It was the practice at this period in all the armies of Europe to form battalions of Grenadiers of the different regiments composing the force in the field; it was their privilege to lead upon all arduous occasions, when they were ever conspicuous, and suffered the most. The grenadier company of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment brought only eleven men out of the field of Fontenoy, of the seventy-five that it took into action, and its captain and subalterns were killed.

The THIRTY-FIRST regiment had Lieut.-Colonel Montague, Captains Baird and Pollock, Lieutenant Dalway, four serjeants, and one hundred and twenty-five rank and file killed; Lieutenants Stafford and Porter, Ensigns Worsley, Bromley, and Freeman, six serjeants, and one hundred and thirty rank and file, wounded.

Tournay made a gallant defence until the 21st of June, when it surrendered to Marshal Saxe.

After the battle of Fontenoy the Allied army encamped at Lessines and Grammont, when a demonstration being made by the French to attack the Confederates, it was concentrated at the latter place, in order to receive them. After exchanging a few cannon-shots, the enemy withdrew, showing a disposition to surround the Allies, which determined the Duke of Cumberland to fall back on Brussels.

The Confederate generals suspected that the French would make an attempt upon Ghent, and therefore despatched Lieut.-General Baron de Molck to Ghent to reinforce the garrison of that fortress. The troops appointed for this service were Sir Robert Rich’s (fourth) dragoons, three squadrons of Slipperbach’s dragoons, and two squadrons of the regiments of Ligne and Styrum, and seven hundred hussars; with a battalion of the Royal regiment of foot, and Bligh’s and Handasyd’s regiments (Twentieth and THIRTY-FIRST foot); in all about four thousand men.

The Baron de Molck led his column along the cause-way of Alost, until he reached the Priory of Melle (Pas du Mésle), when it was suddenly assailed by a volley from two batteries near the priory, and the next moment from ten to fifteen thousand French sprang from their concealment among the trees and surrounded the detachment. The Baron de Molck attacked them with such resolution, that he forced a passage, and arrived safely in Ghent with the fourth dragoons, the Royals, and the hussars. Brigadier Bligh, finding it impossible to follow the Lieut.-General, drew off to the right with his own regiment (the 20th), the THIRTY-FIRST, and the Austrian and Dutch dragoons, forced a passage through the enemy, gained an adjacent wood, and retired thence to Dendermond, twelve miles east of Ghent. The loss of the Allies amounted to about six hundred men. This action, which was fought on the 9th of July, is called by the French the combat of La Mésle. In the account of this affair published at the time, it was stated that “our troops behaved with incredible bravery, and have acquired immortal honor.” Ghent was shortly afterwards taken by the French.

The allied army remained entrenched between Antwerp and Brussels until the French Marshal had reduced the chief fortified places in Austrian Flanders.[17]

On the 2nd of September the Grand-Duke of Tuscany was elected Emperor of Germany, by the title of Francis I. At this period the rebellion in Scotland began to assume a formidable aspect. Prince Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pretender, who had arrived in the Highlands towards the end of July, had been joined by several clans, and on the 16th of September proclaimed his father King of Great Britain, at Edinburgh. The success gained over the Royal army, under Lieutenant-General Sir John Cope, at Preston-Pans, on the 21st of September, caused numerous adherents to flock to the Prince’s standard.

Several regiments were in consequence recalled from the Continent, and the THIRTY-FIRST, with other corps, arrived in the river Thames on the 25th of October.[18]

The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, which had been much reduced by its casualties during the campaigns in Flanders, did not proceed to Scotland, but remained in the vicinity of London. The young Pretender marched as far as Derby, from whence he commenced his retreat to the north on the 6th of December, as he found but few partisans in England to join him in his expedition.

On the 16th of April, 1746, a decisive blow was given to the hopes of the Pretender by the defeat of the rebels at Culloden. Prince Charles, after enduring many hardships, escaped to France.

Several regiments were now ordered to return to Flanders, but the THIRTY-FIRST remained in Great Britain. On the 2nd of July, 1747, the Duke of Cumberland engaged the French at Laffeld, or Val, where the Allies suffered severely from the misconduct of the Dutch troops.

