HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE NINETY-SECOND REGIMENT,

(HIGHLANDERS.)

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The French Revolution, which commenced in the year 1789, by its destroying and sanguinary course, menaced Europe with universal anarchy. On the 21st of January, 1793, Louis XVI. was decapitated, and on the 1st of February the National Convention declared war against Great Britain and Holland.

Augmentations were in consequence made to the army; volunteer companies were formed by the patriotism of the British people, and every exertion was made to defend those institutions which had raised England to a high position among the nations of Europe.

To these events the NINETY-SECOND regiment owes its origin. A letter of service was addressed to the Duke of Gordon on the 10th of February, 1794, authorizing him to raise a regiment in Scotland, and the commission of Lieut.-Colonel Commandant was conferred upon his son the Marquis of Huntly.

The establishment of the regiment was directed to consist of one lieut.-colonel commandant, two majors, ten captains, one captain-lieutenant, twenty-one lieutenants, eight ensigns, one adjutant, quarter-master, surgeon, assistant-surgeon, chaplain, serjeant-major, quarter-master serjeant, forty serjeants, twenty drummers, two fifers, and one thousand rank and file.

On the 24th of June, 1794, the regiment was embodied at Aberdeen, and was generally known as “The Gordon Highlanders;” the regiment was inspected on the following day by Lieut.-General Sir Hector Munro, K.B., who expressed himself highly pleased with the general appearance of the corps.

The following officers were present, namely:—

Lieut.-Colonel Commandant	George Marquis of Huntly.
Major	Charles Erskine.
Captains.
Alexander Napier.	William McIntosh.
John Cameron.	Alexander Gordon.
Honorable John Ramsay.	Simon McDonald.
Andrew Patton.	John Gordon (Capt.-Lieut.)
Lieutenants.	Ensigns.
Peter Grant.	Charles Dowie.
Archibald McDonell.	George Davidson.
Alexander Stewart.	Archibald McDonald.
John McLean.	Alexander Fraser.
Patrick Gordon.	William Todd.
	James Mitchell.

Adjutant	John Henderson.	Surgeon	William Findlay.
Quarter-Master	Peter Wilkie.	Assistant-Surgeon	John Clark.
	Chaplain	William Gordon.

On the 9th of July, the regiment embarked at Fort George for England, and landed at Southampton on the 16th of August, when it was encamped on Netley Common. About this period it was numbered the Hundredth regiment.

The uniform of the officers was as follows:—

Jacket.—Scarlet, facings yellow, with lappels turned back, and laced two and two; lace, silver, with a blue silk-worm in the centre; flat buttons, silver or plated, with the number of the regiment ‘100’ in the centre.

Epaulets.—Two for all ranks, of silver bullion, having two stripes of yellow silk in the centre of the strap, with a thistle, and a binding of blue round the edge.

Waistcoat.—Scarlet, with regimental buttons, and laced with silver.

Belted Plaid.—Twelve yards of blue, black, and green tartan, with a narrow yellow stripe.

Purse, Shoes, and Hose.—Badger skin, ornamented with six white tassels, mounted with silver, and having a rim of silver round the top. The shoes were low-quartered, with silver buckles. The rosettes and garters were of red tape. The hose were tartan of white and red chequer.

The sword was the Highland claymore; the sword belt of buff leather, and the breastplate oval, of silver, ornamented with a crown and thistle, encircled by the words “Gordon Highlanders.”

The sash was of crimson silk, and was worn across the left shoulder. The bonnet was ornamented with black ostrich feathers, and the dirk was silver mounted.

The dress of the serjeants and privates was similar, the arms of the former being the claymore and halbert, and the latter had muskets; queues were worn by officers and men.

On the 5th of September, the regiment embarked at Southampton for Gibraltar, where it landed on the 27th of October: at this station the drill of the regiment was completed, and it was immediately placed on the garrison roster. The effective strength consisted of three field officers, seven captains, nine lieutenants, six ensigns, four staff, twenty-nine serjeants, twenty-one drummers, and seven hundred and twenty-seven rank and file.

In December the regiment received its colours on Windmill Hill, after being consecrated by the garrison chaplain; the regiment was marched under them by files in ordinary time, previously to which the Marquis of Huntly made a very impressive address, calling the attention of the officers and men to the duties which their King and Country expected from them, and to the honors which he trusted they would acquire under these banners.

