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HISTORICAL RECORDS

BRITISH ARMY.

PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION UNDER THB DIRECTION OP THE
ADJUTANT-GENERAL.

THE SEVENTH, ou
PRINCESS ROYAL'S REGIMENT OF DRAGOON
GUARDS

LONDON:
Printed by William Clowes and Sons,
14, Charing Cross.

GENERAL ORDERS.

HORSE-GUARDS, \st Janjiary, 1836.
His Majesty has been pleased to command,
that, with a view of doing the fullest justice to Regi
ments, as well as to Individuals who have distin
guished themselves by their Bravery in Action with
the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regi
ment in the British Army shall be published under
the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-
General ; and that this Account shall contain the
following particulars : viz.,
 The Period and Circumstances of the Ori

ginal Formation of the Regiment; The Stations at
which it has been from time to time employed; The
Battles, 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. a 2

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 Regiment

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 Honourable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Commanding-in- Chief.

John Macdonald,
Adjutant- General.

PREFACE.

The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly
depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter
into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the
highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the
spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions
are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this
desirable object, than a full display of the noble deeds with
which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold
forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful
soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious
conduct of those who have preceded him in their honourable
career, are among the motives that have given rise to the
present publication.
The operations ofthe British Troops are, indeed, announced
in the ' London Gazette,' from whence they are transferred
into the public prints : the achievements of our armies are thus
made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the
tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled.
On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have
been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the

PREFACE.
Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of
approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery, and these
testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's
Approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most
highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which
appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental
armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their
services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been
experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments,
an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His
Majesty having been pleased to command, that every Regiment
shall in future keep a full and ample record of its services at
home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will hence
forth derive information as to the difficulties and privations
which chequer the career of those who embrace the military
profession. In Great Britain, where so large a number of
persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture,
manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have,
for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of war,
which few other countries have escaped, comparativelv little
is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the
casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British
Troops are exposed' in every part of the globe, with little or
no interval of repose.
In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the

PREFACE.
country derives from the industry and the enterprise ofthe agri
culturist 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 valu
able lifie, by which so many national benefits are obtained
and preserved.
The conduct ofthe British Troops, their valour, and endur
ance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying diffi
culties ; 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 bravery, can only be fully given in the
Annals of the various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under
His Majesty's special authority, by Mr. Richard Cannon,
Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office ; and while
the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to
military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also
afford entertainment and information to the general reader,
particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or
who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served,
or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps—an attach-

PREFA.CE.

ment to every thing belonging to their Regiment; to such
persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot
fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions
of the great,— the valiant,— the loyal, have always been of
paramount interest with a brave and civilised people. Great
Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of
danger and terror, have stood, " firm as the rocks of their
native shore;" and when half the World has been arrayed
against them, they have fought the battles of their Country
with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of
achievements in war, — victories so complete and surprising,
gained by our countrymen, — our brothers — our fellow-citizens
in arms,^ — a record which revives the memory of the brave,
and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove
acceptable to the public.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished
Officers, will be introduced in the Records of their respective
Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from
time to time, been conferred upop each Regiment, as testifying
the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully
set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each
Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when
the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in
numerical succession.

INTRODUCTION.

The ancient Armies of England were composed
of Horse and Foot ; but the feudal troops esta
blished by William the Conqueror in 1086, con
sisted almost entirely of Horse. Under the feudal
system, every holder of land amounting to what
was termed a " knight's fee," was required to
provide a charger, a coat of mail, a helmet, a
shield, and a lance, and to serve the Crown a
period of forty days in each year at his own
expense ; and the great landholders had to pro
vide armed men in proportion to the extent of
their estates ; consequently the ranks of the feudal
Cavalry were completed with men of property,
and the vassals and tenants of the great barons,
who led their dependents to the field in person.
In the succeeding reigns the Cavalry of the
Army was composed of Knights (or men at arms)
and Hobiliers (or horsemen of inferior degree) ;
and the Infantry of spear and battle-axe men,
cross-bowmen, and archers. The Knights wore
armour on every part of the body, and their
weapons were a lance, a sword, and a small
dagger. The Hobiliers were accoutred and armed
b