In the summer of 1748 the Allies again took the field, but hostilities were at length terminated by the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which was signed on the 7th of October, 1748. By it all the great treaties, from that of Westphalia in 1648, which first recognised the principle of a balance of power in Europe, to that of Vienna in 1738 were renewed and confirmed. Prussia retained Silesia, and the Empress-Queen, Maria Theresa, was guaranteed in the possession of her hereditary dominions, according to the Pragmatic Sanction. France surrendered her conquests in Flanders, and England those in the East and West Indies; all therefore Great Britain gained by the war was the glory of having supported the German sovereignty of Maria Theresa, and of having adhered to former treaties.

Colonel Henry Holmes was appointed by King George II. to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment on the 8th of May, 1749, in succession to Colonel Lord Henry Beauclerk, who retired from the service.

In the year 1749 the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was embarked for Minorca, where it remained for the three following years.

In the Royal Warrant, dated the 1st of July, 1751, for ensuring uniformity in the clothing, standards, and colours of the army, and regulating the number and rank of regiments, the facings of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment were directed to be Buff. The first, or King’s colour, was the Great Union; the second, or Regimental colour, was of Buff silk, with the Union in the upper canton; in the centre of the colour the number of the rank of the regiment, in gold Roman characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk.

In 1752 the regiment returned to England from Minorca.

During the years 1753 and 1754 the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was stationed in England.

In the year 1755 the regiment proceeded to Scotland, in which country it remained for seven years.

While the regiment was stationed in North Britain, the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle was interrupted by the aggressions of the French on the British territory in North America, and early in 1756 the King of France prepared a powerful armament for the capture of the island of Minorca. In consequence of this attack on Minorca, hostilities became inevitable on the part of Great Britain, and on the 18th of May war was declared against France.

The garrison of Minorca, consisting of the 4th, 23rd, 24th, and 34th regiments, after making a noble and vigorous defence, which called forth the unqualified admiration of their opponents, was forced to surrender on the 29th of June.

At this period the army and navy were increased, and among other augmentations, fifteen of the regiments of infantry were authorised to raise second battalions from the 25th of August, 1756.

In 1758 these additional battalions were formed into distinct corps, and numbered from the sixty-first to the seventy-fifth regiment. By this arrangement, the second battalion of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was constituted the present Seventieth regiment.[19]

The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, having been selected to remain in the United Kingdom, was precluded from taking a part in The Seven Years’ War, the most memorable occurrences of which were, the battle of Plassey, gained in India by Colonel Clive, on the 23rd of June, 1757, which laid the foundation of the British dominion in India; in Germany, the battle of Minden, which was fought on the 1st of August, 1759; in North America, the capture of Cape Breton, in July, 1758; and the capture of Quebec, in September, 1759, which cost the life of the gallant General Wolfe, but which led to the conquest of Canada in the following year, when Montreal, with the whole of that country, surrendered to General Amherst, in September, 1760.

In Germany several hard-fought but indecisive actions occurred: the battle of Warbourg, on the 31st of July, 1760; the action near the Convent of Campen, on the 16th of October following; and the battle of Kirch Denkern, or Fellinghausen, on the 15th and 16th of July, 1761. In the following year actions were fought at Wilhelmstahl and at Amonebourg; the former on the 24th of June, and the latter on the 21st of September.

On the 4th of January, 1762, war was declared against Spain; and Martinique, Grenada, St. Vincent, and other West India islands surrendered to English valour. The important city of Havannah, in Cuba, also capitulated to the British arms.

These successes were followed by a Treaty of Peace, the preliminary articles of which were signed at Fontainebleau, by the Duke of Bedford, on the 3rd of November, 1762.

In June, 1762, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment proceeded from Scotland to England, where it was stationed during the two following years.

On the 20th of August, 1762, Colonel James Adolphus Oughton, from the fifty-fifth regiment, was appointed by His Majesty King George III. to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, in succession to Lieutenant-General Henry Holmes, deceased.

The treaty of Fontainebleau was concluded at Paris on the 10th of February, the ratifications were exchanged on the 10th of March, and peace was proclaimed in London on the 22nd of that month.

By this treaty, the whole of Canada, part of Louisiana, together with Cape Breton, and the other islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, were ceded to Great Britain. In the West Indies, the islands of Tobago, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Grenada were retained by Great Britain; but Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marigalante, and St. Lucia were restored to France. In the East Indies, the French obtained the restitution of their settlements, but agreed not to erect any fortifications in Bengal. Minorca was restored to England in exchange for Belle-Isle, which had been captured by the British in 1761, and it was stipulated that the fortifications of Dunkirk should be demolished. Spain ceded East and West Florida to Great Britain, in return for the restitution of the Havannah, Manilla, and all the places which Spain had lost since the commencement of the war.

