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GENERAL ORDERS

HORSE GUARDS,
\st January, 1836.
His Majesty has been pleased to command that,
with the view of doing the fullest justice to Regi
ments, as well as to Individuals who have dis
tinguished themselves by their bravery in Action
with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of
every Regiment in the British Army shall be pub
lished under the superintendence and direction of
the Adjutant- General ; and that this Account shall
contain the following particulars, viz. : —
 The Period and Circumstances of the Original

Formation of the Regiment ; The Stations at which
it has been from time to time employed; The Bat
tles, Sieges, and other Military Operations in which
it has been engaged, particularly specifying any
Achievement it may have performed, and the
Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from
the Enemy.
 The Names of the Officers, and the number

of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates Killed
or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the Place
and Date of the Action.

11 GENERAL ORDERS.
 The Names of those Officers who, in con
sideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious
Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have
been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other
Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.
 The Names of all such Officers, Non-Com

missioned Officers, and Privates,- as may have
specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
 The Badges and Devices which the Regi
ment may have been permitted to bear, and the
Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices,
or any other Marks of Distinction, have been
granted. By Command of the Right Honorable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Commanding-in- Chief.

John Macdonald,
Adjutant- General.

( iii )

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 accomplish
ment 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 ex
amples 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 honorable
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
a2

IV preface.
of praise and admiration to which they are entitled.
On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parlia
ment 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 prac
tice (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 obtain
ing, particularly from the old Regiments, an authen
tic 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, manufactureSj
and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so

preface. V
long a period, been undisturbed by the prese7ice of
war, which few other countries have escaped, com
paratively httle 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 theh tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which
the country derives from the industry and the enter
prise 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 en durance, 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 main
tained 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

VI

preface.

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 can
not 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 everything 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 un
shaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war, — victories so complete and
surprising, gained by our countrymen, our brothers,

preface. vu

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 wiU 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 testify
ing the value and importance of its services, will be
faithfuUy set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record
of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct num
ber, so that when the whole shall be completed the
Parts may be bound up in numerical succession-

INTRODUCTION

TO

THE INEANTRY.

The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been
celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness,
and the national superiority of the British troops
over those of other countries has been evinced in
the midst of the most imminent perils. History con
tains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery,
that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which
are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that
the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is
Intrepidity. This quality was evinced by the
inhabitants of England when their country was
invaded by Julius C^sar with a Roman army, on
which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into
the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they de
scended from their ships ; ahd, although their dis
cipline and arms were inferior to those of their
adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing
intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, in
cluding Caesar's favourite tenth legion. Their arms
consisted of spears, short swords, and other weapons
of rude construction. They had chariots, to the

introduction

axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron
resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long
chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and
fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit
or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off
with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were,
however, unavailing against Caesar's legions : in
the course of time a military system, with dis
cipline and subordination, was introduced, and
British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted
to the greatest advantage ; a full development of
the national character followed, and it shone forth
in all its native brilliancy.
The military force of the Anglo-Saxons consisted
principally of infantry : Thanes, and other men of
property, however, fought on horseback The
infantry were of two classes, heavy and light.
The former carried large shields armed with spikes,
long broad swords and spears ; and the latter were
armed with swords or spears only. They had also
men armed with clubs, others with battle-axes and
javelins. The feudal troops established by WiUiam the
Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Intro-
diiction to the Cavalry) almost entirely of horse :
but when the warlike barons and knights, with their
trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a pro
portion of men appeared on foot, and, although
these were of inferior degree, they proved stout
hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipen
diary troops were employed, infantry always con
stituted a considerable portion of the military force ;

TO THE infantry. XI
and this arme has since acquired, in every quarter
of the globe, a celebrity never exceeded by the
armies of any nation at any period.
The weapons carried by the infantry, during the
several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows
and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various
kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour
was worn on the head and body, and in course of
time the practice became general for military men
to be so completely cased in steel, that it was
almost impossible to slay them.
The introduction of the use of gunpowder in the
destructive purposes of war, in the early part of the
fourteenth century, produced a change in the arms
and equipment of the infantry-soldier. Bows and
arrows gave place to various kinds of fire-arms, but
British archers continued formidable adversaries ;
and, owing to the inconvenient construction and im
perfect bore of the fire-arms when first introduced,
a body of men, well trained in the use of the bow
from their youth, was considered a valuable acqui
sition to every army, even as late as the sixteenth
century. During a great part of the reign of Queen EUza
beth each company of infantry usually consisted of
men armed five different ways ; in every hundred
men forty were ^^men-at-arms," and sixty "shot f'
the " men-at-arms " were ten halberdiers, or battle-
axe men, and thirty pikemen ; and the " shot" were
twenty archers, twenty musketeers, and twenty
harquebusiers, and each man carried, besides his
principal weapon, a sword and dagger.

XU INTRODUCTION
Companies of infantry varied at this period in
numbers from 150 to 300 men ; each company had
a colour or ensign, and the mode of formation re
commended by an English mUitary writer ( Sir John
Smithe) in 1590 was ; the colour in the centre of
the company guarded by the halberdiers ; the pike-
men in equal proportions, on each flank of the
halberdiers ; half the musketeers on each flank of
the pikes ; half the archers on each flank of the mus
keteers, and the harquebusiers (whose arms were
much lighter than the muskets then in use) in equal
proportions on each flank of the company for skir
mishing.* It was customary to unite a number of
companies into one body, called a Regiment, which
frequently amounted to three thousand men ; but
each company continued to carry a colour. Nume
rous improvements were eventuaUy introduced in the
construction of fire-arms, and, it having been found
impossible to make armour proof against the muskets
then in use (which carried a very heavy baU) without
its being too weighty for the soldier, armour was
gradually laid aside by the infantry in the seven
teenth century : bows and arrows also feU into dis
use, and the infantry were reduced to two classes,
viz. : musTceteers, armed with matchlock muskets.

* A company of 200 men would appear thus :—

20 20 20 30

0 30 20 20 20

Hatquebuses Arcliers Muskets. Pikes. Halberds. Pikes. Muskets. Arcliers. Harquebuses.
The musket carried a ball which weighed J^th of a pound ; and the
harquebus a ball which weighed ^th of a pound.

TO THE INFANTRY. XIU
swords, and daggers ; andpikemen, armed with pikes
from fourteen to eighteen feet long, and swords.
In the early part of the seventeenth century
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, reduced the
strength of regiments to 1000 men. He caused the
gunpowder, which had heretofore been carried in
flasks, or in small wooden bandoliers, each contain
ing a charge, to be made up into cartridges, and
carried in pouches ; and he formed each regiment
into two wings of musketeers, and a centre division
of Pikemen. He also adopted the practice of form
ing four regiments into a brigade ; and the number
of colours was afterwards reduced to three in each
regiment. He formed his columns so compactly that
his infantry could resist the charge of the celebrated
Polish horsemen and Austrian cuirassiers ; and his
armies became the admiration of other nations. His
mode of formation was copied by the English,
French, and other European states ; but so great
was the prejudice in.favour of ancient customs, that
all his improvements were not adopted until near a
century afterwards.
In 1664 King Charles II. raised a corps for sea-
service, styled the Admiral's regiment. In 1678
each company of 100 men usually consisted of 30
pikemen, 60 musketeers, and 10 men armed with
light firelocks. In this year the King added a com
pany of men armed with hand grenades to each of
the old British regiments, which was designated the
" grenadier company." Daggers were so contrived
as to fit in the muzzles of the muskets, and bayonets.

XIV INTRODUCTION
similar to those at present in use, were adopted
about twenty years afterwards.
An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by
order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and
was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot).
This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did
not carry pikes.
King WiUiam III. incorporated the Admiral's
regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised
two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the
war in this reign, each company of infantry (ex
cepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14
pikemen and 46 musketeers ; the captains carried
pikes ; lieutenants, partisans ; ensigns, half-pikes ;
and Serjeants, halberds. After the peace in 1697 the
Marine regiments were disbanded, but were again
formed on the breaking out of the war in 1702.*
During the reign of Queen Anne the pikes were
laid aside, and every infantry soldier was armed
with a musket, bayonet, and sword ; the grenadiers
ceased, about the same period, to carry hand gre
nades ; and the regiments were directed to lay aside
their third colour: the corps of Royal ArtiUery
was first added to the Army in this reign.
About the year 1745, the men of the battalion
companies of infantry ceased to carry swords ; during ¦
* The 30th, 31st, and 32nd Regiments were formed as Majine corps
in 1702, and were employed as such during the wars in the reign of
Queen Anne. The Marine corps were embarked in the Fleet imder
Admiral Sir George Rooke, and were at the taking of Gibraltar, and
in its subsequent defence in 1704 ; they were afterwards employed at
the siege of Bai-celona in 1705.

TO THE INFANTRY. TLV
the reign of George II. light companies were added
to infantry regiments; and in 1764 a Board of
General Officers recommended that the grenadiers
should lay aside their swords, as that weapon had
never been used during the Seven Years' War.
Since that period the arms of the infantry soldier
have been limited to the musket and bayonet.
The arms and equipment of the British Troops
have seldom differed materially, since the Conquest,
from those of other European states ; and in some
respects the arming has, at certain periods, been
allowed to be inferior to that of the nations with
whom they have had to contend ; yet, under this
disadvantage, the bravery and superiority of the
British infantry have been evinced on very many
and most trying occasions, and splendid victories
have been gained over very superior numbers.
.Great Britain has produced a rate of lion-like
champions who have dared to confront a host of
foes, and have proved themselves valiant with any
arms. At Crecy, King Edward III., at the head of
about 30,000 men, defeated, on the 26th of August,
1346, PhiUp King of France, whose army is said to
have amounted to 100,000 men; here British valour
encountered veterans of renown : — the King of Bo
hemia, the King of Majorca, and many princes and
nobles were slain, and the French army was routed
and cut to pieces. Ten years afterwards, Edward
Prince of Wales, who was designated the Black
Prince, defeated at Poictiers, with 14,000 men,
a French army of 60,000 horse, besides infantry,
and took John I., King of France, and his son.

^E^

XVI INTRODUCTION
PhUip, prisoners. On the 25th of October, 1415,
King Henry V., with an army of about 13,000
men, although greatly exhausted by marches, pri
vations, and sickness, defeated, at Agincourt, the
Constable of France, at the head of the flower of
the French nobiUty and an army said to amount to
60,000 men, and gained a complete victory.
During the seventy years' war between the United
Provinces of the Netherlands and the Spanish mo
narchy, which commenced in 1578 and terminated
in 1648, the British infantry in the service of the
States-General were celebrated for their uncon
querable spirit and firmness ;* and in the thirty
years' war between the Protestant Princes and the
Emperor of Germany, the British Troops in the ser
vice of Sweden and other states were celebrated for
deeds of heroism.f In the wars of Queen Anne,
the fame of the British army under the great
Marlborough was spread throughout the world ;
and if we glance at the achievements performed
within the memory of persons now living, there is
abundant proof that the Britons of the present age
are not inferior to their ancestors in the qualities

* The brave Sir Roger WiUiams, in his Discourse on War, printed
in 1590, obsen'es : — " I persuade myself ten thousand of our nation
would beat thirty thousand of theirs (the Spaniards) out of the field,
let them be chosen where they hst." Yet at this time the Spanish
infantry was aUowed to be the best discipUned in Europe. For
instances of valour displayed by the British Infantry during the
seventy Years' War, see the Historical Record of the Third Foot, or
Buffs. t Vide the Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of
Foot.

TO THE INFANT&Y. XVU
wHch constitute good soldiers. Witness the deeds
of the brave men, of whom there are many now
surviving, who fought in Egypt in 1801, under the
brave Abercromby, and compeUed the French army,
which had been vainly styled Invincible, to eva
cuate that country ; also the services of the gaUant
Troops during the arduous campaigns in the Pen
insula, under the immortal Wellington ; and the
determined stand made by the British Army at
Waterloo, where Napoleon Bonaparte, who had
long been the inveterate enemy of Great Britain,
and had sought and planned her destruction by
every means he could dcAdse, was compelled to
leave his vanquished legions to their fate, and to
place himself at the disposal of the British Govern
ment. These achievements, with others of recent
dates, in the distant climes of India, prove that the
same valour and constancy which glowed in the
breasts of the heroes of Crecy, Poictiers, Agincourt,
Blenheim, and Ramilies, continue to animate the
Britons of the nineteenth century.
The British Soldier is distinguished for a robust
and muscular frame, — ^intrepidity which no danger
can appal, — unconquerable spirit and resolution, —
patience in fatigue and privation, and cheerful obe
dience to his superiors. These qualities, united with
an excellent system of order and discipline to regu
late and give a skilful direction to the energies and
adventurous spirit of the hero, and a wise selectioij
of officers of superior talent to command, whose
presence inspires confidence, — have been the leading
causes of the splendid victories gained by the British
b

XVIU . INTRODUCTION
arms.* The fame of the deeds of the past aild-
present generations in the various battle-fields where
the robust sons of Albion have fought and conquered,
surrounds the British arms with a halo of glory ;
these achievements will live in the page of history to
the end of time.
The records of the several regiments will be found
to contain a detail of facts of an interesting character,
connected with the hardships, sufferings, and gaUant
exploits of British soldiers in the various parts of the
world where the calls of their Country and the com
mands of their Sovereign have required them to
proceed in the execution of their duty, whether in

* " Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes
the successes which have attended the exertions of hia troops in Egypt to
that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty
desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the conside
ration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of
order, discipUne, and mihtary system, which has given the fuU energy
to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to
assert the superiority of the national miUtary character, in situations
uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of pecuUar difficulty."
— General Orders in 1801.
In the General Orders issued by Lieut. -General Sir John Hope
(afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the suc
cessful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January 1809,
it is stated : — " On no occasion has the imdaunted valour of British.
troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and
harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy
had acquired^ and which had materiaUy impaired the efficiency of the
troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all
been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves : and the
enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of
numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and
soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield, — that no circumstances
can appal,— and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by
the exertion of any human means."

TO THE INFANTRY. XlX
active continental operations, or in maintaining colo
nial territories in distant and unfavourable climes.
The superiority of the British infantry has been
pre-eminently set forth in the wars of six centuries,
and admitted by the greatest commanders which
Europe has produced. The formations and move
ments of this arme, as at present practised, while
they are adapted to every species of warfare, and to
•all probable situations and circumstances of service,
are calculated to show forth the brilliancy of military
tactics calculated upon mathematical and scientific
principles. Although the movements and evolutions
have been copied from the continental armies, yet
various improvements have from time to time been
introduced, to ensure that simplicity and celerity by
which the superiority of the national miUtary cha
racter is maintained. The rank and influence which
Great Britain has attained among the nations of the
world, have in a great measure been purchased by
the valour of the Army, and to persons who have
the welfare of their country at heart, the records
of the several regiments cannot fail to prove inte
resting.

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF
THE THIRTY-NINTH, OB THE
DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT

CONTAINING
AN ACCOUNT OF THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
In 1702,
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
To 1853.

COMPILED BY
EICHAED CANNON, ESQ.,
ADJUTANT general's OFFICE, HOKSE GUARDS.

inu^trateit iaitlt ^nUi.

LONDON:
PRINTED BY GEORGE E. EYEE AND WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE,
PMNTERS TO THE QUBEn'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY,
FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.
PUBLISHED BY PARICEB, FURNIVALL, AND PARKER,
MILITARY LIBRARY,
30, CHABING CBOSS.
1853.

THE THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT
BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR AND APPOINTMENTS
THE MOTTO "PRIMUS IN INDIS,"
TO DENOTE ITS HAVING BEEN THE FIRST KING's EEGIMENT
EMPLOYED IN INDIA;
AND THE WORD "PLASSEY,"

ERRATA.
Page 86, line SO,— for " Thansi," read " Jhansi."
Do. line 34,— /or "Kurnool," read "Kumaul."
Page 94, line 24,— ;/'or " Captain Charles Campbell (Major of Brigade) "
read " Captain Marmaduke George Nixon (Major of Brigade)."

THAT BATTLE, OS THE ^yiH VF DH^vmsaaJSK,
1843.

THE THtRTY-NINTH EEGIMENT
BEARS ON THE REGIMENTAL COLOUR AND APPOINTMENTS
THE MOTTO "PRIMUS IN INDIS,"
TO DENOTE ITS HAVING BEEN THE FIRST KING's REGIMENT
EMPLOYED IN INDIA;
AND THE WORD "PLASSEY,"
IN COMMEMORATION OE ITS GALLANTRY IN THAT
BATTLE, ON THE 23ed OP JUNE, 1757;

THE WORD, "GIBRAITAE,"
WITH THE DEVICE OP THE "CASTLE AND KEY,"
AND THE MOTTO, "MONTIS INSIGNIA CALPil,
IN TESTIMONY OF ITS SERVICES DURING THE DEFENCE OF GIBRALTAR,
FROM 1779 TO 1783;

THE WORDS "ALBUHEEA," "VITTOEIA,"
"PYRENEES," "NIVELLE," "NIVE,"
« OETHES," AND " PENINSULA,"
IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS GALLANTRY IN THE
SEVERAL ACTIONS FOUGHT DURING THE WAR
IN PORTUGAL, SPAIN, AND THE SOUTH
OF FRANCE, FROM 1809 TO 1814 ;

AND
THE WORD "MAHAEAJPOEE,"
IN TESTIMONY OF ITS DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT IN
THAT BATTLE, ON THE 29th OF DECEMBER,
1843.

THIRTY-NINTH,

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

CONTENTS or THE
HISTOEICAL RECOED.

Year. 1702. Introduction - - - - . . "i
"TT" Formation of the regiment ... - 2
„ Colonel Richard Coote appointed its Colonel - - ib.
„ War declared against France and Spain - - . 16.
1703. Colonel Nicholas Sankey appointed Colonel of the regiment ib.
1 704. Siege of Gibraltar - - - - - ib.
1705. Capture of JSarcefcna - - - - . . 3
1706. Occupation of Madrid by the Allied Troops - - 16.
1707. Battle of ^?man2a - - • - - i4.
„ The Thirty-ninth and other regiments embarked for
Spain - - - - - - - ib.
1708. Operations of the campaign .... 4
1709. Action at the passage of the Caya .... 5
1710. Storming of Xeres <fe fo* CaSoZeroi - - - 6
1711. Passage of the Guadiana at Jernmenha - - - 7
„ The regiment engaged in the capture of several towns in
Spain ------ • ib.
1712. Suspension of hostilities proclaimed - - - - 16.
1713. Treaty of Utrecht signed - ... - 8
„ The regiment proceeded to Gibraltar, and afterwards to
Minorca - - - - - - - ib.

1714 ¦)
to Y
1719. J

Stationed at Minorca - - - - - ib.

Brigadier-General Thomas Ferrers appointed Colonel of
the regiment - - - - - - 16.
Embarked for Ireland .... - t6.

VI CONTENTS.
Year. Page
1720 1
and [-Stationed in Ireland - - - - - 8
1721. J
1722. Colonel William Newton appointed Colonel of the regiment ib.
1723 "I
to > The regiment remained in Ireland - - 9
1725.J
1726. Gibraltar besieged by the Spaniards - - - - ib.
„ The regiment embarked for that fortress ... ib,
1727. Successful defence made by the garrison of Gibraltar - 10
1729. Peace concluded between Great Britain, France, and Spain ib,
,, The regiment proceeded from Gibraltar to Jamaica - 11
1730. Colonel John Cope appointed Colonel of the regiment - ib.
1732. The regiment returned from Jamaica to Ireland - - ib.
„ Colonel Thomas Wentworth appointed Colonel of the regi
ment - - - - - -'' ib.
1733 ¦)
to > The regiment stationed in Ireland ... jj.
1736.J
1737. Colonel John Campbell, afterwards Duke of Argyle, ap
pointed Colonel of the regiment - - - ib.
1738. Colonel Richard Onslow appointed Colonel of the regiment ib.
1739. Lieut-Colonel Robert Dalway appointed Colonel of the
regiment - - - - - - ib.
. „ War declared against Spain ... . ib,
1740. Lieut-Colonel Samuel Walter Whltshed appointed Colonel
of the regiment - - - - • - ib.
1741. War of the Austrian Succession - . - .12
1742. Support rendered by the British to the Queen of Hungary - ib.
1743. Colonel Edward EichbeU appointed Colonel of the regiment ib,
„ 3att\e of Dettingen - - - - ib,
1744. The regiment proceeded from Ireland to Great Britain - ib.
., War declared against France - - - - ib.
1745. The regiment employed as Marines - - - ib.
1746. Arrival of Prince Charles Edward, eldest son of the Pre
tender, in Scotland - - - - - 13
„ Battle of Culloden - - - - ib.
. „ Expedition against the coast of Brittany, of which the
Thirty-ninth formed part - - - - ib.
„ A&a.irs near Port L' Orient .... a,
' „ Eeturn of the expedition to England - - - . I'i.
1747 1 rpijg j-egiment again employed as Marines on board the
ml] fl-' - - . - - . ib.
„ Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle concluded - - - 14
1749 1
¦ to i- The regiment stationed in Ireland ... ib,
1751.J „ Royal Warrant respecting the clothing, standards, and
colours of the army, and for regulating the number and
rank of regiments - - - - - ib.
1752. Colonel John Adlercron appointed Colonel of the regiment ib.
1754. The regiment proceeded from Ireland to the East Indies - ib.

CONTENTS." vii
Year. Page
1755. Stationed at Madras - ... 14
1756. Aspect of affairs in India - - . - - 15
„ Part of the regiment selected to serve in Bengal under
Lieut-Colonel Robert (afterwards Lord) Clive - - ib.
„ Defeat of Monickchund, the Governor of Calcutta, near the
"Port o{ Budge-Budge - - - . - 16
1757. Advance of the British towards Cafcaite - - - ib,
„ Expedition against Hoogly - - - - ib.
„ Expedition against Bandell ... 17
„ Action with the Nabob Surajee Dowlah near Calcutta - 18
„ Treaty of peace concluded with the Nabob - - - 19
„ Eenewal of hostilities - - - - - ib.
„ Investment of Chandernagore by the troops under Lieut-
Colonel Clive - - - - • - ib.
„ Surrender of that place - - . - ' - ib.
„ Capture of the fort of Cutwah - - - 20
„ Battle of P/oisey - - - - - - 21
„ The inotto " Primus in Indis," and the word " Plasset "
conferred by Eoyal authority on the regiment - - 23
„ Support rendered to the Nabob by Mr. Law, the French
chief at Cossimbuzar .... - ib.
„ Party despatched in pursuit of the French troops - - 24
„ Manner in which the remainder of the regiment left at
Mfadras had been employed ... ib.
„ Expedition against Ndtmre . - - - ib.
„ Relief of Trichinopoly - ... ib.
„ Fortress of Wandewash invested by the British - . 25
„ March of the troops to Conjeveram ... {J.
1758. Eeturn of the regiment to Ireland - - - - ib,
1759. Detachment of the regiment employed in Germany - ib.
1760 1
to [¦ The regiment stationed in Ireland - - - 26
1763. J
„ Treaty of peace concluded at Paris ... ib,
1766. Colonel Robert Boyd appointed Colonel of the regiment - ib.
1767 1
and }¦ The regiment employed in Ireland - - ib.
1768.J
1769. Embarked for Gibraltar - - - ib.
1770 1
to } Formed part of the garrison of that fortress ib.
1779.J „ War with Spain ib.
„ Siege of Gibraltar - - 27
1780. Progress of the siege ... - 29
1781. Successful sorft'e of the garrison - - - 30
1782. Renewed efforts of the enemy - - - 32
„ The combined forces of France and Spain defeated - - 35
1783. Termination of the siege - - - - - 36
„ Conclusion of peace - - - - ¦ - ib.
„ The word " Gibraltar," with the " Castle and Key," and
the motto "Montis Insignia Calpi" conferred on the
Thirty-ninth regiment - - - - 37
„ The Thiety-ninth designated the East Middlesex
regiment - - - - - - ib
„ The regiment retumed to England - - - 38

vm COJITENTS.
Year. 1783 1
to y stationed in South Britain - - - - - 38
1789.J „ Proceeded to Ireland .... • ib,
1790 r
to i Stationed in Ireland - - - • - ib,
1792. L
1793. War of the French Eevolution ... - ib,
„ The regiment embarked for the West Indies . - - ib,
1794. Expedition against Martinique ... . jJ,
„ Capture of Martinique, St. Lvcia, and Guadaloupe - - 39
„ Major-Geueral Nisbett Balfour appointed Colonel of the
regiment ..... • ib,
„ Gallant but unsuccessful defence of Guadaloupe against the
French - -,- - - -.40
„ Surrender of the garrison - - - - - ib,
„ Escape of certain of theoiBcers of the regiment, and their
arrival in Ireland ... - . 41
1795. The regiment recruited by drafts from several corps . 16.
„ Again embarked for Barbadoes . . . • ib,
1796. CsL^tuie oi Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice - • ib,
1796 ¦)
to [The regiment stationed at Demerara - • - 42
1800. J
„ Proceeded to Surinam - . - . - ib,
1802. Peace of Amiens - - • - - - ib,
„ Evacuation of Surinam .... - 43
„ The regiment embarked for Barbadoes - - - ib,
„ Proceeded to Antigua .... - i4.
1803. Embarked for England - . - - - ib.
„ Eenewal of the war with France ... . li.
„ A second battalion added to the regiment - - - ib.
1804. The first battalion stationed on the coast of Sussex - 44
„ The second battalion embarked for Guernsey - - ib.
1805. The first battalion selected for service in the Mediterranean ib.
„ The iiank companies detached to Naples - - - 45
1806. The flank companies proceeded to Sicily - - - ib.
„ The flank companies retumed to Malta - - - 46
„ The second battalion proceeded to Ireland - ib,
1807. Embarked for England - - - 16.
„ The County title of the regiment changed from EisT Mid
dlesex to Dorsetshtre ... . ti,
1808. The flank companies of the first battalion proceeded from
Malta to Sicily . - - - . . ib,
„ The second battalion embarked for Guernsey - - ti.
1809. The flank companies of the first battalion employed in the
capture of the islands of Ischia and Procida - - 47
„ Attempted reduction of the Casde of Scylla - - ib.
„ The second battalion joined the army iu the Peninsula, - 48
1810. The battalion companies of the first battalion proceeded
from Malta to Sicily - - - - - 49
„ The second battalion present at the battle of Susaco - ib.
„ Pursuit of the Fi-ench towards Santarem - - . ib.
„ Investment of Badajoz - ... 50
„ Battle of Albuhera - - . - . ib.

CONTENTS.
Year. 1810. Received the Royal Authority to bear the word " Albuhera "
ou the regimental colour aud appointments 51
iSll. AS-Ah of Arroyo dos Molinos ... jJ.
„ The first battalion joined the army in the Peninsula - 52
„ The second battalion transferred all its effective men to the
first battalion - - ib.
„ Embarkation of the remainder of the second battalion for
England ..... 53
1812. 5(w£a/oz again invested - - ib.
„ Capture of the fortress - - ib.
„ Advance to Burgos .... ib.
1813. Battle of Vittoria ---.-- 54
„ Received the Royal authority to bear the word " Vittoria "
on the regimental colour and appointments - 55
„ Actions in the Pyrenees - - - - 56
„ Received the Royal authority to bear the word " Pyrenees"
on the regimental colour and appointments - - 57
„ France entered by the Pass of Maya - ib.
„ Passage of the Nivelle - - - - 58
„ Eeceived the Royal authority to bear the word " Nivelle "
on the regimental colour and appointments - - ib.
„ Passage of the Niver - - - - - ib.
„ Eeceived the royal authority to bear the word " NivE " on
the regimental colour aud appointments - - - 59
1814. Affair at Garris - - - - - - ib.
„ Gallantry of the first battalion particularly noticed by the
Marquis of Wellington - - 60
„ Battle of Ortlies - - - - - 61
„ Eeceived the Royal authority to bear the word " Orthes" on
the regimental colour and appointments - - ib,
„ Battle of Toulouse - - - - - - ib.
„ Termination of the Peninsular War - - - 62
„ Received the Eoyal authority to bear the word " Peninsu
la " on the regimental colour and appointments - ib.
„ The first battalion proceeded to North America - - ib.
„ Expedition against the state of New York - - - 63
„ Operations on Lake Champlain - - - ib.
„ Part of the first battalion employed as Marines 64
1815. The battalion retumed to Chambly - ib.
„ Embarked for England - - - - - ib.
„ Proceeded to Ostend - - ib.
„ Joined the British army at Paris - - - - ib.
„ The second battalion disbanded .... ib.
181 fi "1
° I The regiment formed part of the " Army of Occupation "
,„,„ I iu France - - - - - - 65
„ Embarked for Ireland - - - - ib.
1819 1
to Y Stationed in Ireland - - - - - ib.
1823.J „ Lieut- General Sir George Airey, K. C. H, appointed Colonel
of the regiment .--... ib.
1824. The regiment stationed in Ireland - - - 66
1825. Proceeded to Chatham for embarkation, by detachments, for
New South Wales - - - - • ib.
b

CONTENTS.

