During the winter of 1693 the regiment again embarked for the Netherlands. It was employed in garrison duty in Flanders; and its colonel, the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, being a Roman catholic, transferred his services to the crown of Spain. He was succeeded, in February, 1694, by Henry Marquis de Rada, son of the Marquis de Montpouillan. During the winter of this year the regiment was in garrison at Bruges.

On taking the field in May, 1695, the regiment left its colonel, the Marquis de Rada, dangerously ill of a fever in Bruges. It was encamped a short time on the canal between Ghent and Bruges, under the orders of Lieut.-General Sir Henry Bellasis; and subsequently with the main army, commanded by King William in person, near Arseele, where it was formed in brigade with a battalion of the Royals, and the regiments of Seymour, Granville, Saunderson, and Colyear, commanded by Brigadier-General Sir David Colyear. The King was at the head of one hundred and twenty thousand men, and the French generals headed upwards of a hundred thousand men. These two powerful armies confronted each other; and his Majesty, having by skilful movements drawn the enemy to the Flanders side of their line of entrenchments, invested Namur. This fortress was accounted one of the strongest and most important in the Netherlands, both by its situation and fortifications: it commanded two great rivers, the Sambre and the Maese; and its castle, which stood on a hill in an angle formed by the confluence of these rivers, was deemed almost impregnable. Such stupendous fortifications, defended by a numerous garrison, supplied with every thing requisite for a protracted defence, and commanded by a governor who was esteemed by his king, and beloved by the soldiers, seemed to defy the most powerful and best-appointed army that could be brought against it; and, when the veteran Marshal Boufflers had thrown himself with a large reinforcement into the town, this mass of fortifications was looked upon as a rock on which the grand confederacy of the allies would split. These difficulties stimulated the British monarch to greater exertions; and the Sixth, after remaining a short time with the covering army commanded by Charles Henry of Lorraine, Prince of Vaudemont, was ordered to join the forces employed in the siege, and to take part in the attack of this vast fortress. While on the march the Marquis de Rada died at Bruges, and King William conferred the colonelcy on an officer who had formerly served with distinction in the regiment, Ventris Columbine, from captain and lieutenant-colonel in the foot guards. This officer was highly esteemed in the corps, and, assuming the command of it before Namur, he had additional opportunities of signalizing himself.

The regiment was on duty in the trenches on the 6th, 10th, and 13th of July; and on the 17th it lost a number of men while engaged in storming the counterscarp: it had also Captain Young killed, and Lieut. Dorrington and Ensign Drobas wounded. On the 19th it was again on duty in the trenches, and lost several men; and during the night of the 23rd it was engaged in extending the lodgment to the right. A practicable breach having been made, the enemy surrendered the town on the following day, and retired to the castle, resolving to make a desperate defence. This was one of the regiments engaged in the siege of the castle, and was encamped at a place called Maison Blanche; but, having sustained considerable loss, it was relieved on the 11th of August, and joined the covering army under the Prince of Vaudemont, who had recently quitted his position at Waterloo, and was encamped within seven miles of Namur. A detachment from the grenadier company was engaged in storming the breaches of the Terra Nova and Cohorne on the 20th of August, under Lord Cutts. This proved a most severe service; a lodgment was made along the covered way and entrenchments, but with the loss of above a thousand English, besides Bavarians, Prussians, and Dutch. The grenadier company of this regiment lost several men, and had Captain Cummins killed, and Lieutenant Twinhoe wounded.

The fire against the castle was continued, and preparations made for another assault, when the garrison beat a parley, and agreed to surrender. Thus the capture of this important fortress, which was accounted the bulwark of Brabant, was achieved, and the reputation of the British monarch and his troops exalted. After the works were repaired, Colonel Columbine marched with his regiment into quarters at Bruges, where he expected to pass the winter; but circumstances occurred which occasioned his return to England.

The French monarch, finding his ambitious projects frustrated, attempted to excite a rebellion in England in favour of King James, who was residing at the French court, and prepared an armament to second the malcontents. At the same time a plot was formed to assassinate King William when on his return from hunting. On the discovery of these designs, this, with a number of other regiments, was ordered home. The Sixth embarked at Ostend in the early part of March, 1696, landed at Gravesend in the middle of that month, and went into quarters. The plot was discovered, the designs of the enemy were frustrated, and the King proceeded to the Netherlands to take the command of the army.

In June, 1696, the regiment was on duty at Windsor; and in July it was encamped in Windsor forest.