In this year the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was embarked for Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, which country had been ceded to Great Britain by Spain at the peace of Fontainebleau; on the passage out, the transport having the regiment on board put into Blue-field Bay, Jamaica, at the time the yellow fever was raging with great violence in that island; the THIRTY-FIRST took the infection, and unfortunately carried it to Pensacola, where the soldiers continued to suffer most severely; so great was the mortality, and so rapid the disease in its course, that the regiment could not supply men to carry their comrades to the grave. The men who attended the funerals of their brother soldiers in the morning, while the regiment was strong enough to preserve some ceremony, were, in many instances, consigned to the tomb in the evening. It appears by the newspapers of the period, in which allusion is made to the mortality, that at one period of its illness the regiment could muster only a corporal and six men for duty.

The regiment remained in the Floridas, garrisoning alternately St. Augustine and Pensacola, the capitals of East and West Florida, until the autumn of 1772, when it was embarked for St. Vincent, to take part in reducing to submission the refractory Caribs in that island.

The island of St. Vincent was captured from the French, in 1762, and was ceded to Great Britain at the peace concluded in the following year; it contained two tribes of natives, called the red and black Caribs, the former being the aborigines, and the latter having sprung from a cargo of African slaves, who escaped from a vessel which was wrecked on the island. The Caribs were devoted to the French interest; they were dangerous and troublesome neighbours to the English planters, and it was found necessary to restrain their conduct, and enforce obedience to a few salutary regulations. They were, however, of a resolute spirit, possessed many thickly wooded fastnesses, and resisted all attempts to restrain their roving propensities and mode of life with such determination, that it became necessary to augment the military force on the island. Although they were contemptible opponents in skill, yet the nature of the climate, and the natural difficulties of the country, being thickly wooded where they inhabited, rendered the service extremely tedious and arduous.

On the 14th of January, 1773, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment fell into an ambuscade, and sustained some loss; the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Walsh, was among the killed.

After the troops had been in the woods for some months, they at length succeeded, in February, 1774, in bringing the Caribs to terms, who agreed to acknowledge the sovereignty of Great Britain, but were permitted to preserve their own laws and customs.

Thus terminated the Carib war. The THIRTY-FIRST regiment returned to England, and was subsequently stationed in North Britain.

At this period the unfortunate misunderstanding between Great Britain and her American colonies, on the subject of taxation, produced open hostilities. On the 19th of April the first collision occurred at Lexington, and on the 17th of June following the battle of Bunker’s Hill was fought. During the winter Quebec was besieged by an American Army: this fortress was gallantly defended by the troops under Lieut.-General Guy Carleton, and reinforcements were ordered to proceed from England to Canada.

The THIRTY-FIRST regiment proceeded from Glasgow to Cork, whence it embarked for Canada in April, as part of the army under Major-General Burgoyne. The transports arrived at Quebec on the 28th of May, shortly after the defeat of the Americans by a sortie of the garrison. Lieut.-General Carleton had pursued the enemy up the river St. Lawrence, and Major-General Burgoyne’s force remained only one night at anchor below Quebec, where orders had been left for him to follow. He joined at Trois Rivières; part of the army disembarked and immediately occupied the villages adjacent to their post on the road to Montreal. On the 8th of June the Americans attempted to surprise the post of Trois Rivières, having passed the river from Sorel with two thousand men.

Brigadier-General Fraser, who commanded at the post of Trois Rivières, gave the foe a ready reception, with such men as he could collect, and, being soon supported from the cantonments and the transports, put the Americans to the rout. The troops pursued the fugitives along the shore, while the shipping sailed up the river and intercepted their flight. Major-General Thompson, the American General, with many officers, and two hundred men, were taken prisoners.

On the 14th of June the flotillas and the force on shore reached Sorel, which the colonists had evacuated a few hours before; Major-General Burgoyne continued the pursuit as far as St. John’s, where the troops from the transports under Major-General Phillips joined him, and soon afterwards an additional reinforcement under Brigadier-General Fraser.

All hope of accommodation now failed; on the 4th of July the American Congress issued their Declaration of Independence, and abjured their allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain. By this Declaration the name of colonies was abolished, and the thirteen provinces, namely, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, were constituted the United States of America.