Year 1826

I Embarked as guard over convicts proceeding to New South
1830.J ^^1«^ ¦ ¦ - - - - 67
1830. Employed in the Bathurst district - - - - 68
1831. Presentation of new colours to the regiment - - 69
„ Address of Lieut-General Sir Ralph Darling on that occa-
casion .... - - 70
1832. Embarkation of the regiment for Madras - - - 72
1833. Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Eobert WiUiam O'Cal-
laglian, K.C.B., appointed Colonel of the regiment - - 73
1834. The regiment engaged in active field operations against the
Eajah of Coorg - - - - - • ib.
„ Submission of the Rajah - - - - - 75
1835. The conduct of Brigadier-General Lindesay, C. B., command
ing the force employed in that ca npaign, honored by the
Royal approval - - - - --77
„ The Royal authority granted for resuming the motto " Primus
in Indis," and the word " Plassey ; " also the device of the
" Castle and Key," in addition to the word " Gibraltar." 78
1836. Testimonial presented to Colonel Lindesay on his departure
for England - - ... 79
1837. A detachment of the regiment employed in Canara and
Malabar .... . . H,
„ Eeturn of the detachment to Bangalore - - - 80
1838. CompUmentary order on the regiment quitting Bangalore ib.
„ Arrived at Bellary - - - - - 81
1839. Ordered on field service - - 82
„ Advanced to Coodamoor ... . ib.
„ Operations against the Fort of Kurnool - - - 83
„ Affair at Zorapore, near Kurnool - - - - 84
„ Eeturn of the regiment to BeUary - - - - 85
1840. Aixival at Kamptee ----- ib.
„ Lieut.-General Sir Frederick Philipse Eobinson, G. C. B.,
appointed Colonel of the regiment - - - 86
1841. The regiment ordered to march to Cawnpore - ib.
„ Destination changed to Agra - - ib.
1842. Ordered to proceed to Ferozepore - - ib.
1843. Eetmned to Agra ... - 87
„ Presentation of new colours to the regiment - - ib.
„ Address of Lord Ellenborough, the Governor General of
India, on that occasion - - - . - ib.
„ The regiment formed part of the " Army of Exercise" as
sembled at Agra - - - 90
!,, Aspect of affairs in the Gwalior state - - - 9 1
„ Battle ofMaharajpore - ... 92
„ Eeceived the Eoyal authority to bear the word "Maharaj-
pore " on the regimental colour and appointments - - 94
„ Honors conferred on the ofiicers and men - - ib.
1 844. Eeturn of the regiment to Agra - - - - 96
1845. Gallant conduct of certain volunteers from the Thirteenth to
the TmRTT-NiNTH regiment, at the storming of the heights
ofTruckee - . . - . . 97
1846. Volunteering of the regiment to other corps in India - 99

CONTENTS,
Year. 1847. Embarked for England - - - - - 100
„ Complimentary orders by the Commander-in-Chief in India
on the regiment quitting that country - - 101
1 848. Eemoved from Portsmouth to Hull - 102
„ Proceeded to Preston, in Lancashire - - - ib.
1849. Stationed at Preston - - - ib.
1850. Eemoved to Ireland - - - - ib.
1852. Lieut.-General George Burrell, C.B., appointed Colonel of
the regiment - - - - - - 103
1853. Major-General Eichard Lluellyn, C.B., appointed Colonel of
the regiment - - - 104
„ Conclusion - - - - - ib.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

THE THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT.

Year. Page
1702. Eichard Coote 105
1703. Nicholas Sankey - - ib.
1719. Thomas Ferrers - - 106
1722. WiUiam Newton - ... ib.
1730. Sir John Cope, K.B. - - - ib.
1732. Thomas Wentworth - - - 107
1737. John Campbell, afterwards Duke of Argyle - - ib.
1738. Eichard Onslow - - 108
1739. Eobert Dalway - - ib.
1740. Samuel Walter Whitshed - 109
1743. Edwaa-d EichbeU - - - ib.
1752. John Adlercron - - - ib.
1766. Sir Eobert Boyd - - - 110
1794. Nisbett Balfour - - - ib.
1823. Sir George Airey, K.C.H. - - - 111
1833. The Honorable Sir Eobert WiUiam O'CaUaghan, G.C.B. 114
1840. Sir Frederick Philipse Eobinson, G.C.B. - 115
1852. George Burrell, C.B. - - - - 117
1853. Richard Lluellyn, C.B. ii.

APPENDIX.

Page
Memoir of Colonel George Wilson, formerly Lieiit. -Colonel of the
regiment - - - 119
Memoir of Major-General, Sir Charles Bruce, K. C. B., formerly
Lieut-Colonel of the regiment - - - 120
Memoir of Major General, Sir Patrick Lindesay, K. C.B. and
K.C.H., formerly Lieut.-Colonel of the regiment - 121

PLATES.

Page
Colours of the regiment to face . - - 1
Costume of the regiment ... - 104

TiaRTT JS'INTH JftlE&IIME NT

i'or C^iLfUlni Ml^OJj /h c,-"' / c

HISTOEICAL EECOED

THE THIRTY-NINTH,

DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

The long-expected decease of King Charles II. of 1700.
Spain occurred on the Ist of November 1700, and the
circumstance of his bequeathing his crown to Philip,
Duke of Anjou, second son of the Dauphin of France,
involved the several Powers of Europe in a lengthened
contest, which has been designated the " War of the
Spanish Succession," England would, probably, have
abstained from becoming a principal in the war, had not
Louis XIV., upon the death of James II. at St. Ger-
mains, on the 16th of September 1701, proclaimed that
monarch's son, known as the Pretender, as King of
England, Scotland, and Ireland, which so aroused the
feelings of the English people as to lead the nation to 1701.
support with ardour Charles, Archduke of Austria, the
second son of Leopold, Emperor of Gertnany, in his
efforts to obtain the throne of Spain, particularly as it
was considered that the anticipated union of the crowns
A

2 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1701. of France and Spain would be inimical to the " balance
of power" in Europe.
1702. Active preparations for war commenced, and the
Thirtt-ninth was one of the regiments raised at this
period, and has been since retained on the establishment
of the army. * The regiment was raised in Ireland by
Colonel Eichard Coote, under the authority of a royal
warrant dated the 13th of February 1702, and con
tinued to be stationed in that country for the five
following years.
The sudden decease of King William III, on the
8th of March 1702, did not retard the breaking out of
hostilities, for his views were carried into effect by his
successor Queen Anne, who declared war against France
and Spain on the 4th of May following, and the Earl
of Marlborough was appointed to command the forces
in Flanders, with the rank of Captain-General.
1703. Colonel Nicholas Sankey was appointed to the co
lonelcy of the regiment on the 17th of March 1703, in
succession to Colonel Eichard Coote, deceased.
1704. Gibraltar, a name which, in subsequent years, is so
gloriously connected with the Thirtt-ninth regi
ment fj was taken in July 1704 by the British and
Dutch marines, aided by the seamen, under Major-
General the Prince of Hesse Darmstadt, and Admiral
Sir George Eooke. In October following, the French
and Spaniards endeavoured to retake the fortress, but
after a siege of some months they desisted from the
attempt in March 1705.
1705. While the army under the Duke of Marlborough was

" The regiments of infantry which were raised in 1702, and since
retained on the establishment of the army, commenced with the Twenty-
eighth, and ended with the Thirty-ninth regiment.
t The Thirty-ninth formed part of the gan-isou of Gibraltar when
that fortress was besieged by the Spaniards in 1727, and it also shared
in the memorable defence made by General Eliott, afterwards Lord
Heathfield, from 1779 to 1782.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OE FOOT. 3
pursuing a victorious career in Flanders and Germany, 1705.
the troops which had been employed in Portugal
and Spain had likewise gained important successes. In
October 1705, the allied troops under the Earl of Peter
borough captured Barcelona, and that celebrated city
was successfully defended by them in April and May
of the following year. Madrid was taken possession 1706.
of by the Earl of Gal way in June 1706, and the for
tunes of Charles III. appeared in the ascendant ; but
the delay of that prince to avail himself of these advan
tages, by marching at once to the capital of Spain,
enabled Philip V. to collect an army superior in num
bers to the Allies, and Madrid was again occupied by
the enemy in August of the same year.
On the 25th of April 1707, the allied forces under 1707.
the Earl of Galway were defeated by the Duke of
Berwick at Almanza*, which materially changed the
aspect of affairs in Spain.
Additional troops were shortly afterwards selected
for embarkation for Portugal, and the Thiett-ninth
was one of the regiments directed to proceed to that
country. Accordingly the Fifth, Twentieth, Thirtt-ninth,
and a newly raised regiment commanded by Colonel
Stanwix (since disbanded), having been selected for this
service, sailed from Cork on the 22nd of May 1707,
and landed at Lisbon on the 8th of June. This season
able reinforcement arriving soon after the defeat of the
allied army at Almanza, in the south-east of Spain, and
at the moment when the enemy, having captured Serpa

* A tradition has been preserved in the Thirty-ninth, that the regi
ment was present at the battle of Almanza on the 25th of AprU 1707,
and that it was for some years known as " Sankey's Horse," in conse
quence of its being said to have been mounted on mules for the purpose
of expediting its advance. The regiment, however, did not embark for
Portugal until the 22nd of May 1 707, and therefore was not present at
the battle of Almanza. A 2

4 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1707. and Moura in the Alemtejo, had seized on the bridge
of Olivenza in Portuguese Estremadura, and menaced
that important place with a siege, its presence revived
the drooping spirits of the Portuguese.
These four regiments being the only British troops
in that part of the country, were disembarked with
every possible expedition, and marched to the frontiers
under the command of the Marquis de Montandre,
when the enemy immediately ceased to act on the
offensive, and retired. The four regiments having
halted at Estremos, a strong town of the Alemtejo, si
tuated in an agreeable tract on the Tarra, remained in
this pleasant quarter during the summer heats, and
afterwards encamped in the fruitful valley of the Caya,
near Elvae, having detached parties on the flanks to
prevent the enemy making incursions into Portugal, in
which service the regiments were engaged until No
vember, when they went into quarters in the frontier
towns of Portugal.
1708. In the spring of 1708 the regiment again took the
field, and was encamped at Fuente de Sapatores, be
tween Elvas and Campo Mayor. The British division
was soon afterwards increased to six regiments, by the
arrival of the Thirteenth foot, and a newly raised regi
ment (Paston's) from England. The little army in the
Alemtejo was commanded by the Marquis de Fronteira,
but the characteristic inactivity of the Portuguese occa
sioned the services of the Thirty-ninth to be limited
to defensive operations. The regiment was encamped
in the autumn at Campo Mayor, and afterwards went
into cantonments.
1709. The regiment moved from its quarters in the spring
of 1709, and became engaged in active operations. It
was first encamped near Estremos, and proceeded from
thence to Elvas on the 23rd of April 1709; the regi
ment was subsequently encamped with the army on
the banks of the Caya, where the Earl of Galway, who

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 5
had been removed from the army in Catalonia, appeared 1709.
at the head of the British division.
On the 7th of May, the French and Spaniards, com
manded by the Marquis de Bay, marched in the direc
tion of Campo Mayor ; when the Portuguese generals,
contrary to the Earl of Galway's advice, resolved to
pass the Caya, and attack the enemy. The Portuguese
cavalry and artillery took the lead, and having passed
the river and gained the opposite heights, opened a
sharp cannonade ; but upon the advance of their adver
saries to charge, the squadrons faced about and galloped
from the field, leaving their cannon behind. The
British division, arriving at the moment, repulsed the
enemy ; the leading brigade, consisting of the Thir
teenth, Stanwix's and Galway's regiments, commanded
by Brigadier-General Thomas Pearce, charging furi
ously, recaptured the Portuguese guns; but the three
regiments, pressing forward too far, were surrounded
and made prisoners, and with them Major-General
Sankey, the Colonel of the Thirty-ninth ; and the
Earl of Barrymore, together with Brigadier-General
Thomas Pearce, fell into the hands of the enemy.
At the same time the Fifth, Twentieth, Thirty-
ninth, and Lord Paston's regiments, though deserted
by the whole of the cavalry, made a determined stand,
bearing the brunt of the enemy's reiterated attacks with
admirable firmness, until the Portuguese infantry had
retired ; then moving to the rear in firm array, while
the balls flew thickly on every side, and the Earl of
Galway's horse was shot under him, the enemy ad
vanced in full career, threatening the destruction of this
little band ; yet, with ranks unbroken and steady tread,
these undaunted English calmly retraced their steps,
exhibiting one of the noblest spectacles of war, and
occasionally punishing the temerity of their pursuers
with a cool and deliberate resolution, which laid a
thousand Spaniards dead upon the field, and impressed
A 3

6 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1709. the enemy, and likewise the Portuguese, with a sense
of British courage and magnanimity. Thus they
effected their retreat, with the loss of only one hundred
and fifty men killed and wounded, and passed that
night at Arronches.
The Thirty-ninth acquired great honour by its
gallantry on this occasion. The regiment was after
wards encamped at Elvas, was subsequently in position
on the banks of the Guadiana, and again passed the
winter in cantonments in the Alemtejo.
1710. The casualties of the preceding campaign having
been replaced by recruits from England, the regiment
again took the field in the spring of 1710, and was
employed in the Alemtejo ; but the army was weak and
unequal to any important undertaking, and the French
having obtained some success in the province of Tras
OS Montes, occasioned a detachment to be sent thither.
In the autumn the army advanced across the Guadiana,
and on the 4th of October arrived at the rich plains of
Xeres de los Cabaleros, on .the river Ardilla, in Spanish
Estremadura. It was determined to attack this place
by storm on the following day, and the Fifth, Twen
tieth, and Thirty-ninth regiments, having been
selected to perform this service under the command of
Brigadier-General Stanwix, advanced at four in the
afternoon to attack the works near St. Catherine's gate
by escalade. A few minutes after the regiments had
commenced the assault, the Governor sent proposals to
surrender, which were agreed to, and the garrison, con
sisting of seven hundred men, became prisoners of war.
The army afterwards retired to Portugal by the moun
tains of Orlor, and went into quarters.
During this summer, the army on the other side of
Spain gained two victories — one at Almanara, and the
other at Saragassa, — and afterwards advanced to
Madrid, when the most pressing instances were made
by King_ Charles III. and General Stanhope to induce

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 7
the army of Portugal to advance upon the Spanish 1710.
capital ; but the Portuguese generals were unwilling to
engage in so great an undertaking.
The Thirty-ninth, during the campaign of 1711, 1711.
formed part of the army which assembled at Olivenza
in May, and having passed the Guadiana by a pontoon
bridge at Jerumenha, advanced against the enemy, who
took refuge under the cannon of Badajoz. The re
giment was afterwards engaged in the capture of
several small towns, and in levying contributions in
Spanish Estremadura ; but the summer passed without
any occurrence of importance, excepting a discovery
made by the Earl of Portmore, who commanded the
British troops in Portugal, of a clandestine treaty in
progress between the crown of Portugal and the enemy,
in which the former had agreed to separate from the
Allies ; to give an excuse for this, a mock battle was to
have been fought, in which the British troops were
to have been sacrificed. This treaty was broken off,
but the British Government soon afterwards entered
into negotiations with France.
The claimant of the Spanish throne, Charles III.,
was in October 1711 elected Emperor of Germany
by the title of Charles VI., his brother Joseph having
died at Vienna in the preceding April. This circum
stance materially affected the war, and inclined Great
Britain to agree to peace, for the consolidation of Spain
with the empire of Germany would have perilled the
balance of power in Europe as much as the anticipated
union of the crowns of France and Spain. The course
of events had also shown, that a French, and not an
Austrian prince, was the choice of the Spanish nation.
The regiment remained in Portugal, and during the 1712.
summer of 1712 was encamped on the pleasant plains
of the Tarra. In the autumn a suspension of hostilities
was proclaimed at the camp by Major-General Pearce,
and the regiment went into cantonments.
A 4

8 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1713. On the 11th of April 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht
was signed, and by its provisions the fortress of Gi
braltar and the island of Minorca, which had been taken
by the English during the war, were ceded to Great
Britain. The Thirty-ninth proceeded in the first
instance to Gibraltar; but in the course of the year
1713, the regiment was selected to form part of the
garrison at Minorca.*
1719. Upon the decease of Lieut.- General Nicholas Sankey,
in March 1719, His Majesty King George I. appointed,
on the 11th of that month, Brigadier-General Thomas
Ferrers to be Colonel of the Thirty-ninth regiment.
The Thirty-ninth regiment remained at Minorca
until the year 1719, when it embarked for Ireland, in
which country it was stationed for some years.
1722. Colonel William Newton was appointed by King
George I. to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth
regiment on the 28th of September 1722, in succession
to Brigadier-General Thomas Ferrers, removed to the
Seventeenth regiment of foot.

* Minorca, an island in the Mediterranean, on the eastern coast of
Spain, is about thirty mUes in length and twelve in breadth, and is chiefly
valuable for the exceUent harbour of Port Mahon. In September 1708
Minorca was taken by Admiral Leake and a land force under Lieut-
General Stanhope, after a siege of about three weeks. The island was
ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht, and remained in its
possession untU 1756, when, in AprU of that year, it was besieged by
the French, under Marshal the Duke de Eichelieu. After a brave de
fence by the Governor, General Blakeney, the garrison surrendered, and,
in consideration of its gallantry, was permitted to march out with aU
the honours of war. At the Peace of Fontainebleau, iu 1763, Minorca
was restored to the English iu exchange for BeUe-Isle. In Febraary
1782, the garrison, under the Governor, Lieut-General the Honom-able
James Murray, after suffering severely from sickness, surrendered to the
Duke de CrUlon, the Commander-in-Chief of the combined French
and Spanish forces, and Minorca was retained by Spain at the peace
of 1783. Minorca again surrendered to a British force under General
the Honourable Charles Stuart, on the 15th of November 1798 ; and at
the Peace of Amiens, in 1802, Minorca was restored to the Spaniards,
under whose sway it remains at the present period.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 9
Spain had relinquished its claim on Gibraltar with 1726.
reluctance ; and that country having resolved to engage
in war with Great Britain, a large army, under the
command of the Count de las Torres, was assembled in
Andalusia towards the end of 1726, in order to com
mence hostilities with the siege of this important for
tress, for which purpose the Spaniards had made very
extensive preparations.
The British Government resolved to send certain
regiments to reinforce the garrison of Gibraltar, and six
men-of-war were also fitted out at Portsmouth with all
possible expedition. Admiral Sir Charles Wager was
appointed to command the fleet, on board of which
three regiments of infantry, Anstruther's, Disney's, and
Newton's (Twenty-sixth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirty-
ninth regiments), were embarked. On the 24th of
December 1726, Sir Charles Wager arrived at Ports
mouth, and shortly afterwards sailed for Gibraltar, but
was detained for some time at Spithead by the southerly
winds. Two other regiments of infantry, Middleton's
and Hayes's (Twenty-fifth and Thirty-fourth), were
ordered to embark at Cork, for the purpose of joining
Sir Charles Wager, and of reinforcing the garrison of
Gibraltar. Admiral Sir Charles Wager arrived in the Bay of 1727.
Gibraltar on the 2nd of February 1727, after a voyage
of fourteen days from Portsmouth. In the previous
month the Spanish troops, under General Count de
las Torres, had encamped before the fortress, and the
bringing up of cannon and mortars occupied several
weeks. In February they commenced constructing
batteries before any declaration of war had been made,
and persisted in the work, notwithstanding the re
monstrances of the Lieut. -Governor, Colonel Jasper
Clayton. The garrison opened its fire upon the besiegers to
wards the end of February, and the reverberation of the

10 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1727. thunder of the cannon and mortars among the moun
tains of Andalusia, proclaimed the strenuous efforts of
the enemy, and the gallant defence made by the garri
son. The tremendous fire of the Spaniards produced
little effect beyond the bursting of many of their own
cannon, and rendering others useless. The siege was
continued until thousands of the enemy had perished,
while very little loss was sustained by the garrison.*
In the early part of June the fire slackened ; and shortly
afterwards hostilities ceased, in consequence of pre
liminary articles for a treaty of peace having been
agreed upon. Thus the fortress of Gibraltar was a
second time preserved, and continued to form one of
the trophies of British prowess.
1729. Peace having been concluded between Great Britain,
France, and Spain, in November 1729, the regiment
was ordered to proceed from Gibraltar to Jamaica,

* The foUowiag return of kUled and wounded during the siege of
Gibraltar, from the 11th ofFebruary to the 12th of June 1727, is extracted
from " The Political State of Great Britain," vol. xxxiv. p. 413 : —

Regiments,

Officers.

Men.

Killed.

Killed.

Wounded.

Died of
Wounds.

Foot Guards
Eoyal ArtiUery
Pearce's, 6 th Foot
Lord Mark Kerr's, 13th ditto
Clayton's, Uth ditto -
Bgerton's, 20th ditto -
Middleton's, 25th ditto
Anstruther's, 26th ditto
Disney's, 29th ditto
Bissett's, 30th ditto
Hayes's, 34th ditto
Newton's, 39th ditto -
Detachment from the regi- "1
ments at Minorca, under I
Colonel Cosby, 18th Foot J

1
1
1

2
11 4 7
78
3 6
2 8
266

19
16 9
26 13
12 14
29 1215
'5 17

22
358
3424 1

Total - 3

72

202

34

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 11
and it embarked for that island in the course of the 1729.
year following.
Colonel John Cope was appointed to the colonelcy 1730.
of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 10th of Novem
ber 1730, in succession to Brigadier-General William
Newton, deceased.
In the year 1732 the regiment returned from Jamaica 1732.
to Ireland.
Colonel Thomas Wentworth was appointed to the
colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 15th
of December 1732, in succession to Colonel John Cope,
removed to the Fifth fusiliers.
The regiment continued to be stationed in Ireland
during 1733 and ten following years.
Colonel John Campbell, afterwards Duke of Argyle, 1737.
was appointed to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth
regiment on the 27th of June 1737, in succession to
Colonel Thomas Wentworth, who was removed to the
Twenty-fourth regiment.
Upon Colonel Campbell being removed to the 1738.
Twenty-first Eoyal North British Fusiliers on the 1st
of November 1738, King George II. appointed Colonel
Eichard Onslow to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth
regiment from that date.
Colonel Onslow was removed to the Eighth regiment 1739.
of foot on the 6th of June 1739, and the colonelcy
of the Thirty-ninth was conferred, from the same
date, on Lieut.-Colonel Eobert Dalway.
While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, war was
proclaimed on the 23rd of October 1739, by Great
Britain against Spain, in consequence of the Spanish
depredations in the West Indies.
Lieut.-Colonel Samuel Walter Whitshed was pro- 1740.
moted from the Eighth dragoons to the colonelcy of the
Thirty-ninth regiment on the 28th of December
1740, in succession to Colonel Dalway, removed to the
Thirteenth dragoons.

12 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1740. While the war was being carried on between Great
Britain and Spain, the decease of Charles VI. Emperor
of Germany, on the 20th of October 1740, and the sup
port given by France to Charles Albert, Elector of
Bavaria, in opposition to the claims of the Archduchess
Maria Theresa, the eldest daughter of the late Emperor,
to her father's hereditary territories, occasioned the con
test that is designated the " War of the Austrian Suc
cession."
1742. The Elector of Bavaria was chosen Emperor of Ger
many at Frankfort on the Maine, and crowned as
Charles VII. on the 11th of February 1742 ; and in the
summer of that year the King of England sent an army
of sixteen thousand men, under Field Marshal the Earl
of Stair, to Flanders, in order to support the Queen of
Hungary, Maria Theresa.
1743. Colonel Edward EichbeU was appointed to the
colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 14th
of June 1743, in succession to Colonel Samuel Walter
Whitshed, who was removed to the Twelfth dragoons.
The battle of Dettingen was fought on the 27th of
June 1743, and is remarkable as the last action in which
a British monarch was present ; but King George II. at
this period did not act as a principal in the war, his
troops having been furnished as allies to the Austrians.
1744. On the 9th of March 1744, the Thirty-ninth regi
ment proceeded from Ireland to Great Britain, and was
employed on board the fleet, as Marines, for two years.
War was at last declared by France against Great
Britain on the 20th of March 1744, and a counter-
declaration was made by the latter country on the 29th
of the same mouth; thus these two powers, from
auxiliaries, now became principals in the contest.
1745. In January 1745, the Emperor Charles VII. died at
Munich, and Francis, Grand Duke of Tuscany, consort
of Maria Theresa, became a candidate for the imperial
crown; this circumstance changed the aspect of affairs

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 13
in Germany, and led to the re-establishment of the 1745.
House of Austria in the imperial dignity.
In July Prince Charles Edward, eldest son of the
Pretender, arrived in Scotland, and being joined by
several clans, obtained some advantages ; but after ad
vancing as far as Derby, he retreated towards the north
in December following.-
The hopes of the Pretender were annihilated by the 1746.
battle of Culloden on the 16th of April 1746, and part
of the military force of the kingdom becoming available
for other services, an expedition proceeded against the
coast of Brittany. Sixteen sail of the line under Ad
miral Lestock, and eight frigates, conveying five thou
sand troops (of which the Thirty- ninth formed part),
exclusive of Marines, under Lieut.-General St. Clair,
sailed from Plymouth on the 14th of September, in
order to make an attack on Port L' Orient, the prin
cipal station for the French East India Company's
shipping and stores.
The troops landed in Quimperlay Bay on the morn
ing of the 20th of September, and marched on the
following day in two columns against Plymeur, which
surrendered, and on the following day advanced to
within a mile of Port V Orient. Some affairs took
place between the 21st and 26th of September, and the
town was cannonaded; but the enemy having assem
bled a formidable force, it was determined to withdraw
the troops, and they were accordingly re-embarked.
The British troops landed on the peninsula of Qui-
heron on the 4th of October, and captured a fort mount
ing eighteen guns; and after destroying all the forts
and guns, together with those on the islands of Houat
and Hedic, the force was re-embarked, sailed for
England, and arrived at Spithead on the 26th of Oc
tober. During the years 1747 and 1748, the regiment again 1747.
served as Marines on board the fleet.

14 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1748. On the 7th of October 1748, the Treaty of Aix-la-
Chapelle was signed, which terminated the war, and
the regiment was again stationed in Ireland, where it
remained upwards of five years.
1751. In the royal warrant, dated the 1st of July 1751, for
establishing and maintaining uniformity in the clothing,
standards, and colours of the army, and regulating the
number and rank of regiments, the facings of the Thirty-
ninth regiment were directed to he green. The first,
or King's colour, was the Great Union ; the second, or
regimental colour, was of green silk, with the Union in
the upper canton ; in the centre of the colour the
number of the rank of the regiment, in gold Eoman
characters, within a wreath of roses and thistles on the
same stalk.
At this period the uniform of the regiment was cocked
hats bound with white lace; scarlet coats faced and
turned up with green, and ornamented with white lace ;
scarlet waistcoats and breeches ; white gaiters, white
cravats, and buff belts.
1752. Colonel John Adlercron was appointed to the colonelcy
of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 14th of March
1752, in succession to Brigadier-General Edward Eich
beU, removed to the Seventeenth foot.
1754. In the beginning of 1754, the Thirty-ninth pro
ceeded from Ireland to the East Indies, being the Jirst
King's regiment employed in that country.
1756. The regiment remained at Madras until 1756, when
events transpired which occasioned a portion of the
Thirty-ninth to be embarked for Bengal. Upon the
decease of AUaverdy Khan, in April 1756, Surajah
Dowlah was proclaimed Soubah, or Nabob of Bengal.
During nearly half a century the British at Calcutta
had pursued a profitable commerce in peace; but the
new ruler soon evinced his hostility to them, and taking
the field shortly afterwards, with a numerous army,
invested Calcutta, which was captured by him on the

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 15
20th of June. Then followed that awful sacrifice of 1756.
life in the " Black Hole," a dungeon at Calcutta only
eighteen feet square, into which one hundred and forty-
six of the prisoners were thrust, and on the following
morning only twenty-three survived, — their unfortunate
companions having perished from suffocation.
Dark was the cloud which hung over the affairs of
the East India Company at this period ; self-preservation
made it imperative to adopt measures of retaliation, and
it was a proud epoch in the career of the Thirty-ninth
when a portion of the regiment was selected for service
in Bengal, where the subsequent successes, obtained
under Lieut.-Colonel Clive, dispersed the prevailing
gloom, and paved the way for British ascendancy in
India. »
The intelligence of these events reached Madras in
August 1756, and it was determined to send a force to
Bengal, of which Colonel Adlercron, of the Thirty-
ninth, claimed the command, but Lieut-Colonel Eobert
(afterwards Lord) Clive, was eventually appointed to
command the troops. The armament consisted of
nine hundred Europeans and fifteen hundred Sepoys:
two hundred and fifty of the Europeans belonged to
the Thirty-ninth regiment, and the remainder were
the best men of the Company's troops. The naval
squadron comprised the Kent of 64 guns, Cumberland
of 70, Tiger of 60, Salisbury of 50, Bridgewater of 20,
and a fire-ship; to which were added, as transports,
three of the Company's ships, and two smaller vessels.
The fleet under Eear-Admirals Watson and Pocock
having the troops on board, saUed from Madras on the
16th of October 1756, and anchored in the river
Hoogly, off Fulta, twenty miles from Calcutta, on the
15 th of December, with the exception of the Cumber
land, in which Admiral Pocock had hoisted his flag,
which grounded on the sandheads off Saugur, but af
terwards bore up to Vizagapatam. The fleet left Fulta

16 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1756. on the 27th of December, and anchored in the afternoon
of the day following at Mayapore, a town ten miles
below the fort of Budge-Budge.
It was determined to attack this fort on the following
day, and it was resolved to lay an ambuscade in order
to intercept the retreat of the garrison towards Calcutta.
All the men of the Thirty-ninth who had arrived,
being one hundred and twenty, remained on board the
ships of war; but five hundred Europeans, with the
Sepoys, and two field-pieces, landed, and marched from
Mayapore, at sunset, under the command of Lieut.-
Colonel Clive. Monickchund, the Governor of Cal
cutta, attempted to make a stand near the fort of
Budge-Budge, but was defeated, and forced to return to
Calcutta. ,
Meanwhile the Kent, having outsailed the other
ships, anchored before Budge-Budge, and alone silenced
the cannon of that fort, which was abandoned by the
garrison during the night of the 30th of December.
1757. The fleet left Budge-Budge on the 31st of December,
and anchored, on the 1st of January 1757, between the
forts of Tanna and Aligur, which were abandoned by
the enemy without firing a shot. On the following
morning Lieut-Colonel Clive, with the greater portion
of the Europeans and Sepoys, landed, and advanced
towards Calcutta. At nine o'clock the Kent and Tiger
anchored before the British fort, which, after a brisk
*
cannonade, was deserted by the enemy, and also the
town shortly afterwards, when a detachment from the
ships under Captain Eyre Coote, of the Thirty-ninth,
(afterwards Lieut. -General Sir Eyre Coote, K. B,),
hoisted the British colours in the fort, as the troops
under Lieut.-Colonel Clive had not then arrived.
Hoogly, a town about twenty-three .miles above Cal
cutta, was the next object of attack : one hundred and
seventy of the Thirty-ninth regiment, with two
hundred Sepoys, were embarked on this service on the

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1 7
4th of January, sailed on the following day, and arrived 1757.
before the place on the 1 0th of that month, the delay
having been caused by one of the vessels having struck
on a sandbank. The fort was garrisoned by two
thousand men ; three thousand more had been sent
from Moorshedabad to guard the town, but these re
treated upon the landing of the British troops, re
maining, however, within a few miles distance. The
fort was battered until night, and although the breach
was scarcely practicable, it was resolved to storm it
before dawn. At the main gate a false attack was
made, while Captain Coote, of the Thirty-ninth,
with the other division, accompanied by some sailors,
mounted the breach undiscovered by the garrison, who
no sooner saw their assailants on the ramparts, than
they quitted their posts and fled. Three Europeans
and ten Sepoys were killed in the attack. The booty
taken in the expedition against Hoogly was estimated
at 15,000/. sterling.
On the 12th of January Captain Coote, with fifty of
the Thirty-ninth regiment, and twice that number
of Sepoys, marched to Bandell, a large village three
miles off, where they destroyed several granaries of
rice, but on their return were surrounded by the fu
gitive garrison and the troops sent from Moorshedabad,
from whom they disengaged themselves without loss.
On the 19th of January, the portion of the Thirty-
ninth employed on this service, with the smaller
vessels, returned to Calcutta.
While this expedition was in progress, the news of
the war, which had been declared between Great
Britain and France in May of the previous year, was
received in India. The Nabob, Surajee Dowlah, exas
perated by the attack of Hoogly, commenced his march
towards Calcutta, and the British made every pre
paration to oppose his approach. On the 30th of Ja
nuary the Nabob's forces commenced their passage of
B