After passing twelve months in England, the regiment received orders to return to the Netherlands: it landed at Williamstadt in the beginning of July, 1697, and joined the confederate army before Brussels, where it was reviewed by his Majesty: it remained before Brussels until hostilities were terminated by the treaty of Ryswick, when it was ordered to return to England. It landed at Gravesend in November, 1697, and marched to Huntingdon. It subsequently proceeded to Ireland, where it arrived in August, 1698, and remained until, another war breaking out in Europe, its services were again required abroad in the defence of the crown and kingdom against the projects of the court of France.

The hope of continued tranquillity, with the prospect that this country would be enabled to develop its resources and make rapid advances in arts, manufactures, and commerce, under the auspices and benign influence of peace at home and abroad, soon passed away: a Bourbon prince ascended the Spanish throne, when preparations for war were made, and Colonel Columbine received orders to recruit his regiment to seven hundred rank and file. The decease of King William, and the accession of Queen Anne, on the 8th March, 1702, produced no alteration in the foreign policy of the British court; and in a few weeks after Her Majesty's accession the regiment proceeded to the Isle of Wight, where it pitched its tents preparatory to some expedition, the destination of which was kept secret. In the early part of June it was reviewed, with nine other battalions of infantry, and two hundred dragoons, by Prince George of Denmark, generalissimo of her Majesty's land and sea forces, and was complimented on its appearance and discipline. The Duke of Ormond assumed the command of the expedition, and the regiment embarked on board the St. George, Jacob, and Gosport transports[22], and put to sea. Arriving off the coast of Andalusia, in Spain, the troops ascertained they were destined to make an attempt on the strong fortress of Cadiz: a landing was effected in the middle of August, during a high wind, and about thirty boats, crowded with soldiers, were overturned by the surge. The town of Rota, on the north side of Cadiz bay, the town of Port St. Mary's, at the mouth of the river Guadalete, and Fort St. Catherine, were captured. The wealthy and flourishing town of Port St. Mary's was found deserted by the inhabitants; positive orders had been given against plundering; but the officers neglecting to enforce strict obedience occasioned the most unfortunate results. The hungry and thirsty soldiers forced open the houses in search of refreshment; finding abundance of excellent wine, they drank freely, and, under its influence, commenced plundering the town. An immense quantity of valuable merchandize and other property was removed on board the fleet, and some of the officers were guilty of securing for themselves many costly articles: thus, such of the inhabitants as were previously disposed to favour the allies became hostile, and the public cause suffered by the want of strict discipline. Cadiz was found better prepared for resistance than had been expected, and the expedition proved of insufficient strength for the capture of this fortress. The troops were re-embarked, and they subsequently proceeded to Vigo, where a valuable Spanish fleet had arrived from the West Indies, in charge of a French convoy. The grenadiers and eight battalions of infantry landed on the south side of the river, seven miles from the town: this regiment formed part of the first brigade, which landed under the Duke of Ormond and Brigadier-General Hamilton; a strong fort and a battery were carried by storm, the fleet forced an entrance, and the French and Spanish shipping were all taken and destroyed. Many Spanish seamen escaped on shore and took with them much valuable property: a soldier of Captain Brown's company of this regiment captured a Spanish mariner who was carrying off an immense silver dish of curious workmanship, which was delivered up to the proper authorities[23].

The expedition returned to England, where the regiment arrived in the early part of November, and was stationed at Canterbury; it received £561. 10s. prize-money. Queen Anne went in triumphal cavalcade to St. Paul's cathedral to return thanks for this success; and the troops received the thanks of parliament for their conduct.

In a few weeks after its return from Vigo the regiment was ordered to hold itself in readiness to proceed to the West Indies; and in January, 1703, it marched to Portsmouth, where it embarked on board the fleet under Vice-Admiral Graydon. The object of the expedition was the capture of Placentia and Newfoundland; but the enemy's force was found too strong, and, after remaining a short time in the West Indies, the regiment returned to England. It landed in October following at Portsmouth, from whence it was removed into quarters at Southampton and other towns in that neighbourhood.

On the decease of Colonel Ventris Columbine, Her Majesty conferred the colonelcy on the lieutenant-colonel, James Rivers, by commission dated the 2nd of November, 1703: at the same time Major William Southwell was appointed lieutenant-colonel.

The quarters were extended to Worcester in April, 1704, and a detachment was sent to the Isle of Wight: in August following the regiment proceeded to Plymouth, where it passed the succeeding winter.

Meanwhile the war was raging in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and other parts of the continent, and an attempt was being made to place Archduke Charles of Austria on the throne of Spain by force of arms. Gibraltar had been captured by the combined English and Dutch fleets, and in connexion with these events the regiment was embarked at Plymouth in May, 1705, under the Earl of Peterborough, to take part in the war. The design of this expedition was either to aid the Duke of Savoy in driving the French out of Italy, to make an attempt on Naples and Sicily, or to further the progress of the Archduke in Spain. The fleet arrived at the capital of Portugal in June, and additional forces were embarked: at the same time Archduke Charles went on board the fleet to share in the toils and dangers of the enterprise. From Lisbon the expedition proceeded to Gibraltar, where it was joined by the former colonel of the Sixth—the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, and a reinforcement from the garrison.