The whole of Major-General Burgoyne’s army was assembled by the end of July at St. John’s, where it remained encamped during the naval operations on Lake Champlain. After the defeat of the American fleet, on the 11th of October, the weather becoming too severe for further operations in the field, the troops returned to Canada. The posts occupied by the THIRTY-FIRST regiment during the winter were Sorel, St. Charles, St. Denis, St. Anthony, and St. Ours.

Major-General Burgoyne, who had proceeded to England to submit to the Government a plan for the ensuing campaign, arrived in Canada in May, 1777, empowered to carry it out. An army, composed of British, Dutch, and Colonial Corps, with the flank companies of the regiments left to garrison Quebec (among which was the THIRTY-FIRST regiment), amounting to nearly eight thousand men, was equipped and in the field by the 1st of July.

The flank companies of the THIRTY-FIRST, commanded by Captains Cotton and Simpson, formed, with the other flank companies and the twenty-fourth regiment, the advance of the army under Brigadier-General Fraser. Ticonderago was first attacked, and the Provincials were forced to evacuate that post.

Major-General Burgoyne’s plan was to penetrate the United States from Lake Champlain to the river Hudson, and advance upon Albany, with the view of reducing that country to submission. While Major-General Burgoyne moved towards the lake by Skenesborough, a short distance inland from South Bay, where an action occurred on the 6th of July, Brigadier-General Fraser, with the advance, followed the Provincial troops towards Castleton, and on the following day commenced an action by detaching his light companies to occupy a height commanding their flank. The American General observing this movement detached a force to prevent the British obtaining possession of this post. A sharp action ensued, and the Americans retreated with much loss to Huberton, where, meeting with a reinforcement, they made a stand in good order. Brigadier-General Fraser attacked them with great vigour, but not having half their number, made no impression upon them, until Major-General Reidesel, commanding the Dutch, arrived, when their flank being turned, the Americans retreated, leaving two hundred dead on the field, among whom was Colonel Francis, their commander.

The flank companies were hotly engaged in this affair. Brigadier-General Fraser had but 850 men in the beginning of the day, while the enemy amounted to 2000.

When Major-General Burgoyne joined, he pursued the Americans to Fort Anne and Fort Edward, notwithstanding the natural difficulties of the road, which the enemy increased by every possible means that could be devised. The Americans retreated from Fort Edward to Saratoga, and abandoning Fort George, left the navigation of Lake George open to Major-General Burgoyne.

General Arnold was now appointed to command the Americans in the British front, and, forming at Saratoga, fell back to Stillwater. Major-General Burgoyne remained at Fort Edward in great want of provisions and of means to advance; a detachment sent to procure supplies was completely cut off at Bennington, while Lieut.-Colonel St. Leger was compelled to raise the siege of Fort Stanwix, leaving behind his equipage and baggage.

The Americans, greatly elated by these circumstances, had assembled a large body under Major-General Gates at Stillwater. Small parties having been detached to Lieut.-General Burgoyne’s[20] rear, were in some measure successful, and his communication being thus threatened, notwithstanding his difficulties, arising from want of resources, he resolved to advance, and at all hazards to attempt a junction with the troops under Lieut.-General Sir Henry Clinton, taking with him thirty days’ provisions. Lieut.-General Burgoyne crossed the river Hudson on the 13th and 14th of September by a bridge of rafts, which had once been swept away, and on the 18th arrived at Stillwater, before the enemy’s position, which he attacked at two o’clock in the afternoon of the 19th of September, when a severe and indecisive action ensued. Both parties held their respective positions, and entrenched themselves within them. The British General, confined between two rivers by a stronger force than his own, continued within his lines and redoubts until the 7th of October, and when nearly destitute of provisions, determined to make another effort to extricate his troops; 1500 British, with twelve pieces of artillery, commanded by Lieut.-General Burgoyne in person, moved in advance towards the American position, and formed his right wing, while a body of light companies and Indians were placed under cover to act upon the enemy’s rear when he should be sufficiently advanced. General Gates, observing this separation of wings, instantly attacked the left wing with a view to cut off all chance of a junction; the British grenadiers were in this wing, and behaved with great gallantry. General Arnold attacked the British right, and Brigadier-General Fraser threw the light companies into a second line, in rear of the right wing, to cover its retreat upon the left. While this movement was taking place, the left of the right wing doubled to the rear. Brigadier-General Fraser led the light infantry to its support, but was mortally wounded; not, however, before his brave troops gave the right wing time to recover, and secured Lieut.-General Burgoyne’s retreat to his camp. The Americans pushed on, and obtained an entrance into the British lines: night put an end to the action.