18 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1757. the river about ten miles above Hoogly, and arrived
before Calcutta on the 3rd of February. In the af
ternoon of that day, a numerous body of the enemy
commenced entrenching themselves in a large garden,
within a mile and a half of the British camp. Upon
this Lieut.-Colonel Clive immediately advanced with
the greater portion of his troops, and six field-pieces.
The attack of so numerous a force appeared extremely
hazardous, and Lieut.-Colonel Clive restrained the ac
tion to a cannonade, which continued only for an hour,
in order that the troops might be enabled to regain the
camp before dark. Negotiations for peace had been
proposed by Lieut. -Colonel Clive, and failed; it was
therefore determined to attack the Nabob's camp in
the morning. At midnight five hundred and sixty-nine
sailors, armed with firelocks, were landed from the ships
of war : the Europeans amounted to six hundred and
fifty, the artillerymen to one hundred, and the Sepoys
to eight hundred. Shortly before dawn on the 5th. of
February, the British line came upon the advance-
guards of the enemy, who fled after discharging their
matchlocks and some rockets : one of the latter struck
the cartouch-box of a Sepoy, set fire to the charges,
which exploded, and communicated the mischief to
several others : the dread of catching this fire threw the
division into confusion, but fortunately none of the
enemy were at hand to take advantage of this acci
dental circumstance, and Captain Coote, of the Thirty-
ninth, who marched at the head of the grenadiers, in
the rear of the Sepoys, rallied them, and restored the
line of march. A desperate contest ensued, during
which Ensign Martin Yorke, of the Thirty-ninth,
with a platoon of the regiment, rescued one of the fields
pieces which was on the point of being captured by the
enemy. The British sustained a loss in killed of twenty-
seven Europeans, twelve seamen, and eighteen Sepoys :
seventy Europeans, twelve seamen, and thirty-five

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 19
Sepoys were wounded. The Nabob lost twenty-two 1757.
oflScers of distinction, six hundred men, four elephants,
five hundred horses, some camels, and several bullocks.
A treaty of peace was concluded between the Nabob
and the East India Company on the 9th of February,
and hostilities terminated.
It was, however, perceived that the Nabob was only
temporising, and it was ascertained that he had sent a
present of one hundred thousand rupees to the go
vernment of Chandernagore, then in possession of the
French ; and that Nuncomar, the governor of Hoogly,
had received instructions to assist the French in case
they should be attacked by the British.
Lieut.-Colonel Clive then resolved upon placing Meer
Jaffier, one of the distinguished chieftains in Bengal, on
the musnud, or government-seat, and of deposing the
Nabob Surajee Dowlah, the former having engaged, in
the event of his being elevated to the viceroyship, to
aid in expelling the French from Bengal, Accordingly,
Chandernagore, on the Hoogly, sixteen miles above
Calcutta, was invested by Lieut.-Colonel Clive on the
14th of March, and, after a gallant defence, the place
surrendered on the 24th of that month. A part of the
garrison escaped, and joined the Nabob's army.
Lieut-Colonel Clive marched into Chandernagore
with the King's troops, on the following day. Admiral
Watson^ in his despatch of the 31st of March, 1757,
stated that " all the officers and men behaved with great
" spirit and resolution on this occasion ; as did also the
" Land Forces, who kept up a good and constant fire
"the whole time from two batteries and two guns
" which they had raised very near the fort."
Meer Jaffier having signed the treaty with Admira,!
Watson, Lieut.-Colonel Clive, and the other counsellors,
it was determined to commence operations. On the
12th of June, the troops which were at Calcutta, with
b2

20 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1757. one hundred and fifty seamen from the squadron, pro
ceeded to join the army quartered at Chandernagore.-
The necessary preparations having been made, the army
marched from Chandernagore on the following day,
leaving a hundred seamen to garrison the fort, so that
every soldier might serve in the field.
The British army arrived and halted on the I6th
of June at Patlee, a town on the westem shore of the
Cossimbuzar river. Twelve miles above Patlee was
situated the Fort of Cutwah, which commanded the
passage of the river. Captain Coote was detached on
the 17th against Cutwah, which was taken two. days
afterwards. The main body of the army arrived at Cutwah in
the evening, and encamped on the plain. The rainy
season commenced on the following day with such
violence that the troops were compelled to strike their
tents, and shelter themselves in the houses of the town.
The co-operation of Meer Jaffier appearing doubtful
at this period, made Lieut.-Colonel Clive hesitate as to
crossing into the island of Cossimbuzar, and at all risks
attack the Nabob Surajee Dowlah. A council of war
consisting of sixteen officers was summoned; and con
trary to the usual practice of taking the voice of the
youngest officer first, and ascending from this to that
of the president, Lieut.-Colonel Clive at once declared
for remaining at Cutwah, and to continue there during
the rainy season. Eight other officers were of the same
opinion, and only seven voted for immediate action.
Captain Eyre Coote, of the Thirty-ninth, was one
of the latter, and argued, "that the soldiers were at
"present confident of success, and that a stop so near
"the enemy would naturally quell this ardour, which
"it would be difficult to restore; that the arrival of
" the French troops with Mr. Law would add strength
" to the Nabob's force and vigour to his councils ; that
"they would surround the English army, and cut off

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 21
"Its communication with Calcutta, when distresses, 1757.
" not yet foreseen, might ruin it as effectually as the
"loss of a battle. ,He therefore advised that they
" should either advance and at once decide the contest^
"or immediately return to Calcutta."
Lieut.-Colonel Clive's anxieties were not alleviated
by the sanction of the majority. He retired into the
adjoining grove, and remained for nearly an hour in
deep meditation ; the result was that he determined to
act on the opinion of Captain Coote and the minority,
by giving orders for the passage of the river of
Cossimbuzar, a branch of the Ganges.
At sunrise on the 22nd of June, the British troops
commenced to pass the river, and all were landed
on the opposite shore by four in the afternoon. After
a march of fifteen miles they arrived at one o'clock
on the following morning at Plassey, and Immediately
occupied the adjoining grove. The guards being sta
tioned, the remainder of the wearied soldiers were
allowed a short interval of repose, which was broke
at daybreak, when the Nabob's hosts issued from their
entrenched camp, amounting to about fifteen thousand
cavalry, thirty-five thousand Infantry, and upwards of
forty pieces of cannon.* This was a fearful disparity of
numbers when contrasted with the small army under
Lieut.-Colonel Clive, which consisted of two thousand
one hundred Sepoys, one hundred Topassesf, one hun
dred Malabar Portuguese, six hundred and fifty Euro
pean infantry, and one hundred and fifty artillerymen.

* The numbers of the two armies are taken from the Life of Robert
Lord Clive, by Major-General Sir John Malcolm, G. C. B., in which is
published a letter from Lieut.-Colonel Clive to the Secret Committee of
'the Court of Directors of the East India Company, containing an account
of the battle of Plassey, and of the loss sustained in kiUed aud wounded.
t Topasses were black infantry, descended from Portuguese who had
married natives, and were so named because they wore hats.
B 3

22 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1757. including fifty seamen, together with eight six-pounders
and one howitzer.
The Nabob commenced the attack by six o'clock,
and his numerous artillery kept up a heavy cannonade
for some hours, which was warmly responded to by
the British. Lieut.-Colonel Clive sheltered his troops
in the adjacent grove; and they were ordered to sit
down, while the field-pieces alone answered the enemy's
cannon from behind the bank. At eleven o'clock
LIeut.-Colonel Clive consulted his officers at the drum
head, when it was resolved to maintain the cannonade
during the day, and at midnight to attack the enemy.
At noon a heavy shower of rain covered the plain, and
damaged the enemy's powder to such an extent that
his fire slackened, but the British ammunition re
mained serviceable.
A crisis had arrived, and Lieut.-Colonel Clive, no
longer acting on the defensive, became the assailant.
Seizing the opportunity, he advanced, and obtained
possession of a tank, and two other posts of con
sequence, which the enemy vainly attempted to recover.
A successful attack was then made upon the eminence
and angle of the Nabob's camp, defended by forty
French soldiers (the men who had escaped from the
garrison of Chandernagore), and their two pieces of
cannon were captured. This was followed by a general
rout, and the discomfited enemy was pursued for six
miles: upwards of forty pieces of cannon, abandoned
by the fugitives, feU into the hands of the victors.
In this astonishing victory, which laid the foundation
of the British dominion in Bengal, five hundred of the
enemy were killed, while the army under Lieut.-
Colonel Clive sustained a loss of only twenty-two killed
and fifty wounded.
It appears from a manuscript journal kept by Captain
Eyre Coote, now in the library of the Honourable East
India Company, that the following officers of the

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 23
Thirty-ninth were present in the battle oi Plassey : 1757.
namely. Captains Archibald Grant, and Eyre Coote ;
Lieutenant John CornelUe; and Ensigns Joseph
Adnett, and Martin Yorke.
The motto "Primus in Jndis," and the word "Plassey,"
borne by royal authority on the regimental colour and
appointments of the Thirty-ninth, are proud me
morials of its having been the first King's regiment
which served in India, and of the gallantry displayed
in this battle.*
Lieut.-Colonel Clive, accompanied by a guard of two
hundred Europeans, and three hundred Sepoys, entered
the city of Moorshedabad on the 29th of June, and
saluted Meer Jaffier as Nabob, who received the usual
homage from the people as Soubah of Bengal, Bahar,
and Orlssa. Surajee was subsequently taken prisoner,
and fell a victim to the dagger of the son of Meer
Jaffier. Mr. Law, who was the French chief at Cossimbuzar,
had collected nearly two hundred French European
troops, and was proceeding to the assistance of the late
Nabob ; — when within a few hours' march of him, he
was taken prisoner, and Mr. Law, receiving that
intelligence, advanced no further. Lieut.-Colonel Clive
thereupon detached a party in pursuit under the com-

* These distinctions having, in after years, been discontinued. His
Majesty King WUham IV., on the 17th of November 1835, was graci
ously pleased to authorise then- being resumed. A handsome sflver-
mounted drum^major's cane (now in possession of the regiment) was
presented to the Thikty-ninth by the Nabob of Arcot, with the foUow
ing device and inscription thereon : — Device : ore Elephant, with motto
"Primus in Indis," Plassey, 1757 : — Inscription: Nabob of Bengal
overturned by the 39th Regiment aud the Company's troops, 5th
February 1757.
It wUl be observed that the date 5th February 1757, is not that of
the battle of Plassey, but of the action fought near Calcutta, which is
narrated at page 18. The battle of Plassey took place on the 23rd of
June 1757. B 4

24 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1757. mand of Captain Coote, of the Thirty -ninth re
giment, consisting of two hundred Europeans and
five hundred Sepoys, who were to be joined by two
thousand of Meer Jaffier's cavalry. After long and
harassing marches, in which the troops suffered much
fatigue. Captain Coote received orders to return, and
arrived at Moorshedabad in September, when his de
tachment Was subsequently stationed In the factory
at Cossimbuzar. The rest of the troops, which had
served at Plassey, proceeded to Chandernagore, that
station being considered more healthy than Calcutta,
While the portion of the Thirty-ninth had beefli
thus engaged in Bengal, the remainder of the regiment
left at Madras had not been unemployed. An expedi
tion having been determined upon against Nelloure,
Major Francis Forde, of the Thirty-ninth, was se
lected to command the force selected for that service,
which consisted of one hundred Europeans, fifty-six
Caffres, and three hundred Sepoys, He effected a
junction with the army of the Nabob of Arcot, or of the
Camatic, at Serapely on the 25th of April 1757. Two
days afterwards the troops encamped before Nelloure.
A practicable breach having been made, at sunrise on
the 5th of May the assault was commenced ; but In con-
quence of the Sepoys being seized with a panic, the at
tack was not successful. The troops subsequently re
turned towards Serapely, where Major Forde received
express orders to return to Madras, in order to prevent
the designs of the French on Trichinopoly.
In consequence of the danger to which Trichinopoly
was exposed. Colonel Adlercron marched from Madras
on the 26th of May with three hundred Europeans,
being the whole of the Thirty-ninth at that station,
together with five hundred Sepoys, thirty of the King's
artillery, and four field-pieces. InteUigence having
been received of the relief of Trichinopoly by Captain
Caillaud, who had been selected to command the expe-

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 25
dition against Madura*, Colonel Adlercron was directed 1757.
to invest the fortress of Wandewash, and accordingly
marched towards that place on the 5th of June. On ,
the following day he entered the town ; but before the
heavy cannon could arrive^ the greater part of the
French army from Trichinopoly reached Pondlcherry,
and marched to the relief of Wandewash, upon which
Colonel Adlercron withdrew from the town, and en
camped a few miles off. Several marches and counter
marches were afterwards made, but no general engage
ment took place, and it being seen that nothing but the
certainty of advantage would bring the enemy from his
entrenched camp to action, the troops marched for Con
jeveram on the 26th of July, at which place they ar
rived on the 28th of that month, where five hundred
Europeans and fifteen hundred Sepoys remained In can
tonments under the command of Major Francis Forde, of
the Thirty-ninth, and the rest of the troops returned
to the garrisons and stations from whence they had been
drawn. Shortly afterwards orders were received from Eng
land recalling the Thirty-ninth regiment, when
most of the men, and certain of the officers, entered the
East India Company's service.
The regiment remained in India until the end of the 1758.
year 1758, when it returned to Ireland, on the western
coast of which it was wrecked.
After remaining in Ireland some time, and being re- 1759.
cruited to its establishment, the regiment was greatly
reduced by a large detachment sent to Germany to join
the British troops serving under Prince Ferdinand of
Brunswick, No record has been preserved by the
regiment of the services of this detachment, and the

* The force under Captain CaiUaud, of the Company's service, con
sisted of one hundred and fifty Europeans, including artUlery, five hun
dred Sepoys, and two field-pieces.

26 HISTORICAL RECOED OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1759. research made to supply the deficiency has not been at
tended with success.
1763. The Seven Years' War, which had commenced in
1756, while the regiment was serving in India, was ter
minated by the peace concluded at Paris in February
1763.
1766. Colonel Eobert Boyd was appointed from the First
foot guards to the colonelcy of the Thiety-ninth regi
ment on the 6th of August 1766, in succession to Lieut.-
General Adlercron, deceased.
1767. During the years 1766, 1767, and 1768, the regi
ment continued to be stationed in Ireland.
1769. In the year 1769 the Thirty-ninth again proceeded
to Gibraltar ; and while serving in that garrison, events
transpired which enabled the regiment to acquire addi
tional honor.
1779. The possession of this fortress by the English had
been regarded by the Spaniards with great jealousy, but
every effort for its recovery had signally failed. The
contest between the colonists in North America and
Great Britain, seemed to offer the Spanish monarch a
favourable opportunity for regaining possession of Gi
braltar. The French monarch, in the previous year, had
concluded a treaty of defensive alliance with the Ameri
can colonies, which involved Great Britain in a war
with France. The Court of Versailles subsequently
engaged that of Madrid to take a part in the contest,
and on the 16th of June 1779 the Spanish ambassador
presented a manifesto at St. James's, equivalent to a
declaration of war, and immediately departed from Lon
don ; and shortly afterwards the siege of Gibraltar was
commenced by the Spaniards, the anticipated reduction
of. that Important fortress being one of the principal
objects which induced Spain to become a party in the
contest. Gibraltar was accordingly beset, by sea and land, by
the Spanish fieets and armies. The following return

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 27
shows the strength of the garrison at the commencement 1779.
of the blockade on the 2 Ist of June 1779 : —

British.

Officers.

Men.

Royal Artillery -

-

25

460

Royal Engineers

-

8

114*

12th foot -

.

29

570

39th „ -

-

29

557

56th „ - - -

-

27

560

58th „ - - -

-

28

577

72nd „ (Royal Manchester

Volunteers), disbanded

in

1783 -
-
33
1013 4030.
Hanoverian.
Hardenberg's regiment
-
29
423
Reden's „
-
27
417
De La Motto's „
-
33
423 1352
Total
_
.
5382
The Thirty-ninth regiment was commanded by
Brevet Ijieut.-Colonel William Kellett, major of the
corps, and the garrison, mustering five thousand three
hundred and eighty-two men, was under the orders of Ge
neral the Eight Hon. George Augustus Eliott, afterwards
Lord Heathfield. Being thus blockaded by sea and be
sieged by land, the troops at Gibraltar became cut off
from communication with other countries, and the gar
rison appeared a little world within itself, f The arrange-
* These men belonged to " TIte Soldier Artificer Company" and were
commanded by the officers of Royal Engineers.
t The proceedings of the Spanish Government were somewhat sud
den ; and it is stated by Colonel John Drinkwater, of the late Seventy-
second regiment, or Eoyal Manchester Volunteers, in his popular
History of the Siege of Gibraltar, that " those officers whose curiosity
"had led them into the interior parts of the country were positively
" refused Uberty to retiu-u to the garrison ; they were therefore conducted
" to Cadiz, and had passports granted them to leave the kingdom by
" other routes. Brevet- Colonel Charles Ross and Captain John Vignoles,
28 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1779. ments for the defence were devised with judgment, and
executed with sklU. The soldiers cheerfully conformed
to the strict rules which their circumstances rendered
necessary, and severe exercise and short diet became
habitual to them ; at the same time the great import
ance of the place, and the determined character of
General Eliott and his garrison, occasioned this siege to
be regarded with universal interest by the several nations
of Europe. >
The following officers of the Thirty-ninth regi
ment were appointed to the staff at Gibraltar : Captain
James Horsburgh, from town-major, to be adjutant-
general; Captain William Wilson and Lieutenant
Eichard Henry Buckeridge, to be aides-de-camp to
LIeut.-General Eobert Boyd, Colonel of the Thirty-
ninth, and Lieut-Governor of Gibr3,ltar.
On the 20th of August the marksmen of the garrison
were embodied Into a company of two non-commissioned
officers and sixty- four men, and the command was given
to Lieutenant Charles Burleigh of the Thirty-ninth
regiment. As the enemy's works progressed, the pavement of
the streets was taken up, the towers of conspicuous
buildings were pulled down, the guard-houses unroofed,
the stone sentry-boxes removed, traverses raised, a
covered way commenced, and every measure adopted to
lessen the effects of a bombardment.
In Colonel Drinkwater's Work on the siege of Gi-
I»raltar, from which the particulars relating to the
Thirty-ninth, in connection with that event, have
been chiefly collected, is given the following account of

" of the Thirty-ninth, with Captain Henry Lefanue, of the Fifty-sixth
" regiment, nevertheless contrived to join their corps, by assuming dis-
" guises, and risking the passage iu"a row-boat"from]^Faro (a port in
" Portugal) to Gibraltar : others also attempted, but unfortunately were
" intercepted in their voyage. ''

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 29
an experiment recommended by Captain John Mercier 1779.
of the regiment ; " namely, to fire out of guns 5^ inch
" shells, with short fuses, which were tried on the 25th
" of September, and found to answer extremely well.
" These small shells, according to Captain Mercler's
"method, were thrown with such precision, and the
" fuses cut by calculation with such exactness, that the
" shell often burst over their heads, and wounded them
" before they could get under cover. This mode of
"annoyance was eligible on several other accounts:
" less powder was used, and the enemy were more se-
" riously molested. The former was an advantage of
" no small consequence, since it enabled the Governor
" to reserve, at this period, what might be probably
" expended to the greater benefit of the service on a
" future occasion. It will also account for the extra-
" ordinary number of shells which were discharged from
" the garrison."
Early In 1780 provisions became short, and the sol- 1780.
diers willingly submitted to privation ; but soon after
wards the garrison was relieved by a fleet from England :
the wants of the troops were, however, not supplied In
many important articles.
The Spaniards renewed the blockade by sea, and 1781.
sent nine fire-ships into the harbour, but failed In their
attempt to destroy the shipping. Provisions again be
came deficient : vegetables were cultivated on the rock
with partial success: a precarious supply of several
articles was obtained from the Moors, and in April 1781
the garrison was again relieved.
The siege was continued, and a severe bombardment
reduced a great portion of the town to a heap of ruins.
The efforts of the enemy were deliberately watched
by the Governor, General Eliott, who kept his garrison
close within the fortress until a favourable opportunity
occurred for a sally, and on the evening of the 26th of
November the foUowing garrison order was issued ; —

30 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1781. " Countersign, Steady. — AU the grenadiers and
" light Infantry in the garrison, and. aU the men of the
" Twelfth and Hardenbei:g's regiments, with the officers
" and non-commissioned officers on duty, to be imme-
" diately relieved and join their regiments ; to form a
" detachment, consisting of the Twelfth and Harden-
" berg's regiments complete; the grenadiers and light
"infantry of all the other regiments*; one captain,
" three lieutenants, ten non-commissioned officers, and
"a hundred artillery; three engineers, seven officers,
"ten non-commissioned officers, overseers, with a
" hundred and sixty workmen from the line, and forty
" workmen from the artificer corps'; each man to have
" thirty-six rounds of ammunition, with a good flint in
" his piece, and another in his pocket ; the whole to be
"commanded by Brigadier-General Eoss, and to as-
" semble on the red sands, at twelve o'clock this night,
"to make a sortie upon the enemy's batteries. The
" Thirty-ninth and Fifty-eighth regiments to parade
"at the same hour, on the Grand Parade, under the
" command of Brigadier-General Picton, to sustain the
" sortie, if necessary."
At midnight the soldiers assembled for this enterprise ;
the moon at first shining brightly on the sands, but
between two and three o'clock darkness overspread the
place, and the troops silently issued from the fortress.
They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy's
sentries, but the British soldiers rushed forward, over
powered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries
in gallant style: the defenders of the Works fled in
dismay, and communicated the panic to the troops in
their rear. The wooden batteries were soon prepared
for ignition; the flames spread with astonishing rapi-
* The flank companies of the Thiety-ninth formed part of the
centre column under Lieut.-Colonel Dachenhausen ; the grenadier com
pany consisted of three officers, three Serjeants, and fifty-seven rank and
file ; the light infantry company was composed of a Uke number.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 31
dity, and a column of fire and smoke arose from the 1781.
works. Illuminating the surrounding, objects and casting
a lurid glare upon this unparalleled scene, of which
words fail to give an adequate description. In an hour
the object of the sortie was effected: the Spaniards,
being dismayed, did not venture to Interrupt the work ;
trains were laid to the enemy's magazines, and the
soldiers withdrew. As they entered the fortress, tre
mendous explosions shook the ground, and rising co
lumns of smoke, flame, and burning timber, proclaimed
the destruction of the enemy's immense stores of gun
powder to be completed. General Eliott declared in
orders: — " The bearing and conduct of the whole
"detachment — officers, seamen, and soldiers — on this
"glorious occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledg-
" ments." For some days the Spaniards appeared confounded at
their disgrace : the smoke of the burning batteries con
tinued to rise, and no attempt was made to extinguish
the flames ; but several executions took place In their
camp, probably of persons who fled so precipitately
from the batteries. In the beginning of December they
began to arouse themselves, and a thousand workmen
commenced labouring to restore the batteries. In which
they were retarded by the fire of the garrison. The
gallant defenders of the fortress were equally indefa
tigable: every serjeant, drummer, musician, officer's
servant, and private soldier was required to use the
musket, shovel, and pickaxe, as his services became
necessary. The Spaniards, by their heavy fire on the fortress,
had already spoUed three sets of guns ; but the Court
of Madrid appeared determined to obtain possession of
Gibraltar. An immense collection of ordnance of larger
caUbre was provided, several batteries were prepared,
and the Duke of CriUon assumed the command of the
besieging army. He was assisted by a celebrated

32 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1781. French engineer. Monsieur d'Arcon, and by Admiral
Moreno : a French army likewise arrived to take part
in the siege. At the same time stupendous preparations
were made on a new principle, and floating batteries
were constructed with great art and labour, which were
reckoned the most perfect contrivance of the kind ever
seen.
1782. A crisis was evidently approaching, and in the spring
and summer of 1782, the garrison of Gibraltar made
preparations with calm determination for the hour of
trial : both officers and men were fully Impressed with
the importance of the fortress confided to their care,
and their successful resistance against the efforts of the
Spanish army and navy for upwards of two years, in
spired them, if possible, to greater exertions. All the
damaged works were carefully repaired, new ones were
constructed, vast subterraneous works were made, and
forges for heating red-hot shot were prepared. * The
effect of the red-hot shot was proved on some of the
enemy's wooden batteries on the sands, which were
speedily destroyed.
Princes of the royal blood of France, the Spanish
nobility, and other celebrated characters of Europe,
visited the camp of the Duke of CriUon, who naturally
anticipated the most signal success from his extensive
preparations. The new batteries on shore were un
masked, and fired a volley of sixty shells, which was

* In Colonel Drinkwater's History of the Siege of Gibraltar, it is
stated, " that in the forenoon of the 6th of September 1782, Lieut.-
General Boyd, the colonel of the Thiety-ninth regiment, and Lieut.-
Govemor of Gibraltar, recommended, by letter, to tHe Governor, the
immediate use of red-hot shot against the land-batteries of the besiegers.
General Eliott acquiesced iu the proposal, and immediately ordered
Major Lewis, the commandant of the artiUery, to wait on Lieut.-General
Boyd for his instructions and commands, submitting entirely to him the
execution of the attack which he had projected. In consequence of the
Governor's assent, preparations were instantly made ; and in a short
time everything was properly arranged for the service."

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 33
succeeded by the thunder of one hundred and seventy 1 782.
guns of large calibre. Gibraltar was thus assailed by a
storm of iron, which threatened to reduce the place to
a heap of ruins ; and this was only a prelude to the
tremendous fire which was afterwards opened upon the
garrison. The ten battering ships took their station before the
fortress on the 13th of September, in the presence of
the combined fleets of France and Spain: the enemy's
camp and the neighbouring hills were crowded with spec
tators from various parts of Europe to witness the effect
of these stupendous vessels ; and such a storm of war
was opened upon the place, as had probably never been
equalled since the invention of cannon. The batteries of
the fortress answered this tremendous fire with vigour,
and the deafening thunder of four hundred pieces of
heavy artillery was heard for several mUes. For some
hours the attack and defence were so equally well sup
ported, as scarcely to admit any appearance of supe
riority in the cannonade on either side. The wonderful
construction of the battering ships appeared to bid
defiance to the heaviest ordnance : shells rebounded
from their tops, and a thirty-two pound shot scarcely
seemed to make any Impression on them. The effect of
the red-hot shot was doubted ; sometimes smoke came
from the ships, but the fire-engines within soon occa
sioned it to cease, and the result was uncertain: the
fire was, however, persevered in, and incessant showers
of red-hot bullets, shells, and carcases flew through the
air. In the afternoon the red-hot shot had performed
its work, and volumes of smoke issued from the flag
ship : the admiral's second ship was soon perceived to
be in the same condition, and confusion prevailed. The
Spaniards expected that the firing of red-hot bullets
could not be persevered in beyond a few rounds ; but
the fire was continued with the same precision and
vivacity as cold shot ; this occasioned the enemy's can-
C

34 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY -NINTH,
1782. nonade to abate, and about eight o'clock it almost
totally ceased. The battering ships made signals to
inform the combined fieets of their extreme danger and
distress, when several boats were sent to their assist
ance. At this period the fire of the garrison produced great
carnage, and the most pitiable cries and groans were
heard, as the incessant showers of shot and shells were
poured into the floating batteries. Soon after mid
night one ship was In flames, and by two o'clock it
appeared one sheet of fire from head to stern ; a second
was soon In the same condition, and the light of the
conflagration enabled the British artillery to point their
guns with precision, when soon after three o'clock
six more ships exhibited the effects of the red-hot shot.
The burning ships exhibited one of the grandest
spectacles of destruction ever beheld ; and amidst this
exciting scene the British seamen pushed off in boats
to rescue the Spaniards from the blazing vessels. They
preserved between three and four hundred, and while
they were thus engaged, one of the ships blew up
with a dreadful explosion; four others met the same
fate before seven o'clock, and another shortly after
wards, and the remainder burnt to the water's edge,
their magazines having been inundated. Not one
could be preserved as a trophy.
During the hottest period of " the enemy's cannonade
"(Colonel Drinkwater relates), the Governor was pre-
"sent on the King's bastion, whilst Lieut-General
"Boyd took his station upon the South bastion,
"animating the garrison by their presence, and en-
"couraging them to emulation. The exertions and
"activity of the brave artillery in this well fought
" contest deserve the highest commendations. To their
"skUl, perseverance, and courage, with the zealous
" assistance of the line (particularly the corps in town,
"the Thirty-ninth, and the late Seventy-second

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 35
" regiment), was Gibraltar indebted for Its safety against 1782.
" the combined powers, by sea and land, of France and
" Spain." The Colonel also adds the following singular cir
cumstance. When Lieut. -General Boyd laid the
foundation stone of the King's bastion in 1773, upon
fixing the stone in its place, he remarked that "this
" is the first stone of a work which I name the ' King's
" Bastion ; ' may it be as gallantly defended, as I know
"it will be ably executed; and may I live to see it
" resist the united efforts of France and Spain!" This
wish was fully accomplished.
In this manner the mighty efforts of France and
Spain ended in defeat and destruction, while the con
duct of the garrison of Gibraltar elicited the admiration
of the nations of Europe. In England the most
enthusiastic applause was universal; Illuminations and
other modes of testifying the joy of the people followed
the receipt of the news of the destruction of the sup
posed invincible battering ships, and every family
which could boast a defender of Gibraltar belonging to
it, was proud of the honor. The loss of the garrison
on the 13th and 14th of September, was limited to one
officer, two Serjeants, and thirteen private soldiers
killed; five officers and sixty-three rank and file
wounded: that of the enemy exceeded two thousand
officers and soldiers.
Although the enemy gave up all hopes of reducing
Gibraltar by force of arms, yet some expectation was
entertained, that, if the blockade was continued, the
garrison might be forced to surrender from the want of
provisions; the combined fleet therefore remained in
the bay, the besieging army continued in the lines, and
about a thousand shots were fired every day from the
Spanish batteries. The garrison was encouraged to
continue resolute In the defence of the fortress by
assurances of their Sovereign's favour and high appro-
c 2

36 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTT-NINTH,
1782. bation. The principal Secretary of State, writing to
General Eliott, stated, — "I am honored with His
"Majesty's commands to assure you, in the strongest
" terms, that no encouragement shall be wanting to the
" brave officers and soldiers under your command. His
"royal approbation of the past will no doubt be a
" powerful Incentive to future exertions ; and I have
"the King's authority to assure you, that every dis-
" tinguished act of emulation and gallantry, which shall
" be performed in the course of the siege by any, even
" of the lowest rank, will meet with ample reward from
" his gracious protection and favour."
In October the combined fleet was much damaged
by a storm, and soon afterwards a British naval force
arrived, and the garrison was again relieved, when two
regiments, the Twenty-fifth and Fifty-ninth, landed to
take part in the defence of the fortress.
1783. After the garrison was thus relieved and reinforced a
third time, the Court of Madrid relinquished the idea
of recovering Gibraltar eithei^ by force or stratagem ;
negotiations ensued, and in February 1783 the Spanish
army withdrew, the preliminary articles for a treaty
of peace having been signed in the preceding month.
Thus terminated the siege of Gibraltar, which is
celebrated in the military annals of the eighteenth
century; and the successful defence of that fortress
ranks amongst the noblest efforts of the British arms :
it exceeded in duration the famous siege of Ostend
in the beginning of the seventeenth century; and it
is a proud circumstance in the services of the Thirty-
ninth, that the regiment had tvnce shared in the de
fence of Gibraltar, having (as stated at page 9) been
present when the place was besieged by the Spaniards
in the year 1727.
The Thirty-ninth regiment was rewarded, with
the other corps which took part in this long and
arduous service, with the thanks of the Sovereign, and

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 37
of the Houses of Parliament, and with the honor of 1783.
bearing on the regimental colour and appointments the
word " Gibraltar," with the " Castle and Key," and
the motto " Montis Insignia Calpe^' in commemoration
of its services during the siege.*
The loss of the regiment during the siege was —

— 1 
KUled Died of wounds -
Disabled by wounds
Wounded, that recovered -
Died of diseases -
Total

Officers.

