The Project Gutenberg eBook of Historical Record of the Seventh Regiment, or the Royal Fusiliers, by Richard Cannon.

Edward Fitzpatrick was many years an officer of the Holland Regiment, now third foot or buffs, in which corps he rose to the rank of captain, and was so distinguished for a regular attention to duty, and for devotion to the Protestant interest, that at the revolution in 1688 he was promoted to the colonelcy of a regiment of foot (afterwards disbanded) with which he served in King William's wars. He was at the battle of Walcourt in 1689; and at the siege of Cork and Kinsale in 1690; and having signalized himself at the battle of Steenkirk in 1692, he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers. In 1693 he was wounded at the battle of Landen; and in 1694 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. In 1695 he commanded a brigade of infantry at the siege of Namur, and he acquired the confidence of his sovereign, and the esteem of his companions in arms. He was drowned on the 10th November, 1696.

Charles O'Hara was an officer of the English brigade in the Dutch service in the time of King Charles II., and commanded a company in the Earl of Ossory's regiment. He subsequently held a commission in the first foot guards, was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment, and was knighted by King William III. at Whitehall in 1689. He subsequently served under His Majesty in Flanders; was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1695, and was rewarded with the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers in 1696. On the breaking out of the war of the Spanish succession, he was advanced to the rank of major-general, and he commanded a brigade under the Duke of Ormond in the expedition against Cadiz in 1702, on which occasion he was charged with participating in the plunder of Port St. Mary's, and brought to trial, but acquitted: in 1704 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. In 1706 Queen Anne advanced him to the dignity of a peer of Ireland by the title of Baron of Tyrawley in the county of Mayo; and proceeding to Spain, he commanded the left wing of the allied army at the battle of Almanza, in 1707, where he was wounded. His Lordship was sworn a member of the privy council of Queen Anne in 1710; and also of King George I. in 1714; and in November, 1714, he was promoted to the rank of general. He had previously resigned the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers in favour of his son; and on the breaking out of the rebellion in 1715 he raised a regiment of foot in Ireland; this corps was, however, disbanded in 1718. He held, for several years, the appointment of commander-in-chief in Ireland; also the government of Minorca, and of the Royal Hospital near Dublin. He died on the 8th of June, 1724.

The Hon. James O'Hara was appointed lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers, commanded by his father, on the 15th of March, 1703, and in 1706 he proceeded with his regiment to the relief of Barcelona. In the following year he served on the staff of the army in Spain, and was wounded at the battle of Almanza, where, it is said, he was instrumental in saving the Earl of Galway's life. He served several years at Minorca, and in 1713 he succeeded his father in the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers. In 1721 King George I. advanced him to the dignity of Baron of Kilmaine; and in 1724 he succeeded his father in the title of Baron of Tyrawley, and was sworn a member of the privy council in the same year. The rank of brigadier-general was conferred on his lordship on the 23rd of November, 1735; that of major-general on the 2nd of July, 1739; and in August of the latter year he was removed from the Royal Fusiliers to the fifth horse, now fourth dragoon guards. In March, 1743, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and in the following month obtained the colonelcy of the second troop of horse grenadier guards, from which he was removed, in 1745, to the third troop of life guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of Gold Stick. In 1746, when King George II. had resolved to disband the third and fourth troops of life guards, his lordship was removed to the tenth foot; he was again removed, in 1749, to the fourteenth dragoons; in 1752, to the third dragoons; and, in 1755, to the second, or Coldstream regiment of foot guards. He was appointed governor of Portsmouth on the 1st of May, 1759, and was promoted to the rank of general on the 7th of March, 1761. He held the appointment of governor of Minorca for several years; and was employed as envoy and ambassador to the courts of Portugal and Russia. He died at Twickenham on the 13th of July, 1773.

This Officer entered the army in April, 1694, and served under King William in Flanders. He also served with distinction in the wars of Queen Anne; was major of the thirty-sixth regiment, with the rank of colonel in the army, at the battle of Dumblain in 1715; and in 1730 he was appointed to the colonelcy of the thirty-first foot: from which he was removed to the ninth foot in 1737, and in 1739 King George II. gave him the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers, which he retained until his decease in January, 1751.

John Mostyn obtained a commission in the army in February, 1732; he rose to the rank of captain in the thirty-first foot, and was appointed captain-lieutenant in the second foot guards in 1742. He served with his regiment on the continent; was wounded at the battle of Fontenoy, and in December, 1747, he was appointed aide-de-camp to the King, who gave him the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers in 1751. In 1754 he was removed to the thirteenth dragoons; in 1757 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General; in 1758 he obtained the colonelcy of the fifth dragoons, and was removed to the seventh dragoons in 1760. He had previously been promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and he highly distinguished himself at the head of the British cavalry in Germany in numerous actions and skirmishes in 1759, and the three succeeding years. In 1763 he obtained the colonelcy of the first dragoon guards, and he was promoted to the rank of general in 1772. He died in 1779.