From Gibraltar the fleet proceeded to the bay of Altea, in Valencia; and while at this small port the officers and soldiers had opportunities of observing the attachment of the inhabitants of that part of Spain to the house of Austria. A thousand Catalonians and Valentians, who had thrown off their allegiance to the house of Bourbon, and had acknowledged Archduke Charles as the sovereign of Spain, seized on the town of Denia, while others made demonstrations of giving effectual aid to the expedition; and such a spirit of enterprise was evinced by King Charles, the Earl of Peterborough, the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, and others, that every officer and man caught the ardent zeal of the superior officers, and resolved to do something great and noble. Under these feelings the famous city of Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, and one of the most ancient towns in Spain, was selected to be the scene of the first attempt. Its situation, on a plain near the sea,—with a mole capable of containing only galleys and small ships,—defended by ten bastions, several old towers and other works,—with a strong castle and citadel, called Montjuich, on a hill on the west side and commanding the town; the garrison consisting of between five and six thousand men, under the viceroy of Catalonia, Don Francis de Velasco;—and the besieging army being unable to bring more than seven thousand men into the lines; these circumstances, with the fact, that, in 1697, this fortress resisted a French army of thirty thousand men eight weeks with open trenches, and cost the French monarch twelve thousand men, gave an interesting and romantic character to this enterprise, in which the Sixth gained much honour, and which produced a great sensation throughout Europe.

The troops landed near the river Bassoz, about three miles east of Barcelona, on the 23rd and 24th of August. On the 28th King Charles came on shore, when the inhabitants of the neighbouring towns and villages flocked to the camp with demonstrations of joy, and many took arms to act as guerilla bands and miquelets; but the progress of the siege was delayed by opposite opinions and views among the superior officers. "Such were the unhappy circumstances of the Earl of Peterborough in the camp before Barcelona: impossibilities proposed; no expedients to be accepted; a court reproaching; councils of war rejecting; and the Dutch general refusing the assistance of the troops under his command."[24] Yet all these difficulties were overcome; and an attack by storm on the detached fortress of Montjuich was resolved upon, in which the grenadiers of the Sixth, headed by their Lieutenant-Colonel, William Southwell, had the honour to take the lead. The storming party of four hundred grenadiers, with a support of six hundred musketeers, commanded by the Earl of Peterborough and the Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt, commenced their march about ten o'clock on the night of Sunday the 13th of September, round the mountains, and were followed by another detachment and a party of dragoons. After traversing many miles of rugged mountain scenery by difficult tracts, the storming party appeared before the fortress, and received a discharge of small arms and artillery from the garrison. The Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt and Lord Charlemont directed Lieut.-Colonel Southwell of the Sixth to commence the attack; and instantly springing forward at the head of the grenadiers, this gallant officer led the storming party to the assault with signal intrepidity and resolution. The native energy and contempt of danger of the British soldier was eminently displayed: Southwell and his grenadiers climbed the steep rock in the face of a storm of fire from the garrison,—entered the covered way and the ditch, sword in hand,—ascended to the top of a curtain which was not quite finished, one soldier helping another up, and, notwithstanding the vigorous resistance of the enemy, gained the bulwark of a new fortification. Here some sharp fighting took place: thrice Lieut.-Colonel Southwell was surrounded, but he overthrew his adversaries with matchless valour, and the enemy was driven from that post into the castle. The men, at the other points of attack, had also proved successful,—a considerable portion of the outworks were carried,—a temporary breastwork and entrenchment were speedily constructed,—and three pieces of cannon, which had been captured, were made use of to defend it. The Prince of Hesse d'Armstadt afterwards advanced with a body of men along the curtain which led to the ditch of the inward fort, and fell mortally wounded; two hundred and fifty of the men were made prisoners by the enemy; at the same time a large reinforcement was seen advancing from the town to aid the garrison in the castle, and the soldiers received orders to retire from some of the inferior officers. The Earl of Peterborough rushed to the spot, countermanded the order, seized the half-pike out of Lord Charlemont's hands, and rallied and led back the soldiers to the posts they had so nobly won: the Spaniards who were advancing from the town turned back, and the out-works of the fortress of Montjuich were thus gained. Batteries were constructed, and the inner works were assailed with cannon-balls, bombs, and grenades. On the 17th of September, Lieut.-Colonel Southwell of the Sixth, being on duty in the trenches with his regiment, observed that the bombs, thrown by a Dutch bombardier from a small mortar, fell to the left of the fort, and concluding there was a magazine in the place, he traversed the mortar a little to the right, himself, and fired it; and the bomb falling into a little chapel where the garrison had stored a great quantity of powder, it blew up, and the governor, a Neapolitan named Don Charlete Caracholi, with a number of other officers and men, were buried in the ruins. The intrepid Southwell called a few soldiers forward, and, advancing sword in hand to take advantage of the confusion, was met by the surviving officers and men of the garrison, who laid down their arms and surrendered the fortress; Lieut.-Colonel Southwell took possession of the works; and King Charles hastened to the spot and embraced the lieut.-colonel in a transport of joy. Thus the strong castle and citadel of Montjuich was captured; and Lieut.-Colonel Southwell of the Sixth was rewarded with the appointment of governor.[25]