The first or King’s Colour was, as usual, the Great Union. The second, or Regimental Colour, was composed of yellow silk; in the centre of both, the number ‘100,’ surmounted with a crown, and the words “Gordon Highlanders,” the whole within a wreath of thistles and roses.

On the 11th of June, 1795, the regiment embarked for Corsica, and landed at Bastia on the 11th of July.

In February of the previous year a landing was effected in Corsica by the allied troops, and, through the influence of General Paoli, the Commander-in-Chief of the island, a decree was made by the Assembly of Deputies, declaring the separation of Corsica from France, and its union to the British dominions.

In December, 1795, Lieut.-Colonel the Marquis of Huntly obtained leave of absence, and the command of the regiment devolved on Major Erskine.

The regiment was inspected on the 14th of April, 1796, at Bastia, by Lieut.-General Thomas Trigge, commanding at Corsica, who expressed his gratification at the appearance of the men, and the very correct manner in which they performed the different movements.

On the 14th of May, His Excellency the Viceroy, Lieut.-General Sir Gilbert Eliott reviewed the regiment, and signified his highest approbation of its appearance.

On the following day, the greater portion of the regiment, under the command of Major Alexander Napier, to which rank he had been promoted in March of this year, proceeded to Corte, in order to suppress a serious rebellion which broke out in that part of the island, and upon the return of the troops, a general order was issued by Lieut.-General the Honorable John Thomas De Burgh, who had succeeded to the command of the forces in Corsica, expressive of his best thanks for the exertions and good conduct displayed during the above fatiguing service.

Lieut.-Colonel Commandant the Marquis of Huntly was promoted to the rank of colonel of the regiment on the 3rd of May, 1796; Major Charles Erskine was also promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel, the commission of the latter being ante-dated 1st May of the previous year.

In July Lieut.-Colonel Erskine obtained leave of absence, and the command of the regiment devolved upon Major Napier.

On the 14th of August, a detachment, consisting of one field officer, two captains, four subalterns, seven serjeants, eight corporals, and two hundred privates, was ordered to be held in readiness at a moment’s notice, to embark upon a secret expedition. The zeal and spirit of the corps showed itself in a most conspicuous manner, by the unanimous wish of the whole to be employed upon it; and in consequence of which, Major Napier, then commanding the regiment, made an offer to that effect to the Commander-in-Chief, who was pleased to give the following answer:—

“The Commander-in-Chief is sensible of the zeal and laudable motive, which have induced the officers and men of the Hundredth regiment to offer their services on the present occasion, and he desires Major Napier to express his best thanks to them, as well as his assurance, that he will be ready at all times to testify his satisfaction at their general good conduct and appearance, although circumstances will not at this time allow him to avail himself of their services to the extent they offer them.”

This expedition proved to be against Porto Ferrajo, in the Isle of Elba, and was completely successful, without any loss on the part of the troops employed.

Meanwhile the brilliant career of General Bonaparte in Italy had produced a change of sentiment among the inhabitants of Corsica, of which island he was a native. The Corsicans, therefore, gloried in him as a man who reflected honor on their country, and they regretted that the island had been annexed to Great Britain, as this event placed them in hostility to their victorious countryman, and they began to concert measures to effect its separation. It appearing evident that the expense of the defence would exceed the advantage derived from the possession of the island, the British troops were withdrawn, and on the 6th of September the regiment embarked for Gibraltar.

The regiment mustered one major, five captains, seven lieutenants, five ensigns, three staff, thirty-seven serjeants, twenty-one drummers, and seven hundred and six rank and file.

The following General Order was issued upon this occasion:—

During the voyage, the British Admiral fell in with a large fleet of Spanish men-of-war, and the first intimation he had of Spain being at war with Great Britain, was their firing upon his ships. Perceiving this, and the enemy being so superior in force, he made signal to crowd all sail. The Spaniards, however, captured the “Granby” transport, having on board two staff officers, three serjeants, and forty-eight rank and file of the regiment.

The regiment landed at Gibraltar on the 4th of October, and on the 10th of that month was inspected by the Lieut.-Governor, who was much pleased with its appearance.

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 and of Ceylon. 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 Malmsbury was sent to Paris to negociate 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 negociation was discontinued.