Serjeants.

Drummers.

Rank and File.

1
1
3

3 1
5 1

16 6
10
4437

5

10

2

113

During the period the Thirty-ninth were engaged
in the defence of Gibraltar, county titles were given to
the several regiments of infantry; and the commu
nication with England having become free, the Thirty-
ninth received directions to assume, in addition to
the numerical title, the designation of "The East
"Middlesex" regiment. In order that a connexion be
tween the corps and that part of the county should be
cultivated, which might be useful in promoting the
success of the recruiting service. The letter conveying
His Majesty's pleasure that county titles should be
conferred on the infantry, was dated the 31st of August
1782.

*¦ Calp^, in the south of Spain, and Abyla, on the opposite coast of
Africa (about eighteen miles distant), were celebrated as the Pillars of
Hercules ; and, according to heathen mythology, these two mountains
were united, until that hero separated them, and made a communication
between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Calpe received
the present designation of Gibraltar from the Arabic " Gib-el- Tarif," or
"Mountain of Tarif," being the spot where that Moorish chieftain
landed on his invasion of Spain in the year 711. The device of the
"Castle and Key," the present arms of Gibraltar, was given by Henry IV.,
King of Castile, upon his capturing the place from the King of Glranada
in 1462, in allusion to its being considered as the key to the Mediter
raneau. c 3

38 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY- NINTH,
1783. In November 1783 the Thirty-ninth regiment
quitted Gibraltar, and on its arrival in England was
for some time stationed in South Britain.
1789. The regiment proceeded from Great Britain to Ireland
in May 1789.
1790 During the years 1790, 1791, and 1792, the regi-
to ment continued to be stationed In Ireland.
1792. While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, the
1793. National Convention of France declared war against
Great Britain and Holland. This occurred on the 1st
of February 1793, and in September following, the
Thirty-ninth regiment, under the command of Lieut.-
Colonel Stephen Fremantle, embarked from Ireland for
Barbadoes, In order to take part In an attack on the
French West India Islands.
1794. An armament was assembled at Barbadoes in the
beginning of 1794, under Lieut- Gen eral Sir Charles,
afterwards Earl Grey, K.B., and Vice-Admlral Sir
John Jervis, K.B., for the capture of Martinique, and
the Thirty-ninth had the honor to share in this en
terprise. This island had been captured by the British
in 1762, but was restored to France at the Peace of
Fontainebleau of the following year. The expedition
sailed from Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, early in February,
and landing at three different points on the island of
Martinique, on the 5th, 6th, and 8th of that month,
drove the enemy from several strong posts. Fort Eoyal
and Fort Bourbon were afterwards besieged; the
former was captured on the 20th of March, and the
latter surrendered two days afterwards. The loss of
the regiment on this service was limited to a few
soldiers killed and wounded.
While the brigade of grenadiers under the command
of His Eoyal Highness Prince Edward, afterwards
Duke of Kent, the brigade of Light Infantry under
Major-General Dundas, and the Sixth, Ninth, and
Forty-third regiments under Colonel Sir Charles
Gordon, proceeded to St. Lucia, which Island was

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 39
captured on the 4th of April, the Thirty-ninth 1794.
remained to garrison Martinique.
An expedition subsequently proceeded from Marti
nique against Guadaloupe: a determined resistance
was experienced at this place, but the island was cap
tured by the 20th of April. Sir Charles Grey stated
In his public despatch, that he " could not find words to
" convey an adequate idea, or to express the high sense
" he entertained of the extraordinary merit evinced by
" the officers and soldiers in this service."
France did not view with indifference the loss of
these valuable possessions, and In June a French arma
ment arrived at Guadaloupe for the recovery of that
island. In the night attack on the French camp at
Point Gabbare on the 13th of June 1794, the Thirty-
ninth regiment, under the command of Major Henry
Magan *, greatly distinguished itself, and was thanked
in general orders by Sir Charles Grey. In this severe
conflict the enemy precipitated themselves into the sea
in order to swim across the harbour to PoInt-§,-PItre ;
but few succeeded In the desperate attempt, many being
drowned, and more shot by the British infantry, who
followed them closely in their flight. One hundred and
seventy-nine of the enemy were left dead on the field,
while the loss of the British was limited to seven men
killed and twelve wounded. The enemy's camp, colours,
baggage, and ammunition, with one piece of artillery,
fell Into the hands of the victors.
Major-General Nisbett Balfour was appointed colonel
of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 2nd of July
1794, in succession to General Sir Eobert Boyd, K. B.,
deceased. During the remainder of the operations the Thirty-

* Major Henry Magan was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel of
the Thiety-ninth regiment on the 17th of August 1794, in succession
to Lieut.-Colonel Fremantle, deceased. c 4

40 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1794. NINTH regiment remained at Berville. Several skir
mishes took place at various posts, but the troops suf
fered so severely from the climate at Guadaloupe, and
the arduous duties they had to perform, that on the 1st
of September only three hundred and eighty-nine soldiers
could be mustered fit for duty.*
LIeut.-Colonel Colin Graham, of the Twenty-first
Eoyal 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.
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 Seventeenth,
Thirty-first, and Thirty-fourth regiments ; the Thirty-

Return of the troops at Guadaloupe on the 1st of September 1794 :

Corps.

Rank and File.

Fit for
Duty.

Sick.

Total.

Grenadier battalion - - .
Light Infantry battalion
35th regiment - . .
39th ditto -
43rd ditto - - - .
56th ditto, three companies -
65th ditto - - - , -
General total

152 3347 2423 67
43

208382 116
284 176
209

360
415 163
308 199 67
252

389

1,375

1,764

The Grenadier and Light Infantry battalions were composed of the
flank companies of the 8th 12th, 17th, 31st, 33rd, 34th, 38th, 40th, 44th,
and 55th regiments.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 41
ninth. Forty-third, Fifty-sixth (three companies), and 1794.
Sixty-fifth 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.
The whole island of Guadaloupe, with the exception
of Fort MatUda, had been recaptured by the French
under General Victor Hughes : this fort was defended
by the troops under Lieut.-General Prescott until the
10th of December, when it was evacuated by the
British. During this campaign the Thirty-ninth regiment
lost several officers, who died of fever or other disorders,
amongst whom was Lieut.-Colonel Stephen Fremantle.
Captain George Bell and some few officers escaped with
the colours of the regiment, and arrived in open boats
at the Islands of the Saints; in the beginning of the
forthcoming year, they proceeded to Ireland.
The regiment, having speedily recruited Its ranks by 1795.
large drafts from the One hundred and fourth and other
corps, was again destined to proceed to the West Indies,
and it embarked for Barbadoes towards the end of the
year 1795.
Great Britain now began to see her former allies con- 1796.
verted into enemies; and HoUand, having become united
to France in the early part of the previous year, was
styled the Batavian EepubUc. In April 1796, a secret
service having been ordered by Lieut.-General Sir
Ealph Abercromby, then Commander-in-chief in the
West Indies, the Thirty-ninth, and the late Ninety-
third and Ninety-ninth regiments, with a detachment
of the Eoyal Artillery, were embarked at Barbadoes on
this expedition, which proved to be against the Dutch
colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice. The
troops were under the orders of Major-General John
Whyte, and the Thirty-ninth regiment was com
manded by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Hislop. The force

42 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1796. saUed for its destination on the 15th of April, and
arrived on the coast of Demerara on the 21st of that
month : on the following day the Governor and Council
were summoned to surrender the colony to His Bri
tannic Majesty, and the capitulation was signed on the
23rd of April. The British troops accordingly occupied
the fort and colony, and Lieut-Colonel Hislop was left
as Commandant of Demerara and Essequibo ; but
Major-General Whyte proceeded to take possession of
the neighbouring colony of Berbice, which accepted the
terms offered to Demerara.*
The Thirty-ninth remained at Demerara, upon
the capitulation of that colony, and, in September, it
received six hundred and ninety-one men, from the
Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth having been directed to
be drafted into the regiment. This raised the regiment
to fifty-two Serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and one
thousand and ninety-three rank and file.
1797 During the years 1797, 1798, and 1799, the Thirty-
to NINTH regiment continued to be stationed at Demerara.
1799. On the 1st of November 1799, the regiment had been
reduced by deaths to twenty-five Serjeants, ten drummers,
and four hundred and sixty-eight rank and file.
1800. In October 1800 the regiment proceeded from Deme
rara to Surinam.
1801. The regiment remained at Surinam during the year
1801.
1802. On the 27th of March 1802, a definitive treaty of
peace was signed at Amiens between the French Ee-
public, Spain, and the Batavian EepubUc, on the one

* In 1781 the colonies on the rivers Essequibo and Demerara were
placed under the protection of Great Britain, but the French took tem
porary possession of the Dutch settlements in 1783, which in AprU 1796
surrendered to the British, as above narrated. By the Treaty of Amiens,
in 1802, these settlements were restored to the Dutch, but, upon the
renewal of the war in the following year, were again taken by the
British, since which period they have continued under the sway of
Great Britain.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 43
part, and Great Britain on the other. The principal 1802.
features of the treaty were, that Great Britain restored
all her conquests during the war, excepting Trinidad
and Ceylon, which were ceded to her, the former by
Spain, and the latter by the Batavian EepubUc. Por
tugal was maintained in its integrity, excepting that
some of its possessions In Guiana were ceded to France.
The territories of the Ottoman Porte were likewise
maintained in their integrity. The Ionian EepubUc
was recognised, and Malta was to be restored to the
Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The French agreed
to evacuate the Neapolitan and Eoman States, and
Great Britain all the ports that she held in the Adriatic
and the Mediterranean.
Surinam was evacuated in December 1802, and the
Thirty-ninth regiment embarked for Barbadoes, and
proceeded thence to Antigua.
In the beginning of March 1803, the Thirty-ninth 1803.
embarked for England ; and the regiment, consisting of
thirty-three Serjeants, nineteen drummers, and three
hundred and fifteen rank and file, under the command
of Lieut -Colonel George Bell, arrived at Spithead on
board the " Thalia " transport, on the 22nd of April.
During its service on the different stations in South
America, upwards of two thousand men had fallen victims
to the climate.
The Peace of Amiens was of short duration, and on
the 18th of May 1803 war was declared against France.
Preparations were accordingly made by the British
Government to meet the emergency, and the "Army of
" Reserve Act " was passed In July following, for raising
men for home service by baUot, by which a second
battalion was added to the Thirty-ninth regiment.*
The second battalion was placed on the establishment

* A List of the Regiments which received men raised under the Army
of Reserve, and Additional Force Acts, in the years 1803 and 1804, is
inserted in the Appendix, pp. 125 to 128.

44 historical RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1803. from the 9th of July 1803, and was composed of men
raised in Cheshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, and Wor
cestershire. The chief part of the men immediately
afterwards volunteered for general service, whereby the
first battalion of the regiment became available for
foreign service.
At this period. Napoleon Bonaparte, the Chief Consul
of France, was making preparations for the invasion of
England, for which purpose he collected an immense
flotUla at Boulogne. The threat of invasion aroused the
patriotism of the British people, and the most strenuous
measures were adopted to defeat this design ; volunteer
and yeomanry corps were formed in every part of the
kingdom, and all parties united in one grand effort for
the preservation of their native land.
1804. I'I May 1804 Napoleon was invested with the dig
nity of Emperor of the French, and on the 26 th of May
of the following year he was crowned at Milan as King
of Italy.
2udBatt. Further measures of defence were adopted by Great
Britain, and the "Additional Force Act " was passed on
the 29th of June 1804.* Under the provisions of this
act, the second battalion was augmented with men
raised in the county of Shropshire, and its establishment
was subsequently fixed at the same strength as the
first battalion, namely, forty-four Serjeants, twenty-two
drummers, and eight hundred rank and file. The
second battalion, which, since its formation, had been
quartered at Battle, in Sussex, embarked at Plymouth
on the 27th of November 1804 for Guernsey, under
the command of Lieut-Colonel George Wilson.
i.t Datt. In tjje year 1804, during the threatened invasion, the
first battalion was stationed on the coast of Sussex.
The first battalion, under the command of Lieut-
Colonel the Honorable Eobert William O'CaUaghan,
which was selected to proceed with the expedition under
• See Appendix, pp. 125 to 128.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 45
Lieut-General Sir James Craig to the Mediterranean, 1805.
embarked at Portsmouth on the 26th of March 1805, '"^''"•
and arrived at Malta on the 22nd of July following,
where it formed part of the garrison.
In the autumn of 1805, Napoleon led his army into
Germany to crush the confederacy forming against his
interests. From the commencement of the war with
England, Naples was occupied by French troops ; but at
this period a treaty of neutrality was concluded between
France and Naples, the French troops were withdrawn,
and the King of Naples was bound not to admit the
fleets or armies of any power engaged in hostilities with
France into his ports or territories. While the war in
Germany was undecided, the flank companies of the
first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment were, in
November 1805, detached to Naples, and landed at
that city on the 22nd of that month. A Eussian arma
ment also arrived at Naples.
The Emperor Napoleon being triumphant in Ger
many, seized the moment of victory to denounce ven
geance against the King of Naples for permitting a
British and Eussian armament to enter his ports and
land on his shores; and on the morning after signing
the Treaty of Presburg, Napoleon Issued a proclamation
declaring that "the Neapolitan dynasty had ceased to
"reign." This was followed by the march of a numerous
French army, under Joseph Bonaparte, to take posses
sion of Naples : the Eussians withdrew ; and the British,
under Lieut-General Sir James Craig, were too few In
numbers to think of defending that kingdom against the
numerous forces sent to that devoted country.
The flank companies of the first battalion embarked 1806.
from Naples in January 1806, and proceeded to Sicily,
to which island the King and Queen of Naples had re
sorted, and which was preserved in their interest by the
British. The Neapolitans abandoned their royal family
to its fate, and submitted to the dictates of Napoleon,
who issued a decree conferring the crown of Naples on

46 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1806. his brother Joseph. The city of Naples was iUuminated,
¦ and the nobles were eager to show their attachment to
their new sovereign. Insurrections occurred in several
places ; but the French arms were successful, and the
provinces became tranquil.
The flank companies returned to Malta in February
1806.*
2nd Baft, ijijjg gecoud battalion remained at Guernsey until the
26th of February 1806, when it proceeded to Ireland,
and arrived at Cork on the 15th of March. Having
been a short time stationed in the county of Cork, It
proceeded to Dublin, and, after performing garrison
duty for some months, received orders to transfer all its
limited service men to a garrison battalion, and all its
disposable men to the flrst battalion at Malta.
1807. Being thus reduced to a skeleton, the officers and
non-commissioned officers proceeded to England In
January 1807, for the purpose of recruiting the ranks
of the second battalion, and arrived at Liverpool on the
30th of that month. Having distributed recruiting
parties to various stations, the head-quarters marched
to Edmonton and Enfield, near London.
On the 29th of October 1807, His Majesty King
George III. was pleased to direct that the county title
of the Thirty-ninth regiment should be changed from
East Middlesex to Dorsetshire.
1808. The flank companies of the first battalion proceeded
i"Batt. f^^^ ^^^^^ ^Q g-iy ijj jyia^y i808.
indBa't. xhc rccruIting continued from the militia and in the
ordinary mode with such success that the second bat
talion was soon increased to five hundred strong ; and
after being some time stationed a t Berry-Head, em
barked from thence for Guernsey, where it arrived on
the 24th of May 1808. Subsequently, a general

* Lieut-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O'CaUaghan, of
the Thikty-ninth regiment, remained in Sicily, aud was present, in
command of a grenadier battalion, at the battle of Maida on the 4th of
July 1806, for which victory he received a gold medal.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 47
volunteering from the militia took place, when the 1808.
battalion was augmented to about seven hundred rank
and file, and being organised In the course of a short
period, Lieut.-General Sir John Doyle, Bart., then
Lleut.-Governor of Guernsey, was so pleased with the
general appearance of the corps as to express his entire
satisfaction with it, and to report the battalion fit for
immediate foreign service.
In June 1809, Lieut.-General Sir John Stuart, com- 1809.
manding In chief in the Mediterranean, resolved to
menace the capital and kingdom of Naples, as a diver
sion in favour of the Austrians, who were contending
against numerous difficulties in their war with France.
The flank companies of the first battalion were employed
on this service ; and after menacing a considerable ex
tent of coast, which produced much alarm, the romantic
and fruitful Island of Ischia, celebrated for the beauty
of its scenery, and situated In the Bay of Naples, about
six miles from the coast, was attacked. A landing was
effected In the face of a formidable line of batteries,
from which the enemy was speedily driven. The siege
of the castle was undertaken, and in a few days the
garrison was forced to surrender. The island of Procida
surrendered on being summoned. Two valuable islands
were thus rescued from the power of the Grand Duke
of Berg, General Murat, upon whom the Emperor
Napoleon had, in the preceding year, conferred the
sovereignty of Naples, in succession to Joseph Bona
parte, who had been nominated by his brother to be
King of Spain ; and one thousand five hundred regular
troops, with one hundred pieces of ordnance, were cap
tured. An attempt was, at this period, made to re
duce the castle of Scylla ; but the large force which
the enemy possessed in Calabria, rendered this imprac
ticable. The assumption of the sovereignty of Spain by Joseph andBatt.
Bonaparte, although the strongest places and most com
manding positions in the Peninsula were occupied by

48 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1809. French troops, had excited the indignation of the
¦ Spanish people, who solicited, and readily obtained, the
aid of Great Britain; and the latter power had, in
April 1809, sent Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley
with reinforcements to Portugal, to save that country
from invasion, and also to assist the Spaniards in their
struggle for independence.
The second battalion was selected to proceed to join
the army in the Peninsula under the command of
Lieut -General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley :
it embarked on the 22nd of June 1809 for the Tagus,
and arrived at Lisbon on the 2nd of July. The bat
talion shortly afterwards proceeded with a division, con
sisting of reinforcements, under the command of Bri
gadier-General Catlin Crawfurd, who endeavoured, by
a forced march, to arrive in time for the battle of Tala-
vera, which was fought on the 27th and 28th of July,
and for which victory Lieut.-General the Honorable
Sir Arthur Wellesley was raised to the peerage by the
title of Viscount Wellington. When the second bat
talion arrived at Sarza la Mayor, a despatch was re
ceived from Sir Arthur Wellesley, ordering the brigade
and detachments to halt and bivouac at Niza until his
arrival with the head-quarters at Badajoz, after which
the battalion was stationed at the village of Torre
Mayor: here it suffered severely from sickness, which
at that season of the year is prevalent in Estremadura,
and particularly on the banks of the Guadiana. On
the 3rd of September the head-quarters arrived at Ba
dajoz, and the army was distributed about Elvas,
Campo Mayor, and other places adjacent; but when
Viscount Wellington broke up from the Guadiana in
the month of December, and crossed the Tagus, he left
Major-General Eowland Hill (afterwards Viscount Hill),
with a force of 10,000 men, British and Portuguese, at
Abrantes : among the former was the second battalion
of the Thirty-ninth regiment.
andBati. I" t^^ summer of 1810, Joachim Murat, King of

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 49
Naples, assembled upwards of a hundred heavy gun- 1810.
boats, a number of others more lightly armed, and'"'^""'
about four hundred transport boats, and brought thirty
thousand troops to the coast of Calabria for the purpose
of invading Sicily. The battalion companies, under the
command of Brevet-LIeut.-Colonel Cavendish Sturt,
accordingly proceeded from Malta, in June 1810, to
Sicily, where they were employed in the defence of the
island against the threatened invasion.
The second battalion accompanied the force under 2nd Batt.
Major-General Eowland HIU In all Its movements in
Portugal and on the frontiers of Spain, and In August
1810 was one of the corps of the second division, when it
formed, by forced marches, the memorable junction with
Viscount Wellington on the heights of Busaco. Lieut.-
Colonel George Wilson being appointed to the charge of
a brigade. Major Patrick Lindesay, afterwards Major-
General Sir Patrick Lindesay*, commanded the bat
talion, which formed part of the right of the army In
the battle at Busaco, on the 27th of September, but
the battalion was not engaged in the action. When
General Eegnier attacked the position held by the third
and fifth divisions, Major-General HIU withdrew towards
his left to support them : it was unnecessary, however,
these divisions having repulsed the enemy, and he
therefore continued in his original position.
After the battle of Busaco, the second battalion ac
companied the army in its retrograde movement to the
Lines of Torres Vedras, where it remained until orders
were given to advance In pursuit of the French troops
towards Santarem, when it crossed the Tagus with the
corps under Major-General Hill, and occupied can
tonments at Almelrem, immediately opposite the head
quarters of the enemy.
* A Memoir of Major-General Sir Patrick Lindesay, C.B. and K.C. H,
is inserted in the Appendix, page 121. D

50 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1811. In consequence of the French army retreating from
Portugal into Spain, the second battalion of the Thirty-
ninth regiment accompanied the second division in its
movements towards the frontiers, and was present at
the expulsion of the enemy from the fortress of Campo
Mayor on the 25th of March 1811; subsequently the
battalion crossed the Guadiana at Jerumenha, and was
present with the second division In a variety of skir
mishes at Los Santos and Zafra, as well as at the
investment of Badajoz on the 2nd of May, where the
battalion was actively employed in making approaches
and constructing batteries against that fortress untU the
14th of May, when it marched with the corps under
Marshal Sir William Carr (now Viscount) Beresford
to Albuhera, where the battalion arrived on the evening
of the 15th of that month, and was attacked on the
following day by the French army under Marshal
Soult. In the battle of Albuhera, fought on the 16th of
May, the second battalion of the Thirty-ninth re
giment, although only four hundred strong, bore a
distinguished part. The brigade to which it belonged,
having been brought up at a critical moment, mate
rially assisted in deciding the fate of the day, pre
venting by its fire the deployment of a heavy column of
the enemy's reserve, which was ultimately obliged to
give way with considerable loss, and retreated in con
fusion across the river Albuhera.
On this occasion the second battalion had Lieutenant
George Beard and fourteen rank and file killed; Captain
James Brine, Lieutenants John William Pollard, Francis
H. Hart, Ensign Charles Cox, four Serjeants, and
seventy-three rank and file wounded.
For this action Maj'or Patrick Lindesay, being in
command of the battalion, obtained the brevet rank of
Lieut.-Colonel, and was presented with a medal. Captain
Charles Carthew, who commanded the light company.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 51
was publicly thanked by Major-General the Honor- 1811.
able William Stewart, commanding the division, for the ^"'^ '*'"'•
gallant conduct of himself, the officers, and company, in
their skirmishing with the enemy.
The royal authority was afterwards given for the
Thirty-ninth to bear the word " Albuhera" on
the regimental colour and appointments, to comme
morate the distinguished conduct of the second battalion
on that occasion.
The French army having retreated on the road to
Seville, the battaUon moved forward with the corps,
and on the march made many prisoners, the hospitals
and wounded having, In many Instances, fallen into the
hands of the British. The enemy having been com
pletely-driven over the Sierra Morena, the battalion
retired with the division, and was cantoned on the
frontiers until the 22nd of October, when it marched
with the troops under Lieut.-General Eowland HIU,
and on the 28th of that month arrived close to the
village of Arroyo dos Molinos, where a division of the
French army was surprised, and about fourteen hundred
prisoners, with all Its artillery and baggage, were taken.
Several officers of rank and consideration, Including
General Brun and Colonel the Prince d'Aremberg, were
amongst the prisoners. The light companies of the
brigade, acting in battalion, were under the command
of Major Eoger Parke of the Thirty-ninth regi
ment. General Girard, who commanded the French divi
sion, escaped, with about five hundred men, by ascend
ing the Sierra de Montanches, when the second battalion
of the Thirty-ninth was ordered to pursue them ;
but the French throwing away their knapsacks, and
in many instances their appointments, they marched
with such rapidity, that the battalion could only come
up with the rear-guard, which occasionally occupied
most favorable positions to cover their retreat. After
d2

52 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1811. some skirmishing the French descended into the plain :
¦ the battalion being excessively fatigued by a continued
and harassing march, from two o'clock In the morning
until six in the evening, Brevet- Lieut.-Colonel Patrick
Lindesay, then In command, finding further pursuit
unavaUing, tried the success of a " ruse de guerre," by
riding up to the enemy with a flag of truce, and pro
posing to General Girard to surrender, as no doubt he
would be Intercepted by the British cavalry on the
plain, and that a Spanish corps under General MorlUo
was at hand. A captain and twenty men left the
column, and surrendered to the battalion, then rapidly
advancing In pursuit. The French general, mortified
by the surprise and loss of his division, declared he
would rather die than surrender. Unfortunately only
one troop of cavalry arrived, and MorlUo's force was
unable to come up, so that General Girard, and the
remainder of his division, escaped by the bridge of
Medellin. In this affair the second battalion had Captain Har-
dress Saunderson, one serjeant, and nine rank and file
wounded. On the following morning the second battalion re
joined the division at Arroyo dos Molinos, and returned
Ist Batt. to Albuquerque.
Meanwhile the first battalion, under the command
of Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Eobert William
O'CaUaghan, had embarked from Sicily on the 20th
of August 1811, to join the army in the Peninsula, and
arrived at Lisbon In October following. The battalion
moved towards the frontiers of Portugal, and on its
arrival at Crato was joined by the second battalion on
the 24th of December 1811, commanded by Brevet-
LIeut.-Colonel Patrick Lindesay.
sndBatt. On the 25th of December 1811, the second battaUon
transferred all its effective men to the first battalion,
after. which the skeleton marched to Lisbon, where it

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 53
embarked for England on the 27th of January fol- 1811,
lowing. ^''^^¦'"¦
The first battalion, thus completed to twelve hundred '=' ^att.
rank and file, proceeded on the 26th of December to join
the second division of the army under Lieut.-General
Eowland Hill.
The portion of the second battalion, which had pro- 1812,
ceeded to England, disembarked at Weymouth on the ^"*^''"-
2nd of March 1812.
In March Badajoz was invested for the third time, ist Batt.
and the first battalion formed part of the covering army
under Lieut.-General Sir Eowland HIU* at the success
ful siege of this Important fortress, which was taken by
the British on the night of the 6th of April. The
battalion afterwards continued with the division In all
its various movements from the frontiers of Portugal to
the Spanish capital. The victory gained at Salamanca
on the 22nd of July by the army under the immediate
command of the Earl of Wellington, for which he was
raised to the title of Marquis, was followed by the sur
render of Madrid to the allies, who entered that city on
the 12th of August, and were joyfully received by the
inhabitants. The situation of the British commander
at Madrid was critical ; and it being deemed impracti
cable to remain there, the Marquis of Wellington on
the 1st of September departed from that city, and ad
vanced to Burgos ; but the siege of the castle at that
place was not successful, and a retrograde movement
was made in order to unite with the troops under Lieut.-
General Sir Eowland Hill, information having been
received that Marshal Soult and King Joseph, with
their combined forces, were advancing from Valencia,
and that their advanced guard was in the neighbour
hood of Ocanna, and moving on Madrid. Lleut.-

* Lieut.-General Rowland Hill was nominated a Knight of the Bath
on the 22nd ofFebruary 1812. D 3

54 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1812. General Hill, at the approach of Marshal Soult, aban-
¦ doned that city, and retired slowly towards Salamanca.
On the retreat from Madrid to the Tormes, the first
battalion formed part of the rear-guard of the army ;
here the battalion rejoined the second division, and
continued the march by Salamanca until its arrival at
Coria on the 1st of December 1812, where it remained
for the winter.
2nd Batt. The sccoud battalion, upon its arrival In England
in February 1812, was stationed at Weymouth until
October following, when it proceeded to Exeter, but
returned to Weymouth in December.
1813. Shortly after the arrival of the first battalion at
1st Batt. Coria, the Thirty-ninth sustained the loss of a most
gallant and distinguished officer in Colonel George
Wilson, who died on the 6th of January 1813. This
officer had served In the regiment upwards of twenty-
nine years, and was at the period of his decease aide-de-
camp to His Majesty King George III., lieut-colonel
of the second battalion, coloJiel on the staff of the army,
and commanding the brigade to which the first bat
talion was attached.*
On the 15th of May the first battalion, still belonging
to the second division, moved forward without [^inter
ruption until its arrival at Vittoria on the 21st of June:
it bore a considerable share in the battle on that day,
in taking, defending, and maintaining the village of
Subijana de Alava, a post In front of the left of the
French line, which they considered of such importance
as to induce them to make several vigorous attacks to
repossess themselves of it, but which proved unavailing.
In this glorious action the battalion lost, in killed and
wounded, above one-third of its number. Captains
Charles Carthew, Eobert Walton, and WiUiam Hicks,

