, where they constructed a redoubt: they afterwards marched to Lackerry Cottah, at which village another redoubt was constructed.
The little army under Colonel Pater traversed the country in almost every practicable direction, ascending hills, cutting roads through almost impenetrable jungle of bamboos, skirmishing with the warlike inhabitants, and forcing them to submit, in which service the Twelfth had several men killed and wounded: the climate, and extraordinary fatigue undergone by the troops, also occasioned the loss of many lives from disease. The Wynaad country having been forced to submit, and the hostile rajah taken prisoner, the companies of the Twelfth regiment employed in this service returned to Seringapatam.
The regiment quitted Seringapatam in the middle of October, 1801, and proceeded to Trichinopoly, a celebrated city and fortress, situate on a hill, or rock, three hundred and fifty feet high, on the south bank of the river Cavery, opposite the island of Seringam, famous for its magnificent Hindoo temples.
At Trichinopoly the regiment was joined in January, 1802, by the remains of two companies, which had embarked on board of His Majesty's ships, at Madras, for Batavia. These companies had suffered severely from the climate of the island of Java; and of the five officers and one hundred and twenty-five men who embarked at Madras, only three officers and sixty-three soldiers returned; Lieutenants Gordon and Neville and sixty-two men died of fevers, and other diseases.
Three companies had been stationed under Major John Picton, at Vellore, in the Carnatic, the residence of the family of the late Tippoo Sultan, consisting of his brother, twelve sons, eight daughters, and an immense number of women; and these companies were afterwards employed against the insurgent sect called the Polygans, in which several non-commissioned officers and soldiers were killed and wounded; Lieutenant William Firth was also wounded, and Lieutenant Parker died of the jungle fever. After the performance of this service, the three companies joined the regiment at Trichinopoly, where the Twelfth were stationed during the years 1803 and 1804.
In August, 1805, the regiment marched to Seringapatam, where a very fatal fever broke out in 1806, when the Twelfth removed to an encampment at some distance from the fortress; but they lost many officers and soldiers in that and the following year.
In April, 1807, more than half the surviving officers and men were suffering from disease, when an order arrived for the remainder to march to the coast of Malabar, and occupy quarters at the port of Cannanore, where the regiment was stationed upwards of eighteen months.
At Cannanore the health of the men was restored, and when inspected in 1808, by Colonel Cuppage, a district order was published, in which the colonel expressed 'his thanks to Captain Eustace and the officers and men of His Majesty's Twelfth regiment, for their handsome appearance at the review. The dress, steadiness, and general appearance of the men, marked the great attention paid to their discipline, and their uniform good conduct and friendly disposition towards the natives reflect every credit on the corps.'
While the Twelfth foot were at Cannanore, some disputes, of a tedious and complicated character, occurred between the British and the Rajah of Travancore, a province situate at the south-west extremity of Hindoostan. In 1795, a treaty of alliance was concluded between the British and the Rajah, who agreed to subsidize three battalions of Sepoys for the defence of his dominions; when the disputes with the Rajah came to a crisis, these battalions were at the port of Coulan (or Quilon), and they were threatened with destruction by the natives, together with every person in the British interest. While the execution of these menaces was delayed, the Twelfth regiment embarked, towards the end of December, 1808, in potamars (small undecked vessels), to proceed along the coast a distance of three hundred miles to Coulan, in the Travancore country. Four of these boats, having three companies and a half on board, arrived at their destination in a few days, and were immediately landed, to the great joy of the Sepoys. A severe gale of wind dispersed the boats containing the other companies of the regiment, and several of them were wrecked on the coast of Cochin, a small province on the north of Travancore, but by great exertions the soldiers were saved; others gained the port of Cochin, where they remained until the storm was over. One potamar, containing Serjeant-Major Tilsey and thirty-three rank and file, was driven on the coast of Travancore, near Alleppi, when the natives sent off several small canoes. The soldiers, believing they had arrived at the friendly port of Coulan, went on board the canoes two or three at a time, but on landing they were overpowered by the natives, their wrists broken with an iron bar, their hands tied behind them, and they were cast into a dungeon, where they remained several days without food. They were afterwards conducted, when scarcely able to walk, to a high ground near the sea, and precipitated into a watery grave. The serjeant-major was reserved to the last, and as he witnessed his companions in arms successively hurled headlong into the deep, he struggled to release himself, and tore pieces of flesh from his shoulders with his teeth, exclaiming 'Let me die like a soldier!' but the barbarians derided him, and eventually put an end to his torments in the same manner as the others. A negro youth, who accompanied this portion of the regiment as cook, witnessed this tragic scene, and was menaced with the same fate, but was spared, and he afterwards made known the fate of the party. Another potamar, having nearly a company on board, under Lieutenant George Blanchard Gray and Adjutant Hayes, approached the coast a few miles from Coulan, and were, in consequence of the shattered state of the vessel, deciding on the propriety of landing, when a volley of musketry from the shore announced the hostile intentions of the natives. The vessel was bound together with some large tents, to prevent its splitting, and it arrived safely at Cochin, but went to pieces in the harbour. All the potamars being damaged, other vessels were procured to continue the voyage.
The officers and men of the regiment, who arrived at Coulan on the 29th of December, joined the Sepoys encamped near the town. On the evening of the same day, the Travancoreans attacked the piquet under Captain Clapham of the Sepoys; the fire of musketry and artillery indicating a sharp conflict, Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers, commanding the troops at that station, detached Ensign James Keappock, and forty men of the Twelfth, to support the Sepoys, and the enemy was forced to retire, leaving about eighty men dead on the scene of conflict.