U INTRODUCTION.
for the light and less important services of war,
and were not considered qualified for a charge in
line. Mounted Archers* were also introduced,
and the English nation eventually became pre
eminent in the use of the bow.
About the time of Queen Mary the appellation
of " Men at Arm,s" was changed to that of " Spears
and Launces." The introduction of fire-arms ulti
mately occasioned the lance to fall into disuse,
and the title of the Horsemen of the first degree
was changed to " Cuirassiers." The Cuirassiers
were armed cap-a-pie, and their weapons were a
sword with a straight narrow blade and sharp
point, and a pair of large pistols, called petrenels ;
and the Hobiliers carried carbines. The Infantry
carried pikes, matchlocks, and swords. The
introduction of fire-arms occasioned the forma
tion of regiments armed and equipped as infantry,
but mounted on small horses for the sake of
expedition of movement, and these were styled
"Dragoons;" a small portion of the military
force of the kingdom, however, consisted of this
description of troops.
The formation of the present Army commenced

* In the 14th year of the reign of Edward IV. a small
force was established in Ireland by Parliament, consisting of
120 Archers on horseback, 40 Horsemen, and 40 Pa<res.

INTRODUCTION. Ill
after the Restoration in 1660, with the establish
ment of regular corps of Horse and Foot ; the
Horsemen were puirassiers, but only wore armour
on the head and body ; and the Foot were pike
men and musketeers. The arms which each
description of force carried, are described in the
following extract from the " Regulations of King
Charles II.," dated 5th May, 1663 :—
" Each Horseman to have for his defensive
" armes, back, breast, and pot ; and for his ofFen-
" sive armes, a sword, and a case of pistolls, the
" barrels whereof are not to be und'. foorteen
" inches in length; and each Trooper of Our
" Guards to have a carbine, besides the aforesaid
" aiTnes. And the Foote to have each souldier a
" sword, and each pikeman a pike of 16 foote
" long and not und'. ; and each musqueteer a
" musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, the barrels
" of which musquet to be about foor foote long,
" and to conteine a bullet, foorteen of which shall
" weigh a pound weight *."
The ranks of the Troops of Horse were at this
period composed of men of some property — gene
rally the sons of substantial yeomen : the young
men received as recruits provided their own horses,
* Military Papers, State Paper Office.
b2

IV INTRODUCTION.
and they were placed on a rate of pay sufficient
to give them a respectable station in society.
On the breaking out of the war with Holland,
in the spring of 1672, a Regiment of Dragoons
was raised*; the Dragoons were placed on a lower
rate of pay than the Horse; and the Regiment
was armed similar to the Infantry, excepting that
a limited number of the men carried halberds
instead of pikes, and the others muskets and bay
onets ; and a few men in each Troop had pistols ;
as appears by a warrant dated the 2nd of April,
1672, of which the following is an extract : —
" Charles R.
" Our will and pleasure is, that a Regi-
" ment of Dragoones which we have established
" and ordered to be raised, in twelve Troopes of
" fourscore in each beside officers, who are to be
" under the command of Our most deare and most
" intirely beloved Cousin Prince Rupert, shall
" be armed out of Our stoares remaining within
" Our office of the Ordinance^ as followeth ; that
" is to say, three corporalls, two serjeants, the
" gentlemen at armes, and twelve souldiers of
" each ofthe said twelve Troopes, are to have and
" carry each of them one halbard, and one case

* This Regiment was disbanded after the Peace in 1674.