During the night Lieut.-General Burgoyne removed his position to higher ground in his rear. General Gates distributed his corps to surround the British, and Lieut.-General Burgoyne once more tried a new position, retiring on Saratoga, and abandoning his baggage and provisions, as well as his hospital with 300 sick. He reached Saratoga safely, the Americans having been delayed in their pursuit by bad weather: a detachment, sent to observe the British, succeeded in reaching the place, but withdrew on the appearance of Lieut.-General Burgoyne’s force. Sending a detachment with workmen to examine and repair the roads, Lieut.-General Burgoyne resolved to continue his retreat to Fort George. The detachment, which was of regular troops, had scarcely marched, when the Americans appeared in force; it was instantly recalled, and the hope of rendering the roads passable for artillery was abandoned. The British patrols reported that every avenue of escape was in possession of the enemy; the men were worn down with fatigue and hunger, having been for some time on a reduced allowance, and but three days’ provisions remained. Under these circumstances Lieut.-General Burgoyne was constrained to treat with Major-General Gates, and obtaining honorable terms, capitulated on the 17th of October. The troops, of which the grenadier and light companies of the THIRTY-FIRST formed part, laid down their arms on condition of being sent to England; and they engaged not to serve again in North America during the war.

The American government violated the conditions of the convention, and detained the troops until the year 1781.

In 1778 the French monarch sent a numerous fleet under the Count D’Estaing, having on board a large body of troops, to the assistance of the Americans; in 1779 the court of Spain commenced hostilities against Great Britain, and this example was followed by the Dutch.

Major-General Thomas Clarke, from the Coldstream Guards, was appointed, on the 3rd of May, 1780, to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, in succession to Lieut.-General Sir James Adolphus Oughton, K.B., deceased.

The battalion companies of the regiment had remained in Canada, where they eventually were joined by the flank companies. On the 12th of March, 1781, the light company was detached to Lake Champlain, with a view of reconnoitring the neighbourhood, and effecting the destruction of the military stores left at Ticonderago by Lieut.-General Burgoyne. The object was partly accomplished, and Captain Andrew Ross, who commanded the company, gained great credit for the skill and conduct he displayed in this difficult enterprise. The party consisted, in addition to the light company of the THIRTY-FIRST, of men selected from the different Provincial corps, with a few Indians. It was in the spring of the year, when the ice was breaking up, and the operations were attended with difficulties and great privations. The men suffered so severely from fatigue, that the Provincials and Indians dropped off by degrees, and the party was reduced, on its return, to the light company only.

During July the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was encamped on the Plain of Abraham, memorable as the scene of the British victory over the French under the Marquis de Montcalm, on the 13th September, 1759, by which Quebec was gained to England, and in which battle the celebrated Major-General Wolfe lost his life.

In October, 1781, the British army under Lieut.-General the Earl Cornwallis, after a gallant defence against the combined French and American forces, was compelled to surrender to General Washington at York-Town. The enormous expense of carrying on the war with America, so distant from the seat of preparation and power, with the other evils attending this memorable and ever-to-be regretted contest, were so apparent, that the desire for peace became general, and King George III. at length conceded the Independence of the United States. The Preliminary Articles of Peace were signed at Paris on the 30th of November, 1782, by the Commissioners of the King of Great Britain and by those of the American Congress, and the Treaty was concluded in the ensuing February.

While the THIRTY-FIRST was stationed in Canada, a letter, dated the 31st of August, 1782, conveyed to the regiment His Majesty’s pleasure that County-titles should be given to the regiments of infantry, and the THIRTY-FIRST was directed to assume the name of the Huntingdonshire regiment, in order that a connexion between the corps and that county should be cultivated, which might be useful in furthering the success of the recruiting service.

The preliminaries of the treaties between England, France, and Spain, were signed at Versailles on the 20th of January, 1783. St. Lucia was restored to France, also the settlements on the river Senegal, and the city of Pondicherry in the East Indies. France relinquished all her West India conquests, with the exception of Tobago; Spain retained Minorca (which she had captured in the previous year) and West Florida; East Florida was ceded in exchange for the restitution of the Bahamas to Great Britain.