* A memoir of the services of Colonel George Wilson is inserted in
the Appendix, page 119.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 55
were wounded. Captain Hicks died of his wounds on 1813.
the 3rd of July ; Lieutenant the Honorable Michael '" ''^"¦
De Courcy Meade died of his wounds on the 9th of
July. Lieutenants Francis C. Crotty, Coyne Eey-
nolds, Thomas Baynes, and Alexander G. Speirs, were
wounded. Two Serjeants and thirty-two rank and file were
killed ; six Serjeants and one hundred and ninety-four
rank and file were wounded.
The French, being driven from all their defences,
retreated with such precipitation towards Pampeluna
as to abandon all their baggage, artillery, ammunition,
military chests, and the court equipage of King Joseph,
whose carriage being seized, he had barely time to
escape on horseback. The defeat was the most complete
that the French had experienced in Spain.
The baton of Marshal Jourdan was taken by the
Eighty-seventh regiment, and the Prince Eegent, In
the name and behalf of His Majesty, appointed the
Marquis of Wellington a Field-Marshal. In a most
flattering letter, the Prince Eegent thus conferred the
honor : — " You have sent me among the trophies of
"your unrivalled fame, the staff of a French Marshal,
" and I send you in return that of England."
To commemorate this victory the Thirty-ninth sub
sequently received the royal authority to bear the word
" Vittoria" on the regimental colour and appoint
ments. A medal was granted to Colonel the Honor
able Eobert William O'CaUaghan, of the Thirty-
ninth regiment. In temporary command of the brigade,
who was specially noticed in the Marquis of WeUIng-
ton's despatch, "as having maintained the village of
" Subijana de Alava against aU the efforts of the enemy
"to gain possession of It;" and also to Brevet-LIeut.-
Colonel Charles Bruce, in immediate command of the
first battalion.
From Vittoria the first battalion moved forward
d4

56 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1813. with the army on the evening of the same day towards
1st Batt. j.j^g Pyrenees, Some affairs of little importance occurred,
and on the 7th of July the French occupied a position
across the valley of Bastan ; the second battalion of
the Thirty-fourth and the first battalion of the Thirty-
ninth regiments were moved through the mountains
to turn their right ; towards evening they fell In
with a piquet of the enemy near the extremity of the
valley, which was driven in, and found to be supported
by a great portion of the French army, which kept
up a heavy fire until night. From a thick fog, and
the nature of the ground, the enemy did not perceive
the comparatively small force opposed to him, nor did
the battalion suffer much for the same reason. On
the morning of the 8th the enemy retired within the
French territory. Four days afterwards Marshal Soult,
who had been sent to the seat of war by Napoleon,
with the rank of "Lieutenant of the Emperor," as
sumed the command of the army of Spain, when all his
energies were directed to retrieve its disasters, and to
drive the British across the Ebro.
Nothing particular occurred until the 25th of July,
when Count D'Erlon attacked the pass of Maya with
an overwhelming force. This pass was occupied by
the piquets of the brigade, to whose support the bat
talion, with the brigade, moved forward; but on their
arrival .found the pass in possession of the enemy :
this circumstance, and his great superiority of numbers,
obliged the troops to retire, which they did In good
order, but with great loss.
In the subsequent action near Pampeluna the bat
talion occupied some strong ground on the left of the
British line, and was but little engaged. It again
moved forward on the retreat of the enemy, and on
the 31st of July, two attempts having failed to carry
the heights of Donna Maria, the Thirty-ninth,
being selected for a third, happily succeeded. The

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 57
enemy after this made no further stand, but retreated 1813.
beyond the Pyrenees. utBatt.
In the operations of the army from the 25 th to the
31st of July, the loss of the Thirty-ninth was as
foUows : —
Lieutenants John Lord, and Trevor WiUiams, killed
in action on the 25th of July. Lieutenant Connell
Scanlan was wounded and taken prisoner, and died of
his wounds. Captain Joseph A. Jones, Lieutenants
Francis H. Hart, Charles Cox, and Purefoy Poe,
Ensigns William Allan Courtenay and Eobert Ehodes
were wounded on the 25th of July. Lieutenant WlUiani
Johnston Hughes was taken prisoner.
Six Serjeants and twenty-three rank and file were
killed; five Serjeants and one hundred and four rank
and file were wounded ; two Serjeants, one drummer,
and nineteen rank and file were missing.
For the several actions in the Pyrenees from the 25th
to the 31st of July, His Eoyal Highness the Prince
Eegent, In the name and behalf of His Majesty, was
graciously pleased to grant medals to Colonel the
Honorable Eobert William O'CaUaghan, commanding
the brigade, Brevet-LIeut.-Colonel Charles Bruce,
commanding the battalion ; and to Captain Duncan
Campbell, of the Thirty-ninth, in command of the
hght companies of the brigade.
The Thirty-ninth also received the royal authority
to bear the word "Pyrenees" on the regimental
colour and appointments, to commemorate the services
of the first battalion In these actions.
The enemy having been driven over the Pyrenees,
the British remained In possession of the several passes,
the Thirty-ninth occupying those of Maya, Eonces«
valles, and Alduldes, alternately, until the 9th of
November, when the battalion entered France by the
pass of Maya without opposition, except driving in the
enemy's advance-posts, until its arrival at the river

58 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1813. Nivelle, the passage of which was contested by the
Ist Batt. T71 1 mi
i<rench army. The battalion, however, succeeded in
crossing with trifling loss on the 10th of November,
and the enemy was afterwards driven from aU his
strong and fortified positions on the heights of Sarre,
where the Thirty-ninth remained for the night. In
commemoration of this service the Thirty-ninth
subsequently received the royal authority to bear the
word "Nivelle" on the regimental colour and ap
pointments. Captain George D'Arcy, of the Thirty-ninth,
was promoted to the brevet rank of Major on the
22nd of November 1813.
The battalion subsequently moved forward to the
Nive, the left bank of which it occupied until the 9th
of December, when the army crossed that river, — the
Thirty-ninth by a ford at Laressor, under great
difficulties, as well from the depth of the river as
the opposition made by the enemy. The passage
having been effected, the enemy retired to the heights
of St. Pierre, near Bayonne.
In crossing the Nive the battalion had one man
killed, and twelve rank and file wounded.
On the morning of the 10th of December the divi
sion took possession of the high ground in the neigh
bourhood of Bayonne, the Thirty- NINTH occupying
Ville Franche on the left of the line, and on the right
bank of the Nive. Early on the morning of the 13th
of December, Marshal Soult made a most desperate
attack on the second division with all his force; but
the battaUon being on the extreme left of the position
was not materially engaged, having only one ser
jeant killed, and Ensign John Burns and thirteen
rank and file wounded. The enemy, being defeated
In his attack, retired to Bayonne that night ; the divi
sion stIU retained its position and continued therein

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 59
untU the 13th of February, the Thirty-ninth oc- 1813.
cupying the village of Petite Moguerre. '" ^""^
For the services connected with the passage of the
river Nive, the Thirty-ninth subsequently received
the royal authority to bear the word " Nive " on the
regimental colour and appointments. Medals were
also granted to Colonel the Honorable Eobert William
O'CaUaghan, commanding the battalion, and to Brevet-
LIeut.-Colonel Charles Bruce, commanding the light
companies of the brigade.
During the year 1813 the second battalion continued 2nd Batt.
to be stationed at Weymouth ; and having completed its
ranks from the militia, and by means of recruiting
parties, it sent several large drafts to the first battalion
in the Peninsula.
On the 13th of February 1814, the division moved 1814.
forward, and on the evening of the 15th of that month '="'^"-
fell in with the enemy posted on some strong heights
near the town of Garris ; after halting a few minutes
to observe him, an order was received from the Marquis
of WeUington " to take the hill before dark," when the
first battalions of the Twenty-eighth and Thirty-ninth
regiments, composing Major-General William Henry
Pringle's brigade, were instantly put In motion, and
after crossing a deep ravine, steadily and briskly as
cended the hill In contiguous close columns. The
Twenty-eighth meeting with some little delay In the
ascent, Major-General Pringle left them, and put him
self at the head of the Thirty-ninth, who gained the
summit under the continued fire of the enemy without
returning a single shot. The French retired from the
brow of the hill, and the battalion, wheeling to the right,
continued to drive them along the ridge until it reached
a spot where their principal* force appeared to be con
centrated : here they made an obstinate resistance. The
other brigades of the division not being so soon in mo-

60 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1814. tion, and having a greater distance to proceed to their
''^'" points of attack, did not gain the heights for some time,
and the Twenty-eighth having proceeded in a different
direction, the Thirty-ninth had to sustain, in this
place, the whole efforts of the enemy for about twenty
minutes. During this time the French made three at
tempts to drive the battalion from the position It had
gained, and repeated Instances occurred of personal con
flict, and bayonets crossing: the battalion, however,
maintained its ground, and charging in its turn, the
enemy was eventually forced to retire in confusion with
the loss of several prisoners.
On the following morning Lieut.-General the Ho
norable Sir William Stewart, K. B., who com
manded the division, assembled the officers in front
of the battalion, and expressed to them his high satis
faction at the gallant conduct of the corps on the
preceding evening ; and at the same time offered to re
commend to the notice of the Marquis of WeUington
any officer or non-commissioned officer that Colonel the
Honorable Eobert WUUam O'CaUaghan might point
out : upon which Captain Duncan Campbell was recom
mended for the brevet rank of Major, which he obtained
on the 3rd of the following month.
The battalion had also the proud satisfaction of being
mentioned by the Marquis of Wellington, who was an
eye-witness of its conduct, as having particularly dis
tinguished Itself on this occasion. In his Lordship's de
spatch of the 20th of February, it was stated, " Much
"of the day had elapsed before the attack could be
" commenced, and the action lasted tUl after dark, the
" enemy having made repeated attempts to regain the
" position, particularly in two attacks, which were most
"gallantly received and repulsed by the Thirty-ninth
" regiment under the command of the Honorable Colonel
" O'CaUaghan, in Major General Pringle's brigade.
" The Major-General and Lieut.-Colonel Bruce, of the

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 61
" Thirty-ninth, were unfortunately wounded. We ^^fl^i,
" took ten officers and about two hundred prisoners."
In addition to Brevet-LIeut.-Colonel Charles Bruce,
who was severely wounded, the battalion had two
Serjeants and eleven rank and file killed ; one serjeant
and twenty-eight rank and file were wounded.
The battalion moved forward without interruption
until Its arrival in the neighbourhood of Orthes on the
25th, and was present at the battle there of the 27th of
February ; but the division being employed in turning
the enemy's left, the Thirty-ninth did not suffer any
loss. Brevet-Major George D'Arcy, who commanded
the battalion on that day, was presented with a medal
for the battle of Orthes.
The royal authority was subsequently granted for
the Thirty- ninth to bear the word "Orthes" on the
regimental colour and appointments.
The battalion moved forward on the road to Toulouse,
and on the 18 th of March fell in with the rear-guard of
the enemy, near the village of Castillon, which was
driven In. On this occasion Lieutenant Charles Cox
was wounded.
The Thirty-ninth having arrived In the neighbour
hood of Toulouse, nothing particular occurred until the
battle of Toulouse on the 10th of April, when the ope
rations of the division being confined to the left bank of
the Garonne, the battalion was only occupied in driving
in the enemy's outposts, and taking some field-works
which had been thrown up to defend the entrance to the
town. In accomplishing this. Captain Samuel Thorpe,
one serjeant, and a few men were wounded.
During the night of the 11th of April the French
troops evacuated Toulouse, and a white flag was hoisted.
On the following day the Marquis of Wellington entered
the city amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. In
the course of the afternoon of the 12th of April intelli
gence was received of the abdication of Napoleon ; and

62 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1814. had not the express been delayed on the journey by the
¦ French poUce, the sacrifice of many valuable lives would
have been prevented.
A disbeUef in the truth of this Intelligence occasioned
much unnecessary bloodshed at Bayonne, the garrison
of which made a desperate sortie on the 14th of April,
when Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Earl of
Hopetoun) was taken prisoner, Major-General Andrew
Hay was killed, and Major-General Stopford was
wounded. This was the last action of the Peninsular war.
A treaty of peace was established between Great
Britain and France ; Louis XVIII. was restored to the
throne of France, and Napoleon Bonaparte was per
mitted to reside at Elba, the sovereignty of that island
having been conceded to him by the Allied Powers.
In addition to the other distinctions acquired during
the war In Spain, Portugal, and the south of France,
the Thirty- NINTH received the royal authority to bear
the word "Peninsula" on the regimental colour and
appointments. Shortly after the termination of the war In Europe,
the first battaUon of the Thirty-ninth was ordered to
proceed to North America in consequence of the hos
tilities between Great Britain and the United States.
The battalion accordingly marched to Bourdeaux under
the command of Brevet-LIeut.-Colonel Charles Bruce,
and embarked for Canada on the 8th of June.
While the battalion was on its voyage to North
America, the Duke of WeUington, prior to the breaking
up of the Peninsular army, issued the following General
Order : — "Bourdeaux, Wth June 1814.
" General Order.
"The Commander of the Forces, being upon the
" point of returning to England, again takes this oppor-
" tunity of congratulating the army upon the recent

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 63
"events which have restored peace to their country and 1814.
"to the world. '»'''""
" The share which the British army have had in
"producing those events, and the high character with
" which the army will quit this country, must be equally
" satisfactory to every Individual belonging to It, as they
"are to the Commander of the Forces, and he trusts
" that the troops will continue the same good conduct
" to the last.
" The Commander of the Forces once more requests
" the army to accept his thanks.
"Although circumstances may alter the relations in
"which he has stood towards them for some years so
" much to his satisfaction, he assures them he will never
" cease to feel the warmest Interest in their welfare and
" honor, and that he will be at all times happy to be of
" any service to those to whose conduct, discipline, and
" gallantry their country is so much indebted."
The first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment
arrived at Quebec on the 5 th of August, and marched
from thence to Chambly.
After the arrival of the reinforcements from Europe,
the Governor-General of Canada, Lieut.-General Sir
George Prevost, Bart., assembled all the disposable
forces in the lower province for an attack upon the state
of New York. On the 2nd of September the first bat
talion of the Thirty-ninth, with the other corps em
ployed on this service, proceeded towards the United
States to co-operate with the naval force on Lake
Champlain. As the troops approached the line of sepa
ration, the Americans abandoned their entrenched camp
on the river Chazy, and this post was occupied by the
British on the .3rd of September.
The first battalion remained at Chazy to keep up the
communication, having sent forward the light company
to, Plattsburg, a fortified place on Lake Champlain ;
two officers and sixty men of the Thirty-ninth were

64 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1814. detached on board the fleet to act as marines. The
' attack was made on the morning of the 11th of Septem
ber; but the defeat of the British naval force on the lake
rendered it necessary to abandon the enterprise, as the
most complete success on shore would have proved un
availing after the loss of the shipping. The troops
accordingly retired to Lower Canada.
1815. After the failure of these operations the first battalion
returned to Chambly, where it remained until the 27 th
of May 1815, and then proceeded to embark at Quebec
under the command of Brevet-LIeut.-Colonel Patrick
Lindesay, Its services being again required In Europe
in consequence of the return of Napoleon Bonaparte to
France, who resumed his former title of Emperor of the
French, but which assumption the Allied Powers refused

1st Batt.

to recognise.

The first battalion sailed from the river St. Lawrence
on the 12th of June, and arrived at Portsmouth on the
15th of July. Meanwhile the destiny of France had
been decided on the field of Waterloo, and Louis XVIII.
had been again restored to the throne. The battalion
proceeded on the 18th of July for Ostend, disembarked
on the 21st, and immediately marched to join the British
army at Paris. On the 26th of August it was reinforced
by a strong detachment from the second battalion under
Lieut.-Colonel Cavendish Sturt, who assumed the com
mand.
siidBatt. In April 1815 the second battalion was removed from
Weymouth to Winchester Barracks, and, after having
transferred all the effective men to the first battalion,
was disbanded at the latter place on the 24th of Decem
ber following.
The regiment remained near Paris until the Army
of Occupation was formed, and on the 27th of December
1815 marched to take up the cantonments appointed for
it In the Pas-de-Calais, between the towns of Arras and
St. Pol, moving annually to the camps of St. Omer and

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 65
Valenciennes until the breaking up of the Army of 181 5^
Occupation in 1818.
On the 30th of October 1818, the regiment embarked 1818.
at Calais, disembarked at Dover on the 31st, and marched
to Portsmouth, where it arrived on the 11th of Novem
ber. The Thirty-ninth regiment embarked for Ire
land on the 17th of December following, arrived at Cork
on the 24th, and disembarked on the 26th of that month.
The regiment proceeded on Its route for Castlebar in 1819.
the county of Mayo, where it arrived on the 7th of
January 1819.
The Thirty-ninth marched from Castlebar to 1820.
Dublin in August 1820, and arrived at its destination
on the 17th of that month.
In March 1821, the regiment was removed from 1821.
Dublin to Cork.
On the 24th of August 1821, the establishment of
the regiment was reduced from ten to eight companies,
of three Serjeants and seventy-two rank and file each ;
and on the 26th of November it marched from Cork to
Tralee. In January 1822, some detachments of the regiment 1822.
were employed In suppressing a partial insurrection
of the Whiteboys. Brevet-Major George D'Arcy was
attacked at MUlstreet, in the county of Cork, and beat
off considerable bodies of the insurgents. Brevet-
Major Charles Carthew was also engaged with a large
body of them near Bantry, when one private of the
xegiment was kiUed.
The regiment marched, on the 1st of October 1823, 1823.
from Tralee to Limerick.
Lieut.-General Sir George Airey, K. C.H., was
appointed colonel of the Thirty-ninth regiment on
the 28th of October 1823, in succession to General
Nisbett Balfour, deceased.
On the 12th of August 1824, Brevet Lieut.-Colonel 1824,
Patrick Lindesay, C. B., was appointed Lieut-Colonel of

66 HISTORICAI. RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1824. the Thirty-ninth regiment, in consequence of the
retirement of Colonel Cavendish Sturt ; Brevet-Major
Donald M°Pherson succeeded to the vacant majority.
The regiment mafihfed to Buttevant, in the county
of Cork, in the beginning of October 1824, and in this
plate was at length brought together, having been con
tinually broken into small detachments during the whole
of its service in Ireland, with the exception of a few
months while stationed In Dublin.
1825. Oh the 25th of March 1825, the regiment, in com
mon with the rest of the infantry, received an augmen
tation of two companies, raising its establishment to
forty-two Serjeants, fourteen drummers, and seven hun
dred and forty rank and file. These companies were
given to the two senior subalterns. Lieutenants Simon
Newport and Francis Henry Hart, whose commissions
as captains were dated 7th and 8th of April 1825. At
this period it was directed that each battalion of infantry
in the United Kingdom, as well as those on foreign
stations (the East Indies excepted), should consist of
six service companies of eighty-six rank and file each,
and four depot companies of fifty-six rank and file each,
making seven hundred and forty in all. The dep6ts of
such regiments as were serving at home, continued united
with their respective corps.
An order was received on the 10th of July 1825, in
timating that the regiment was destined to proceed to
New South Wales, and ultimately to India. On the
1 9th of July, it marched to Cork to be embarked for
Chatham, from whence it was ordered to proceed to
New South Wales, as guards over convicts. The first
division left Cork on the 19th, and the head-quarters on
the 30th of Septemlier.
A detachment, consisting of one captain, one subaltern,
one serjeant, and twenty rank and file, embarked In the
"Woodman" convict ship on the 4th of November
1825, and proceeded toVanDiemen's Land and Sydney.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 67
The last division of the regiment arrived at Chatham 1825.
from Cork, on the 25th of November 1825.
Several detachments of the regiment proceeded to 1826.
New South Wales during the year 1826.
In the latter part of 1826, Captain Joseph Wake
field proceeded to assist in establishing a settlement at
King George's Sound on the southern coast of New
Holland; and in the beginning of the following year.
Captain Henry Smyth was despatched to effect a simi
lar purpose on the northern coast, and succeeded In form
ing a settlement named Fort WeUington, in Eaffles' Bay.
The head-quarters under the command of Colonel 1827.
Lindesay, were embarked for New South Wales in the
ship "Cambridge" on the 26th of April 1827, and
arrived at their destination on the 17th of September
following. From the 4th of November 1825, to the 5th of May
1827, the whole of the men of the service companies,
together with two officers and fifty-nine men drawn
from the depot, were embarked for New South Wales.
In consequence of the breaklng-up of the reserve or 1828.
d6p6t companies of the regiment in the beginning of
1828, the officers and men composing those companies
proceeded by detachments to the head-quarters in New
South Wales, leaving a depot company in England, on
the 24th of August 1830, of two captains, two lieu
tenants, one ensign, five Serjeants, six corporals, four
drummers, and thirteen privates. The first detachment
embarked for New South Wales on the 1 st of Febru
ary 1828, and the last sailed on the 30th of August
1830. During the period the regiment was employed in
New South Wales, detachments were stationed at Van
DIemen's Land, at King George's Sound, and on the
liorthern coast, which were distant six hundred, fifteen
hundred, and two thousand mUes from the head-quarters.
E 2

68 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1828. The attention of Lieut-General Ealph DarUng,
governor of the colony, having for some time been
drawn to the importance and advantages which would
result from a greater knowledge of the interior of the
country, yielded to the entreaties of Captain Charles
Sturt of the Thirty-ninth, and permitted him to
proceed for the purpose of prosecuting the discoveries
already commenced by other travellers. This officer
departed from Sydney on his first expedition, on the 6th
of November 1828, proceeding in a westerly direction,
1829. and remained absent untU the 2nd of April 1829, when
he rejoined the regiment, having performed the task al
lotted to him in a manner highly satisfactory to the
government ; so much so, that having again most par
ticularly requested permission to proceed once more for
the purpose of exploring the country in another direction,
his request was readily acceded to by the governor, and
he accordingly departed from Sydney on the 3rd of No
vember 1829. Proceeding southerly, he had the good
fortune to make the coast at Spencer's Gulf, having
traced a large and important river through a vast tract
of country, until It discharged its waters Into the ocean,
1830. o" tlis point of which he emerged. Captain Sturt re
turned from this expedition on the 26th of May 1830,
and was subsequently detached to Norfolk Island ; but
his health having received a severe shock from the
fatigue Incident to his labours, he received permission
to return to England in 1832.
Serious disturbances having arisen amongst the
convicts In the Bathurst district in August 1830, large
detachments of the regiment were ordered to proceed
thither, where Major Donald M^Pherson was stationed
in command, and Captain Horatio Walpole was directed
to pursue a body of those deluded men, who had fled
from their employment, and furnisliing themselves by
plunder with arms and horses, bade defiance to all law
and authority. He succeeded in ascertaining the direc-

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 69
tion which they had taken, and following them for 1830.
several days over a large tract of country, finally suc
ceeded in capturing the whole gang without any loss on
the part of his detachment.
In the month of October of the same year, Lieut.-
General Ealph Darling addressed a letter to Colonel
Lindesay, to ascertain if the immediate services of Cap
tain John Douglas Forbes could be dispensed with by
the regiment, as it was his wish to place him in com
mand of the mounted police ; to which a reply was sent
by Colonel Lindesay, stating his consent to Captain
Forbes being withdrawn from his regimental duties;
" for that, although he could ill be spared, yet he did
" not wish to deprive the colonial government of the
" services of an officer who, he had every reason to be-
" lieve, would prove both valuable and efficient. " The
result fully realized his anticipations ; and on the 16th of
October, Captain Forbes was by a general order placed
in command of this corps ; a body of men drawn In equal
numbers from the regiments in garrison, and mounted
by government, for the more effectually assisting of the
civil power, by dispersing them over the various settled
parts of the colony. They had, at the time of Captain
Forbes's appointment, no recognized commanding-officer,
but were nominally under the superintendence of the
Major of Brigade, whose various avocations rarely al
lowed him to examine into their interior economy ; con
sequently, their discipline had become relaxed, and their
duties were but too often performed with carelessness.
Soon after Captain Forbes assumed the command, a
manifest change took place ; the mounted police rapidly
became an efficient and highly disciplined body of men,
and their utility and zeal in the discharge of their duty
were universally acknowledged.
New colours were presented to the Thirty-ninth 1831.
by Lieut.-General Ealph Darling, In the Barrack
Square of Sydney, on the 16th of May 1831, being the
E 3

70 historical RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1831. anniversary of the battle oi Albuhera, in whicli engage
ment the second battalion of the regiment had twenty
years before distinguished itself. On this occasion the
following speech was delivered by the Lieut.-General,
the ceremony of consecration having been first performed
by the Venerable Archdeacon Broughton : —
" Thirty-ninth ! It Is highly gratifying to me to
" present you, on the part of your Colonel, with these
" colours, henceforth the proud record of your general
" and distinguished services.
" It is unnecessary for me. Thirty-ninth, to em-
" blazon your achievements ; your friends will ever
" remember, and your enemies can never forgetj that
" during the Peninsular War, which in its results was
" as glorious to the British Arms as it was important
" to the general interests of Europe, you, led on by your
"present gallant Commander, fought at Albuhera, of
" which battle this is the twentieth anniversary ; that
" you were also engaged with, and defeated, the enemy
" at Vittoria, at the Pyrenees, the Nivelle, the Nive, and
" at Orthes. You have indeed. Thirty-ninth, nobly
" redeemed the pledge which your predecessors in arms
" first gave at the battle of Almanza*, now one hundred
" and twenty-four years ago, which was as admirably
" seconded in the glorious field of Plassey, as it was suc-
"cessfuUy followed up at the memorable defence of
"Gibraltar! " Soldiers ! It is not necessary to the fame of your
" corps, that you should augment the honors which It
?• has so gallantly acquired ; but I am sure, whenever
"your King and country shall require your services,
" you wiU add fresh laurels to the noble wreath which
" now so proudly adorns your banners.
" Gentlemen ! In addressing you more particularly

* It will be perceived, on reference to page 3. of the Historical
Record, that the tradition of the Thikty-ninth regiment having been
engaged at Almanza in 1707, is not borne out by facts.

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 71
"to whom this sacred trust, the immediate charge of 1831.
" these colours Is especially confided, I need only point
" out, that they will be the objects to which the eyes
" of your corps will be directed. You will protect them
" with your lives ; and may the Alniighty, who alone
" can shield you in the day of battle, guide and pre-
" serve you In the faithful discharge of this sacred
" duty ! "
Colonel Lindesay having made a suitable reply to
the foregoing address, the ceremony was concluded In
the usual manner.
The festivity consequent on the presentation of co
lours was damped by the melancholy intelligence of the
death of Captain CoUett Barker, who was barbarously
murdered on the 30th of April 1831, by the native
tribes on the southern coast of New Holland, near the
spot at which Captain Sturt had made the coast on his
second expedition. Captain Barker had served in the
Thirty-ninth regiment for a period of twenty-five
years, and was highly esteemed. A* the time of his
death he was returning from King George's Sound,
where he had laeen for some time commandant, but
which settlement he had been ordered to deliver over to
the government of Western Australia, and had landed
for scientific purposes near the spot where he was mur
dered. Captain Barker had also for a considerable
period been commandant at the settlement of Fort
Wellington, in Eaffles' Bay, on the northern coast of
New Holland, where his services were highly estimated
by the Colonial Government.
On the 30th of May 1831, a general order was
issued, acquainting the regiment that it was destined to
proceed to India, upon the arrival of the Fourth foot In
New South Wales.
Lieut.- General Darling embarked for England on
the 22nd of October 1831, leaving the administration of
the government of the colony in the hands of Colonel
E 4

72 historical record of the thirty-ninth,
1831. Lindesay, who continued to act as governor until the
arrival of Major-General Eichard Bourke, C. B., on the
2nd of December. During this period the command of
the regiment devolved upon Major M'Pherson, who
was withdrawn from the Bathurst district for that
purpose.
1832. On the 5th of July 1832, a general order was issued,
directing the head-quarters of the regiment to embark
for Madras ; upon which occasion an address was una
nimously voted by the civil officers of the colony to
Colonel Lindesay on his departure, as a mark of sincere
esteem and respect ; and he, together with the officers of
the Thirty-ninth, received an invitation to a dinner,
immediately after which the address, most numerously
signed, and highly complimentary to the Colonel and to
the regiment, was read by Chief-Justice Forbes. Co
lonel Lindesay, in reply, expressed his thanks for the
honor conferred upon him and upon the Thirty-
ninth regiment
Six companies of the regiment embarked at Sydney
on the 21st of July 1832, in three divisions, and dis
embarked at Madras on the 22nd of September, 10th
and 14th of October. The remaining four companies
embarked at Sydney on the 3rd of December, and
arrived at Madras on the 21st ofFebruary of the fol
lowing year.
The regiment was for a short period stationed at
Poonamallee, about thirteen miles from Madras.
1833. After receiving several contradictory orders as to its
final destination, the regiment marched on the 22nd of
January 1833, for Bangalore in the Mysore territory,
where it arrived on the 14th of February. On the
following day. Colonel Lindesay assumed the command
of the cantonment of Bangalore, and that of the re
giment devolved on Lieut-Colonel M^Pherson. A
week afterwards the remainder of the corps, with the
exception of forty men left behind, had disembarked at

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 73
Madras from New South Wales, under the command of 1833.
Major Thomas Poole, and joined the head-quarters
on the 1 5th of April ; the strength of the corps had
also been increased by one hundred and fifteen vo
lunteers received from the Forty-sixth regiment.
Lieutenant Charles Cox, who had been detached under
the command of Captain Wakefield, to take charge
of these volunteers, died of cholera while on the route
to Hyderabad.
LIeut.-General the Honorable Sir Eobert William
O'CaUaghan, K. C. B., was removed from the colonelcy
of the Ninety-seventh to that of the Thirty-ninth
regiment, on the 4th of March 1833, In consequence of
the decease of Lieut.-General Sir George Airey, K. C. H.
Cholera broke out among the European troops at
Bangalore about the 22nd of March 1833 ; and in the
course of five weeks the regiment lost Captain Thomas
Meyrick, four Serjeants, forty-two rank and file, two
women, and eleven children. Captain Meyrick had
served twenty-two years in the Thirty-ninth, fourteen
of which he had been adjutant of the regiment.
In consequence of Lieut.-Colonel M^Pherson pro
ceeding to England on the 15th of December 1833, on
two years' leave of absence. Major Poole became the
commanding officer of the regiment.
Early in 1834, the regiment was called upon to take 1834.
part in active field operations against the Eajah of
Coorg. This prince, a dependent ally of the British,
had for some time excited the attention of the govern
ment by a series of cruelties and oppression towards
his subjects, and had made open preparations to resist
its authority. Confiding In the natural difficulties of
his country, he presumed to defy the arm of British
power, and encouraged proclaimed rebels to take refuge
in his jungles and mountains ; he finally reached the
climax of misconduct, by the outrageous act of arrest
ing an accredited envoy from the government, who

74 historical record OP the thirty-ninth,
1 834. had been sent to endeavour to re-establish amicable
relations.
A field force, consisting of upwards of seven thousand
men, was formed and divided into four columns; the
command of the whole was assigned to Colonel Patrick
Lindesay, C. B., who received the temporary rank of
Brigadier, and Captain John Douglas Forbes, of the
Thirty-ninth, was appointed deputy assistant adju
tant-general of the force.
The regiment was directed to fumish four hundred
rank and file to form the European force of the Eastern
Column; and on the I7th of March, the following de
tail, under the command of Major Thomas Poole,
marched from Bangalore in light service order: —

Field 0£fr.