The Travancoreans were excited to rage and fury against the British, who had thus gained a footing in the heart of their country; they assembled in immense multitudes before the camp, kept up an incessant fire on the piquets, and heavy columns menaced the encampment; the soldiers were thus kept constantly ready for action, and they lay on their arms night and day.
On the 8th of January, 1809, the remainder of the regiment arrived at Coulan, excepting one company, commanded by Lieutenant Thomas Thompson, left with six hundred Sepoys and several guns for the defence of Cochin. The men of the Twelfth, with the Sepoys and guns which had arrived, were landed as expeditiously as possible; but the force was obliged to remain encamped on a sandy plain near the sea, enclosed by an almost impenetrable forest of cocoa-nut trees, from the want of means for carrying on active operations. The Resident prohibited the felling of the trees to conciliate the natives; but this produced no advantage, and the wood afforded shelter to the Travancorean marksmen, who annoyed the camp with their fire, keeping the troops in a constant state of alarm; the outposts were also frequently attacked by parties of the enemy.
Before daylight, on the 15th of January, a tumultuous noise in the wood proclaimed the approach of an immense number of men, and at break of day the Travancoreans commenced an attack along the whole front of the British line, at the same time heavy columns were seen among the trees threatening both flanks. Thinking the attack was a surprise, the enemy fired his artillery at the tents; but when sufficient light enabled the Travancoreans to see the British ranks, they immediately directed their guns on the Twelfth regiment, as if desirous of annihilating the Europeans first. Thus perilously exposed to the enemy's numerous artillery, the British instantly advanced the right wing of the Twelfth and two battalions of Sepoys against the enemy's left, and the left wing of the Twelfth, with one battalion of Sepoys, against the right of the enemy's line. The whole force was instantly brought into close action; but the British had only five small field-pieces to answer the fire of the forty guns brought into action by the enemy: the British musketry was, however, well directed, and the incessant peals which echoed in the woods announced a vigorous contest, which was continued for several hours, during which clouds of barbed arrows, from the enemy's local troops, inflicted painful wounds on the British soldiers. About mid-day, the Twelfth were ordered to charge with bayonets, and capture the enemy's artillery; they rushed forward with distinguished bravery, the soldiers shouting "Remember our murdered comrades at Alleppi!" as they precipitated themselves upon their opponents. The Travancoreans made a resolute defence, many of them being bayoneted at their guns; and a discharge of grape-shot, from one field-piece, killed eleven grenadiers of the Twelfth regiment. During this contest many distinguished acts of gallantry were displayed by the officers and men, and Ensign Keappock, being attacked by two opponents, slew them. Finally both wings of the regiment were triumphant; heaps of Travancoreans fell beneath the bayonets of the Twelfth, who captured eighteen brass field-pieces. The loss of these guns intimidated the enemy, who retired about three o'clock in the afternoon, leaving five thousand killed and wounded on the field of battle. The British were unable to follow up the advantage, from the want of stores, which prevented their quitting the coast.
The enemy appears to have been very confident of success on this occasion, and to have been intent on the annihilation of the Europeans; several Travancoreans of their Carnatic brigade were taken prisoners, and ropes being found in their possession, they were questioned on the subject, when they confessed that the cords were brought for the purpose of hanging the British soldiers, and that the British officers were to have been trampled to death by elephants.
The regiment had fifty men killed and wounded; no officers were killed, but the following were wounded—Captain Richard Bayley, Lieutenant M. J. Molloy, and Surgeon Robert Erskine.
On the succeeding day, the following statement was published in orders,—'It is with the greatest satisfaction that Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers congratulates the troops he has the honour to command, on the glorious success obtained yesterday, against the attack of an enemy whose force did not amount to less than thirty thousand men. He begs leave to offer his most particular thanks to Lieut.-Colonel Picton, who commanded the right wing of this little force, with a wing of the Twelfth regiment, and to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, whose gallantry and high discipline have, on all occasions, appeared conspicuous. Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers has to offer his thanks to Major Hamilton, who commanded on the left, with a wing of His Majesty's Twelfth regiment, and to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, whose gallant conduct needs no further comment, than that they belonged to His Majesty's Twelfth.' The Political Resident, Colonel C. Macauly, stated in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers, 'I have received the details of the victory over the united force of the Divan—an achievement that reflects signal honour on the discipline and animated valour of the troops under your command, and sheds fresh lustre on the British arms.'
A numerous army of opponents continued to hover near the British force at Coulan, and it was deemed advisable to cut down many of the trees, to throw up a breast-work in front of the encampment, and to construct a redoubt, which was armed with the guns taken from the enemy.
In the mean time, the company of the Twelfth under Lieutenant Thompson, with the battalion of Sepoys, commanded by Major Hewett, left for the defence of the port of Cochin, had been attacked by the troops of the Rajah of the province of Cochin. During the action, the Sepoys gave way, and the company of the Twelfth had to maintain a desperate struggle with very superior numbers. The enemy was repulsed, and the inhabitants of Cochin were preserved from a general massacre, with which they had been menaced for being favourable to the British interests; they openly attributed their preservation to the distinguished heroism of the company of the Twelfth, which had half its non-commissioned officers and private soldiers killed and wounded; Lieutenant Thompson was severely wounded, and died a short time afterwards.