On the 2nd of September, 1783, were signed the Preliminary Articles of Peace with Holland, the peace with that country having been postponed in consequence of the Dutch claiming an indemnification for the expenses of the war, and the restoration of Trincomalee, in Ceylon, which had been captured from the Dutch by the English, in January, 1782, and retaken by the French in August following. The place was, however, restored to Holland.

After eleven years’ service in North America, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked, on the 4th of October, 1787, at Quebec, and on the 7th of November landed at Portsmouth.

During the two following years the regiment remained in Great Britain.

In the year 1789 was effected the French Revolution; the Bastile was stormed by the Parisians on the 14th of July, and the Governor put to death. The National Assembly passed several decrees abolishing all the relies of the feudal system. On the 20th of August a declaration of rights was agreed on to serve as the basis of the French constitution. A national force was embodied, and no vestige of the old government remained, except a King without power, and a Court without splendour.

In the summer of 1789 two British vessels were seized by the commander of a Spanish frigate at Nootka Sound, on the western coast of North America, where a settlement had recently been established for carrying on the fur-trade with the natives. The settlement was taken possession of by Spain, and the British crews were made prisoners. The Government, on receiving this intelligence, called upon the Court of Madrid to make satisfaction for these injuries, and great preparations were made for war by both countries.

Accordingly in July, 1790, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked at Spithead on board the fleet to perform its original service of Marines, in the event of a war with Spain, which appeared probable. The negotiations were protracted to a considerable length of time, but on the 28th of October a convention was entered into, by which Spain agreed to make reparation for the injuries sustained, and to restore Nootka.

In July, 1791, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment was sent hastily to Birmingham, to aid in the suppression of very serious disturbances, which broke out there in consequence of the celebration of the anniversary of the French Revolution, on the 14th of July, 1791, by a party of the “Friends of Freedom,” at a tavern. The populace destroyed the house and chapel of Dr. Priestley, the eminent philosopher, and burned many of the dwellings of those suspected to be friendly to the French cause. The troops employed were praised for their regularity and forbearance on this occasion.

When order had been restored in Birmingham, an outbreak among the miners at Whitehaven called for the assistance of the military, and the regiment was again employed in the delicate as well as unpleasant duty of aiding the civil power in the suppression of riot.

Major-General James Stuart was appointed from the half-pay of the Ninetieth regiment to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment on the 8th of February, 1792, in succession to Lieutenant-General Thomas Clarke, removed to the Thirtieth regiment.

On the 17th of April, 1792, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked at Port Patrick for Ireland.

Colonel Henry Lord Mulgrave, from the Grenadier Guards, was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment on the 8th of February, 1793, in succession to Major-General James Stuart, deceased. His Lordship subsequently assumed the command of the regiment at Waterford, as its Colonel; and, after inspecting the corps in the field, entertained the officers at dinner.

Meanwhile, Louis XVI. had been decapitated, and the progress of democracy menaced Europe with universal anarchy. On the 1st of February the National Convention of France declared war against Great Britain and Holland, and the British Government prepared for hostilities. A large army was sent, under the command of the Duke of York, to join the Austrian and Prussian allies. Several engagements occurred, and the French gained possession of the Austrian Netherlands. Holland opened her principal towns to the enemy, and they were garrisoned by French troops.

In September, 1793, the flank companies of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked for Barbadoes, for the purpose of taking part in the capture of the French West India Islands.

In the beginning of 1794 an armament was assembled at Barbadoes, of which the flank companies of the THIRTY-FIRST formed part, and early in February the expedition, under Admiral Sir John Jervis and General Sir Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey, sailed for Martinique. After some sharp fighting the island was taken possession of by General Sir Charles Grey, on the 22nd of March.[21]

From Martinique the grenadiers, under Prince Edward (afterwards Duke of Kent), the light infantry, under Major-General Dundas, and three other regiments, embarked on the 30th of March for St. Lucia, where they arrived on the 1st of April, and the conquest of that island was effected in three days; His Royal Highness Prince Edward, with his brigade of grenadiers, and Major-General Dundas, with his brigade of light infantry, taking possession of St. Lucia on the 4th of April. The flank companies of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment were afterwards employed in the reduction of the island of Guadaloupe. A determined resistance was made by the enemy; but the island was captured by the 20th of April.