The capture of Montjuich facilitated the siege of the city of Barcelona, which was persecuted with vigour: the miquelets and armed Catalonians blocked up the avenues of the town, and the soldiers were incessant in their exertions. "The admirals forgot their element, and acted as general officers at land; they came every day from their ships with a body of men formed into companies, and commanded by captains and lieutenants of their own."[26] Cannon and mortars were dragged up steep precipices by men; and a practicable breach having been made, a body of soldiers prepared to attack the city by storm; but the effusion of blood, which would have attended this enterprize, was spared by the surrender of the garrison. A number of miquelets entered the city through the breach with the design of plundering the partisans of the Bourbon dynasty. The governor being very unpopular, and suspected of a design to remove many of the prisoners, was surrounded by an enraged mob: but the Earl of Peterborough entered the town on the 14th of October with a troop of dragoons and the grenadiers of the army, put a stop to the plundering of the miquelets, and prevented the slaughter of the governor and his garrison; at the same time such excellent order and discipline were preserved among the English soldiers, that their conduct has been lauded by historians. The capture of Barcelona gave additional reputation to the arms of the allies, and this splendid achievement was the theme of conversation and a subject of astonishment throughout Europe. It was accompanied by the submission of nearly all Catalonia, the largest and richest province of Spain; and, as Boyer, the historian of these wars, observes, "all the generals, admirals, officers, private soldiers, and seamen, engaged in this memorable expedition, deserved each their share of the honour."

King Charles commenced forming a Spanish army for his service: he soon had five hundred dragoons for a guard, and six regiments of foot. He was joined by Colonel Nebot, who forsook the service of King Philip with a regiment of horse; and in a short time the province of Valencia submitted to the Austrian prince.

The regiment continued under the immediate directions of the Earl of Peterborough, with whose achievements its services are connected; and his raising the siege of St. Mattheo, the capture of Morviedro, his exploits in Valencia, and the relief of the capital of that province—successes gained with a small body of soldiers over a numerous army—carry with them the appearance of fiction and romance more than of sober truth; but being supported by abundance of collateral and direct evidence, the truth of these achievements cannot be doubted. Unfortunately, no documents have been met with to prove what particular corps his lordship left in garrison, and what corps he took with him in his daring enterprise in Valencia; the part taken by the first royal and eighth dragoons, the thirteenth, thirtieth, and thirty-fourth foot, and a few other corps, can be clearly made out from history; but whether the Sixth remained in garrison in Catalonia, or was employed in the enterprise in Valencia, has not been ascertained.

While employed in this part of Spain, the colonel of the regiment, James Rivers, died, and Lieut.-Colonel William Southwell, having been sent to England with despatches, was promoted by Queen Anne to the colonelcy: he kissed her Majesty's hand on the appointment on the 14th of March, 1706, and hastened back to Spain to join his regiment.

King Charles and his counsellors, instead of exerting themselves to provide for the security of the towns which had come into their possession, and collecting the means for future conquests, spent their time and money in balls and public diversions. The breaches in Barcelona and the detached fortress of Montjuich were left unrepaired, and the garrison unprovided for a siege. Meanwhile King Philip was obtaining reinforcements from the frontiers of Portugal, from Italy, Provence, Flanders, and the Rhine, and he soon appeared at the head of above twenty thousand men to re-capture the provinces he had lost. A powerful French and Spanish force approached Barcelona by land; a French fleet appeared before the town; and, the garrison being weak in numbers, regiments were hurried from other places, one English regiment travelling one hundred and twenty miles on mules, in two days, to take part in the defence of Barcelona. The siege was commenced in the beginning of April, 1706, when the soldiers repaired the breaches, and a desperate and resolute defence was made.