The Twelfth regiment and Sepoys continued to resist the armed population of Travancore and the numerous forces of the Rajah; but being constantly harassed by the approach of bodies of the enemy, the physical powers of the soldiers became diminished, and their numbers decreased by disease; but the innate valour of the troops remained unabated. Before daylight on the 31st of January, the Travancoreans made another effort to surprise the camp; but a rocket announced their approach, and the British were under arms, as they usually were, at three o'clock in the morning: many of the cocoa-nut trees had been cut down to enlarge the plain, and as the enemy's heavy columns emerged from the wood, a sharp cannonade was opened upon them; but they formed line under fire and advanced, when the guns of the redoubt rent chasms in their ranks. Undismayed by the storm of grape and bullets which smote their ranks, the Travancoreans pressed forward, and endeavoured to establish several guns on a rising ground; but the artillery of the redoubt dismounted their ordnance. After keeping up an irregular fire of musketry for some time, they withdrew from the front, and concentrating on the right, renewed the attack with greater vigour, when the left wing of the Twelfth regiment was detached under Captain William Henry Forssteen, to aid the Sepoys on that flank. On the arrival of the Twelfth on the right, a charge with bayonets was executed with great vigour and the Travancoreans fled from the field, leaving one brass six-pounder behind them; several other guns were preserved by the swiftness of the elephants.
On the following day, the troops were thanked in orders 'for the steady and cool manner in which they met and repulsed the attack of the enemy.'
After this defeat, in which they lost an immense number of men, the Travancoreans did not hazard another general attack; but they frequently endeavoured to surprise the piquets in the night, in which they were always defeated. On the 13th of February, the nineteenth regiment arrived from Columbo; and the troops were only prevented advancing up the country from the want of stores and the means of conveyance. A small supply having arrived, they advanced in two columns, the first composed of the Twelfth and a battalion of Sepoys, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Picton; and the second, of the nineteenth and a battalion of Sepoys, under Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, and by a combined attack they captured the enemy's stockade and extensive breast-works, in gallant style, on the 21st of February.
In the meantime another British force had penetrated the Travancore country under Colonel St. Leger, and this army arrived at Travandapatam, the capital, without meeting with serious opposition. The refractory Rajah made overtures for peace, and the Twelfth regiment returned to Coulan, detaching the flank companies to the capital.
The regiment commenced its march for Seringapatam, on the 23rd of May; but was forced to halt several days in consequence of the heavy rains of the Malabar monsoon, which rendered the rivers impassable, swept away part of the regimental baggage, and drowned several men in the rapid currents which rushed along the low grounds. On the 24th of July the regiment arrived at Trichinopoly.
In Europe, the war with France was being prosecuted with vigour, and in the month of March, 1810, the flank companies of the regiment were completed to one hundred rank and file each, and marched under Captain Forssteen, for Madras, to take part in an expedition against the French island of Bourbon, situate in the Indian ocean, about four hundred miles east of Madagascar. In June the expedition arrived at Rodriguez, and in July came in sight of the island of Bourbon, when the surf was so high as to render a landing dangerous; an attempt was, however, made; the light infantry of the Twelfth in a small schooner, and about three hundred men of the thirty-third and sixty-ninth regiments in boats, approached the shore and effected a landing with the loss of a few men drowned; but the schooner and boats were dashed to pieces, the soldiers' ammunition damaged, and many of their arms lost. As no more men could be landed, Lieutenant Foulkstone of the sixty-ninth regiment volunteered to swim through the surf and convey orders to Lieut.-Colonel Macleod, to take possession of St. Marie. This order was instantly obeyed, and the light infantry of the Twelfth distinguished themselves in storming the batteries, in which service they had two private soldiers killed; Lieutenants John Spinks, and John B. Whannell, with five rank and file wounded. The grenadier company of the Twelfth, and other corps afterwards landed at Grand Chaloupe, and by their spirited conduct, particularly the gallant behaviour of the eighty-sixth regiment, the reduction of the island was speedily accomplished.
While the flank companies were engaged in this service, the regiment was stationed at Wallajahbad, from whence it marched, in August, to St. Thomas's Mount, and in September to Madras, where it embarked on board the "Russell," of seventy-four guns, and the "Cornwallis," "Hesper," "Cornelia," "Bucephalus," and "Clorinde" frigates, to take part in the expedition against the Mauritius, or Isle of France, another island in the Indian sea, belonging to France; the grenadiers and light infantry of the regiment also embarked from St. Paul's in the island of Bourbon, to share in the enterprise. On the 28th of November the armament approached the Isle of France, and the troops effected a landing in the bay of Mapon, when one brigade was ordered into a large wood, through which it was necessary to pass. The light company of the Twelfth under Captain Forssteen, preceded by a section under Lieutenant Ashe, penetrated among the trees, and skirmished with a French piquet, in which service two men were killed, and Lieutenant Ashe and three private soldiers wounded. After a march of nine miles, the light infantry of the Twelfth halted on some low ground surrounded by jungle. The weather was very hot, water could not be procured, and the sufferings of the soldiers, in consequence, were very severe; but on the following day some alleviation of suffering was obtained by sucking the dew from the herbage, and advancing to the powder mills, within five miles of Port Louis, the capital, clear streams of water were discovered. While halting at this place, the piquets were attacked by the enemy, when the rifle company of the Twelfth, and the light infantry of the fifty-ninth, dashed forward, and drove back the French skirmishers, wounding General de Caen.
On the following morning the army advanced, the grenadiers of the Twelfth being in front, and the light infantry on the flanks, under Captains Firth and Forssteen, Lieutenant Keappock commanding the leading section of grenadiers. While advancing along a narrow road, through a country covered with underwood, the army was suddenly assailed with grape shot, from an eminence; but a charge with bayonets forced the French to withdraw. Arriving at some open grounds, the British formed line, when the French abandoned their guns and retreated towards the town, leaving a body of troops on a mountain on the British left. The Twelfth were ordered to storm the height, and they raised a loud shout, and soon gained the summit, when the French fled, leaving a gun behind them.