In April, 1797, Lieut.-Colonel Erskine arrived at Gibraltar, and assumed the command of the regiment.

In April, the preliminaries of peace were signed at Leoben, in Styria, between Austria and the French Republic, so that Great Britain was left to continue the contest single-handed with France and her allies. In July Lord Malmsbury was sent a second time to negociate a peace, but the demands of the French Directory rendered the attempt abortive. On the 17th of October the definitive treaty of peace between Austria and the French Republic was signed at Campo Formio.

The regiment embarked in transports for England on the 16th of March, 1798. The ships put into the Tagus on the 9th of April, and sailed again on the 15th. After a tedious and boisterous passage, the regiment disembarked at Portsmouth on the 15th of May, and occupied Hilsea Barracks.

The effective strength of the regiment at this period consisted of two field officers, four captains, eleven subalterns, three staff, thirty-seven serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and seven hundred and forty-two rank and file.

By a General Order, dated 26th of May, 1798, it was directed that the coats of the army should be worn buttoned over the body down to the waist.

On the 31st of May, the regiment embarked in ships of war at Southsea Beach, Portsmouth, for Ireland, and arrived at Dublin, on the 15th of June, where it went into barracks.

His Majesty King George III., appointed Colonel the Marquis of Huntly to serve as a Brigadier-General upon the Staff of the Army in Ireland, in which country a spirit of discontent had been fomented by a party of unprincipled men, who had expected aid from France to carry out their designs. On the 21st of June, Lieut.-General Lake defeated the main body of the rebels at Vinegar hill, and the troubles in Ireland would have subsided, had it not been for the expected aid to be derived from France.

On the 2nd of July, the regiment marched at a moment’s notice, in consequence of the disturbed state of the country, the urgency of the service being such that the troops were conveyed in carriages.

The regiment encamped in the vicinity of Gorey on the 7th of July, and on the 18th marched suddenly to Blessington, where it encamped. On the 29th it marched and encamped at the Glen of Emall.

On the 10th of August, Lieut.-Colonel Erskine and three hundred men were detached and encamped at Torbay.

The following letter, expressive of the good conduct of the regiment during their stay at Gorey, was addressed by the Dean of Ferns, to Colonel the Marquis of Huntly:—

The French, to the number of about nine hundred men, commanded by General Humbert, landed at Killala, and being joined by a few malcontents marched to Castlebar.

On the 24th of August the regiment marched to Blessington; on the 26th encamped at Kilbeggan; on the 28th at Athlone; on the 29th at Ballymore, in a position in front of the town; on the 1st of September it encamped at Crophill, and moved every day until the 16th, when it encamped near Moat.

Meanwhile the united French and rebel force had been attacked by Lieut.-General Lake, at Ballinamuck, on the 8th of September, and the French troops were compelled to surrender at discretion.

Major-General John Moore, in brigade orders, dated 25th of September, 1798, after detailing some irregularity on the part of the troops, added—

The thanks of both Houses of Parliament were, on the 15th of October, conveyed to the troops, “for their meritorious exertions on the present important crisis.”

While the regiment was encamped near Moat, the following order was received, by which the corps was numbered the NINETY-SECOND regiment.[6]

On the 30th of October, 1798, the regiment broke up from camp, and went into quarters at Athlone.

Napoleon Bonaparte, against whose legions in Egypt and the Peninsula, the NINETY-SECOND regiment, in subsequent years, acquired great renown, was now rising, step by step, to that imperial sway which he afterwards attained. The National Convention had been succeeded in October, 1795, by the French Directory, and the latter, jealous of Bonaparte’s popularity, sent him, in May, 1798, on the expedition to Egypt. Napoleon took Alexandria by storm, and soon established himself at Cairo. The Sublime Porte, incensed by the invasion of Egypt, declared war against France, and formed an alliance with Russia. The fleet which had conveyed the expedition to Egypt, was almost destroyed by Admiral Nelson in Aboukir Bay, on the 1st of August. So large a portion of the French army, being thus secluded in a distant land, gave fresh impulse to the allies, and in November the island of Minorca surrendered to the British arms. In December, 1798, the co-operation of Russia against France was secured by Great Britain.

War was declared by the French Directory against Austria, in March, 1799, and the combined Austrian and Russian armies recovered the greater portion of Italy.