The Earl of Peterborough hastened from Valencia with a body of select troops, but found the town so closely beset that he was unable to force his way into it, when he took to the mountains, and harassed the enemy with skirmishes and night-alarms. The Sixth was one of the corps which had the honour of sharing in the defence of this important city, and British valour was conspicuously displayed. When the garrison was nearly exhausted, its numbers decreased from deaths, wounds, sickness, and other causes, to about a thousand effective men, and a practical breach was ready for the enemy to attack the place by storm, the English and Dutch fleet arrived with five regiments of foot, the French fleet hurried from before the town, and the reinforcements were landed. Barcelona being thus relieved, the enemy, having lost five thousand men before the town, made a precipitate retreat on the 12th of May, leaving two hundred brass cannon, thirty mortars, and vast quantities of ammunition and provision behind them, together with the sick and wounded of their army, whom Marshal de Tessé recommended to the humanity of the British commander. During the siege, the roads by which the enemy could return into the heart of Spain had been broken up, and other obstructions raised among the mountains and defiles, and the line of retreat so crowded with armed peasantry, that the French army was forced to return to France, and re-enter Spain by the passes of the Pyrenean mountains. Thus Barcelona was preserved by British skill, valour and perseverance; that part of Spain was delivered from the presence of the enemy; and the forces were at liberty to engage in new enterprises.

An immediate advance upon Madrid was resolved upon, and the Marquis das Minas and Earl of Galway, who commanded a British, Portuguese, and Dutch force on the frontiers of Portugal, were requested to penetrate boldly to the capital of Spain. To engage in this enterprise the Sixth embarked from Barcelona, and proceeded by sea to Valencia, where King Charles was expected to arrive with the cavalry by land. While in Valencia the regiment furnished a detachment of non-commissioned officers and soldiers, which, with similar detachments from other regiments of foot, were formed into a regiment of dragoons, called the Earl of Peterborough's regiment.

From Valencia the regiment was detached, under the orders of Major-General Wyndham, to besiege Requena and Cuenza, which places lay on the line of march from Valencia to Madrid, and were both captured after a short resistance. Meanwhile the army from Portugal had penetrated to Madrid, and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of King Charles, who, following the pernicious advice of his Italian counsellors, delayed his journey, and eventually proceeded by way of Arragon. This gave time for the French and Spanish troops under King Philip to re-enter Spain; and, uniting with the forces under the Duke of Berwick, the enemy had a great superiority of numbers. The allies were forced to retire from their forward position; and on the 13th of September, the Sixth and other corps under Major-General Wyndham joined the army at Veles. The troops continued their route towards the frontiers of Valencia and Murcia, where they remained during the winter.

The Sixth now formed part of the allied army, which was composed of English, Spaniards, Portuguese, and Dutch, commanded by the Marquis das Minas and the Earl of Galway, and took the field for offensive operations in the early part of April, 1707. After destroying several of the enemy's magazines, the siege of the castle of Villena was undertaken; and while this was in progress, a French and Spanish force, of very superior numbers, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, advanced to the plains of Almanza. As the enemy expected the arrival of reinforcements under the Duke of Orleans, the allied generals, though much inferior in numbers to their opponent, resolved to attack him without delay[27].

Advancing in four columns, on the 25th of April, over many miles of rugged ground, and exposed to a burning sun, the army entered a large plain, and about half-past two in the afternoon the advanced-guard arrived in front of the enemy's camp: at three, the soldiers, though faint, and their bodily strength exhausted with the march, advanced boldly to the attack.

The Sixth were formed in brigade with the seventeenth, thirty-third, and Lord Montjoy's regiments, under Major-General Wade, and were posted between two brigades of cavalry, in the left wing of the front line. The Earl of Galway commenced the action by leading the left brigade through a hollow way to attack the enemy's right: the British dragoons, after gaining some advantage, and ascending a height on which a battery was placed, were overpowered by superior numbers and forced to retire. The Sixth and thirty-third advanced to support the dragoons, and opening a sharp fire on the flank of the French horse and Spanish life-guards, put them in disorder; at the same time the English dragoons rallied and returned to the charge, and the enemy was driven back with great slaughter. The French and Spanish horsemen returned to the charge; but were again driven back by the fire of the Sixth and thirty-third regiments. Meanwhile the battle was extending along the line; the ground was contested with varied success; but the British and Dutch battalions, in the centre, obliged the enemy to give way. A few French squadrons advanced to charge the cavalry on the right; the Portuguese squadrons faced about and fled from the field without waiting to be attacked; and several battalions of Portuguese infantry followed the example.