The officers and soldiers of the regiment evinced great heroism in these services; Lieutenant Keappock was wounded in the side, but continued at his post until a shot in the head forced him to retire; his honourable, though dangerous post, was taken by Lieutenant Jenkins, who received a severe contusion on the breast by a ball, but continued at the head of the leading section.
In this short but brilliant and decisive service, the regiment had Major Jeremiah O'Keefe, one drummer, and sixteen rank and file killed; Lieutenants Keappock and Ashe, three serjeants, and twenty-eight rank and file wounded; five men missing.
The French Governor, General de Caen, seeing no prospect of being able to make effectual resistance, surrendered the island. This enterprise was thus successfully accomplished, and the conduct of the Twelfth regiment was commended in orders, also in the public despatch of Major-General Abercromby.
After the surrender of the Isle of France, the flank companies proceeded to Port Louis, and the battalion companies descended the Long Mountain, and embarked from Tortue bay, in the "Psyche" frigate, for Grand Port, where they were joined by the flank companies, after being separated eleven months.
General Picton died on the 14th of October, 1811, in his eighty-fourth year, and was succeeded in the Colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, by Lieut.-General Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet, from the seventy-seventh regiment of foot.
The regiment was stationed in the Isle of France during the years 1811 and 1812.
In the meantime the war with France was approaching to a crisis; Napoleon Bonaparte had attained the summit of power, and the efforts of Great Britain were commensurate with the importance of the contest; the army was augmented, and in the autumn of 1811 a second battalion was added to the Twelfth regiment of four hundred and fifty-one officers and soldiers, into which the recruiting companies of the regiment were incorporated.
In the autumn of 1812, the second battalion proceeded to Ireland.
In April, 1813, the first battalion embarked from Port Louis, for the island of Bourbon, where it was stationed nearly two years.
During this period the tyrannical power of Bonaparte had been overthrown, and the Bourbon dynasty restored to the throne of France. On the re-establishment of peace in Europe, the island of Bourbon was restored to the French monarchy, and in consequence of this arrangement the regiment embarked from St. Denis on the 3rd of April, 1815; the French soldiers, who arrived from Europe to take possession of the island, landing as the British went on board the ships prepared to receive them.
The Mauritius, or Isle of France, was retained by the British government, and the Twelfth foot having been selected to form part of the garrison of that valuable island, immediately proceeded thither.
Soon afterwards, Bonaparte quitted the island of Elba, in violation of his engagements, and regained the throne of France, when the powers of Europe took arms against the usurper, and his veteran legions were overpowered in the field of Waterloo by the allied army under Field Marshal His Grace the Duke of Wellington, on the 18th of June, 1815. To replace the losses of the British army at Waterloo, additional forces were sent to the continent, and the second battalion of the Twelfth regiment, which had returned to England a few months previously from Ireland, embarked for Flanders on the 27th of June, under the command of Colonel Julius Stirke; it landed at Ostend and advanced to Paris, where the campaign was terminated by the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty to the throne of France. Peace being again established in Europe, the battalion returned to England in December.
In June, 1815, the rifle company of the first battalion proceeded to Bengal, and formed part of a field brigade assembled for service; it, however, returned to the Mauritius in November.
In January, 1816, the second battalion again proceeded to Ireland.
The first battalion continued to form part of the garrison of the Mauritius during the year 1816, and the first six months of 1817; on the 1st of July of the latter year, a serious fire broke out at Port Louis, when the exertions of the garrison to extinguish the flames, called forth the admiration and thanks of the inhabitants, which were communicated to the troops by the governor.
Transports having arrived to convey the regiment to Europe, a general order was published, in which it was stated, 'Major-General Sir Edward Butler, in taking leave of the Twelfth regiment, feels himself highly gratified in stating, that its conduct, during its services in this island, has, in every particular, been such as to meet with his highest approbation, and he begs to assure Lieut.-Colonel Forssteen, the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Twelfth regiment, that they carry with them his warmest wishes for their prosperity and welfare.'
The regiment sailed from Port Louis on the 25th of July, arrived at Portsmouth on the 10th of November, and afterwards proceeded to Cork, where it landed on the 26th of December, after an absence from Europe of nearly twenty-two years.
A representation of the distinguished services of the regiment in the Travancore country, and other parts of India, with its gallantry at the capture of the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius, procured for it the royal authority to bear the word "India" on its colours.
From Cork the regiment marched to Athlone, where it arrived on the 9th of January, 1818; and joined the second battalion, which was stationed at that place.
On the 16th of January the second battalion was disbanded at Athlone, transferring six hundred and sixty men to the first battalion. The regiment performed duty in the counties of Cork, Limerick, and Clare, until June, 1820, when it marched to Dublin.
In the autumn of the same year, the regiment embarked for England; it landed at Liverpool, and was afterwards stationed at Manchester and Macclesfield.
On the regiment quitting these quarters, in February, 1821, Major-General Sir James Lyon stated, in a letter to Lieut.-Colonel Forssteen, 'Although the Twelfth foot have been stationed but a short time in this place, I cannot refrain from expressing to you, that no military change could have given me more concern than their departure. I have had every opportunity of observing their uniform good conduct and strict attention to every branch of discipline, and nothing but satisfaction has ever been manifested to me by the civil authorities, and the inhabitants in general, on the very exemplary behaviour of the men. I beg of you to make known to the corps, the value I attach to the honor of having had a regiment of such high character placed under my orders, and that I must ever take an interest in its welfare and success.'