Captns.

Subs.

staff.

Serjts.

Drms.

Kk. & File

I

6

12

1

25

6

400

The column rendezvoused at Periapatam, within a
few miles of the hostile country, where final arrange
ments were made for the attack.
It having been decided that the column should move
on two points, it was divided into two divisions, and
a part of the regiment attached to each. On the 1st
of April, the head-quarters, consisting of four com
panies, with the part of the column under the personal
direction of the Brigadier, marched for Bedalapoor;
and Major Poole was nominated to the command of
the Infantry Brigade, while Captain Horatio Walpole
succeeded to the charge of that portion of the regiment.
Captain Smyth, with the other three companies of the
regiment, remained with the division under Lieut-
Colonel Stewart, of the East India Company's service.
On the 2nd of April, the Cavery was crossed, and
the Coorg country entered by both divisions; the
opposition made by the enemy was trifling, and the
casualties in the regiment were very few. Captain
Smyth and one serjeant were wounded.

DR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 75
On the following day the troops advanced, and 1834.
succeeded in carrying all the barriers and positions
opposed to them; one private was wounded at the
stockade, near Harringharry.
The difficulties of the country, both natural and
artificial, became excessive, and demanded, as they
received, the very utmost exertions of the troops to
bring forward the artillery. In one day's march of
continued labour, for upwards of fourteen hours, a
distance was gained of only five miles.
On the evening of the 4th, a flag of truce arrived
from the rajah, proposing that the troops should halt
until he could conclude a negotiation, into which he
proposed entering. The Brigadier received the flag,
and consented to a truce so far as regarded actual
hostilities, provided the enemy refrained from them;
but he signified his determination to advance until the
j-ajah surrendered himself an unconditional prisoner.
No further opposition was experienced, and the in
creasing strength of the stockades and positions, ren
dered It evident that, if adequately defended, they
could only have been carried at an enormous sacri
fice. The head-quarter division reached Mercara, the
capital, on the 6th ; and the British ensign displayed on
the walls of its fort, speedily announced the addition
which the force had made to British power. The rajah,
who had retreated to a country palace, surrendered his
person on the 10th of April, and the war was considered
at an end.
The conduct of the regiment had throughout this
short campaign met with the unqualified praise and ap
proval of the Brigadier, who concluded one of his de
spatches by saying : —
" It remains, therefore, for me only to bring to the no-
." tice of His Excellency the excellent conduct of that part
" of the Eastern Column which has been acting under my
" orders. To Major Poole of His Majesty's Thirty-

76 historical record OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1 834. " NINTH regiment, whom I placed In Immediate command
" of the Infantry Brigade, I have been indebted for the
" most zealous and able assistance ; and I do but justice
" In reporting that the officers and soldiers, of every
" rank and degree, have under all circumstances, and in
" all respects, merited my most perfect approbation."
The following Is an extract from the despatch of
LIeut.-Colonel Stewart, commanding the second divi
sion of the Eastern Column : —
" The detachment of His Majesty's Thirty-ninth
" regiment surmounted all difficulties with the charac-
" teristic behaviour of British soldiers."
On the 1 1th of April, the three companies with Cap
tain Smyth, who had been latterly employed In opening
the communications, rejoined, and the regiment remained
in camp at Mercara untU the 11th of May, when, in
consequence of an order for the reduction of the force,
it marched for Bangalore, and arrived there on the 28th
of May.
The casualties by war have already been shown to be
trifling ; those by sickness, notwithstanding the fatigue
and exposure, were also singularly few. The regiment
returned to Bangalore but six men weaker than It left
that place.
Upon the Forty-eighth regiment being ordered to
embark for England, thirty men of that corps volun
teered to the Thirty-ninth, and joined the head
quarters on the 14th of November.
1835. Early in the year 1835, the following general order
was received at the regiment, marking His Majesty's
extreme approbation of the conduct of Brigadier- General
Lindesay, C. B., whilst commanding the force employed
in the expedition against the Eajah of Coorg.

or the DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 77
"Head Quarters,
"Madras, 17 th April 1835.
" General Order.
" His Excellency Lieut.-General The Honorable 1835.
" Sir Eobert William O'CaUaghan, commanding His
" Majesty's Forces in India, has much satisfaction in
" publishing the following extract of a letter from the
" Eight Honorable the General Commanding-in-chief,
" expressive of His Majesty's approval of the conduct
" of Brigadier-General Lindesay, and the troops em-
" ployed under his orders, during the late operations in
" Coorg, and of His Majesty having been graciously
" pleased in consequence to nominate that officer to be a
" Knight Commander of the Eoyal Hanoverian Guel-
« phic Order."
Extract of a letter from General the Eight Honor
able Lord Hill, Commanding-in-chief, dated Horse
Guards, 22nd October, 1834, to the Eight Honorable
Lord WiUiam Bentinck, G. C. B., Commander-in-chief
in India.*
" I have had the honor to receive your Lordship's
" letter on the 22nd of May, transmitting a copy of your
" General Order, on the termination of the war against
" the Eajah of Coorg ; and I beg leave to offer to your
" Lordship my best congratulations on the success of
" that operation.
" Having felt it my duty to lay your communication
" before the King, and to solicit His Majesty's attention
" to the terms In which you speak of the conduct of
" Colonel Lindesay, of His Majesty's Thibty-ninth
" Eeglment, to whom you confided the command of the
" Field Force, I have the honor to acquaint you, that
" the King has remarked with much satisfaction, that
* General the Right Honorable Lord WUliam Bentinck, G. C. B.
relinquished the appointment of Commander-in-Chief in India on the
20th of March 1835, prior to the receipt of this letter in Bengal.

78 historical RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH, '
1835. " the abiUty and judgment of Colonel Lindesay in the
" performance of his important service, have been emi-
" nently conspicuous ; and in testimony of His Eoyal
" approbation His Majesty has been pleased to nominate
"him a Knight Commander of the Eoyal Guelphic
" Order, the decoration of which will be duly transmitted
" to him by the Hanoverian minister at this court
" By order of His Excellency Lieut.-General the Hon.
" Sir Eobert William O'Callaghan, Com-
" manding His Majesty's Forces in India.
(Signed) " E. Torrbns,
" Colonel, Adjutant- General H. M.'s Forces in India."
Colonel Lindesay had, previously to the receipt of
this communication, been removed from the command
of the cantonment of Bangalore, and appointed on the
3rd of January to that of the southern division of the
Madras army, with the temporary rank of Brigadier-
General. He accordingly proceeded to Trichinopoly,
the head-quarters of that division. From this place he
made application that the Thirty-ninth might be
permitted to resume the following distinctions, which
had been borne on the regimental colour and appoint
ments for many years, but which had been discon
tinued about the year 1807, namely the motto "Primus
in Indis," and the word "Plassey;" also the device
of the "Castle and Key," in addition to the word
Gibraltar and the motto " Montis Lnsignia Calpe."
His Majesty King WiUiam the Fourth was graciously
pleased to approve of these distinctions being re
sumed by the Thirty-ninth, and the result was
communicated by the Adjutant-General on the 24th
of November 1835, to Lieut-Colonel Sir Eobert
William O'CaUaghan, Colonel of the regiment.
On the 14th of December 1835, the regiment was
reviewed at Bangalore by Major-General Hawker,
commanding the Mysore division of the army, who

or the DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 79
after a minute inspection expressed to Major Poole jg35^
his perfect approbation of its appearance, movements,
and discipline.
In February 1836, Colonel Lindesay embarked for
Europe, having been relieved in the command of the
southem division of the Madras army by Major-
General Sir John Forster Fitzgerald, K.C.B., in the
preceding October.
Colonel Lindesay, on his departure, was presented
by the officers with a gold snuff-box, value nine hun
dred rupees, bearing the distinctions of the regiment,
in which he had served for upwards of forty years.
A gold snuff-box, value five hundred rupees, was also , Q„y
presented, In January 1837, to Arthur Hamilton, Esq.,
surgeon of the regiment, on his return to Europe.
A detachment, consisting of two captains, seven sub
alterns, nine Serjeants, four drummers, and two hun
dred rank and file, marched from Bangalore on the
10th of April 1837, under the command of Captain
Walpole, to assist in quelling an insurrection which had
taken place in Canara and Malabar.
Directions were given to Captain Walpole to pro
ceed with all expedition to the French Eocks, there
to place himself under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel
William WlUiamson, commanding the force moving
towards Bisley Ghaut. On arriving at the former place.
Captain Walpole received Instructions to continue his
march in the direction of Mercara; and came up with
Colonel Williamson's force, consisting of a brigade
of horse artUlery, one squadron of native cavalry,
and the Twenty-seventh Native Infantry, five miles
to the west of Serlngapatam, after a march of twenty-
five miles. This force then marched to Frazerpet, and
from thence (Its movement to Mercara having been
countermanded) along the Cavery river to Bisley,
where It arrived on the 23rd of AprU, after thirteen
days of very harassing marching from Bangalore, upon

80 historical record OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
lg37_ an average of nineteen miles a day, and with only
one halting-day.
The Pass of the Bisley Ghaut was cleared after
some slight resistance offered by the insurgents at
the barriers which they had erected, and the force
descended upon the Canara country and encamped at
Cuddal, until tranquillity was restored.
Captain Walpole's detachment was then ordered back
to Bangalore, where it arrived on the 20th of May
without any casualties, and only sixteen sick, although
the men had been exposed in small tents in the jungle
to the heat of the sun, and had performed a succession
of forced marches, besides the laborious duty of assisting
in drawing the artillery guns up the difficult ascent of
the Ghaut. Lieut.-Colonel WlUiamson, of the East
India Company's army, who commanded the force, was
in the following year nominated a Companion of the
Order of the Bath.
On the 6th of January 1838, the regiment received a
very handsome piece of plate from their late Lieut.-
Colonel, Major-General Sir Patrick Tandesay, C.B. and
K.C.H. The right wing marched to BeUary on the 20th of
October 1838, to replace the Forty-first regiment, and
was followed by the left wing and head-quarters on the
16th of January 1839,
Upon the head-quarters leaving Bangalore, the fol
lowing order was issued by Major-General Sir Hugh
Oough K.C.B. (now Viscount Gough), then command
ing the Mysore division of the army :-~
" Division Orders.
"Bangalore, \5th January 1839.
" Major-General Sir Hugh Gough on parting with
« Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth Eeglment feels great
" satisfaction in being able to record his unqualified ap-

1838.

or the DORSETSHIRE REGI.MENT OF FOOT. 81
" probation of the soldierlike, creditable, and uniformly 1839.
" correct conduct of the corps during the sixteen
" months It has been under his Immediate command at
" the head-quarters of the Mj^sore division ; and he re-
" quests Lieut-Colonel Poole will, himself, accept the
" Major-General's best thanks for his judicious arrange-
" ments and unceasing attention to the various duties
" attendant on his situation as commanding-officer, and
" that he will also convey to the officers, non-commis-
" sioned officers, and privates of Her Majesty's Thirty-
" NINTH regiment his best thanks and good wishes,
" with the assurance that the Major-General will con-
" sider it a most gratifying event again to have this
" distinguished corps under his orders, the more parti-
" cularly should his services be required in the field.
" The Major-General cannot avoid at the present
" moment noticing the circumstance so confirmatory
" of the good feeling and high state of discipline of Her
" Majesty's Thirty-ninth regiment ; namely, that for
" the six years it has been quartered at Bangalore, not
" one solitary instance of complaint has been preferred
" against an officer, or a soldier, by an inhabitant for
" insult or injury of any kind.
" By Order,
(Signed) " G. C. Whitelock,
" Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General,
" Mysore Division of the Army."
The head-quarters arrived at Bellary on the 5th of
February, and the regiment was stationed there at the
end of March when the cholera broke out in the regi
ment, and raged for some time with considerable vio
lence. One of the last victims to the disease was the
Senior Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Poole, who died on the
23rd of April, and was succeeded in the command of
the regiment by Lieut.-Colonel Joseph Wakefield.
LIeut.-Colonel Poole entered the service on the 4th of
p

82 historical record of the thirty-ninth,
1839. September 1803, as Ensign in the Twenty-second regi
ment, and was promoted to the rant of Lieutenant on
the 20th of June 1805, and served for some time as Adju
tant ; he was appointed Captain in the same regiment
on the 26th of December 1811, and was advanced to
the rank of Major on the 14th of February 1828; he
exchanged from the Twenty-second to the Thirty-
ninth regiment on the 21st of February 1828, and
was promoted Lieut.-Colonel in the latter corps on the
10th of January 1837. Major Thomas Wright was
promoted to the vacant Lieut.-Colonelcy on the 24th of
AprU 1839.
On the 30th of August 1839, the regiment left
Bellary for 'field service under Major-General Wilson,
C.B. The intended destination of the force was at
that time unknown to the Major-General himself.
The troops reached AdonI, which had formerly been a
favourite stronghold of one of the minor branches of the
Mogul dynasty, and the ruins of which attest its former
strength and magnificence, on the 3rd of September.
The regiment was halted there until the 21st, during
the greater part of which time it rained heavily, but
the men were very healthy. On the 27th it reached
Coodamoor, where the whole force was assembled, con
sisting, in addition to the Thirty-ninth, of two
squadrons of the Thirteenth light dragoons, the
Seventh regiment of Native cavalry, the Third, Six
teenth, Thirty-fourth, Thirty-ninth, and Fifty-first
regiments of Native Infantry. The head-quarters of
the Sappers and Miners, a troop of horse and two
companies of foot artillery, with four eighteen-pounders,
four twelve-pounders, several mortars, howitzers, and a
large and weU equipped park. A formidable resist
ance was, therefore, expected by the Government;
and subsequent inquiries proved that the intended
antagonist was supplied with most numerous and well
constructed implements of destructionj and that a part
of his force consisted of brave and determined soldiers.

or the DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 83
At Coodamoor the regiment remained halted for 1839.
many days ; and on the 1st of October the cholera un
fortunately broke out, and lasted with considerable
violence for about ten days, during which time Lieut.
Samuel Philips, Assistant Surgeon Eobert Martin
Davis, M. D., of the Thirty-ninth regiment (a most
valuable and excellent medical officer), and six men
died therefrom.
On the 3rd of October, an order was received from
the Commissioners for the affairs of Kurnool to detach a
portion of the force in advance ; two companies of the
Thirty-ninth, under the command of Captain Henry
Clarence Scarman (who died of cholera In the Fort of
Kurnool on the 12 th of the same month), with a de
tachment of the artiUery, and the Fifty-first Native
infantry, marched on the 4th of October. This force
was led into the Fort oi Kurnool by the Nuwaub's head
minister, Numder Cawn, who subsequently was proved
to have been a traitor to both parties. The Nuwaub
and his party vacated the fort by an opposite gate.
This apparent surrender turned out to be a ruse de
guerre, as the Nuwaub, it Is believed, fully expected to
re-occupy the fort ; for there were no visible symptoms
of preparations, aU munitions of war being buried
or built up, and the whole wore a peaceful aspect ;
subsequent discoveries proved that peace was not his
object, but that he contemplated lulling the Company
into security, until he was prepared for active opera
tions. On the 9th of October, the Commissioners
applied for a reinforcement ; and two companies of the
Thirty-ninth, the whole of the Thirty -fourth Native
infantry, with a detachment of cavalry and artillery,
were despatched under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel
Thomas Edward Wright. These two companies were
encamped outside the Fort of Kurnool for some days ;
but on the morning of the 18th, Lieut.-Colonel Wright
was privately informed that his two companies would
r 2

84 historical record op the thirty-ninth,
1839. be required to assist in endeavouring to force the
Nuwaub to surrender, and to make his followers, prin
cipally composed of Arabs, Eohlllahs, and Patans, lay
down their arms. It is well known that Arabs particu
larly have a great objection to do this, and will rather
fight under very adverse circumstances than comply;
resistance was, therefore, expected. Negotiations were
soon seen to be unavailing, as some of the EohlUah
chiefs (a brave people, whose sole and only occupa
tion is mercenary fighting) accused their opponents of
cowardice. A fire of artillery and musketry of twenty minutes'
duration was opened upon, and returned by the Nu
waub's party, when an order was given to the Thirty-
ninth to charge, which they did, and after a well con
tested struggle obtained possession of the person of the
Nuwaub, and made prisoners a great number of his
followers. Several escaped, and were pursued by a
party of the Thirteenth light dragoons, which guarded
the ford of the river; about three hundred are sup
posed to have fallen on the side of the enemy. The
two companies of the Thirty-ninth were about
eighty strong in rank and file. Lieut. Thomas White,
one colour-serjeant, and one private were killed; and
Lieut.-Colonel Wright was most dangerously wounded.
Four privates were dangerously wounded, two of whom
died, and one had his arm amputated; five privates
were slightly wounded.
The conduct of Lieut.-Colonel Wright, and that of
the officers and men of his detachment, was highly
commended In the pubUc despatch on the occasion.
Captain WiUiam Wood, Lieut. Edwarcl Croker, and
Ensign Owen Wynne Gray, were the officers present,
together with Lieut. Thomas White, who was klUed.
In the despatch of Lieut.-Colonel Dyce, commanding
the detachment of the Kurnool field force, giving an
account of the affair at Zorapore, near Kurnool, on the
18th of October, It was stated "that the conduct of the

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 85
" detachment of the Thirty-ninth was such as always 1839.
" characterises British soldiers ; " and he added,
" I beg particularly to bring to the notice of superior
" authority the conspicuously gallant conduct of Lleut.-
" Colonel Wright, of Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth
" regiment, who has been dangerously wounded."
The loss of the enemy was severe ; several chiefs
were among the slain, and a number of elephants,
horses, and treasure were captured.
The Governor of Madras in Council stated in general
orders, dated Fort George, 25th October 1839, in
publishing Lieut-Colonel Dyce's despatch, that "while
" he laments the humane efforts of that officer to pre-
"vent bloodshed have been defeated by the infa-
"tuation of the Nuwaub of Kurnool's followers, he
" cannot refrain from expressing the high sense he en-
" tertains of the gallantry and soldier-like conduct dis-
" played by Lieut.-Colonel Dyce, and the officers and
" men of the detachment in the attack upon the durgah
"at Zorapore."
The regiment returned to Bellary on the 8th of
November 1839, leaving two companies to garrison
the Fort at Kurnool. Shortly afterwards intimation
was received that it was to march for Kamptee, and
accordingly on the 24th of December the regiment
quitted Bellary.
The two companies which had been left at Kur- 1840.
nool, rejoined the head-quarters at Nagumpilly, near
Secunderabad, on the 12th of January 1840, and the
regiment arrived at Kamptee by the route of Secun
derabad and HIngolee, a distance of six hundred and
forty miles, without a single casualty. Previously
to quitting Bellary the regiment received from Major-
General Francis W. Wilson, C. B., in orders, the ex
pression of his entire approbation of its "excellent
" discipline, efficiency, and exemplary behaviour both in
"garrison and the field."

86 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1840, Lieut,-Cblonel Wakefield died of fever on the 17th
of May 1840, and Lieut-Colonel Wright assumed the
command of the reginient Major Horatio Walpole
was promoted to the vacant Lieut.-Colonelcy.
LIeut.-General Sir Frederick Philipse Eobinson,
G.C.B., was removed from the colonelcy of the Fifty-
nlntii to that of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the
l5th of June 1840, in succession to Lieut.-General the
Honorable Sir Eobert WiUiam O'Callaghan, G.C.B.,
deceased. From the unsettled state of India, rumours were con
stantly stirring that the regiment would be ordered
to march in the direction of Bombay; it remained
1841. quiet, however, until November 1841, when two com
panies were ordered at a few hours' notice to join a
smaU force under Lieut-Colonel Dowker, of the
Madras army, for the purpose of pursuing and chastising
a pretender to the name and person of Appa Sahib,
who had been deposed from the Nagpore throne in
1818, and had made his escape from the escort of
British troops^ and, although frequently heard of, had
never been seen by the British authorities.
These two companies did not fall in with the rebels,
and their return to Kamptee was hastened by an order
for the regiment to march to Cawnpore, In the Bengal
presidency, with the least possible delay. On the 27th
of December 1841, the regiment left Kamptee, and on
approaching Jubbulpore received orders to change its
route to Agra, which it accordingly did, and reached its
destination, vid Sanger, Thansi, and Gwalior, a dis
tance of five hundred and twenty miles, on the 1st
of March 1842, with only two casualties.
1842. On the 8th of October 1842, the regiment inarched,
vid Muttra, Delhi, and Kurnool, to join the army of
reserve assembled at Ferozepore; on the return of the
troops from Affghanistan, where it remained until the
army was dissolved in January 1843, when it marched

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 87
to Delhi, and formed part of the Governor- General's 1843.
escort there, returning to Agra by way of AUyghur,
on the 4th of March following.
On the morning of the 23rd of March 1843, at
six o'clock. Lord Ellenborough, the Governor-General of
India, presented new colours to the regiment.
The corps received his Lordship with a general salute,
after which the ranks were closed. It then formed
three sides of a square, and the new colours were
deposited In front, where they were consecrated with a
prayer every way suited to the solemnity of the oc
casion, by the Eev. Mr. Eice, Chaplain at Agra. His
Lordship then affably desired that sufficient space might
be afforded for his voice to be heard by all the regiment,
and spoke as follows : —
" Lieut-Colonel Wright, officers, non-commissioned
" officers, and privates of Her Majesty's Thirty-
" NINTH regiment, I present to you new colours,
"consecrated with all the solemn ceremonies of re-
" llgion, to be borne, as your colours always have been,
" with honor before the enemy.
" These colours have already inscribed on them the
"names of many victories, wherein those who have
"preceded you in the Thirty-ninth, and some
" amongst yourselves, have borne part.
" There is yet space for more inscriptions to com-
" memorate other victories ; and be assured that. If the
" necessity for action should occur, I shaU afford you
"the opportunity of acquiring distinctions similar to
" those which have been obtained by your predecessors,
" with the conviction that you will display courage
"like that which distinguished them upon the field
" of battle, that these colours virill never retreat before
« the enemy, but that every one of you would give
" his life to bear them on to victory.
" In England and in the colonies, and in other
« parts of the world. Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth
F 4

88 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1 843. " regiment may stand in the same line with other
" regiments which have gained glory in the field. In
" India you are the first Your predecessors laid, at
" Plassey, the foundation of the glorious empire you
" now behold ; an empire won by arms, and by arms
" alone to be preserved.
" Other Inscriptions on your colours commemorate
" victories in which your predecessors participated in
" Spain, under the immediate eye and direction of the
" greatest of generals, of him who now again in the
" command of the army in England, watches over the
" interest and honor of those he so often led to victory.
" Loyalty to our Sovereign is the first duty of us all.
" It has at all times been the virtue of the British
" soldier ; but how much is there to animate our
" loyalty, to give the character of enthusiasm to our
" feelings for our Sovereign, when the Queen evinces,
" as Her Majesty always has done, the deepest personal
"interest, the warmest zeal and regard for the honor
" of the army !
" Eleven regiments of Her Majesty's army have, in
" this last year, obtained from Her Majesty's gracious
" favour, for their services In Affghanistan and China,
" medals commemorative of those services, to be for
" ever worn upon their breasts,
" I know that whenever your services may be re-
" quired In the field, you will follow these colours,
" not with any thought of pecuniary advantage to be
"gained by success, but with the one absorbing
"thought, that, through the success you may obtain
" by your courage, you may return to your famUies, to
" your friends, and to your country, bearing upon your
"breasts the decorations which evince your Queen's
" approval of your devotion to Her Majesty, and of
" your duty well performed before the enemy.
" My fortune has given to me, and I regret it, a
^' career different from yours. I have been, and must

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT, 89
"remain, employed in civil duties; but I tell you, as 1843,
" I have already told some of your comrades, the first
" of aU professions is that of a soldier, and the first
" of all rewards Is miUtary honor ! ! !
" I now deliver to you these colours, in the con-
" viction that they wUl ever be borne before you with
" honor, and that there is not a man amongst you
" who would not give his life to preserve them."
Lieut.-Colonel Wright replied to his Lordship to the
following effect : —
" That both himself and the officers and soldiers
" of the regiment were deeply sensible of the honor
" his Lordship had conferred upon them ; that he was
" unable to enlarge on the topics usually advanced on
" such occasions, as his Lordship's speech had both
" anticipated and exhausted his resources ; but that his
" Lordship might rely upon It, every member of the
" corps would endeavour to maintain the honor of their
" colours, and the renown of Her Majesty's arms,
" unsuUied," The regiment then reformed line and the audience
retired. The colours were trooped in the usual form ;
and on arriving at the right of the line were brought
up by the grenadiers (the band playing their march)
along the front of the line, opposite to the old colours,
where they were exchanged ; the senior ensigns
falling in with the new colours in the centre of the
line, whilst the old colours fell in respectively on the
flanks of the grenadier company, which were faced
outwards by sub- divisions, and conveyed (music play
ing) round the flanks of the regiments to the rear of
the centre, when they were sent away. The grena
diers then resumed their post in line, and the regiment
then marched past in slow and quick time, reformed
line, and presented arms,
A ball and supper were given by the officers to
commemorate the event, to which every member of

90 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1843. society in and around Agra was invited. These fes
tivities were attended by his Lordship, and were sub
sequently followed by others on succeeding evenings,
In which the Serjeants, corporals, and privates of the
regiment participated.
In the month of August 1843, cholera appeared
with great virulence. Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Donald
Urquhart, Surgeon Eobert Stark, M. D., two Ser
jeants, two corporals, forty-eight privates, women,
and children, died of this disease in the course of a
month, after a few hours' seizure. The hospital was
crowded with patients. AU the officers, Lieut. -Colonel
Wright with about five others excepted, were attacked
with cholera symptoms. Captain Charles T. Van
Straubenzee of the Thirty-NINTH regiment, was
promoted to the rank of Major on the 27th of August,
in succession to Brevet Lieut-Colonel Urquhart.
The regiment was encamped at Eambaugh, near
Agra, for ten days, in consequence, until the disease
disappeared. The Thirty-ninth regiment formed part of the
fifth brigade of the " Army of Exercise," assembled at
Agra on the 25th of November 1843. This force had
been assembled in consequence of affairs in the state
of Gwalior, which had for some time required the
attention of the Indian Government, although it was
not anticipated that actual hostilities would take place.
The events which led to the ooUIsIon between the
Anglo-Indian troops and those of the once powerful
Mahratta kingdom, are as follow: — Upon the decease
of Maharajah Jhunkojee Eao Scindia, the British
Government promptly acknowledged as his successor
the Maharajah Jyajee Eao Scindia, who was nearest
in blood to the late sovereign of Gwalior, and whose
adoption by the Maharanee, his HIghness's widow, was
approved by the chiefs. During the minority of the
Maharajah, the office of regent was to be held by
Mama Sahib. In a short period the regent was

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 91
compelled by force to quit the Gwalior state, and the 1843,
Dada Khasgee Walla succeeded to the confidence of
the Maharanee without possessing generally that of
the chiefs, and by his influence various acts were
committed insulting and injurious to the British Go
vernment. The delivery of the Dada being peremptorily
insisted upon as a necessary preliminary to the re-
establishment of the customary relations with the
Gwalior state, the Maharanee at length complied with
the request. The Governor- General, in order to give
friendly support to the youthful Maharajah, directed
the Immediate advance of forces sufficient for the pur
pose. The Anglo-Indian troops entered the dominions
of Scindia, and a strong government having been
established at Gwalior, they received orders to with
draw; but were not destined to retum to their own
territory without a severe conflict. They had quitted
Agra in the early part of December, immediately after
the arrival there of the Governor-General of India, The
Eight Honorable Lord Ellenborough. His Lordship
accompanied the troops, and on the 23rd of December
they crossed the Chumbul river, and halted at Hingona,
about twenty miles from Gwalior, where the army
rested for five days.
During this interval the Mahratta vakeels, or agents
for the Gwalior durbar, had an interview with the
Governor- General, and the negotiations appeared pro
ceeding to an amicable issue. The design of the enemy
was, however, merely to gain time to concentrate his
forces, and this at last became so evident that his
Lordship determined upon active measures of hostility.
While the main body of the army, of which the
Thirty-ninth formed part, moved on from Agra
under General Sir Hugh (now Viscount) Gough, Bart.,
G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief in India, another division
under Major-General John Grey, C.B., advanced on
Gwalior from Bundlekund.
The Thirty-ninth, with the main division, crossed

92 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1843, the Koharee river early In the morning of the 29th
of December, and found the Mahratta forces drawn up
in front of the village of Maharajpore, in a very strong
position, which they had occupied during the previous
night, and which they had carefully entrenched. The
British were about fourteen thousand strong, with forty
pieces of artUlery, while the enemy mustered eighteen
thousand men, including three thousand cavalry with
a hundred guns. Notwithstanding the extreme dif
ficulty of the country, 'Intersected by deep and almost
impassable ravines, the whole of the Anglo-Indian
troops were in their appointed positions by eight o'clock
in the morning of the 29th of December, The action
commenced by the advance of Major-General Littler's
column, which was exactly In front of Maharajpore;
and although the Mahratta troops fought with desperate
bravery, nothing could withstand the rush of British
soldiers. The part taken by the Thirty-ninth in
the victory which ensued, is shown in the accompanying
extracts from the despatch of General Sir Hugh Gough,
Bart, G,C,B, "Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth foot,
" with their accustomed dash, ably supported by the
"Fifty-sixth Native Infantry, drove the enemy from
" their guns into the village, bayonetting tbe gunners
"at their posts. Here a most sanguinary conflict
" ensued ; the Mahratta troops, after discharging their
" matchlocks, fought sword In hand with the most
" determined courage.
« Major-General Littler, with Brigadier Wright's
"brigade, after dispersing the right of the enemy's
"position at Maharajpore, steadily advanced to fulfil
"his instructions of attacking the main position at
« Chonda In front, supported most ably by Captain
" Grant's troop of horse artillery, and the First regiment
" of light cavalry. This column had to advance under
" a very severe fire over very difficult ground ; but
" when within a short distance, again the rush of