Nine battalions of French and Spanish infantry advanced to that part of the field where the Sixth and thirty-third were engaged; the two regiments confronted the overwhelming numbers of the enemy nobly, and being joined by the ninth, seventeenth, and Lord Montjoy's regiments, disputed the ground with sanguinary obstinacy; but while the contest was still raging, a body of fresh French and Spanish cavalry overpowered and drove back the allied squadrons on the left. The five regiments (Sixth, ninth, seventeenth, thirty-third, and Lord Montjoy's) were thus left unsupported: they were attacked by nine battalions of the enemy, and, while bravely contending with the seven battalions which assailed them in front, they were charged in flank by the other two, broken, and driven from the field with great loss: a few only of the officers and men of the Sixth escaped being killed or taken prisoners. The two French battalions which attacked them in flank, pursuing with eagerness, 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 a great slaughter. Major-General Shrimpton, Brigadier-General Macartney, Colonels Britton and Hill, and several other officers, collected the broken remains of the English regiments, which fought in the centre, into a body, and united them with some of the Dutch and Portuguese, who had been rallied by Count de Dhona and Don Juan Emanuel, and formed a body of nearly four thousand men, who retreated two leagues; but were pursued by the enemy, whom they repeatedly repulsed. Arriving at the woody hills of Caudete, the men were so exhausted with fatigue that they were unable to proceed; they passed the night in the wood, where they were surrounded by the enemy; and on the following morning, being without ammunition, ignorant of the country, destitute of provisions, and without the hope of a supply, they surrendered prisoners of war. Such was the result of this unfortunate battle, where the faint and wearied soldiers were hurried forward to fight superior numbers of fresh troops, commanded by a renowned general: but, notwithstanding these disadvantages, the author of the Annals of Queen Anne observes:—"Had the Portuguese bravely seconded the English and Dutch, who, with unparalleled resolution and undauntedness broke the enemy's centre, it is the opinion of many that victory would have inclined to the confederate side; or, at least, that the latter might have made an honourable retreat, and, considering the vast disproportion of the forces, have gained the glory of the day."

The loss of the Sixth was very great: Lieutenant-Colonel M'Neal, Captains Columbine, Drake, Campbell, and Justiene, Lieutenants Harvey and Emmery, and Ensigns Sarracen and Watts were killed; Captains Bennett and Hussey were taken prisoners; and Lieutenants Beauford, Columbine, Babington, Magee, M'Neal, and Campbell, Ensigns Beckwith, Morgan, and Reynolds, Quarter-Master Begham, Surgeon Dilpach, and Surgeon's-Mate Macdonald, were wounded and taken prisoners.

The few officers and men of the regiment who escaped from the field of battle proceeded to Alcira, a strong town on the river Xucar, where they joined the cavalry with which the Earl of Galway had made good his retreat; and the approach to the town being by almost inaccessible mountains, they halted a few days to re-organise the army. On the advance of the French and Spanish forces commanded by the Duke of Orleans, the Earl of Galway placed a garrison in Alcira, and removed to Tortosa, and the Sixth were among the troops which encamped on the banks of the river Ebro, about two miles above the city. Meanwhile many of the men who had been taken prisoners, escaped and returned to their regiments; detachments were called in, and the troops took up a position beyond the Ebro. On the 22nd of May the French light cavalry appeared on the hills; on the following day their army encamped against the town, and the Sixth were engaged in the defence of a small village and tête de pont to the bridge of boats, which last post was held for several days. The enemy having passed the Ebro, the regiment was removed to Tarragona, and subsequently to Las Borgues.

The Duke of Orleans having besieged Lerida, some arrangements were made to attempt to relieve the garrison, and the army encamped within a few miles of the town; but a sufficient number of troops could not be assembled to enable the Earl of Galway to attack the besieging army with any hope of success. After the surrender of the castle, the regiment marched back to Tarragona for winter quarters, and its ranks were completed by drafts from the second foot and other regiments which were ordered to return to England to recruit.

During the winter the Earl of Galway proceeded to Portugal, where he remained in a diplomatic capacity. The British troops in Spain were commanded by Major-General Carpenter, and in the spring of 1708 by Major-General Stanhope—afterwards Earl Stanhope: the united English, Germans, Spaniards, Portuguese, and Dutch, comprising the army of King Charles in Spain, were commanded by Marshal Count Guido de Staremberg, an officer who had commanded the imperial troops in Hungary.

After quitting their quarters the Sixth were encamped on the river Francoli, between Monblanco and Tarragona, to defend a defile leading to the plain near the town: they brought about eight hundred officers and men into the field, and their weather-beaten, hardy, and warlike appearance excited admiration. In a letter from the army, dated 23rd of April, 1708, and 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[28]."

The regiment was subsequently stationed with the army at Constantino, from whence it proceeded to Cervera; and while in the field, its colonel, William Southwell, was succeeded by Colonel Thomas Harrison, who was performing the duty of adjutant-general to the British troops in Catalonia.