From Lancashire, the regiment marched to Portsmouth, where it embarked for Jersey and Guernsey.
While stationed at these islands, the appearance of the regiment, the conduct of the men, and the excellent system of interior economy which existed in the corps, elicited the commendations of Major-General Sir Colin Halkett, at the inspections in October, 1821, May and October, 1822; and when the Twelfth were about to return to England, in May, 1823, the Major-General repeated his expressions of approbation, with his warm interest in the welfare of the corps. The conduct of the four companies at Guernsey, under Major Bayley, was also specially commended by the Lieut.-Governor, Colonel Sir John Colborne.
On arriving in England, the regiment was stationed at Chatham and Sheerness until October, when it proceeded to Fort Cumberland.
On the decease of General Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet, the Colonelcy was conferred on Lieut.-General the Honorable Robert Meade, from the ninetieth regiment, by commission dated the 9th of October, 1823.
The regiment having received orders to transfer its services to Gibraltar, the scene of its former triumphs, it embarked on board of His Majesty's Ships "Ganges" and "Superb," on the 8th of November, and arrived at that celebrated fortress on the 25th of the same month.
In 1825, the establishment of the regiment was augmented from eight to ten companies, six to be considered service companies and remain at Gibraltar, and four depôt companies to be stationed in the United Kingdom; in consequence of this arrangement the officers and non-commissioned officers of two companies were sent to England.
A new pair of Colours having been provided for the regiment, and bearing the following honorary distinctions, the words "Minden," "Gibraltar" with the Castle and Key and the motto 'Montis Insignia Calpé,' "Seringapatam" and "India," they were presented to the corps, on the 28th of June, 1827, by General Sir George Don, who addressed the commanding officer (Major-Turberville), the officers, and soldiers, to the following effect:—
'It appears by the record of the Twelfth Regiment, to which I have the honor of presenting these colours, that among the many valiant deeds of the corps, it achieved distinguished glory at the battle of Minden. In 1797 I attended the renowned Duke of Brunswick on the spot where this battle was fought; after His Serene Highness had shown me the position occupied by the British, he said, It was here the conflict was most obstinate and it was here that the British Infantry gained immortal glory. This Rock, and Seringapatam, were afterwards among the scenes where the Twelfth Regiment distinguished itself, and which are immortalized in the history of our country. Being myself a soldier of fifty-seven years' standing, I am alive to every instance of meritorious conduct in my brother soldiers, and it is extremely gratifying to me to reflect, that the Twelfth Regiment, which so early established its fame, has continued to augment it on every occasion; and I am confident that whenever these Colours shall be displayed before an enemy, the regiment will, by its valiant conduct, add to the number of glorious records with which they are graced.'
In 1828 the garrison of Gibraltar was afflicted with a severe epidemic fever, which occasioned the death of upwards of five hundred soldiers; the inhabitants suffered much more severely than the troops. During the prevalence of the disease, the Twelfth were encamped for four months on the neutral ground, where they were reviewed on the 27th of December, by the Lieut.-Governor Sir George Don, who expressed to Lieut.-Colonel Bayley, his entire approbation of the appearance of the corps, of its discipline, and interior economy. Eight officers, and two hundred and eighteen non-commissioned officers and soldiers, had been afflicted with the fever, of which number, two officers (Lieutenant Forssteen and Ensign Werge) and fifty-three soldiers had died.
The regiment remained at Gibraltar until the spring of 1834, when it embarked for England, and landed at Portsmouth, from whence it marched to Winchester, and during the winter into Lancashire.
In November 1835, the regiment embarked at Liverpool for Ireland; it landed at Dublin, and was quartered in that city until October 1836, when it proceeded to Athlone.
The regiment was again divided into six service and four depôt companies in the summer of 1837; and in August, the service companies embarked at Cork for the Mauritius, where they arrived in December, and landed at Port Louis.
During the year 1838 the depôt companies were stationed at Kinsale and Tralee.
On the augmentation of the army in August, 1839, the establishment of the Twelfth was increased to forty-seven serjeants, fourteen drummers, and eight hundred rank and file.
In May, 1839, the depôt companies embarked at Cork for Wales, and continued to be stationed at Newtown, Builth, and Brecon, until May, 1840, when they proceeded to Scotland and occupied the barracks at Paisley until May, 1841, when they returned to South Britain and were stationed at Sunderland.
In April, 1842, the Twelfth Regiment having been augmented to an establishment of one lieut.-colonel, twelve captains, fourteen lieutenants, ten ensigns, six staff officers, sixty-seven serjeants, twenty-five drummers, and twelve hundred rank and file, was ordered to be separated into two battalions; the six service companies abroad being termed the First battalion, and the depôt, augmented to six companies, being styled the Reserve battalion.
The depôt was consequently removed from Sunderland to Weedon in May, 1842, and receiving 255 volunteers from other corps, was there organised for foreign service. The reserve battalion embarked from Portsmouth in the "Java" transport for the Mauritius in November, 1842, under the command of Major Sir Robert Douglas, Bart., but was disembarked at the Cape of Good Hope, and remained there until May, 1843, when it proceeded to its original destination.
On the 2nd of November, 1847, Her Majesty's Troopship "Resistance" arrived with the first battalion of the Fifth Fusiliers for the purpose of relieving the first battalion of the Twelfth Regiment, which embarked from the Mauritius on the 16th of December, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Patton.
The first battalion arrived at Spithead on the 1st of March, 1848, and disembarked on the 3rd of March at Portsmouth, where it was joined by the depôt company from the Isle of Wight. The reserve battalion, after being completed by the transfer of effective men from the first battalion, continued at the Mauritius.