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT, 93
" the Thirty-ninth regiment, as before, under Major 1843.
" Bray, gallantly supported by the Fifty -sixth regl-
" ment of Native infantry under Major Dick, carried
" every thing before them, and thus gained the en-
" trenched main position of Chonda. In this charge
" the Thirty-ninth regiment lost the services of its
" brave commanding-officer. Major Bray, who was
" desperately wounded by the blowing up of one of
" the enemy's tumbrils in the midst of the corps, and
" were ably brought out of action by Major Strau-
" benzee. This gallant corps on this occasion captured
" two regimental standards.
" A small work of four guns on the left of this
" position was long and obstinately defended, but sub-
" sequently carried, and the guns captured by the
"grenadiers of the Thirty-ninth, under Captain
" Campbell, admirably supported hy a wing of the
" Fifty-sixth Native Infantry under Major Phillips."
Major-General Grey, who had been directed to push
on with the left wing as rapidly as practicable to
Punniar, twelve miles south-west of Gwalior, gained
also a complete victory on the same day as the battle
of Maharajpore was fought, namely, 29th of December,
The Mahratta army were thus placed between two
corps capable of supporting each other, should It remain
in the vicinity of its capital ; or of subdividing that
army to repel, or attack, these two columns ; the latter
alternative was adopted by the enemy, and the con
sequence was most decisive and honorable to the British
arms, and the mutinous troops which had overawed
and controlled the government of His Highness the
Maharajah Jyajee Eao Scindia, were signally defeated.
These victories were not gained without severe loss,
owing to the enemy's force considerably outnumbering
the British, particularly in artiUery, and to the command
ing position of his guns, which were well served and de
terminedly defended both by the gunners and infantry ;

94 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1843. the peculiar dlfficiilties of the country gave ailso addi
tional advantages to the gallantry of the Mahratta troops,
whose loss was exceedingly great ; — in the battle of
Maharajpore fifty-six guns were captured, together with
the whole of the enemy's ammunition waggons.
The Thirty-ninth had Ensign Theodore David
Bray, two Serjeants, one drummer, and twenty-six
rank and file killed. The following officers were
wounded: — Major Edward William Bray (severely).
Captains Eobert Newport TInley (severely), and Charles
Campbell ; Lieutenant and Adjutant WiUiam Munro
(severely) ; Lieutenants James S, Atkinson (severely),
Humphrey Gray (very severely), Eobert Hamilton
Currie, and Hugh George Colvill (very severely);
Ensigns Simon George Newport, and Thomas Scarman
(severely); seventeen Serjeants, and one hundred and
fifty-seven rank and file were wounded,
Lieut,-Colonel Thomas Wright, of the Thirty-
ninth, who served as a Brigadier-General, and com
manded the brigade of which his regiment formed part,
was particularly noticed In the official despatch. Major
Bray, who commanded the regiment. Major Charles T,
Van Straubenzee, Captains Marmaduke George Nixon,
Charles CampbeU (Major of Brigade), and Lieutenant
Edward Croker, Assistant Quarter-Master General,
fifth brigade of infantry, were all honorably mentioned.
Lieut.-Colonel Wright and Major Bray were sub
sequently nominated Companions of the Order of the
Bath: the latter officer with Major Straubenzee, re
ceived the brevet rank of Lieut-Colonel; Captains
Nixon and Campbell were promoted to the rank of
Major in the army.
The Thirty-ninth also received the Eoyal authority
to bear the word Maharajpore on the regimental
colour and appointments, in commemoration of this
victory. The Governor-General in his proclamation thus
alluded to the Thirty- ninth regiment : —

or the DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. 95
" The Governor-General's especial thanks are due 1843.
" to Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth and Fortieth re-
" giments, to the Second and Sixteenth regiments of
" Native Grenadiers, and to the Fifty-sixth Native In-
" fantry, which took with the bayonet the batteries in
" front of Maharajpore.
" Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth regiment had the
" peculiar fortune of adding to the honor of having
" won at Plassey the first great battle which laid the
" foundation of the British empire in India, the further
" honor of thus nobly contributing to this, as it may be
" hoped, the last and crowning victory by which that
" empire has been secured.
" Her Majesty's Fortieth regiment, and the Second
" and the Sixteenth regiments of Native Grenadiers,
" again serving together, again displayed their pre-emi-
" nent qualities as soldiers, and well supported the
" character of the ever victorious army of Candahar.
* * * #
" The Government of India will, as a mark of Its
" grateful sense of their distinguished merit, present to
" every general and other officer, and to every soldier
" engaged in the battles of Maharajpore and Pun-
" NIAR, an Indian Star of bronze, made out of the guns
" taken in these battles ; and all officers and soldiers In
" the service of the Government of India will be permit-
" ted to wear the Star with their uniforms.
* * » «
" A triumphal monument commemorative of the
" campaign of Gwalior will be erected at Calcutta, and
" inscribed with the names of aU who fell In the two
" battles." Major Thomas Eyan, of Her Majesty's Fiftieth re
giment, was attached to the Thirty- ninth, and dis
tinguished himself by his cool and gallant conduct at
the battle of Maharajpore. Major Eyan and Lieut.-
Colonel Wright had their horses shot under them.
The " Army of Gwalior " was broken up on the 28th

96 HLSTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1844. of January 1844. The Thirty-ninth remained at
Gwalior from the 29th of January until the 4th of
March, when the right brigade, with the regiment,
commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Wright, returned to
Agra, where it arrived on the 10th of that month.
In addition to the star manufactured from the
ordnance captured at Maharajpore, a donation of six
months' batta was granted by the Governor-General in
Council to the army employed during the campaign In
Gwalior. The regiment remained at Agra until the 20th of
October, when It marched for Dinapore, and arrived at
that station on the 13th of December foUowIns,
1 845, On the embarkation of the Thirteenth light Infantry
at Kurrachee for England, two hundred of the men
volunteered to the Thirty-ninth regiment. These
formed a portion of Major-General Sir Charles Napier's
force In his expedition against the mountain desert rob
bers of Beloochistan in the spring of 1 845,
In storming the nearly inaccessible heights of Truckee
a Serjeant's party "of fifteen men pre-eminently distin
guished themselves by their undaunted gallantry, in
forcing their way, after a lengthened and sanguinary
struggle, to the summit of a hill, which was defended
by about a hundred and eighty of the enemy.
This exploit called forth the following letters from
His Excellency Sir Charles Napier, and His Grace the
Duke of Wellington,
" Sir, " Sukkur, 2,0th March, 1845.
" It will gratify you, and be just to some brave
" men, who volunteered from the Thirteenth for your
" regiment, to send to you a copy of my letter to the
" Commander-in-Chief, relative to a gallant action per-
" formed by them on the 8th instant,
" The whole of the volunteers for your regiment
" have behaved admirably during the five months they

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 97
" have been serving under my own immediate bbserva- 1845.
" tion ; they have shown themselves worthy of the re-
" giment they have left, and of that which is under your
" command. I have, &c.,
(Signed) " C. J. Napier, Major-General,
" Governor of Scinde. "
"Officer commanding H. M. Z%th regiment."
" Sir, « Camp Sukkur, 25th March 1845.
*' It is with regret I have to say that, misled by
" the report of Captain Beatson, I stated that the six
*• soldiers, who, on the 8th instant, fell on the heights of
** Truckee, were killed in consequence of their own
*' Imprudence. This was incorrect and unjust They
"acted in obedience to their orders, and died in the
"fulness of glory, worthy of the brightest names in
"our military annals. The enclosed return, received
"from the orderly room, is more eloquent than any
" thing I can say. I am convinced that one who has
" so often witnessed the gallantry of soldiers, will not
"read unmoved this proud but distressing record of
" heroism and death.
" The survivors of those who reached the top, merit
" the honor to have their names laid before His Grace
" the Duke of Wellington, and it would be very grate-
*' ful to their feelings if your Excellency would do this;
" They are men of excellent character ; most of them
"had two, and some three medals. The bold Sepoy
"of the camel corps is highly praised by them for
" his courageous conduct."
" Hoping that some mark of approbation may be
" bestowed on these admirable soldiers, I have, &c.
(Signed) "C. J. Napier, Major-General,
"His Excellency, " Governor of Scinde."
" General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G. C.B.,
" Commander-in- Chief in India.
"Sj-c. §-c. Sfc." G

98 HISTORICAL ItECORD OF THE THIRTY-NINTH,
1845i Nominal roU of the Serjeant's party of a detachment
of Her Majesty's Thirty-ninth, "volunteers, which
Btorpied the hUt at Truckee on the 8th of March
1845 :—

Bank.

Kames.

Remarks.

¦Seijeant

John Power. . -

Reached the summit of the hill,

and was slightly wounded. '

Corporal

Thomas Waters -

Did not quite reach the summit

,

of the hill  Three medals.

1. -W

John Kenny

Did not quite reach the summit

of the hill. — Three medals.
Private:
John Action
Reached the top, killed three of
the enemy, and was then killed
himself. — Two medals.
I - n "
Robert Adair
Reached the top, killed two of
. .
the enemy, and was then kiUed
himself. — Two medals.
>»
Hugh Dunlap
Reached the top, killed two of
the enemy, and was then killed
himself.
9i
Patrick PuUoa
Reached the summit of the hiU,
and was killed. — Two medals.
n
Samuel Lowrie
Reached the top, killed the Com
mander of tbe enemy and an;
other man, and was then killed
himself. — Two medals.
n
William Lovelace -
Reached the top, and was killed.
it
Anthony Burke
Reached the top, killed three of
the enemy (shot one, bayonetted
another), broke his musket on
the head of the third.— Two
medals.
**
John Malony
Reached the top, bayonetted two
of the enemy, saved Burke and
Rohan's lives, and was severely
wounded. — Three medals.
n
Bartholomew Rohan
Reached the top, bayonetted one
of the enemy, and was very se
verely woundsd. — Two medals.
11
George Campbell -
Reached the top, and killed two
of the enemy.
! »J - •
PhiHip Fay
Did not quite reach the summit.
— Two medals.
Mark Davis
Did not quit« reach the summit.
— Two medals.
))
Charles Hawthorn -
Did not quite reach the summit.
•
— Two medals.
Camel Corps
Ruinzan Aheer
Did not quite reach the summit.
OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. 99
" Horse Guards, 1845.
" Sir, " \2th June 1845.
" 1 have had the honoi* to receive youi- letter on
" the 15th of April, with a letter and its accompanying
" return from Major-General Sir Charles Napier, set-
" ting forth the conspicuous gallantry of a party of
" Volunteers from the Thirteenth Light Infantry to the
" Thirty-ninth regiment, in storming the almost in-
" accessible hUl position of Truckee, occupied by a
" strong force of the Mountain Desert Eobbers ; and
" having laid these papers before the Commander«in-
" Chief, I am instructed to request that you wiU cause
" the expresHon of his highest approbation to be con-
" veyed to snch of these brave men as have survived
" the attack ; and that you will further be pleased to
" recommend them specially to the notice and proted-
" tion of the commanding officer of the Thirty- ninth
" regiment, and ascertain and report for His Grace's
" information whether the serjeant is qualified to hold
" a commission In Her Majesty's service.
" The Duke of WeUington deeply laments the loss
" of those who feU on this memorable occasion.
" I have, &c.
(Signed) " PiTZROY Somerset."
" General Sir Hugh Gough, Bart., G, C,B.,
" Commander-in-Chief in India..
"8fc. Sfc. 8fc,"
In the month of October 1845, four companies, under
the command of Captain Wood, were detached to
garrison Fort William.
In the beginning of. 1846, in consequence of the 1846.
great demand for fighting men on the north-west fron
tier, the regiment was directed to volunteer to the
extent of five hundred men: the detached wing re
joined tbe head-quattefs at Dinapore in March. Ia
G 2

100 HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE THIRTT-NINTH,
.1 846. October 1846, the Thirty-ninth again volunteered,
preparatory to embarkation for England, when two
liundred and seventeen men were transferred to other
«orps. On the 30th of December foUowing the remainder of
the corps, consisting of about three hundred men,
embarked in boats for Calcutta.
1847. The regiment arrived at Calcutta on the 27th of
January 1847 ; and on the 7th of February, the head
quarters, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Wright,
consisting of seven officers, seven seijeants, five cor
porals, six drummers, and one hundred and eleven
privates, embarked in the " Tudor," and landed at
Gravesend on the 9th of June following, losing one
seijeant, one corporal, and three privates, during the

The remainder of the regiment, consisting of ten
seijeants, nine corporals, eight drummers, and one
hundred and forty-five privates, with six officers, under
the command of Captain Wilbraham, embarked in the
"Pekin" on the 23rd of February, and arrived in
England on the 13th of July 1847, losing only one
man during the voyage.
On the departure of the Thirty-ninth, with other
corps, from India, the Eight Honorable Lord Gough,
Commander-in-Chief in that country, issued the fol
lowing complimentary orders: —
" Head-Quarters, " Camp Sehdrunpore,
" 9th February 1847.
" GENERAL ORDER.
^'The Eight Honorable the Commander-in-Chief
" in India avails himself of the opportunity which the
" approaching departure from India of those distin-
<*guished regiments, the Ninth, Thirty-ninth, and

' OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT. lOl
" Sixty-second foot affords, of recofding the high sense 1847*
" he entertains of their respective merits, and the ad-
" miration with which he has witnessed their uniform
'' good conduct in quarters, and their gaUantry in the
" field. " Each regiment bears on its colours the natnes of
" many hard-fought battles in the " Peninsula," and
^' each regiment will carry home the record of victories
" achieved in the wars of this country, nobly gained by
" their indomitable bravery under his Lordship's im-
" mediate command.
" The Ninth regiment has completed a service abroad
" of upwards of fourteen years. In 1842 it formed part
*• of the force under Major-General Sir George Pollock
" in the second campaign of 'Affghanistan,' and subse-
" quently had the good fortune to partake in the memor-
" able battles of the Sutlej. The despatches of the former
" period have testified to its gallantry, its noble bear-
" ing, and high spirit under extreme sickness and prl-
" vation ; and upon the latter. Lord Gough has recently
" in orders and by his despatches, expressed his sense
-' of its valuable services.
" The Thirty-ninth regiment, ' Primus in Indis,'
<• having obtained Imperishable renown In the earlier
" wars in India, bearing upon its colours the record
" of its gallantry at ' Plassey,' quitted this country in
',' 1758 ; and after a lapse of seventy-four years, during
" which it reaped a rich harvest of glory in the ' Penin-
" sula,' again returned to India, and has again profited
" by the opportunities, which a long service in this
" country has afforded, of adding fresh lustre to its
fame. The victory of ' Maharajpore ' is already re-
" corded on its colours, and nobly did It earn that
" badge. The distinguished conduct of the Thirty-
" ninth regiment on the 29th of December 1843,
" could not be surpassed for bravery and determination,
" The Sixty-second regiment gallantly aided in the
o 3

(C

102 HISTORICAL RECORD OP THE THIRTY-NINTH,
l*47i *' defence of Ferozepore, when that station was in-*
" vested by an overwhelming force ; and when called
" into action in the late brilliant campaign, it evinced
f'that indomitable bravery and obedience to orders,
" for which the British army is justly renowned.
" Lord Gough feels happy in having it in his power
" to state, that the conduct of these regiments through-
" out their Indian service has always been such as to
" merit his warmest commendation. He feels a pride
^' in recording all that he has said in praise of these
"gallant corps; and in parting with them, begs to
" assure themi that he will always feel a lively interest
«« in their welfare.
" By order of the Eight Honorable the Commander-
in-Chief.
(Signed) " C. E. Cureton, Colonel,
" Adjutant- General H. M. Forces in India."

The Thirtt-ninth regiment, on arrival in England,
was stationed at Canterbury, and on the 13th, 14th,
and 15th of December 1847, proceeded to Gosport by
railway.
1848. O'l the 15th of March, 1848, the regiment moved
over to Portsmouth, and at the end of the same
month proceeded to the northern and midland districts,
the head-quarters and three companies occupying the
citadel at Hull, with detachments at Leeds, Bradford,
Sheffield, and Halifax.
The regiment proceeded by railway on the 22nd and
23rd of June to Preston, in Lancashire.
1849 During the year 1849 the regiment remained at
Preston.
1850 O^ *^^ ^^*^' ^^*' ^""^ ^^*^ °^ April, 1850, the
regiment proceeded from Preston, in three divisions, by
railway to Fleetwood, and embarked for Belfast.
Previous to the departure of the Thirty-ninth from

OR THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OP FOOT, 103
Preston for Ireland, the mayor of that borough for- 1850..
warded a compUmentary resolution to Lieut,-Colonel
Wright from the magistrates, relative to the excellent
conduct of the regiment while stationed in the neigh
bourhood of Preston.
The regiment was stationed at Belfast from the 28th
of April to the 16th of November 1850, when it pro
ceeded to Newry.
On the 17th of July 1851 the regiment proceeded 1851.
from Newry to DubUn, and was quartered in the Linen
Hall barracks.
Lieut.-General George Burrell, C.B., was appointed 1852.
Colonel of the Thirtt-ninth regiment' on the 1 1th of
February 1852, in succession to General Sir Frederick
Philipse Eobinson, G.C.B,, deceased.
In February and March nine companies were re
moved to Elchmond barracks, Dublin ; in consequence
of the want of accommodation at the head-quarters,
a portion of the regiment proceeded to Island Bridge
barracks. On the 15th of July five companies of the regiment,
under the command of Major William Munro, pro
ceeded from Dublin to Cork, there to be stationed
during the elections. A company of the regiment,
under Major Eobert Newport TInley, detached at
Drogheda, proceeded on the 21st of July to Balbrlggan,
in aid of the civil authorities during the elections in
that town, and subsequently joined the head-quarters
at Dublin.
Towards the end of July the head-quarters received
orders to move from Dublin to Clonmel, and proceeded
to that station by raUway on the 5th of August, where
they arrived on the same day.
The five companies on election duty at Cork were
detached, on the removal of the head-quarters from
Dublin to Clonmel, to the following stations: two
G 4

104 HISTORICAL RECORD, ETC.
1852. companies to Carrick-on-Suir, one to Clogheen, one to.
Dungarvon, and one to Cappoquin; tbe latter returned
to head-quarters on the 23rd of September.
1853. Major-General Eichard Lluellyn, C.B., was ap
pointed Colonel of the Thirtt-ninth regiment on
the 17th of January 1853, in succession to Lieut.-
General George Burrell, C.B., deceased.
The regiment proceeded from Clonmel to Cork in;
February 1853, where it was stationed on the 30th of
June, the date to which this Eecord has been brought.

Note. — The compiler of the Regimental Records feels it his duty to-.
acknowledge the assistance which he has received in the compilation of
the History of the Thiktt-hinth and certain other regiments, from Mr.
Thomas Carter, of the Adjutant-General's Office, who, by much labour
and research, has endeavoured to supply the deficiencies in the manuscript
narratives transmitted by regiments, particularly in the details of their
earlier services.

1853.

•'^"v.e

TmiRTY IflB'TH mE&IMEWT,

^or GuavonJs .^UUarj JUccr^

105

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

THE THIRTY-NINTH,

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

RiCHAED Coote.
Appointed 13th February 1702.
Sbveeal regiments were raised in the beginning of the yeai'
1702, in consequence of the anticipated renewal of the war
with France, and Colonel Richard Coote was appointed to
raise the regiment which is now numbered the THmiT-
NiNTH, of which he was appointed Colonel on the 13th of
February 1702. This honor he did not long enjoy, for he
was killed in a duel in the beginning of 1703.
Nicholas Sankey,
Appointed Uth March 1703.
Tms officer attained the rank of Colonel on the 28th of
September 1689, and was appointed by Her Majesty Queen
Anne to be Colonel of the Thiett-ninth regiment on the
17th of March 1703. On the 1st of January 1704 he was
promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. He afterwards
embarked with the Thirtt-ninth regiment for Portugal in
May 1707, on the 1st of January of which year he had been
promoted to the rank of Major-General. In the action at
the Caya on the 7th of May 1709, he was taken prisoner.
On the 1st of January 1710, he was advanced to the rank of
Lieut.-General. He died on thje 6th of March 1719.

106 THIRTT-NINTH REGtlMENT OP FOOT.
Thomas Fereees.
Appointed 11 th March 1719.
This officer served under the celebrated John Duke of
Marlborough, and was promoted to the rank of Captain and
Lieut.-Colpnel in the Foot Guards, In May 1705 he was
advanced to the rank of Colonel, and in 1710 to that of
Brigadier-General. Being conspicuous for loyalty at a
period when Jacobite principles were prevalent in the
kingdom, he was commissioned to raise a regiment of
Dragoons, which was disbanded in 1718, On the 11th of
March 1719 he was appoijited Colonel of the Thiett-ninth
regiment, from which he was removed in September 1722
to the Seventeenth regiment. His decease occurred about
three weeks afterwards. William Newton.
Appointed 28th September 1722,
This officer served during the wars of King William III.
and Queen Anne, and on the 1st of January 1707 receive^
the brevet rank of Colonel in the army. Colonel Newton
was appointed by King George I. to the Colonelcy of the
Thiett-ninth regiment on the 28th of September 1722,
and on the 4th of March 1727, was advanced to the rank of
Brigadier-General, while serving with his regiment at the
siege of Gibraltar. He died in November 1730.
SiE John Cope, K. B.
Appointed 10th November 1730.
This officer entered the army in the reign of Queen Anne,
and was for several years Lieut.-Colonel of the second troop
of Horse Grenadier Guards. He obtained the rank of
Colonel in th© army on the 15th of November 1711 ; and
was appointed Colonel of the Thirtt-ninth regiment on the
10th of November 1730, from which he was removed to the
Fifth Foot on the 16th of December 1732. In 1735 he was
promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General.; in 1737 he was
removed to the Ninth Dragoons; and on the 2nd of July
1739 he was advanced to the rank of Major-GCneral.
Major-General Cope served for several years on the staflf
of the army in Ireland, and- after having been appointed

SUCCESSION OP COLONELS. 107
Colonel of the Seventh Dragoons in 1741, he proceeded in
the summer of 1742 to Flanders with the army commanded
by Field Marshal the Earl of Stair. In the beginning of
the following year he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-
General ; and having signalised himself at the battle of
Dettingen, on the 37th of June 1743, under the eye of his
Sovereign, he was constituted a Knight of the Bath.
In 1745 Lieut.-General Sir John Cope was Commander-
in-Chief in Scotland, and a small body of troops under his
immediate command sustained a defeat from the High
landers under the Young Pretender at Preston Pans, on the
21st of September, which unfortunate circumstance enabled
the rebels to penetrate into England, and advance as far as
Derby. The rebellion was suppressed in 1746, the victory
obtained at Culloden on the 16th of April of that year
having completely destroyed the hopes of the Pretender,
Lieut-General Sir John Cope retained the Colonelcy of
the Seventh Dragoons until his decease in 1760.
Thomas Wentworth,
Appointed 15th December 1732.
Tms officer was appointed to a commission in the army on
the 10th of March 1704, and served several campaigns in
the wars of Queen Anne. In December 1722 he was pro
moted to the rank of Colonel in the army, and on the 15th
of December 1732 was appointed Colonel of the Thiett-
ninth regiment, from which he was removed, in June 1737,
to the Twenty-fourth regiment. Two years afterwards he
was appointed Brigadier-General ; in 1741 he was promoted
to the rank of Major-General; and in June 1745 he was
removed to the Colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, which corps
became the Second Irish Horse in the following year, and in
1788 was constituted the Fifth Dragoon Guards. Major-
General Wentworth served the Crown in a diplomatic as
well as military capacity, and died at the court of Turin
in November 1747.
John Campbell (afterwards Duke of Argyle).
Appointed 27th June 1737.
John Campbell, of Mamore, was an officer in the army in
the reign of Queen Anne, and attained the rank of Lieut.-r

108 THIRTT-NINTH REeiMENT OP FOOT.
Colonel. During the rebellion in 1715 and 1716, he servei
as Aide-de-camp to the Duke of Argyle ; he was appointed
Colonel of the Thiett-ninth regiment on the 27th of June
i 737 ; and in the following year was removed to the Twenty-
first or Royal North British Fusiliers. He commanded a
brigade at the battle of Dettingen on the 27th of June 1743 ;
was promoted to the rank of Major-General in the foUowing^
year; and during the rebellion in 1745 and 1746, he held a
command in Scotland, He was advanced to the rank of
Lieut.-General in 1747, and was removed to the Second
Dragoons or Scots Greys in 1752, In April 1761 Lieut-
General Campbell was appointed Governor of Limerick, and
also succeeded in that year to the title of Duke of Argyle,
upon the decease of his cousin Archibald, third Duke of
Argyle. The Order of the Thistle was conferred upon His
Grace in 1765. His decease occurred in 1770.
RiCHAED Onslow.
Appointed 1st November 1738.
This officer entered the army in 1716; and in 1733 he
was promoted to the rank of Colonel. On the 1st of No
vember 1738 King George II, appointed Colonel Onslow to
the Colonelcy of the Thirtt-ninth regiment ; and in June
1739 he was removed to the Eighth regiment of Foot, He
Ivas promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1743, and
was removed to the flrst troop of Horse Grenadier Guards
in 1745. He was advanced to the rank of Lieut-General in
1747. Lieut-General Onslow continued at the head of the
first troop of Horse Grenadier Guards until his decease in
the year 1760.
Robert Dalwat.
Appointed 6th June 1739,
This officer commenced his military career as a Cornet in a
regiment of cavalry on the 8th of March 1704. He served
several campaigns under the celebrated John Duke of Marl
borough, and was distinguished for gallantry in action, and
a strict attention to duty. On the 1st of February 1713 he
was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of Harwich's Horse,
now Seventh Dragoon Guards, and on the 6th of June 1739
King George II, promoted him to the Colonelcy., of. the

SUCCESSION OP COLONELS, 109
Thiett-ninth regiment, from which he was removed to the
Thirteenth Dragoons on the 12th of May 1740. His decease
occurred in November following,
Samuel Walter Whitshed.
Appointed 28th December 1740.
iiAMUEL Waltee Whitshed entered the army in August
1704, and served in Spain and Portugal during the war of
the Spanish Succession, under the Earl of Galway and Arch
duke Charles of Austria, On the 28th of December 1740
King George IL promoted Lieut-Colonel Whitshed from
the Eighth Dragoons to the Colonelcy of the Thirtt-ninth
regiment of Foot; and on the 14th of June 1743 he was
removed to the Twelfth Dragoons. Colonel Whitshed was
-promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General on the 28th of
May 1745, and retained the command of the Twelfth Drar
goons until his decease in 1746.
Edward Richbell,
Appointed lAth June 1743,
This officer entered the army in the reign of Queen Anne,
and served with reputation under the celebrated John Duke
of Marlborough. He evinced a constant attention to the
duties of his profession, and was promoted, on the 18th of
May 1722, to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the Thirty-seventh
regiment, and was advanced to the rank of Colonel in the
army on the 27th of March 1742, He was appointed
Colonel of the TmETT-NiNTH regiment on the 14th of June
1743, and distinguished himself during the war of the
Austrian Succession, On the 19th of April 1746 he was
appointed Brigadier-General, in which year lie commanded
a brigade, under Lieut.-General St Clair, in the expedition
against Port I'Orient. In 1752, Brigadier-General Ricb-
bell was removed to the Seventeenth regiment, and on the
25th of March 1754 was promoted to the rank of Major-
General, His decease occurred in 1757. *
John Adleecron.
Appointed lAth March 1752,
Colonel John Adlercron was appointed by Hi!3 Majesty
King George II. to the Colonelcy of the Thirtt-ninth

110 THIRTT-NINTH REGIMENT OP :fOOT.
regiment on the 14th of March 1752, upon Brigadier-
General Edward Richbell being removed to the Seventeenth
Foot In the beginning of 1754, Colonel Adlercron em
barked with his regiment for Madras ; in October 1756, a
portion of the Thirtt-ninth proceeded to Bengal with
other troops under Lieut-Colonel Clive. Of this force
Colonel Adlercron claimed the command, but it was deter
mined that he should remain at Madras with the remainder
of the regiment In May 1757 Colonel Adlercron marched
from Madras in command of the force destined for the relief
of Trichinopoly, then threatened by the French, and was
afterwards engaged in operations against Wandewash^ and
in the vicinity of that place. On the I6th of May 1758
Colonel Adlercron was advanced to the rank of Major-
General, and to that of Lieut.-General on the 18th of De
cember 1760. His decease occurred on tbe 31st of July 1766.
Sir Robert Botd, K. B.
Appointed 6th August 1766.
Colonel Robert Boyd was appointed from the First Foot
Guards to the Colonelcy of the Thiett-ninth regiment oh
the 6th of August 1766. In 1768 he was appointed Lieut-
Governor of Gibraltar, where his regiment was at that
period stationed. On the 25th of May 1772, Colonel Boyd
was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and on the
29th of August 1777, was advanced to that of Lieut-Ge
neral. He was constituted a Knight of the Order of the
Bath in 1784, in consideration of his services durmg, the cele
brated siege of Gibraltar. It was, according to his suggestion,
that red-hot shot were used, as stated at page 32. of the Histo
rical Record of the Thiett-ninth regiment In 1790 Lieut.-
General Sir Robert Boyd, K. B., was appointed Goveriior
of that fortress, in succession to General Lord Heathfield,
deceased. Sir Robert Boyd was appointed to the rank of
General on the 12th of October 1793, and died in May of the
followii^ year, while holding the Governorship of Gibraltar.
Nisbett Balfour.
Appointed 2nd July 1794.
This officer entered the army on the 27th of January 1761,
as an ensign in the Fourth Foot, was promoted Lieutenant

SUCCESSION OP COLONELS. Ill
on the 15th of November 1765, and advanced to the rank of
Captain in the regiment on the 26th of January 1770. He
was at the battle of Bunker's Hill on the 17th of June 1775,
where he was wounded. Captain Balfour was present in
the action on landing at Long Island and taking of Brooklyn,
in August 1 776. The capture of New York occurred shortly
afterwards, on which occasion he was sent home by the
Commander of the Forces in North America, Major-General
the Honorable Sir WiUiam Howe, with the public des
patches, and in consequence received the brevet rank of
'Major. In the spring of 1777 Major Balfour was in the action
near Elizabeth Town, in the Jerseys. He was promoted
Major in the Fourth Foot on the 4th of June 1777 ; and was
present in the actions of Brandywine and Grermantown on
the 11th of September and 4th of October of that year. On
the 31st of January 1778 he was promoted Lieut.-Colonel
•of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and was present
at the siege of Charlestown ; and after the surrender of that
place in May 1780 he served under Lieut.-General Earl
Cornwallis, part of the campaign in South Carolina, On
the 20th of November 1782 he was appointed Aide-de-camp
to His Majesty King George III., with the rank of Colonel
in the army. Colonel Balfour served part of the campaign
of 1794 in Flanders and Holland under His Royal Highness
the Duke of York, On the 12th of October 1793 Colonel
Balfour- was advanced to the rank of Major-General, and
was appointed Colonel of the Thirtt-ninth regiment on the
-2nd of July 1794, He was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-
General on the Ist of January 1798, and to that of General
on the 25th of September 1803. He died on the 16th of
October 1823. SiE Geoege Aieet, K.C,H.
Appointed 28th October 1823.
This officer commenced his military career as Ensign in the
late Ninety-first regiment, to which he was appointed on the
6th of December 1779, and in January following proceeded
with it to the West Indies. After serving for a year at
St Lucia, Ensign Airey returned home, on account of ill-
health, a short time previously to the regiment being drafted.