Great Britain now determined to make a corresponding attempt, in conjunction with Russia, to recover Holland from the dominion of France, and a numerous army was selected to proceed to that country under His Royal Highness the Duke of York, previous to whose arrival, the troops were to be commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby.

A plan of co-operation was concerted between Great Britain and Russia, in the expectation that the Dutch would rise in arms against the French, in favour of the Prince of Orange, and, aided by the Anglo-Russian force, would exert themselves to effect their emancipation.

On the 15th of June, the NINETY-SECOND regiment, which had been selected to embark on the expedition to Holland, commenced its march by divisions for Cork, on which day the following address was received by the commanding officer:—

The regiment arrived at Cork on the 24th and 25th of June, and encamped at Monkstown, until orders for its embarkation should arrive. On the 19th of July, the regiment embarked at Cove, and arrived at Dover on the 30th, when it encamped on Barham Downs, where the troops were assembling for the expedition to Holland under the orders of Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby.

The NINETY-SECOND regiment was placed in the fourth brigade, commanded by Major-General, afterwards Sir John Moore, which consisted of the Royals (second battalion), twenty-fifth, forty-ninth, seventy-ninth, and NINETY-SECOND regiments.

The regiment marched for Ramsgate on the 7th of August, and on the following day embarked in transports, which sailed on the 11th for the coast of Holland. Its effective strength consisted of one colonel, one lieut.-colonel, two majors, six captains, twelve lieutenants, seven ensigns, five staff, forty serjeants, twenty-one drummers, and seven hundred and thirty rank and file.

The British troops landed on the Dutch coast, near the Helder, on the 27th of August. A considerable body of French and Dutch troops assembled near the point of debarkation; some sharp fighting occurred, and in the evening the enemy retreated to a position six miles in his rear. Although one of the first to get a footing on the Dutch shores, it did not fall to the lot of the NINETY-SECOND to be materially engaged this day in the affairs on the sand-hills. The regiment had one serjeant and fourteen rank and file drowned in the landing on the Dutch coast. The enemy having abandoned his fortifications, and evacuated the town during the night, the regiment moved into Helder on the 28th of August. A numerous train of heavy and field artillery was found in this important post; two days afterwards the Dutch fleet surrendered without striking a blow, and hoisted the colours of the Prince of Orange.

On the 1st of September, the regiment marched out of Helder, and on the 2nd advanced to Oude Sluys, on the Zuyder Zee, where the army took up a position, along which the troops were placed in cantonments, the NINETY-SECOND being in advance of the right.

The Dutch did not manifest a disposition to rise against the French. At daylight, in the morning of the 10th of September, the united French and Dutch forces, under General Brune, attacked the piquets; the troops repaired to their alarm-posts, and the action soon became general: the British troops repulsed the attack, and the orders of that day directed the regiment to its cantonments at Oude Sluys, and conveyed the thanks of General Sir Ralph Abercromby[7] for its “noble and steady conduct during the day.”

Captain the Honorable John Ramsay was wounded in this action, which was fought near the villages of Crabbendam and Schagen.

Field Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of York arrived at the Helder on the 14th of September, and, having been reinforced by a corps of twelve thousand Russians, under Lieut.-General Hermann, resolved on attacking the French position in advance of Alkmaar, reaching from Zuyder Zee, on the right, to Camperdown on the left, and embracing the town of Bergen. The attack was made on the 19th of September, in four columns, but the Russians having failed in holding Bergen, after having entered it in gallant style, the places, which had been acquired by the other columns, were abandoned, and His Royal Highness withdrew his army to its former position on the Zuype.

From the 20th of September until the 1st of October both armies remained within their entrenchments, strengthening their lines of defence: the French had received reinforcements, and had inundated a large tract of country on their right by cutting the sluices, thus contracting the ground of operations to six or seven miles.

The Duke of York, on the 2nd of October, made another attempt on the French position, between Bergen and Egmont-op-Zee. The combined attacks were made in four columns: the division under General Sir Ralph Abercromby being on the right, marched along the beach. The left of the French army was posted and concentrated about Bergen, a large village surrounded by extensive woods, through which passed the great road leading to Haarlem; between which and the sea was an extensive region of high sand-hills, impassable for artillery. Behind the sand-hills, and to the enemy’s right, through the whole extent of North Holland, lies a wet and low country, intersected with dykes, canals, and ditches.