OF THE
TWELFTH, OR EAST SUFFOLK
REGIMENT OF FOOT.
Henry Duke of Norfolk, K. G.
Appointed 20th of June, 1685.
Henry Howard, son of Henry sixth Duke of Norfolk, sat in the House of Lords by the title of Lord Mowbray, in the lifetime of his father, and on the death of Prince Rupert, in 1682, he was nominated Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle and Warden of the forest at Windsor, also Lord-lieutenant of the counties of Berks and Surrey. On the decease of his father, in 1684, he succeeded to the dignity of Duke of Norfolk, and of Earl Marshal of England, and he was also constituted Lord-lieutenant of Norfolk. On the accession of King James II., he was one of the peers who signed the order for His Majesty's proclamation, and he was shortly afterwards elected a Knight Companion of the most noble Order of the Garter. He took an active part in favour of the King, on the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, and interested himself in the raising of a corps of pikemen and musketeers, now Twelfth foot, of which he was appointed colonel, and of which his garrison company at Windsor Castle formed a part. In a few months after tranquillity was restored, he relinquished the command of the regiment, but continued to attend at court, and witnessed, with painful emotions, the predilection of the King in favour of papacy and arbitrary government. On one occasion His Majesty gave the Duke of Norfolk the sword of state to carry before him to the Roman Catholic chapel; but on arriving at the door, His Grace stopped, not being willing to enter the chapel, when the King said, "My Lord, your father would have gone further;" to which the Duke replied, "Your Majesty's father was the better man, and he would not have gone so far."[21]
The Duke of Norfolk continued faithful to the interests of the Protestant religion, and was one of the peers who invited the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army to oppose the proceedings of the court. When the Prince landed, His Grace was in London, and signed the petition to the King for a free Parliament; His Majesty replied, "They should have a Parliament, and such a one as they asked for, when the Prince of Orange had quitted the realm:" and commenced his journey, on the same day, to place himself at the head of his army. His Grace set out for his seat in Norfolk, declared for the Prince of Orange, and brought over that, and some of the neighbouring counties, to the Prince's interest. On the accession of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne, His Grace was sworn a member of the privy council, and he took an active part in raising a regiment for the King's service, now the Twenty-second foot, of which he was appointed Colonel, by commission dated the 16th of March, 1689. He died on the 2nd of April, 1701.
Edward Earl of Lichfield.
Appointed 14th June, 1686.
Sir Edward Henry Lee, of Ditchley, Baronet, was advanced to the peerage by King Charles II., in 1674, by the titles of Baron of Spelsbury, in the county of Bucks, and Earl of Lichfield. He was appointed one of the Lords of the bedchamber to King James II., also Custos Rotulorum for the county of Oxford, high steward of the borough of Woodstock, and lord-lieutenant of Woodstock park. In 1686 he succeeded the Duke of Norfolk in the colonelcy of the regiment, now Twelfth foot, which he continued to command until November, 1688, when, being a staunch supporter of the measures of the court, he was removed to the colonelcy of the first regiment of foot guards, which he only held a few weeks, the Prince of Orange conferring that appointment on the Duke of Grafton. The Earl of Lichfield was not afterwards employed in a military capacity. He died on the 14th of July, 1716.
Robert Lord Hunsdon.
Appointed 30th November, 1688.
Sir Robert Carey, Knight, served in a military capacity in the reign of King Charles II., and succeeded, on the decease of John Earl of Dover without issue, to the dignity of Lord Hunsdon. He was one of the supporters of the measures of King James II., who appointed him Lieut.-Colonel of the old Holland regiment (now Third foot) in 1685, and in November, 1688, promoted him to the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, from which he was removed, at the Revolution, by the Prince of Orange. He died in 1692.
Henry Wharton.
Appointed 31st December, 1688.
Henry Wharton served in the foot guards in the reign of King Charles II., and in the summer of 1685, when the Duke of Monmouth raised the standard of rebellion in the west of England, he raised a company of foot for the service of King James II., which was incorporated in the Duke of Norfolk's regiment. He proved a very zealous and determined supporter of the interests of the Protestant religion, and on the 31st of December, 1688, the Prince of Orange promoted him to the Colonelcy of the regiment. He served in Ireland under Marshal Duke Schomberg, signalized himself at the siege of Carrickfergus, and evinced, on all occasions, so much personal bravery and spirit of enterprise, united with a generous disposition and a kind regard for the interests of his soldiers, that he was beloved by his regiment. He died at Dundalk in October, 1689, much regretted by the officers and men of his regiment.
Richard Brewer.
Appointed 1st November, 1689.
Richard Brewer raised a company of pikemen and musketeers for Sir Edward Hales's regiment, now Fourteenth foot, in the summer of 1685, and served in that corps until the Revolution. He prized the established religion and constitution of his country too highly to permit himself to aid in their destruction, and he espoused the principles of the Revolution with great warmth. On the 31st of December, 1688, he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, with which corps he served in Ireland, and evinced signal bravery on several occasions, for which he was rewarded with the Colonelcy of the regiment on the 1st of November, 1689. He commanded the Twelfth regiment, at the battle of the Boyne in 1690, also in the action at Lanesborough, and was appointed commandant at Mullingar, near which place the troops, under his immediate command, had several rencounters with detachments of the enemy. He continued to serve in Ireland until the deliverance of that country from the power of King James was accomplished, and in 1692 he commanded his regiment in the expedition under the Duke of Leinster. He also served at the head of his regiment in the Netherlands, during the campaign of 1694; in the attack on Fort Kenoque, and the defence of Dixmude in 1695 (on which last-mentioned occasion he opposed the Governor, in the resolution to surrender), and in the protection of the maritime towns of Flanders in 1696. After the peace of Ryswick, he proceeded with his regiment to Ireland; and on the breaking out of the war, in the reign of Queen Anne, he retired from the service.