112 THIRTT-NINTH REGIMENT OP FOOT.
in which, however, he was promoted to the rank of Lieu-^
tenant on the 6th of July 1781. Lieutenant Airey ex
changed from the Ninety-first to the Forty-eighth regiment
on the 2nd of January 1782, and in January 1788 proceeded
with the latter corps to the West Indies. On the 19th of
November following he was promoted to a company in the
Forty-eighth, and returned to England on leave of absence,
but rejoined the regiment in 1792. Prior to the expedition
against the French West India Islands under General Sir
Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey in the beginning of 1794, the
Forty-eighth regiment was drafted, when Captain Airey vo
lunteered his services, and was employed in the succeeding
campaign, during which he commanded the light company
of the Sixty-fifth regiment, in the third battalion of Light
Infantry. On the conclusion of the campaign he rejoined his
regiment at Plymouth in October 1794. In December
Captain Airey re-embarked with the regiment for the West
Indies, but, from sickness, it was with several others re-
landed. He was subsequently appointed Aide-de-camp to
Lieut-General Patrick Tonyn, with whom he remained
until the Forty-eighth regiment was ordered on foreign
service, and with which, in the winter of 1795, he sailed to
the West Indies, serving there as Assistant Adjutant-Ge
neral. He was promoted to a majority in the Sixty-eighth
regiment on the 1st of May 1796, and returned to England,
and on the 4th of May 1798 was advanced to the rank of
Lieut.-Colonel of the Eighth Foot In May 1799, Lieut.-
Colonel Airey proceeded with the Eighth regiment to Mi
norca, which had been captured in the previous year from
the Spaniards, and in August 1800 he embarked with his
corps, which composed part of the expedition under General
Sir Ralph Abercromby, against Cadiz, Upon arrival at
that place the enterprise was abandoned, in consequence of
a contagious disease carrying off great numbers of the inha
bitants, and the fleet, to avoid infection, sailed to Gibraltar,
and subsequently to Malta, when Lieut-Colonel Airey re
turned to Minorca as Deputy Quartermaster-General, under
Lieut.-General the Honorable Henry Edward Fox, and after
wards proceeded to Elba, as Commandant of the British troops
serving in Porto Ferrajo, while that place was besieged by
the French, and retained possession of that island until the

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS. 113
Peace of Amiens in 1802. For his services in Porto Fer
rajo he was created a Knight of the Tuscan Order of
St. Joseph. Lieut.-Colonel Airey then rejoined Lieut.-Ge
neral Fox as Deputy Quartermaster- General, and remained
with that officer until his return to England, Minorca being
restored to Spain by the treaty of peace. Lieut.-Colonel
Airey served as Assistant Quartermaster-General in Ireland
from the 1st of August 1803 to the 24th of September 1804,
when he accompanied General the Honorable Henry Edward
Fox to Gibraltar as Military Secretary. He proceeded with
the General to Sicily in 1806, where (with the exception of
going to Egypt with the expedition under Major-General
Alexander Fraser in 1807) he served until the year 1813 as
Deputy Adjutant-General. On the 25th of April 1808, he
was promoted to the brevet rank of Colonel. In the year
1810 he commanded a brigade in Sicily, in addition to his
duties as Deputy Adjutant-General, and was employed with
the troops, of which the first battalion of the Thiett-ninth
formed part, in the defence of the coast during the threatened
invasion of General Joachim Murat, King of Naples. On
the 12th ofFebruary 1811, Colonel Airey was appointed
Brigadier- General in Sicily, when he vacated the duties of
Deputy Adjutant-General. On the 4th of June 1811, he
was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and was from
that date appointed Major-General on the staff of Sicily,
and in December foUowing was ordered to proceed to
Zante to take the command of the Ionian Islands, where
he remained until succeeded by Lieut.-General James
Campbell in 1813, who was appointed Commander and Civil
Commissioner. Major-General Airey was appointed Quartermaster-Ge
neral to the forces in Ireland on the 2nd of September 1813,
which he held until the 24th of June 1822. On the 19th of
July 1821, he had been advanced to the rank of Lieut.-
General. He had also received the honor of knighthood,
and had been constituted a Knight Commander of the Royal
Hanoverian Guelphic Order. On the 28th of October 1823,
Lieut.-General Sir George Airey, K. C. H., was appointed
by His Majesty King George IV. to be Colonel of the
Thiett-ninth regiment, which he retained until his decease
at Paris on the 18th of February 1833.
H

114 THIRTT-NINTH REGIMENT OP POOT,
The Honoeable Sie Robeet William O'Cal
laghan, G. C. B.
Appointed 4th March 1833.
The above-named officer was appointed Ensign in the
One hundred and twenty-eighth regiment (since disbanded),
on the 29th of November 1794 ; and on the 6th of Decem
ber following, was promoted Lieutenant in the Thirtieth
light dragoons, in which regiment he rose to the rank of
Captain on the 31st of January 1795, and was removed to
the Twenty-second light dragoons on the 19th of April
1796 : these corps were afterwards disbanded. On the I7th
of February 1803, he was promoted to the rank of Major
in the Fortieth regiment, and to that of Lieut.-Colonel in
the Thiett-ninth on the 16th of July 1803. Lieut.-Colonel
the Honorable Robert William O'Callaghan embarked, in
March 1805, in command of the first battalion of the
Thiett-ninth regiment, which was selected to form part of
the expedition destined for the Mediterranean under Lieut.-
General Sir James Craig, and subsequently proceeded from
Malta to Naples with the flank companies. When those com
panies returned to Malta in February 1806, Lieut.-Colonel
the Honorable Robert William O'Callaghan remained in
Sicily, and at the battle of Maida, on the 4th of July follow
ing, commanded a grenadier battalion : he received a gold
medal for this victory.
On the 20th of August 1811, Lieut-Colonel O'Callaghan
proceeded with the flrst battalion of the Thiett-ninth regi
ment from Sicily to join the army in the Peninsula, and on
the 1st of January 1812, was advanced to the brevet rank
of Colonel, At the battle of Vittoria, on the 21st of June
1813, he was placed in temporary command of the brigade,
and his conduct was specially noticed in the Marquis of
Wellington's despatch. Colonel O'Callaghan also com
manded the brigade during the actions in the Pyrenees in
July following, and was present at the passage of the
Nivelle and Nive. His conduct while in command of the
first battalion of the Thirtt-ninth at Garris, on the 15th of
February 1814, was particularly adverted to by the Marquis
of Wellington, in his Lordship's despatch. Colonel O'Cal-

SUCCESSION OP COLONELS. 115
laghan also shared in the victory gained at Orthes on the 27th
of the same month. He received a cross and two clasps for
Maida, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, and Orthes.
Colonel O'Callaghan was promoted to the rank of Major-
General on the 4th of June 1814, and was nominated a
Knight Commander of the Bath on the 2nd of January
1815. Major-General the Honorable Sir Robert William O'Cal
laghan, K.C.B., was placed upon the staff of the army in
Flanders on the 25th of June 1815, and was appointed to
the staff in France on the 22nd of April 1818. He was
nominated to the command of the troops in North Britain
on the I5th of June 1825 ; and on tlie 7th of September 1829
he received the colonelcy of the Ninety-seventh regiment.
He was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General on the 22nd
of July 1830, which removed him from the command of the
troops in North Britain.
Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Robert William O'Cal
laghan was appointed to the command of the army at
Madras on the 4th of October 1830 ; and on the 4th of March
1833, was removed from the colonelcy of the Ninety- seventh
to the Thirtt-ninth regiment. He continued in command at
Madras until October 1836, and on the departure for Eng
land of General the Right Honorable Lord William Ben
tinck, G.C.B., in the spring of 1835, he held for some
months the command of the troops in India. On the 19th
of July 1838, he was nominated a Knight Grand Cross of
the Order of the Bath. Lieut-General the Honorable Sir
Robert William O'Callaghan, G.C.B., who was brother to
Lord Viscount Lismore, died in London on the 9th of June
1840. Sir Feedeeick Philipse Robinson, G.C.B.
Appointed 15th of June 1840.
In February 1777, this officer was appointed Ensign in the
Loyal American regiment, with which he served in North
America ; on the 11th of September 1778, he was removed
to the Seventeenth regiment of infantry ; and on the 1st of
September 1779, Ensign Robinson was promoted Lieutenant
in the fourth battalion of the Sixtieth regiment, and was
H 2

116 THIRTT-NINTH REGIMENT OP POOT.
removed to the Thirty-eighth regiment on the 4th of No
vember 1780. He was a prisoner of war in America
several months during the period of his belonging to the
Sixtieth, and afterwards was in several engagements in that
country. Lieutenant Robinson was promoted to the rank
of Captain in the Thirty-eighth regiment on the 24th of
March 1794, and served at the capture of the West India
Islands, under General Sir Charles (afterwards Earl) Grey,
in that year, including the siege of Fort Bourbon in
the island of Martinique. On the 1st of September 1794,
Captain Robinson was promoted to a Majority in the One
hundred and twenty-seventh regiment (since disbanded),
and was removed to the Thirty-second regiment on the 1st
of September 1795, when he returned home from the West
Indies. He was removed to the One hundred and thirty-
fourth regiment (since disbanded) on the 29th of July 1796.
In May of this year he had been appointed Inspecting Field
Officer of the Recruiting service at Bedford, and some years
after filled the same situation in the London district While
thus employed he suggested several improvements in regard
to carrying on the Recruiting service. On the 1st of Janu
ary 1800, he received the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel,
and was placed on half-pay of the Ninety- first regiment on
the 30th of April 1807. Lieut-Colonel Robinson was pro
moted to the brevet rank of Colonel on the 25th of July
1810. He served as Brigadier-General on the staff in the
Peninsula, from the 8th of August 1812 to the 3rd of June
1813. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General on
the 4th of June 1813, and continued, from that date, on the
staff in Spain in that capacity until the 24th of May 1814.
He commanded a brigade at the battle of Vittoria on the
21st of June 1813, siege of Sebastian in August and Sep
tember following, where he was wounded, and at the actions
connected with the passage of the Nive, for which he re
ceived a medal and two clasps. After the termination of the
war in the Peninsula, he proceeded to North America, and
was employed on the staff in Canada from the 25th of May
1814 to the 24th of March 1816, when he was removed to
the staff in the West Indies. On the 2nd of January 1815,
Major-General Robinson was nominated a Knight Com-

SUCCESSION OP COLONELS. 117
mander of the Order of the Bath. Major-General Sir
Frederick Robinson continued in command of the troops in
the Windward and Leeward Islands until the 24th of July
1821. He was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General on
the 27th of May 1825 ; was appointed Colonel of the Fifty-
ninth regiment on the 1st of December 1827 ; and was nomi
nated a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on
the 20th of April 1838.
Lieut.-General Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson, G.C.B.,
was removed from the colonelcy of the Fifty-ninth to that of
the Thirtt-ninth regiment on the 15th of June 1840, and
was promoted to the rank of General on the 23rd of Novem
ber 1841. His decease occurred at Brighton, on the 1st of
January 1852. George Burrell, C.B.
Appointed 11th February 1852.
This officer was appointed Ensign in the Fifteenth regiment
of infantry, on the 4th of February 1797 ; was promoted
Lieutenant on the 3rd of May following ; and rose to the
rank of Captain, in the same corps, on the 15th of August
1805. Captain Burrell was promoted to a Majority in the
Ninetieth regiment on the 30th of April 1807, and served at
the capture of Guadaloupe, in February 1810, with the ex
pedition under Lieut.-General Sir George Beckwith, K.B.,
which island had been restored to the French at the Peace
of Amiens. He received the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel
on the 4th of June 1813, and served during the campaign of
1814 in Upper Canada. He was appointed from the Nine
tieth to be Lieut.-Colonel of the Eighteenth Royal Irish
regiment, on the 22nd of July 1830, from which date he was-
promoted to the brevet rank of Colonel.
Colonel George Burrell embarked, in command of the
service companies of the Eighteenth regiment, destined for
Ceylon, on'the 10th of January 1837; in 1840 they proceeded
to China, hostilities having arisen between that country
and Great Britain. At the first capture of Chusan in July
1840, he commanded the troops with the rank of Brigadier-
General, and also a brigade at the attack upon Canton in
May 1841. He was nominated a Companion of the Order
of the Bath on the 14th of October 1841, and on the 23rd
H 3

118 THIKTT-NINTH REGIMENT OP POOT,
of November following was advanced to the rank of
Major-General, and to that of Lieut,-General on the 11th
of November 1851. Lieut,-General Burrell was appointed
Colonel of the Thirtt-ninth regiment on the 11th of
February 1852, which he held only a short period, as he
died at Alnwick on the 4th of January 1853.
Richard Lluelltn, C.B.
Appointed l7th January 1853.

119

APPENDIX,

Memoir of the Services of Colonel George Wilson, formerly
Lieut.-Colonel of the Thiett-ninth regiment.
The services of Colonel George Wilson are particularly con
nected with the Thirtt-ninth, as all his regimental appoint
ments occurred in that corps. His commission as Ensign in
the Thiett-ninth regiment was dated 18th of February
1784, and he rose to the rank of Lieutenant on the 1st of
February 1786, and to that of Captain on the 31st of
October 1792. In September 1793 the Thiett-ninth re
giment was embarked from Ireland for the West Indies, in
order to share in the attack on the French possessions in that
part of the globe. The details of these operations are con
tained in the Historical Record of the Regiment (pages 38. to
40.); and on the 6th of October 1794, the garrison at Berville
Camp, in Guadaloupe, of which the Thiett-ninth formed
part, was, after a gallant resistance, compelled to surrender,
in consequence of the havoc made amongst the troops by the
unhealthy climate of that island. Captain Wilson was pro
moted to the rank of Major of the Thirtt-ninth regiment
on the 1st of September 1795, and in April of the following
year the regiment formed part of an expedition against
the Dutch colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice.
These colonies surrendered upon being summoned, and were
occupied by the British troops. By official documents it
appears that during the greater part of the year 1799,
Major Wilson was in command at Fort William Frederick
in Demerara. On the 1st of January 1801, he received
the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel. The Thirtt-ninth re
turned to England from the West Indies in the spring of
1803, and on the 9th of July of that year Brevet Lieut.-
Colonel Wilson was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the Ninth
Battalion of Reserve, and on the 15th of October following
H 4

120 APPENDIX.
was removed to the Thirtt-ninth, to which a second bat
talion had been added. In November 1804 Lieut.-Colonel
Wilson embarked at Plymouth in command of the second
battalion, which proceeded to Guernsey,
The second battalion of the Thirtt-ninth regiment pro
ceeded to the Peninsula in June 1809, to join the army
under Lieut-General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley,
On the 25th of July 1810, Lieut.-Colonel Wilson was ap
pointed Aide-de-Camp to His Majesty King George III.,
with the rank of Colonel in the army ; and he commanded a
brigade at the battle of Busaco on the 27th of September
following. Colonel Wilson subsequently commanded the
brigade to which the first battalion of the Thirtt-ninth
regiment was attached, and added to the deserved reputation
he had already acquired. His career was now drawing to a
close, for shortly after the arrival of the Thirtt-ninth at
Coria, the corps sustained a severe loss in the decease of
Colonel Wilson, which occurred on the 6th of January 1813,
after a service of upwards of twenty-nine years in the regi
ment

Memoir of the Services of Major-General Sir Charles Bruce,
K.C.B., formerly Lieut.-Colonel of the Thiett-ninth
regiment.
This officer was appointed Ensign in the Fifty-second regi
ment on the 4th of February 1793, was promoted to a lieu
tenancy in the Ninety-ninth regiment on the 6th of August
following, and was advanced to the rank of Captain in the
One hundred and fifth regiment on the 23rd of April 1794,
which two latter corps have been since disbanded. Captain
Bruce was removed to the Thiett-ninth regiment on the
1st of October 1795, and was present at the capture of
Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice in 1796. He served
seven years with his regiment in the West Indies, and on
the staff as Assistant Quartermaster-General and Barrack-
Master at Surinam and Antigua. On the 25th of September
1803 he received the brevet rank of Major, and was pro
moted to that rank in the Thiett-ninth regiment on the
21st of March 1805. He next served in Spain and Portugal ;
and on the 25th of July 1810 was advanced to the brevet

APPENDIX. 121
rank of Lieut-Colonel. Brevet Lieut-Colonel Bruce com
manded the first battalion of the Thiett-ninth at the battle
of Vittoria on the 21st of June 1813, in consequence of
Colonel the Honorable Robert William ^O'CaUaghan being
in temporary command of a brigade, and also during the
actions in the Pyrenees from the 25th to the 31st of July
following. At the passage of the Nive in December of the
same year Lieut.-Colonel Bruce commanded the light com
panies of the brigade, and distinguished himself at the affair
of Garris on the 15th of February 1814, where he was
severely wounded. He was also present at the battle of
Orthes on the 27th of that month. For the battles of
Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nive, and Orthes, he had the honor of
wearing a cross, and on the 4th of June 1815 was nominated
a Companion of the Order of the Bath. On the 29th of
June 1815 he was appointed Lieut.-Colonel of the Thiett-
ninth regiment, and was placed on the half-pay of that
corps on the 25th of February 1816. Lieut.-Colonel Bruce
was promoted to the brevet rank of Colonel on the 12th of
August 1819, was appointed to the Sixty-ninth regiment
on the 29th of March 1821, and was placed on the half-pay
of that corps on the 25th of April 1826, from which he ex
changed to the Sixth foot on the 10th of January 1828, and
to the Sixty- fourth regiment on the 1st of May following.
Colonel Bruce was advanced to the rank of Major-General
on the 22nd of July 1830, and was nominated a Knight
Commander of the Order of the Bath on the 13th of Sep
tember 1831. His decease occurred in London on the 7th
of August 1832.
Memoir of the Services of Major-General Sir Patrick Lin
desay, K, C,B, and K. C.H,, formerly Lieut.-Colonel of
the Thieth-ninth regiment.
Majoe-General Sir Patrick Lindesay was the only son of
Lieut.-Colonel John Lindesay of the Fifty-third regiment
_ and was born at Musselburgh, in the county of Edinburgh,
on the 24th of February 1778. He received his education at
the university of St, Andrew's, and was appointed Ensign
in the Thirty-second regiment on the 7th of November 1793,
and was gazetted Lieutenant in the Seventy-eighth regiment

122 APPENDIX,
on the day following. Lieutenant Lindesay was wounded
while serving with his regiment in HoUand in 1794, in the
expedition under the command of His Royal Highness the
Duke of York, and was promoted to the rank of Captain on
the 1st of September 1795, Captain Lindesay was removed
from the Seventy-eighth to the Thiett-ninth regiment on
the 20th of October 1796, and served with the latter corps
in the colonies of Demerara, Berbice, and Surinam, from
1797 until December 1802, when the regiment embarked for
Barbadoes, proceeding thence to Antigua, and, in March
1803, returned to England, where it arrived in April follow
ing. After serving for a short period on the staff as Aide-
de-camp to Brigadier-General Brent Spencer in the Sussex
district, he accompanied the first battalion of the Thirtt-
ninth regiment to the Mediterranean in March 1805, On
the 1st of October 1807 he was advanced to the rank of
Major in the Thirtt-ninth ; and this promotion removed
him to the second battalion of the regiment, which he sub
sequently joined at Guernsey, and proceeded with it in June
1809 to Portugal, the battalion having been selected to form
part of the force employed in that country under the command
of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley,
Major Lindesay was present at thebattle of Busaco on the 27th
of September 1810, in command of the second battalion of the
Thiett-ninth regiment, Lieut.-Colonel Wilson having been
appointed, to the charge of a brigade. At the battle of
Albuhera on the 16th of May 1811, Major Lindesay also
commanded the second battalion, and received a medal for
that action, and on the 20th of June following was promoted
to the brevet rank of Lieut.-Colonel. Shortly afterwards he
again distinguished himself at Arroyo dos Molinos, on the
28th of October 1811, in an expedition, under the immediate
orders of Lieut-General Rowland Hill, against a division of
the French army commanded by General Girard. On this
occasion Brevet Lieut-Colonel Lindesay was detached with
the second battalion of the Thiett-ninth in pursuit of the
discomfited enemy; and at considerable hazard, although with- •
out success, personally summoned the French commander
to surrender. In 1812 Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Lindesay
was employed in England recruiting the second battalion
under his command, which had returned from the Peninsula
for that purpose.

APPENDIX. 123
In October 1813 Brevet Lieut-Colonel Lindesay joined
the flrst battalion in the Peninsula, and was present at the
conflicts with the enemy on the Nivelle, Nive, and at Bayonne,
on the invasion of the French territory, as well as in all the
subsequent engagements, until June 1814, when he embarked
at Bourdeaux with the flrst battalion for North America,
upon the termination of the campaign in the Peninsula, in
consequence of Great Britain being engaged in hostilities
with the United States. In May 1815 the battalion pro
ceeded to embark at Quebec under the command of Brevet
Lieut- Colonel Lindesay, who was appointed a Companion
of the Order of the Bath on the 4th of June following. The
services of the corps were necessary in Europe, in conse
quence of the return of Napoleon Bonaparte to France ; but
before its arrival at Ostend the victory of Waterloo had
been gained by the allied troops under the Duke of Wel
lington, The battalion subsequently proceeded to Paris,
and Lieut.-Colonel Lindesay continued in France until the
breaking up of the Army of Occupation in 1818, when he
returned to England with the Thiett-ninth regiment, which
embarked at Calais on the 30th of October of that year, and
shortly after its arrival at Dover proceeded to Ireland.
Brevet Lieut.-Colonel Lindesay was appointed Lieut.-
Colonel of the Thiett-ninth on the 12th of August 1824 ;
and having been employed with the regiment in Ireland
until the following year, he proceeded to England in com
mand of the corps preparatory to its embarking, by detach
ments, for New South Wales, for which colony Brevet-
Colonel Lindesay, to which rank he had been promoted on
the 27th of May 1825, embarked with the head quarters of
the regiment on the 26th of April 1827.
While commanding the Thiett-ninth in New South
Wales, the government of the colony for a short time devolved
upon Colonel Lindesay, namely, from the 22nd of October
to the 2nd of December 1831. In July 1832 six companies
of the regiment proceeded from Sydney to Madras, and were
followed in December by the remaining four companies.
Upon joining the Madras army he was appointed a Colonel
on the staff, and Commandant of Bangalore on the 15th of
February 1833. In April 1834 he commanded the expe
dition against the Rajah of Coorg, with the rank of Brigadier-

124 APPENDIX.
General in India, which was conducted with a skill, ability,
and success, that added greatly to his military reputation.
Appointed on the 3rd of January 1835 to the southern
division of the Madras army, with the temporary rank of
Brigadier-General, he commanded the troops stationed at
Trichinopoly, when he was made a Knight Commander of
the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. His health, for the
first time during his long and active service, began to fail,
and in the beginning of 1836 Colonel Lindesay returned to
England ; on the 10th of January 1837 he was advanced
to the rank of Major-General, and on the 19th of July 1838
was nominated a Knight Commander of the Order of the
Bath, Major-General Sir Patrick Lindesay for a time appeared
to derive benefit frorp his native air, and the society of friends
and relatives, but the seeds of disease had taken too deep a
hold of his constitution to enable it to rally. After a linger
ing illness, he died at Portobello, near Edinburgh, on the
14th of March 1839, in the sixty-second year of his age,
having completed a course of more than forty-four years'
active service.

APPENDIX,

125

List of Fifty-six Battalions formed from Men
raised under the. Army of Reserve and
Additional Force Acts, in the Years 1803
and 1804,

Under the Army of Reserve Acts in 1803,
The following Nineteen Regiments were appointed to re
ceive men raised for limited service in Great Britain and
Ireland, under the Army of Reserve Acts, passed in the
year 1803, and were augmented by second battalions, viz. :

, In England.
Under the Act passed on
theethof July 1803.

3rd Reg. 53rd Reg.
28th „ 57th ,,
30th „ 61st ,
39th „ 66th ,
47th „ 69th ,
48th „ 81st .

In Scotland.
Under the Act passed ou
theethof July 1803.

26th Regiment
42nd „
92nd „

In Ireland.
Under the Act passed on
the Uth of July 1803.

18th Regiment
44th „
58th „
67th „

In addition to the above corps. Sixteen Reserve Battalions
were also formed from the men raised in the several coun
ties of Great Britain and Ireland, under t\\e Army of Reserve
Acts, as under specified, viz. :

In England.

In Scotland.

1st Reserve Battalion. 9th Reserve Battalion.

3rd
4th 6th 7th8th

10th11th 12th 15th

5th Reserve Battalion.
Uth

In Ireland.

2nd Reserve Battalion.
13th16th

126

APPENDIX,

Under the Additional Force Acts in 1804,
In the year 1804, Thirty-seven other Regiments (as shown
in the following list) were augmented by second battalions,
in consequence of having been appointed to receive men
raised for limited service in Great Britain and Ireland,
under the Additional Force Acts passed on the 29th of June,
and 10th and 14th of July 1804, viz. :

In England.
Under the Act passed on the 29th of June 1804.

5th Poot

25th Foot

56th Foot

6th „

31st „

59th „

7th „

32nd „

62nd „

8th „

36th „

63rd „
9th „
38th „
82nd „
10th „
40th „
83rd „
Uth „
43rd „
90th „
15th „
45th „
96th „ late 2nd
23rd „
24th „
50th „
52nd „
BattaUon of 52nd Regi
ment.
In Scotland.
Under the Act passed on the 10th of
July 1804.
[In Ireland.
Under the Act passed on 14th of
July 1804.
1st Royal Regiment
27th Regiment
21st
87th „
71^- ¦ „
88th „
72nd „
89th
91st
APPENDIX,

127

List of the Fifty-six regiments which were appointed to
receive men, raised for limited service in England, Scotland,
and Ireland, under the Additional Force Acts, passed in the
year .1804, including the Nineteen regiments (marked thus *)
which had been augmented by Second Battalions from the
men raised under the Army of Reserve Acts passed in the
previous year (1803), and specifying the counties allotted to
the several regiments. Adjutant- General's Office,
Horse- Guards, 1804.

In England.

Under the Act.passed on the 29th of June 1804.

Regi
ments.

Counties.

Regi
ments,

Counties.

*3rd

Loudon City.

31st

Chester.

5th

Sussex.

32nd

Cornwall.

6th

Lancaster.

36th

Durham.

7th

York (West Riding).

38th

Stafford.

8th

York (North^ding).

*39th

Salop.

9th

Dorset and Somerset.

40th

("Dorset & Somerset, late
\ Second Battalion of 52nd
(.Regiment.

10th

Essex.

43rd

Worcester.

Uth

f Bedford, Buckingham,
¦^ Northampton.

45th

Nottingham & Rutland.

15th

York (East Riding).

•47th

Norfolk.

23rd

/ AngIesey,Caniarvon,Den -
Lhigh, Flint, & Merioneth.

•48th

Lancaster.

24th

Warwick.

50th

Gloucester.

25th

Cumberland,Westmoreland.

52nd

Hertford, Oxford, & Bucks.^

*28th

Devon.

*53rd

York (West Riding),

*30th

f Huntingdon, Leicester,
1 Cambridge.

66th]

Surrey.

128

APPENDIX.

Kegi.
ments.

Counties.

Regi
ments.

Counties.

•57th 59th
*61st 62nd63rd
*66th

Kent, & the Cinque Ports. *69th Lincoln. •
Derby *81st / Hereford, Montgomery, &
•'¦ \ Radnor.
Northumberland. 82nd Tower Hamlets.
WUts, 83rd Middlesex.
Suffolk. 90th (Monmouth, Glamorgan,
L & Brecknock.
Hants, & the Isle of Wight.' 96th {pSke.^''™''''''"' ^
rORTY EEGIMENTS.

In Scotland.
Under the Act passed on the 10th of July
1804.

In Ireland.
Under the Act passed on the Uth of July-
1804,

Regi
ments.

Counties.

Regi
ments.

Counties.

. 1st
Royal 21st
*26th*42nd 7l8t 72nd
91st
*92nd

r Tiainark,Wigton,Dnmfries,
i Kirkcudbright, Selkirk, &
L Roxburgh.
Renfrew & Ayr.
¦ Edinburgh City & Countj,
¦ , Linlithgow, Peebles, Ber-
.wiok, & Haddington.
'Ross, Cromarty, Suther-
; _ land, & Caithness. ; , , .
r Stirling, Dumbarton, Kfe,
¦ Kinross,' Clackmannan,
_ Kincardine, & Torf^r.
Aberdeen. Bute, Argyle, & Perth.
'Nairn, Elgin, Inverness,
¦ _ & Banff.
EIGHT REGIMENTS.

*18th 27th
*44th*58th
*67th' 87th 88th 89th

; Donegal, . .- Lpndondeny,
¦ Tyrone, & Antrim.
*
Fermanagh, Monaghan,
; Armagh, & Down.
rKildare,Wicklow,Carlow, i
< Westmeath,King'sCounty, : f
L'& Queen's County. . !
: ¦ ' ¦"!¦ 1-
CorkCity&County.Sc Kerry. ;
rDnblin,City&County,Ros- ,
pommon, Longford, &
_M6ath.
Tipperary, Galway,& Clare.
r Cavan, Louth, Leitrim,
\.SUgo, & Mayo.
f Wexford, Kilkenny, Wa-
•j terford, & Limerick City
(. & County.
EIGHT REGIMENTS.

asao!'*

!lV^«'".

jlp::