The army advanced before daylight to attack the enemy. The NINETY-SECOND regiment was ordered to escort twenty pieces of artillery to the front, along the sea-shore. In the performance of this duty it was attacked by a column of nearly six thousand men at Egmont-op-Zee, where a most sanguinary conflict ensued, immediately under the eye of General Sir Ralph Abercromby.

Trusting to their superior numbers the French advanced with resolution, and fairly met the bayonets of the regiment, now commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, Colonel the Marquis of Huntly having been wounded in the charge, which completely overthrew the enemy, and preserved the guns.[8]

The French centre was supported by the town of Alkmaar, and General Sir Ralph Abercromby had passed Bergen in order to turn the French position at Alkmaar, to which place the NINETY-SECOND, immediately after the brilliant affair, before recorded, advanced. As the men fought hand-to-hand, the conflict was signalized by many feats of individual bravery and devoted courage.

The action was maintained with great obstinacy on both sides until night, when the enemy retired, leaving the British masters of the field of battle.

In the despatch of His Royal Highness the Duke of York, dated Zuyper Sluys, 4th of October, it was stated that, “the points where this well-fought battle were principally contested, were from the sea-shore in front of Egmont, extending along the sandy desert, or hills, to the heights above Bergen, and it was sustained by the British columns, under those highly distinguished officers, General Sir Ralph Abercromby, and Lieut.-General Dundas, whose exertions, as well as the gallantry of the brave troops they led, cannot have been surpassed by any former instance of British valour.”

The NINETY-SECOND had Captain William McIntosh, Lieutenants George Fraser, Gordon McCardy, and sixty-five rank and file killed; Colonel the Marquis of Huntly, Captains John Cameron, Alexander Gordon, John McLean, and Peter Grant, Lieutenants Norman McLeod, Charles Chad, Donald McDonald, Charles Cameron, and John McPherson, Ensigns George William Holmes, James Bent, and two hundred and eight rank and file wounded.

The gallant conduct evinced by the NINETY-SECOND on this occasion was afterwards rewarded with the Royal authority to bear the word Egmont-op-Zee on the regimental colour and appointments.

His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, in the General Order of the 5th of October, at Alkmaar, expressed “his warmest thanks for the steady persevering gallantry of their conduct in the general action of the 2nd instant, and to which he ascribes the complete victory gained over the enemy;” and, with the rest of the army, the regiment received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament.

The regiment, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, subsequently shared in the general operations of the army, but was not engaged in any very serious affair.

The gallant exertions made on behalf of the Dutch were not seconded by them; and in the meantime the French army had been reinforced. Instead, therefore, of fighting for a people who were not resolved to be free, it was decided that the British troops should be withdrawn from Holland. A convention was ultimately concluded with General Brune at Alkmaar on the 18th of October, and on the following day a cessation of hostilities was proclaimed.

The regiment marched on the 28th of October to Colenzugby, near the Helder, embarked the same day on board of His Majesty’s ships “Kent” and “Monarch,” and landed at Yarmouth on the day following. Its effective strength consisted of twenty-four serjeants, twenty drummers, and four hundred and forty-six rank and file.

During the campaign from the 27th of August to the 28th of October, the regiment sustained a loss of three officers and ninety-three rank and file, several of the wounded soldiers having died.

On the 4th of November the regiment marched en route to Chelmsford, where it arrived on the 10th, and was placed in the eighth brigade, the command of which Major-General Moore assumed on the 25th of December 1799.

Here the regiment received canvas knapsacks, painted yellow, having a circle of red in the centre, in which the Crown and Thistle, with the words “Gordon Highlanders,” were inserted.

Napoleon Bonaparte having returned from Egypt to Paris in the previous year, had been appointed First Consul of France, and made overtures for peace; but the British Ministry, considering that the French government had not acquired sufficient stability, showed no desire to accede to the proposal.

On the 10th of April, 1800, orders were issued for the regiment to hold itself in readiness to march at the shortest notice; the first division marched on the 12th, and was followed by the others on the 14th and 15th, for the Isle of Wight, where it arrived on the 23rd of April.

The regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, marched for Cowes on the 27th of May, and embarked on the same day in vessels of war. The head-quarters, and five companies in His Majesty’s ship “Diadem,” sailed on the 30th. The officers and men present with the regiment consisted of one lieut.-colonel, two majors, seven captains, sixteen lieutenants, six ensigns, six staff, thirty-six serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and six hundred rank and file.

The regiment disembarked at the Isle de Houat, on the coast of France, on the 7th of June, where it encamped, under the command of Brigadier-General the Honorable Thomas Maitland.

On the 18th of June, the NINETY-SECOND regiment embarked on board His Majesty’s ship “Terrible,” destined with others to make an attack on Belle-Isle, but which was abandoned; on the 20th the regiment disembarked, and occupied its former encampment on the Isle de Houat.

The NINETY-SECOND embarked on the 23rd of June, with other regiments for the Mediterranean, under the command of Colonel the Earl of Dalhousie, of the Second, or the Queen’s Royals, in His Majesty’s ship “Diadem,” and arrived at Port Mahon, in the Island of Minorca, on the 20th of July.

General Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B., arrived at Minorca on the 4th of August, and took the command of the troops there assembled. The regiment disembarked on the 7th, and was inspected, on the 11th of August, by Sir Ralph Abercromby.

The NINETY-SECOND regiment embarked at George’s Town on the 30th of August, and sailed on the following day. After touching at Gibraltar, it proceeded to Cadiz, arrived in the bay on the 3rd of October,—and made preparations to land. The enemy, however, sent a flag of truce, but a disease was ravaging the city at the time, and the fleet quitted the coast in order to avoid infection, proceeding afterwards to Gibraltar, where it arrived on the 29th of October.

The regiment arrived at Minorca on the 6th of November, sailed again on the 21st, and anchored at Malta on the 1st of December. This island, after a blockade of two years, had been compelled by famine, to surrender in September, 1800, to Great Britain.

The British Government having resolved to effect the expulsion of the French from Egypt, an army[9] amounting to about fifteen thousand men, of which the NINETY-SECOND formed part, was assembled under General Sir Ralph Abercromby, at Marmorice Bay, on the coast of Asiatic Turkey. The regiment sailed from Malta on the 26th of December, and arrived at Marmorice Bay on the 29th. During the foregoing period, the regiment was occasionally landed for exercise and practice, as if before an enemy.

Some weeks were lost at Marmorice, in expectation of receiving reinforcements of Greeks and Turks; and the expedition did not proceed to its final destination until the 23rd of February, 1801. On the 2nd of March, it anchored in the Bay of Aboukir, eastward of Alexandria; but notwithstanding all the exertions of the navy, under Admiral Lord Keith’s orders, the necessary arrangements could not be made for landing the troops, until a week afterwards, in consequence of unfavorable weather, and other obstructions.

A landing was effected on the 8th of March; a body of French troops, supported by several batteries, awaited the arrival of their opponents, but were forced to give way in defiance of every exertion, and after severe loss on both sides.

The NINETY-SECOND, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, landed during the action, and took up a position for the night on the heights of Aboukir. The regiment mustered one lieut.-colonel, two majors, six captains, ten lieutenants, six ensigns, six staff, fifty serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and six hundred and seventy-two rank and file.

On the 9th of March, the regiment advanced about a mile further towards Alexandria. On the day following, it marched to the heights of Mandora, and remained in position, while the artillery and stores were being landed. Nothing of importance occurred this day, beyond a smart skirmish, as the enemy slowly retired.

The army again moved forward on the 12th of March, and came in sight of the enemy, who was strongly posted with his right to the canal of Alexandria, and his left to the sea.

About six o’clock in the morning of the 13th of March, the British army advanced to attack the enemy’s position on the heights in front of Mandora, the NINETY-SECOND being directed to lead the left column into action. The enemy having opened a most destructive fire from his artillery, enfiladed the column to its whole depth: orders were consequently given to deploy into line. The enemy thought this a favorable moment, and immediately advanced to the attack. The NINETY-SECOND, being in advance of the line, was exposed to a very galling fire of grape-shot, and at the same time was attacked by the 61st Demi-Brigade; the regiment, however, continued unshaken in its advance to the very muzzles of the guns, and succeeded in taking two field-pieces, and one howitzer, completely routing the enemy who defended them, and possessing itself of the right of his position. He was forced, therefore, to retire to the fortified heights of Nicopolis, under the walls of Alexandria, to which they form the principal defence from that side.