John Livesay.
Appointed 28th September, 1702.
This officer was appointed Lieutenant in the royal fusiliers in 1685; he served in the army during the wars of King William III., and was distinguished for gallantry and a strict attention to duty on all occasions, and these qualities were rewarded by Queen Anne, in September, 1702, with the colonelcy of the Twelfth regiment, which he commanded in the West Indies in 1703, 1704, and 1705. On the 1st of January, 1707, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and on the 1st of January, 1710, to that of Major-General. Political events, connected with the removal of the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough from the command of the army, and the measures pursued by the new ministry of Queen Anne, occasioned Major-General Livesay to retire from the command of the regiment in 1712. He died on the 22nd of February, 1718.
Richard Phillips.
Appointed 16th March, 1712.
Richard Phillips entered the army in September, 1669, and at the augmentation of the army, on the declaration of war against France and Spain, in 1702, he was promoted to the command of a company in one of the corps raised on that occasion. He proceeded with his regiment (Brettons, afterwards disbanded) to the relief of Barcelona in 1706; served in Spain under the Earl of Galway, in 1707, and was taken prisoner at the battle of Almanza. He subsequently served with his company on board the fleet as marines, and was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the regiment. Queen Anne rewarded his services, in 1712, with the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot, from which he was removed, in 1717, to the fortieth regiment, then newly formed of independent companies, at Placentia, Annapolis, and other parts of America. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General in 1735, to that of Major-General in 1739, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1742. In 1750, he was removed to the thirty-eighth foot. He died in January, 1751.
Thomas Stanwix.
Appointed 25th August, 1717.
Thomas Stanwix served in the Netherlands, with reputation, under King William III., and afterwards in Holland and Germany under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. In April, 1706, he was commissioned to raise, form, and discipline a regiment of foot, in Ireland, with which corps he embarked from Cork, in May, 1707, for Portugal, where he served under the Marquis de Montandre, the Marquis de Fronterira, and the Earl of Galway. In 1709 he was at the battle of the Caya, where his regiment highly distinguished itself, and in 1710 he commanded the storming party at the capture of Xeres de los Cavaleras: at the peace of Utrecht his regiment was disbanded. In 1715, when the partisans of the Pretender sought to elevate him to the throne, Colonel Stanwix was commissioned to raise a regiment of foot, for the service of King George I., and in July, 1717, he was removed to the thirtieth regiment, which he only commanded five weeks, when he was appointed to the Twelfth foot. He died 14th of March, 1725.
Thomas Whetham.
Appointed 22nd March, 1725.
This officer obtained a commission in Sir William Clifton's regiment, now fifteenth foot, on the breaking out of the rebellion of James Duke of Monmouth, in June, 1685; and he served under King William in Ireland and Flanders, where he acquired a reputation for gallantry and attention to all his duties. On the 29th of August, 1702, Queen Anne rewarded him with the colonelcy of the Twenty-seventh regiment of foot, with which corps he served in the West Indies in 1703 and 1704, and was engaged in the unsuccessful attack on the island of Guadaloupe. In 1707 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and in 1710 to that of Major-General; he served in Spain during the latter part of the war of succession, commanded the garrison of the island of Minorca for a short period; and in 1715, and 1716, he commanded a brigade of infantry in Scotland, under the Duke of Argyle, during the rebellion of the Earl of Mar. In 1725, he was removed to the Twelfth foot, and in 1727 he obtained the rank of Lieut.-General; he was promoted to the rank of general in 1739, and was governor of Berwick and Holy Island for several years. He died on the 28th of April, 1741.
Scipio Duroure.
Appointed 12th August, 1741.
Scipio Duroure obtained a commission in the army in December, 1705, and he had the advantage of serving three campaigns under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. He served many years in the Twelfth foot, of which corps he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel on the 25th of August, 1734; he was also appointed captain and keeper of the castle of St. Maws (or Moss), and promoted to the colonelcy of the Twelfth regiment in 1741. He distinguished himself at the battle of Dettingen in 1743, and behaved with great gallantry, at the head of his regiment, at the battle of Fontenoy, in 1745, where he was mortally wounded.
Henry Skelton.
Appointed 28th May, 1745.
Henry Skelton entered the army in December, 1708, and served two campaigns in the Netherlands. He was many years an officer in the third foot guards, was promoted Major of the regiment with the rank of Colonel in the army, in 1739, and in April, 1743, he was advanced to Lieut.-Colonel in the same corps. In August following, King George II. rewarded him with the colonelcy of the thirty-second regiment; His Majesty also promoted him to the rank of Major-General, and removed him to the Twelfth foot in 1745, and advanced him to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1747. He died on the 9th of April, 1757.
Robert Napier.
Appointed 22nd April, 1757.
Robert Napier was appointed ensign in the second foot, on the 9th of May, 1722, and after performing regimental duty a few years, he was placed on the staff, and employed in the Quarter-Master-General's Department. In 1745, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, and appointed Deputy Quarter-Master-General; in 1746, he was advanced to the rank of Colonel, and he was afterwards appointed Adjutant-General of the forces. In 1755, King George II. appointed him colonel of a newly-raised regiment, now fifty-first foot; in 1756 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and in 1757, he was removed to the Twelfth foot. In 1759, he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died in November, 1766.
Henry Clinton.
Appointed 21st November, 1766.
