HISTORICAL RECORDS

OF

THE BRITISH ARMY.

GENERAL ORDERS.

HORSE-GUARDS,
1st January, 1836.

His Majesty has been pleased to command, that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following particulars, viz.,

And,

By Command of the Right Honourable

GENERAL LORD HILL,

Commanding-in-Chief.

John Macdonald,

Adjutant-General.

PREFACE.

The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.

Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honourable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication.

The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the "London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.

It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services.

This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regiment shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.

From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of war, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose.

In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,—on their sufferings,—and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved.

The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers.

In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services, and of acts of individual bravery, can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.

These Records are now preparing for publication, under His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.

There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps—an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great,—the valiant,—the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood, "firm as the rocks of their native shore;" and when half the World has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,—victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,—our brothers,—our fellow-citizens in arms,—a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public.

Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.

As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE TWELFTH,
OR
THE PRINCE OF WALES'S ROYAL REGIMENT
OF
LANCERS:

CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF

THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT

IN 1715,

AND OF

ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES

TO

1842.

ILLUSTRATED WITH A PLATE OF THE UNIFORM.

LONDON:

JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND.

M.DCCC.XLII.

LONDON:
HARRISON AND CO., PRINTERS,
ST. MARTIN'S LANE.

THE TWELFTH,

OR

THE PRINCE OF WALES'S ROYAL

LANCERS,

BEAR ON THEIR GUIDONS AND APPOINTMENTS

THE

"SPHINX," WITH THE WORD "EGYPT;"

"PENINSULA;" AND "WATERLOO;"

TO COMMEMORATE THEIR DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN
EGYPT IN 1801;

UNDER FIELD MARSHAL

HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON,

IN SPAIN AND THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, FROM 1811 TO 1814;
AND AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, ON THE
18TH OF JUNE, 1815.

CONTENTS.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE TWELFTH,

OR,

THE PRINCE OF WALES'S, ROYAL REGIMENT

OF

LANCERS.

On the 20th of January, 1715, King George I. proceeded in state to St. Paul's Cathedral, to return thanks for his peaceful accession to the throne of Great Britain and Ireland; but in a short time afterwards the tranquillity of the kingdom was disturbed by the rash proceedings of the adherents of the Stuart dynasty, who were conspiring to elevate the Pretender to the throne, in which they were abetted by the courts of Louis XIV. of France and of other foreign potentates. These proceedings occasioned the army to be augmented, and in July, 1715, Brigadier-General Phineas Bowles,—a warm-hearted loyalist, distinguished for his attachment to the house of Hanover,—who had acquired a reputation at the head of a regiment in the war of the Spanish succession, was commissioned to raise a corps of cavalry in the counties of Berks, Bucks, and Hants, having his general rendezvous at Reading.

His Majesty's appeal to his subjects was cheerfully responded to, and a number of loyalists coming forward to hazard their lives in defence of their King and constitution, Brigadier-General Bowles was soon at the head of a regiment of six troops, which, having been continued in the service to the present time, now bears the title of The Twelfth, or the Prince of Wales's, Royal Regiment of Lancers.

The following officers were appointed to commissions in the regiment:—

While the regiment was in quarters in Berkshire, the Pretender's standard was raised in Scotland by the Earl of Mar; but this rebellion was suppressed without Brigadier-General Bowles's dragoons being required to proceed to the north; in October they escorted a number of state prisoners to London, who were tried, and several of them executed for endeavouring to excite the people to rebellion, and for enlisting men for the Pretender's service.

In 1716 the regiment was stationed in Gloucestershire; in 1717 in Wiltshire; and in October, 1718, it marched to Bristol, where it embarked for Ireland, to replace a regiment of dragoons ordered to be disbanded in that country.

The Twelfth Dragoons were placed upon the Irish establishment, and they remained in that part of the United Kingdom during the following seventy-five years.

Brigadier-General Bowles was removed in March, 1719, to the Eighth Dragoons, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the Twelfth, by Lieut.-Colonel Phineas Bowles. This officer was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in 1735; to that of major-general in 1739, and was removed, in 1740, to the Seventh Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards, when King George II. conferred the colonelcy of the Twelfth Dragoons on Colonel Alexander Rose, from the Twentieth Foot.

Colonel Rose commanded the regiment until the summer of 1743, when he was succeeded by Colonel Samuel Walter Whitshed, from the Thirty-ninth Foot; and in April, 1746, Brigadier-General Thomas Bligh was appointed to the colonelcy of the regiment, from the Twentieth Foot.

Brigadier-General Bligh was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1747, and removed to the Second Irish Horse, now Fifth Dragoon Guards; and the colonelcy of the Twelfth Dragoons was conferred on Major-General Sir John Mordaunt, from the Eighteenth regiment of Foot. This distinguished officer was promoted to the Tenth Dragoons, in 1749, and was succeeded by Major-General Lord George Sackville, afterwards Viscount Sackville, from the Twentieth regiment of Foot.

On the 18th of January, 1750, Lord George Sackville was promoted to the Third Irish Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards; and the colonelcy of the Twelfth Dragoons was conferred on Lieut.-Colonel Sir John Whitefoord, Baronet, from the Thirty-fifth Foot.

King George II. issued, on the 1st of July, 1751, a warrant regulating the clothing, standards and colours of the several regiments, from which the following particulars have been extracted respecting the Twelfth Dragoons:—

Coats,—scarlet, double-breasted, without lapels, lined with white; slit sleeves, turned up with white; the button-holes ornamented with narrow white lace; the buttons flat, of white metal, set on two and two; a long slash pocket in each skirt; and a white worsted aiguillette on the right shoulder.

Waistcoats and Breeches,—white.