Lieut.-Colonel, afterwards General Sir Robert Thomas Wilson, in his History of the British Expedition to Egypt, stated that—

“The British had not advanced out of the wood of date trees, which was in front of Mandora Tower, before the enemy left the heights on which they had been formed, and moved down by their right, commencing a heavy fire of musketry, and from all their cannon, on the NINETY-SECOND regiment, which formed the advanced guard of the left column.” After eulogising the gallantry of the ninetieth regiment, which formed the advanced guard of the right column, Lieut.-Colonel Wilson, added:—

The gallantry and good conduct of the regiment this day were most conspicuous, and in commemoration thereof, the NINETY-SECOND afterwards received the Royal Authority to bear the word “Mandora” on the regimental colour and appointments.

His Majesty’s service, and the NINETY-SECOND regiment in particular, sustained a great loss in the death of Lieut.-Colonel Charles Erskine, who was mortally wounded early in the action, when the command of the regiment devolved on Major Alexander Napier.

The following officers were wounded: Captains Hon. John Ramsay and Archibald McDonell; Lieutenants, Norman McLeod, Charles Dowle (mortally), Donald McDonald, Tomlin Campbell (mortally), Alexander Clarke (mortally), and Ronald Macdonald; Ensigns, Peter Wilkie and Alexander Cameron; twenty-two rank and file were killed, and seventy-seven were wounded.

On the 14th of March, the army occupied the position, from which the enemy was driven the day before, and the troops were employed in throwing up works. On this day, General Sir Ralph Abercromby thanked the troops for their soldier-like and intrepid conduct, in the action of yesterday, and particularised the NINETY-SECOND regiment. It may not be irrelevant to state, that he selected the regiment to furnish the guard at his head-quarters from his first landing in Egypt, to the hour of his death; and the regiment was continued by Lieut.-General (afterwards Lord) Hutchinson, on that duty, until its final departure from that country.

In consequence of the reduced state of the regiment from sickness, and the casualties of the 13th of March, it was ordered on the 20th of March (with the exception of the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard), to march at three o’clock next morning to relieve the battalion of marines at Aboukir Castle; where the following Brigade Order was issued:—

About half an hour after the regiment commenced its march on the 21st of March for Aboukir, when the French forces at Alexandria, having been augmented by the arrival of additional troops from the interior, advanced under General Menou, to attack the British position. Major Alexander Napier, upon hearing the firing, immediately countermarched the regiment, and resumed his former station in the line, in which it was hotly engaged throughout the day: no sooner had the enemy retired from this struggle, and resigned the victory to the British army, than the army became aware of the loss it had sustained in the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Ralph Abercromby, who received a mortal wound at the commencement of the action, but which he concealed until the battle was decided. Sir Ralph Abercromby died on the 28th of March, and was buried at Malta.

The NINETY-SECOND had Captain John Cameron, and Lieutenant James Stewart Mathison wounded; three rank and file killed; and forty-four wounded.

Orders were again issued for the march of the regiment on the following morning, provided no attack was made by the enemy, and it accordingly marched to Aboukir.

On the 2nd of May, the regiment marched from Aboukir for Rosetta, where a Turkish force joined the British; on the 5th it advanced along the banks of the Nile, and continued in motion until the 16th of June, when it arrived before Grand-Cairo.

The regiment moved to the right on the 21st of June, and encamped before the town of Gizeh; one of the gates of which place was delivered up by the French on the 28th of June.

A convention with the garrison of Cairo, was on the following day announced as finally adjusted, by which that place was to be delivered up to the allied army, and the French troops to be transported to France.

On the 14th of July, Lieut.-General Hutchinson communicated to the army the thanks of His Majesty, and of both Houses of Parliament, for its determined bravery at the landing, and in the actions of the 13th, and 21st of March, and concluded by a warm eulogium from himself.

The army marched, and retraced its steps towards Rosetta. The promotion of Major Alexander Napier to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, killed in the action of the 13th of March, was announced in a manner most flattering to the corps on the 15th of July, as will appear from the following extract of a letter from His Royal Highness the Duke of York, the Commander-in-Chief, dated—