Henry Clinton, grandson of Francis, sixth Earl of Lincoln, served in an independent company of foot at New York, and in 1751 he was appointed Lieutenant and Captain in the second foot guards, from which he was promoted, in 1758, to Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in the first foot guards. He served in Germany during the seven years' war, was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1762, and in 1766 he obtained the colonelcy of the Twelfth foot. He was promoted, in 1772, to the rank of Major-General. On the commencement of the American war, in 1775, he was sent with reinforcements to Boston, with the local rank of Lieut.-General, and at the battle of Bunker's Hill he joined the troops engaged with additional forces from Boston during the conflict, and contributed materially to the gaining of the victory. He afterwards proceeded to North Carolina, with the local rank of General; assumed the command of the troops which arrived from Great Britain, and in 1776 he undertook the reduction of Charleston, but was not able to accomplish his object from the want of a sufficient force. He then joined General Sir William Howe, was engaged in the reduction of Long Island, and commanded the leading column of the army at the battle of Brooklyn. General Clinton also commanded the division which took possession of New York Island, was at White Plains and other engagements, also commanded the troops which took Rhode Island, and was rewarded with the dignity of Knight of the Bath. In 1777 he commanded at New York, and, in order to create a diversion in favour of General Burgoyne's army, he proceeded up the river and captured Forts Clinton and Montgomery. In the following spring he was nominated Commander-in-Chief in North America, and assuming the command of the army at Philadelphia, marched from thence to New York, repulsing the attacks of the enemy during the movement. In the winter of 1778, he was removed from the Twelfth foot to the command of a corps of Royal Highland Emigrants, and in 1779 he was appointed Colonel of the seventh, or Queen's Own Light Dragoons.
The departure of the French Fleet from North America enabled General Sir Henry Clinton to fit out an expedition against Charleston, which he captured in 1780, for which he received the thanks of Parliament, and this success was followed by important results in North and South Carolina; but the tide of success did not long flow in favour of the British cause, and some reverses taking place, he was succeeded as Commander-in-Chief in North America by General Carleton. He arrived in England in June, 1782, and afterwards published a vindication of his conduct. The appointment of Governor of Limerick was conferred upon General Sir Henry Clinton; he was also groom of the bedchamber to the Duke of Gloucester, and was many years a member of Parliament; in 1795, he was appointed Governor of Gibraltar. He died in December of the same year.
William Picton.
Appointed 21st April, 1779.
The first services of this officer were in the marines, in which corps he was promoted to the rank of Captain, in March, 1755, and in August, 1756, he was appointed Captain of the grenadier company in the Twelfth foot. He served at the head of his company, in Germany, during the seven years' war, and evinced great gallantry on numerous occasions. In 1762, he was promoted Major, and in 1765, Lieut.-Colonel of his regiment. He performed all the duties of commanding officer of the Twelfth regiment, in the United Kingdom and afterwards at Gibraltar, with reputation to himself and advantage to the service, for thirteen years, and in 1778 he was appointed Colonel of the seventy-fifth foot, then newly raised, and afterwards disbanded: in the following year he was removed to the Twelfth regiment.
King George III. frequently selected individuals of merit on whom he conferred distinguished marks of his Royal approbation, and the promotion of Colonel Picton furnishes an instance of His Majesty's attention to meritorious services, which had not the advantage of Ministerial or Parliamentary patronage. When appointed to the colonelcy of the Twelfth, Colonel Picton went to Court, and after kissing His Majesty's hand at the levee, he was admitted to an audience in the King's closet, when he acknowledged, in grateful terms, the honor conferred upon him; and His Majesty replied, "You are entirely obliged to Captain Picton, who commanded the grenadier company of the Twelfth regiment, in the late war in Germany;" at the same time alluding particularly to his gallantry at Zierenberg, for which he was thanked in general orders.[22]
After this interview, he joined his regiment at Gibraltar, and distinguished himself in the defence of that fortress, under General Eliott.
In 1782, he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, in 1793 to that of Lieut.-General, and in 1798 to that of General. He died in 1811.
Sir Charles Hastings, Baronet.
Appointed 15th October, 1811.
Charles Hastings, natural son of Francis, tenth Earl of Huntingdon, was appointed Ensign in the Twelfth foot in July 1770, and joined the regiment at Gibraltar. In 1776 he was promoted Lieutenant, and he was permitted to serve with the twenty-third regiment in America, where he was appointed Aide-de-Camp to Earl Percy, and afterwards to Sir Henry Clinton. He was at the actions at Pelham Manor and White Plains, and at the capture of Fort Washington; also in the successful expedition against the American magazines at Danbury. He accompanied Sir William Howe to Pennsylvania, was engaged at Brandywine and Germantown, and was twice wounded. In 1780 he was promoted Captain in the Twelfth foot, and joined his regiment at Gibraltar, where he had several opportunities of distinguishing himself during the siege of that fortress, and he evinced great gallantry at the sortie in November, 1781. In 1782, he was appointed Major in the seventy-sixth; in 1783 he was promoted to Lieut.-Colonel in the seventy-second, which regiment was disbanded in the same year. He obtained the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the thirty-fourth regiment in 1786, and was afterwards removed to the sixty-first, and subsequently to the sixty-fifth. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1796, and to that of Lieut.-General in 1803. In February, 1806, he was created a Baronet, of Willesley Hall, in the county of Derby; and in November following he was appointed Colonel of the fourth garrison battalion, from which he was removed to the seventy-seventh regiment in July, 1811; and in October following, to the Twelfth foot. In 1813 he was promoted to the rank of General. He died in 1823.
Honorable Robert Meade.
Appointed 9th October, 1823.