Lord Robert Bertie, son of the Duke of Ancaster, entered the army in July, 1737, as ensign in the second foot guards, and in 1744 he was promoted to the rank of captain and lieutenant-colonel. He was wounded at the battle of Fontenoy in 1745, and appointed aide-de-camp to the King in 1752: in 1754 he obtained the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers. He accompanied his regiment on board the fleet in 1756, and was in the engagement off the island of Minorca. In 1758 he was promoted to the rank of major-general; in 1760 to that of lieutenant-general; in 1776 he obtained the colonelcy of the second troop (now second regiment) of life guards; and was promoted to the rank of general in 1777. He died in 1782.

This Officer entered the army in the reign of George II. He saw much service; and on the augmentation, in 1755, he was appointed major of the fiftieth foot. In 1761 he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers, and the zeal and attention with which he performed the duties of commanding officer during the succeeding fifteen years was rewarded with the colonelcy of the regiment in 1776. In 1777 he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in 1782 to that of lieutenant-general. He died in 1788.

This Officer was appointed captain in the sixteenth light dragoons in 1759; he subsequently held the commission of major in the eighty-fourth, and lieutenant-colonel in the one hundred and fifth regiment, which was disbanded at the peace in 1763. In 1777 he was appointed colonel of the eighty-first regiment, and was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1781: in 1783 his regiment was disbanded; in 1787 he was appointed colonel commandant in the sixtieth, and in 1788 he obtained the colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers, from which he was removed in the following year to the seventy-first regiment. In 1793 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general. He obtained the colonelcy of the twenty-first regiment in 1803, which he retained until his decease in 1816.

During the early part of this century the Royal Fusiliers had the honour of being commanded by a Prince who was distinguished alike for his social and military virtues:—namely, Prince Edward, afterwards Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the father of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen Victoria.

Prince Edward, fourth son of His Majesty King George III., was born on the 2nd of November, 1767. Being destined for the profession of arms, in the eighteenth year of his age he proceeded to Germany for the completion of his studies, and resided successively at Lunenberg and Hanover, and was appointed, on the 30th of May, 1786, colonel of the Hanoverian Guards. During the succeeding year he removed to Geneva, and while pursuing his studies at this place, His Majesty conferred upon him the Colonelcy of the 7th Royal Fusiliers. Early in 1790 he returned to England; and after passing a few days with his family he embarked, in obedience to the King's commands, for Gibraltar, in order to acquire a knowledge of garrison duty under Major-General O'Hara. While at Gibraltar he commanded for several months the 2nd, or Queen's Regiment, until the arrival of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, as a reinforcement to the garrison, in August, 1790. In 1791 he sailed with his regiment from Gibraltar for Quebec; and while serving in Canada he was promoted to the rank of major-general. From North America he proceeded, during the winter of 1793-4, through the United States to Boston, where he embarked for the West Indies, and joined the army under General Sir Charles Grey, at the commencement of the siege of Fort Bourbon, in the island of Martinique, and commanded the detached camp at La Coste, above Point Petre. During the several attacks His Royal Highness's conduct excited the admiration of the army; his life was frequently exposed to the most imminent peril; and his aides-de-camp, Captain, the late General Sir Frederick Wetherall, and Lieutenant Vesey, were wounded near his Royal Highness's person.[27] In compliment to the gallantry evinced by His Royal Highness on this occasion, the lower fort, called Fort Royal, was subsequently named Fort Edward.

After the capture of Martinique the array proceeded to St. Lucie; and His Royal Highness commanded the grenadier brigade, which, in conjunction with the light infantry brigade, under Major-General Thomas Dundas, formed the storming-party which carried Morné Fortuné. From St. Lucie the army proceeded to the island of Guadaloupe; and the flank companies were detached under Prince Edward and Major-General Dundas, who succeeded in gaining possession of Morné Marscot, and Fleur D'Epée, commanding Point à Petre. His conduct during this course of active and perilous service again excited admiration, and His Royal Highness received the thanks of Parliament. After the capture of the French West India Islands [28] His Royal Highness returned to North America, and was shortly afterwards appointed Commander of the Forces in Nova Scotia and its dependencies. On the 12th of January, 1796, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General; and, having returned to England on account of ill health, he was created, on the 23rd of April, 1799, Earl of Dublin, in Ireland, and Duke of Kent and Strathearn, in Great Britain; in the following month he was promoted to the rank of General, and appointed Commander-in-Chief of all the forces in British North America. On his return to North America his arrival was greeted by all ranks; and during his stay in that country he introduced numerous improvements in the system of conducting public business. In August, 1800, His Royal Highness returned to England; and in the following year he was appointed to the Colonelcy of the Royal Regiment of Foot. In 1802 he was appointed Governor of the important fortress of Gibraltar, whither he immediately proceeded. His habits were abstemious and regular; and he was himself a model of that strict attention to duty and discipline which he required from others; but while attempting to effect the removal of several long existing abuses and irregularities, His Royal Highness experienced that opposition which has attended every attempt to remedy evils, when the private interests and privileges of individuals are concerned. The Duke of Kent returned in 1803 to England, where he continued to reside upwards of fifteen years. He was promoted to the rank of Field-Marshal on the 5th of September, 1805; he was also elected a Knight of the Garter, constituted a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath, and appointed Keeper and Ranger of Hampton Court Park.