France did not view with indifference the loss of these valuable possessions, and in June a French armament arrived at Guadaloupe for the recovery of that island. The light company, under Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Andrew Ross, highly distinguished itself on the night of the 13th of June, in attacking the enemy near Point-à-Petre. General Sir Charles Grey stated in his despatch:—

The light company also participated in a night attack on Fort Fleur d’Epée between the 25th and 26th of June; on the day following, Brigadier-General Symes, with the grenadiers and light infantry, attacked the enemy, who was driven to Morne Mascot, where he again made resistance, but being charged with the bayonet, he fled into Fort Fleur d’Epée.

Lieut.-Colonel Ross, of the THIRTY-FIRST, commanded the second battalion of light infantry on these occasions.

Lieut.-Colonel Colin Graham, of the twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers, was appointed to the command of the troops in Basse Terre, and he defended Berville camp with the utmost gallantry until the 6th of October, when he was forced to surrender,—his force having become reduced by excessive exertion, and the unhealthiness of the climate, to one hundred and twenty-five rank and file fit for duty.

The troops at Guadaloupe suffered severely from the climate, and the arduous duties they had to perform, and could only muster 389 soldiers fit for duty on the 1st of September.[23]

By the articles of capitulation the British troops were to march out with the honors of war, and it was agreed to send the garrison to England on board French ships, as soon as transports were ready. The latter part of the agreement was not, however, complied with, as they remained prisoners for more than a year afterwards, during which time many of them died. The garrison consisted of the flank companies of the 17th, 31st, and 34th regiments; the 39th, 43rd, 56th (three companies), and 65th regiments. Their loss in the different actions between the 27th of September and the 6th of October amounted to two officers killed and five wounded; twenty-five non-commissioned officers and privates killed, and fifty-one wounded.

During the year 1794 Lieutenants Davies, Mackenzie, and Williams, of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment, died of fever contracted in the West Indies.

The whole island of Guadaloupe, with the exception of Fort Matilda, had been recaptured by the French: this fort was defended by the troops under Lieut.-General Prescott until the 10th of December, when it was evacuated by the British.

On the 12th of July, 1794, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked at Wexford for England, disembarked at Bristol, and marched thence to Southampton.

The regiment, on the 25th of July, 1794, was augmented to ten battalion and two flank companies; and on the 17th of August following embarked for Holland, where it was stationed at Middleburg and Flushing, in the island of Walcheren, but was not employed on any particular duty.

In this year the regiment returned to England, and landed at Plymouth on the 27th of February, 1795.

A camp was formed in the month of August, at Nursling, near Southampton, which the THIRTY-FIRST regiment joined on the 25th of that month, and received a reinforcement to its strength in drafts from the 43rd, 88th, 92nd, and 94th regiments, which raised its establishment to 1000 rank and file, with a second lieutenant-colonel, a major, and one additional lieutenant to each company, besides two recruiting companies.

On the 25th of October, 1795, the THIRTY-FIRST regiment embarked for the West Indies, as part of the armament which had been prepared for the deliverance of the French West India Islands from the power of republicanism, and to reduce to obedience the insurgents of St. Vincent and Grenada. The expedition, commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, sailed with the immense fleet, under the convoy of a squadron of the Royal Navy, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Christian. The troops amounted to about 25,000 men, in the highest state of equipment; and the armament on quitting the British shores presented a magnificent spectacle, calculated to impress the mind with a just idea of the power of England; but it unfortunately happened that the voyage had been delayed until a very late period of the year; three attempts were made to get under weigh, and each was prevented by the violence of the weather: many ships were driven from their anchors and stranded.

Three hundred sail got under weigh on the 11th of November, when an accident to the Admiral rendered the attempt of no avail. On the 15th another endeavour was overcome by the tempestuous weather. At length the fleet sailed, but it had scarcely got clear of the Isle of Wight, when another severe storm obliged the vessels that had ridden through it with safety to return to Portsmouth.

With great difficulty and exertion Admiral Christian collected the remainder of his convoy, and again sailed on the 9th of December, but four days afterwards a storm destroyed many of the transports, and so scattered the fleet as to render a re-union impossible.

Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby sailed in the “Arethusa” frigate, with such vessels as could be collected, and on the 14th of March, 1796, arrived at Barbadoes.