Tortosa and Denia were besieged and taken by the enemy; the allies captured the fertile island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean; and the Sixth were withdrawn from the army in Catalonia to engage in an expedition, under Major-General Stanhope, against Minorca, the second of the Balearic islands, situate in the Mediterranean, near the coast of Spain. This island had fallen successively under the Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Moors, Arragonese, and Castilians; and the object of the expedition was to rescue it from King Philip, and place it under the dominion of King Charles.

The regiment marched from the camp to Barcelona, where it embarked on board the fleet. The land forces consisted of the Sixth, and a few dismounted English dragoons, making 750 private men; 760 English marines, 750 Portuguese, 700 Neapolitans, 300 Spaniards, and a train of English artillery, commanded by Major-General Stanhope and Brigadier-General Wade.

A landing was effected on the island in the middle of September: Cuidadella, the capital, and fort Fornellia, were captured with little opposition, and the inhabitants declared in favour of King Charles; but a thousand French and Spaniards garrisoned Port Mahon, situated on a rocky promontory, very difficult of access on the land side, and defended by Fort St. Philip, erected at the entrance of the harbour, which has been stated to be one of the finest in the world. After dragging the artillery along rocky and difficult roads, the siege of Fort St. Philip was commenced; the artillery destroyed two small towers, and made a practicable breach in the outer wall, which was built a quarter of a mile from Fort St. Philip, and, extending from sea to sea, covered the approach to the citadel. Major-General Stanhope intended that the breach should be stormed on the following day; but the grenadiers of the Sixth, and another corps, being on duty near the spot, rushed forward with such ardour and intrepidity, that the garrison was terrified and dismayed. Ascending the breach sword in hand, they overpowered all opposition, captured a redoubt, and, being supported by a detachment under Brigadier-General Wade, effected a lodgment at the foot of the glacis. A battery was constructed immediately, and the garrison was so confused and alarmed at the fury and resolution of their assailants, that they capitulated on the following day (29th of September); but when, on marching out, they saw the small body of men to whom they had surrendered, they were ashamed of having given up so strong a fortress. Thus this valuable island was captured with the loss of about forty men; and the Sixth foot and other troops were honoured with the thanks and approbation of King Charles, and of her Majesty Queen Anne.

Minorca was garrisoned by English troops, and the Sixth was one of the corps selected to take charge of this important conquest.

In the following year Lieut.-General Stanhope having formed a design against Cadiz, embarked two regiments of foot from Minorca, and sailed for Gibraltar, where he expected to be joined by eight battalions of foot and a regiment of dragoons from England; but these troops were so long delayed by contrary winds, that the enterprise was abandoned. The Sixth proceeded to Barcelona, where they landed, and reposed in quarters in Catalonia until the following spring.

When the army took the field in the summer of 1710, the Sixth proceeded to the camp at Balaguer, where they were reviewed by King Charles on the 10th of June. The two claimants to the throne of Spain headed their respective armies, and King Philip had the advantage in point of numbers; but after reconnoitring his adversaries' fortified camp at Balaguer he retired. King Charles moved forward, and on the 27th of July a cavalry action was fought on the grounds near Almanara, when upwards of forty squadrons of the enemy's best cavalry, and a brigade of infantry, were overthrown with great slaughter. Harvey's horse (now second dragoon guards), the royal dragoons, and several other corps, gained great honour. The Sixth foot hastened to the scene of conflict; but the enemy was routed before the infantry had an opportunity to deploy their ranks. Several corps, however, joined in the pursuit, and made great slaughter.

This victory gave the allies an ascendancy over their opponents. King Philip called in his detachments and retired, and was followed by the forces under King Charles. In this advance the troops underwent great fatigue and privation with patient resolution and perseverance which redounded to their honour. At the town of Candasmas the soldiers suffered from the scarcity of water and wine. "We were glad to march out of this place" (observes an officer who was present) "on the next morning; but found ourselves in as great distress from the want of water as the day before, till we came to Bacarolos, where we encamped, the enemy still retiring before us. At break of day our army marched on in four columns, in expectation of overtaking the enemy, but we were disappointed, and had to encounter, on our march to Usera on the Ebro, violent thirst and heat, without a drop of water; and to incommode us more, the enemy had set fire to a very long heath we had to pass over. It cannot be conceived what we suffered upon such a march, smothered all the day with clouds of ashes, especially the foot[29]." At night the men reached the banks of the Ebro, and quenched their thirst at the stream. Continuing the march, on the 19th of August they discovered the united French and Spanish forces in order of battle in front of the city of Saragossa, and preparations were made to attack the enemy on the following day. Several men, who were so pressed with hunger and thirst as to venture to gather grapes in a vineyard situated between the two armies, were shot by the enemy's out-posts.