During the period His Royal Highness resided in England, the Royal Regiment of Foot experienced the advantage of his constant care and anxiety for its interests, and of his influence in the kingdom; and the service was benefited by the care he bestowed in the introduction of regimental schools. His concern, however, embraced the welfare of all His Majesty's subjects, and there was scarcely a public charity in the metropolis which did not derive benefit from his patronage, personal eloquence, and contributions, and over many he presided. His private acts of benevolence in the cases of widows and orphans who were known to His Royal Highness as deserving objects of relief were very numerous, and the instances of his charity and philanthropy were attested by the grateful acknowledgments of those who had no claim on His Royal Highness's bounty beyond the circumstance of a husband, father, or other relative having performed faithful service under his command. The provision made by His Majesty's Government for His Royal Highness had not been equal to his necessary expenditure to support the dignity of a Prince of the royal blood; particularly for the periods he was on foreign service; and in 1816 economical views induced him to proceed to the Continent. In May, 1818, he was married at Coburg, according to the Lutheran rites, to Her Serene Highness Victoria Maria Louisa, youngest daughter of the late reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg. Shortly after the solemnities the royal pair proceeded to England, and were remarried at Kew Palace on the 11th of July, 1818, according to the rites of the Church of England. In a few weeks after this ceremony the Duke returned with his bride to the Continent; in the succeeding year they revisited England; and on the 24th of May, 1819, the Duchess gave birth, at Kensington Palace, to a daughter, named Alexandrina Victoria, Her present Majesty.

In a few months after this happy event this amiable Prince, whose social, private, and public virtues endeared him to his family and friends, and procured him a place in the affections of the British people, was attacked by pulmonary inflammation, produced by accidental cold, and he died at his temporary residence at Sidmouth on the 23rd of January, 1820. The remains of His Royal Highness were removed from Sidmouth and deposited in the royal vault at St. George's Chapel, in Windsor Castle, on the 12th of February, 1820, with the usual honours and solemnity observed at the funerals of the members of the Royal family.

Alured Clarke was appointed ensign of the fiftieth foot in 1755, and lieutenant of the same corps in 1760. He served under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany, in the Seven Years' War; and was appointed to the command of a company in the fifth foot in 1767; in 1771 he was promoted to the majority of the fifty-fourth regiment, and in 1777 to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers, with which corps he served in America, and obtained the rank of colonel in 1781. In 1790 he was promoted to the rank of major-general, and in 1794 he was rewarded with the colonelcy of the fifth foot. In 1795 he commanded the land force at the capture of the Cape of Good Hope; his services were afterwards transferred to the East Indies, in which country he obtained the local rank of lieutenant-general in 1796, and he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in the army in 1797. In 1801 he was removed to the Royal Fusiliers, and in 1802 he was promoted to the rank of general: he was advanced to the rank of field-marshal on the 22nd July, 1830. He died in 1832.

FOOTNOTES:

[27] When Prince Edward was ordered to storm Morné, Tartisson, and Fort Royal on the 17th March, 1794, he placed himself at the head of his brigade of grenadiers, and addressed them as follows:—"Grenadiers! This is St. Patrick's day; the English will do their duty in compliment to the Irish, and the Irish in compliment to the Saint!—Forward Grenadiers!"

[28] In commemoration of the important captures in the West Indies, at the period above stated, an anniversary dinner takes place at the United Service Club on the 17th of March (St. Patrick's day), as it was on that Saint's day his late Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, at the head of his grenadier brigade, carried Fort Royal by escalade, when both his aides-de-camp, General Sir Frederick Wetherall, and the late Major-General Vesey, were severely wounded close to his Royal Highness. The following officers attended on the 17th March, 1838:—The Marquis of Thomond, General Viscount Lorton, Admiral Lord Colville, General Sir Lowry Cole, G.C.B., General Lord Howden, G.C.B., General Sir Fitzroy Maclean, Bart., Lieutenant-General Sir H. S. Keating, K.C.B., Sir William Pym, K.C.H., and Major-General Reeves, C.B. All these officers, with the exception of the Admiral, served in the Grenadier brigade under the orders of their illustrious commander, His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent.

London: Printed by W. Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street,
For Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Footnote [19] is referenced from inside Footnote [18].

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example, daylight, day-light; muskets, musquets; fusil; piquets; intrusted.

Pg 25, 'posts of Ticonderago' replaced by 'posts of Ticonderoga'.
Pg 33, 'unexpected even' replaced by 'unexpected event'.
Pg 78, the number '166' was missing and has been added into the table.
Pg 107, 'April, 1774' replaced by 'April, 1694'.
Pg 113, 'in the the Seven' replaced by 'in the Seven'.