The THIRTY-FIRST regiment, having weathered the storm, which had dispersed the fleet in the Channel, proceeded on the voyage, but was unable to make good the passage, and on the 5th of February, 1796, after being six weeks at sea struggling against the violent tempests, the regiment was landed at Gosport, whence it marched to Poole, in Dorsetshire; the regiment was not long inactive, as on the 19th of March it was again on board ship at Southampton, and proceeded to its original destination.

On the 1st of May the THIRTY-FIRST arrived off the island of St. Lucia, on which Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby had already effected a landing. The regiment disembarked immediately, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Hay, and was cantoned near the point of disembarkation at Choc Bay. The fortress of Morne Fortunée was invested by Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby; Morne Chabot, another strong position, having been carried with great gallantry by Brigadier-General (afterwards Sir John) Moore.

The batteries against Morne Fortunée were opened on the 14th of May, and on the night of the 17th the strong outpost of La Vigie was assaulted. The THIRTY-FIRST regiment marched from its position, near Choc Bay, at sunset, for the purpose of a night-attack upon this post, which was remarkably strong. It formed a peninsula, accessible only by a narrow isthmus, and commanded the entrance on one side of the Carenage harbour. The post was defended by two batteries; the first placed midway upon the acclivity, and the second on the summit of the height. The approaches to both were by a circuitous path, and the guide who accompanied the regiment was mortally wounded by the first fire from the enemy’s piquet stationed on the isthmus. The regiment, being ignorant of the country, missed the proper direction. Lieut.-Colonel Hay ordered it to ascend the hill en force, which was done, although attended with great difficulty from the precipitous nature of the ground. The first battery was gallantly carried by storm, and the enemy retired to the higher one. The regiment was unfortunately separated in the ascent, and was unable to make a concentrated and effectual attack upon the works that crowned the height, which it nevertheless, in spite of all obstacles, bravely attempted, but the enemy’s grape-shot took such effect that the regiment was obliged to withdraw, after a severe struggle.

The THIRTY-FIRST had Captains Johnson and Walker, four serjeants, and eighty rank and file killed; Lieut.-Colonels Hay and Arbuthnot, Captains Murray and Sorrell, Lieutenants Sullivan and Hawkshaw, four serjeants, and one hundred and twenty-one rank and file wounded.

On the 25th of May the island of St. Lucia capitulated, and the THIRTY-FIRST, forty-fourth, forty-eighth, and fifty-fifth regiments, under Brigadier-General Moore, were selected to occupy the place. The possession of the island was not a quiet one; small bodies of French, who had deserted from the different fortresses at their capitulation, withdrew into the interior, and joined the runaway slaves and Caribs; taking advantage of the impenetrable nature of the country, they formed themselves into bands for the purpose of molesting the British, and plundering the planters and other residents of the island. Brigadier-General Moore took the field, and penetrated with his force into the wildest quarters of the mountains, in order to eradicate these predatory bands.

The THIRTY-FIRST was employed on this harassing duty, and suffered much from fatigue, privation, and continual exposure; on the service being concluded, the regiment went into quarters at Vieux Fort, and other posts, when it became so unhealthy that the authorities were compelled to remove the corps from the island. The deaths among the men were for a time sixteen each day; on the embarkation of the regiment, on the 22nd of December, for Barbadoes, it had scarcely a soldier fit for duty; and on its disembarkation there, six days afterwards, it became necessary to send the entire regiment into hospital, which was the second time the THIRTY-FIRST had been rendered unserviceable from sickness, the corps having suffered in a similar manner while stationed in Florida in the year 1765.

During the year 1796 the regiment had lost seventeen officers, and eight hundred and seventy men, including those who fell in the attack of La Vigie, in St. Lucia.

In the previous year Prussia had concluded a peace with the French republic, and, in consequence of the United Provinces of Holland having leagued with France, England had taken possession of the Cape of Good Hope; in February, 1796, the island of Ceylon was also captured from the Dutch by Great Britain. The former allies of England now became converted into enemies. War was declared by Holland, which had been constituted the Batavian republic, against Great Britain in May, and Spain followed the example in October. In the same month Lord Malmesbury was sent to Paris to negotiate a peace on the part of the British Government, but the French insisted upon retaining, as integral parts of the republic, the conquests lately made: these terms could not be acceded to consistently with the general interests of Europe, and the negotiation was discontinued.