The enemy's lines extended from the banks of the Ebro to the brow of a steep hill on their right; and the Sixth, being formed in Major-General Wade's brigade, were destined to attack the enemy's right.

The sun had scarcely risen on the morning of the memorable 20th of August, 1710, when the guns of both armies opened a tremendous fire, and the deep tones of the artillery reverberated in the mountains and valleys. The allied army stood prepared for action, and King Charles rode along the ranks to stimulate the officers and men to deeds of heroism. The Sixth and other war-worn veterans in Wade's brigade excited his Majesty's attention: fatigue and privation had not quenched the native valour which glowed in their breasts and beamed in their sun-burnt countenances, and the King complimented the brigade as he passed. About mid-day, Lieut.-General Stanhope, whose conduct on this occasion excited applause[30], led forward a brigade of cavalry, and commenced the action by a gallant charge on the squadrons on the enemy's right; but the opposing horsemen having a great superiority of numbers, gained some advantage. Six squadrons of Portuguese dragoons in English pay, and clothed in scarlet uniforms, fled from the field; the French and Spanish troopers pursued with eagerness, and imagining they had routed the British cavalry, they concluded that victory was certain; but the British, Dutch, and Palatine foot, opposed to the enemy's right wing, were brought forward, and they soon gave a decisive turn to the fortune of the day. Advancing steadily up the rising ground, the Sixth, and three other battalions under Major-General Wade, gained the crest of the enemy's position, and while the dragoons fought with deadly fury in the vale below, the four regiments raised a British shout, and rushing upon a brigade of the enemy's foot, broke its ranks with a fearful crash. A few battalions made a resolute resistance, but were overpowered and nearly annihilated. While the Sixth were fighting on the high grounds on the left, the battle became general along the line; and eventually, King Charles gained a most decisive victory. The wreck of the opposing army fled from the field, leaving twenty-two pieces of cannon, a number of standards and colours, all their baggage, and King Philip's equipage and plate in possession of the victorious allied army. The behaviour of the British troops was applauded: they exhibited thirty standards and colours which they had captured from the enemy, as trophies of their valour; and were thanked by King Charles for the eminent service they had rendered to his cause. Colonel Thomas Harrison of the Sixth was sent to England with the news of this victory to Queen Anne[31].

King Philip fled in consternation and dismay, and the allied army advanced in triumph to the capital. A crisis had arrived, and the destiny of Spain appeared to depend on the speedy advance to Madrid of a body of British and Portuguese troops which were manœuvring on the frontiers of Portugal; but the Portuguese generals disappointed the hopes of the allies, and sent their troops into quarters. Meanwhile King Charles occupied Madrid with a small army; the enemy called to his aid additional troops; new armies and new generals appeared in Spain, and the forces of King Philip were soon so superior in numbers to the allies, that the latter were forced to retire from the capital towards Catalonia. King Charles consulted his own safety and proceeded to Barcelona, accompanied by a detachment of the royal dragoons. The army was pressed by the enemy in its retiring movements; the country people withheld supplies of provisions and forage, and availed themselves of every opportunity to attack small parties and to plunder the baggage. Thus harassed on every side—worn out with the fatigues of a long campaign—in a country hostile to their cause—exposed to inclement weather, and without tents—the condition of the soldiers may be more easily conceived than expressed. On the 6th of December, the Sixth and several other corps, forming the rear column on the left, under Lieut.-General Stanhope, arrived at the village of Brihuega, consisting of about a thousand houses, and situate on the side of a hill near the river. Here the troops halted on the following day, and at the moment when the officers and men were expecting orders to march, the village was surrounded by the French and Spanish forces under the Duke of Vendosme. The English, finding their retreat thus cut off, prepared for a vigorous defence; but unfortunately they had no artillery, and very little ammunition, and the ruinous old wall which surrounded the village was but a feeble bulwark to oppose to a powerful train of artillery. The enemy forced one of the gates with their cannon, made a practicable breach in the wall, and attacked the place by storm. But British courage did not quail before the host of foes by which the village was surrounded; and the enemy was driven back with great slaughter. A second attack was made: eight hundred French infantry gained access to the village, and a sharp conflict was maintained in the houses and streets; and when the English had expended all their ammunition, they hurled bricks, stones, and other missiles from the tops of the houses upon their opponents. But being pent up in a small village by a numerous army, and without ammunition, they were forced to surrender prisoners of war. Such was the fate of two thousand brave men, whose achievements are immortalized in history; and the veterans of the Sixth, who had so often signalized themselves, were consigned to surveillance and to prison: but their honour was preserved untarnished.