Hats,—bound with silver lace, and ornamented with a white metal loop and a black cockade; the forage cap red, turned up with white, and XII.D. on the little flap.

Boots,—of jacked leather.

Cloaks,—of scarlet cloth, with a white collar, and lined with white shalloon; the buttons set on two and two, on yellow frogs or loops, with a green stripe down the centre.

Horse Furniture,—of white cloth; the holster-caps and housings having a border of yellow lace, with a green stripe down the centre; XII.D. embroidered upon the housings, on a red ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles; the King's cipher, with the crown over it, and XII.D. underneath, embroidered upon the holster-caps.

Officers,—distinguished by silver lace and embroidery, and a crimson silk sash across the left shoulder.

Serjeants,—to have narrow silver lace on their cuffs, pockets, and shoulder-straps; silver aiguillettes, with green and yellow worsted sashes tied round their waists.

Drummers and Hautboys,—white coats, lined with scarlet, and ornamented with yellow lace with a green stripe down the centre; scarlet waistcoats and breeches.

Guidons,—the first, or King's guidon, to be of crimson silk, with a silver and green fringe; in the centre the rose and thistle conjoined, and crown over them, with the motto—Dieu et mon Droit, underneath; the white horse in a compartment in the first and fourth corners, and XII.D. in silver characters on a white ground, in the second and third corners: the second and third guidons to be of white silk; in the centre, XII.D. in silver characters, on a crimson ground, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk; the white horse on a red ground, in the first and fourth compartments; and the rose and thistle conjoined, upon a red ground, in the second and third compartments; on the third standard, a figure 3, on a circular red ground underneath the wreath.

Lieut.-General Sir John Whitefoord died in 1763; and was succeeded in the colonelcy by Colonel Edward Harvey, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the Sixth Dragoons. In the following year, this officer was removed to the Third Irish Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards, and the colonelcy of the Twelfth Dragoons was conferred on Major-General Benjamin Carpenter, from lieut.-colonel of the second troop, now second regiment, of Life Guards.

Although the necessity for maintaining an efficient military force in Ireland, had prevented the regiment sharing in the perils and conflicts of the war from 1741 to 1748, and from 1755 to 1762, during which periods several corps had acquired never-fading laurels, yet its excellent conduct during its service in Ireland had been noticed and appreciated; it was held in high estimation, and in 1768, King George III. conferred upon it the distinguished title of "The Prince of Wales's Regiment," in honor of the heir-apparent to the throne, afterwards King George IV., who was then in the seventh year of his age. At the same time the arms, clothing, and equipment were changed, and it was constituted a corps of "Light Cavalry," and was designated "The Twelfth, or The Prince of Wales's Regiment of Light Dragoons." The regiment was also permitted to assume as a regimental badge, a coronet, with three feathers, and the motto "Ich Dien;" also a rising sun, and a red dragon.

Major-General Carpenter was removed to the Fourth Dragoons in 1770, and was succeeded by Major-General William Augustus Pitt, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the Tenth Dragoons.

After commanding the regiment five years, Major-General Pitt was removed to the Third Irish Horse, now Sixth Dragoon Guards, and was succeeded by Lieut.-General the Honorable William Keppel, from the Fourteenth Foot, who died in 1782, when His Majesty appointed Lieut.-General the Honorable George Lane Parker, from the Twentieth Foot, to the colonelcy of the Prince of Wales's Light Dragoons.

In 1784 the uniform was changed from scarlet to blue, and in 1785 blue cloaks were adopted.

On the 25th June, 1789, Lieutenant the Honorable Arthur Wellesley, now Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington, was removed to the Twelfth Light Dragoons from the Forty-first Foot, and continued to belong to this regiment until the 30th June, 1791.

Lieut.-General Parker commanded the regiment nine years, and dying in the autumn of 1791, was succeeded by Colonel Sir James Steuart, Baronet, from the lieut.-colonelcy of the Fifth Dragoons.

The French revolution, which occurred at this period, occasioned the regiment to be withdrawn from Ireland, where it had been stationed seventy-five years, and to be employed in more active services. Although the King of France was beheaded, and the republicans maintained their authority by the terrors of the guillotine, yet many patriots stood forward in the cause of royalty, and the inhabitants of the celebrated port of Toulon,—the principal station of the French navy, delivered up their port and city to Admiral Lord Hood, who took possession in August, 1793, in the name of Louis XVII. A French army advanced against Toulon, which was defended by a few British, Spanish, Neapolitan, and Sardinian troops; succours were sent out, and the Twelfth Light Dragoons embarked for the Mediterranean. Toulon was, however, abandoned, and arrangements were made for attacking the island of Corsica; part of the regiment landed and was at the taking of Bastia, which surrendered on the 22nd of May, 1794; and an assembly of the deputies afterwards agreed to unite the island to Great Britain. The remainder of the regiment sailed to Italy, and landed at Civita Vecchia,—a fortified sea-port in the bay of the Tuscan sea,—and the conduct of the officers and soldiers attracted the notice of Pope Pius VI., whose thanks were communicated by Cardinal de Zelada, Secretary of State to His Holiness, in the following letter:—

The Twelfth Light Dragoons were withdrawn from Italy and Corsica, and, sailing to England, landed at Plymouth in January, 1795; they were stationed, during the summer, at Tavistock, and passed the winter at Nottingham.

In the summer of 1796 the regiment was removed to Croydon, and in October to York. The French republic was, in the mean time, conspiring the destruction of British commerce, and having concluded a treaty of peace with Spain, had entered into negociations with the Portuguese; but the Queen of Portugal refused to ratify the treaty, and agreed to receive British troops into several ports of Portugal. The Twelfth Light Dragoons were selected to proceed to Portugal, to assist in the defence of that kingdom, in the event of its being attacked by France or her allies.