INTRODUCTION. V
" of pistolls with holsters ; and the rest of the
" souldiers of the several Troopes aforesaid, are
" to have and to carry each of them one match-
" locke musquet, with a collar of bandaliers, and
" also to have and to carry one bayonet *, or great
knife. That each lieutenant have and carry
" one partizan ; and that two drums be delivered
" out for each Troope ofthe said Regimentf."
Several regiments of Horse and Dragoons were
raised in the first year of the reign of King
James II.; and the horsemen carried a short car
bine:]: in addition to the sword and pair of pistols :
and in a Regulation dated the 21st of February,
1687, the arms ofthe Dragoons at that period are
commanded to be as follow : —
"The Dragoons to have snaphanse musquets,
'* strapt, with bright barrels of three foote eight
" inches long, cartouch-boxes, bayonetts, granado
" pouches, bucketts, and hammer-hatchetts."
After several years' experience, little advantage
Avas found to accrue from having Cavalry Regi
ments formed almost exclusively for engaging the
* This appears to be the first introduction of bayonets into
the English Army. t State Paper Office.
% The first issue of carbines to the regular Horse appear.s
to have taken place in 1678 ; the Life Guards, however,
carried carbines from their formation in 1660. — Vide the
'Historical Record ofthe Life Guards.'

Vl INTRODUCTION.
enemy on foot ; and, the Horse having laid aside
their armour, the arms and equipment of Horse
and Dragoons were so nearly assimilated, that
there remained little distinction besides the name
and rate of pay. The introduction of improve
ments into the mounting, arming, and equipment
of Dragoons rendered them competent to the
performance of every description of service re
quired of Cavalry ; and, while the long musket
and bayonet were retained, to enable them to act
as Infantry, if necessary, they were found to be
equally efficient, and of equal value to the nation,
as Cavalry, with the Regiments of Horse.
In the several augmentations made to the
regular Army after the early part of the reign of
Queen Anne, no new Regiments of Horse were
raised for permanent service ; and in 1746 King
George II. reduced three of the old Regiments
of Horse to the quality and pay of Dragoons ; at
the same time. His Majesty gave them the title of
First, Second, and Third Regiments of Dragoon
Guards: and in 1788 the same alteration was
made in the remaining four Regiments of Horse,
which then became the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and
Seventh Regiments of Dragoon Guards.
At present there are only three Regiments
which are styled Horse in the British Army,

INTRODUCTION. Vll
namely, the two Regiments of Life Guards, and
the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, to whom
cuirasses have recently been restored. The other
Cavalry Regiments consist of Dragoon Guards,
Heavy and Light Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers ;
and although the long musket and bayonet have
been laid aside by the whole of the Cavalry, and
the Regiments are armed and equipped on the
principle ofthe old Horse (excepting the cuirass),
they continue to be styled Dragoons.
The old Regiments of Horse formed a highly
respectable and efficient portion of the Army,
and it is found, on perusing the histories of the
various campaigns in which they have been en
gaged, that they have, on all occasions, maintained
a high character for steadiness and discipline, as
well as for bravery in action. They were formerly
mounted on horses of superior weight and phy
sical power, and few troops could withstand a
well-directed charge of the celebrated British
Horse. The records of these corps embrace a
period of 150 years — a period eventful in history,
and abounding in instances of heroism displayed
by the British troops when danger has threatened
the nation, — a period in which these Regiments
have numbered in their ranks men of loyalty,
valour, and good conduct, worthy of imitation.

Vin INTRODUCTION.
Since the Regiments of Horse were formed
into Dragoon Guards, additional improvements
have been introduced into the constitution ofthe
several corps ; and the superior description of
horses now bred in the United Kingdom enables
the commanding officers to remount their regi
ments with such excellent horses, that, whilst
sufficient weight has been retained for a powerful
charge in line, a lightness has been acquired which
renders them available for every description of
service incident to modern warfare.
The orderly conduct of these Regiments in
quarters has gained the confidence and esteem of
the respectable inhabitants of the various parts of
the United Kingdom in which they have been
stationed ; their promptitude and alacrity in at
tending to the requisitions of the magistrates in
periods of excitement, and the temper, patience,
and forbearance which they have evinced when
subjected to great provocation, insult, and violence
from the misguided populace, prove the value of
these troops to the Crown, and to the Government
of the country, and justify the reliance which is
reposed on them.

HISTORICAL RECORD

SEVENTH,

PRINCESS ROYAL'S REGIMENT

DRAGOON GUARDS
contain:ng an account of
THE FORMATION OF THE REGIMENT
IN 1688;
AND OF ITS SUBSEQUENT SERVICES
TO 1839.

ILLUSTRATED WITH PLATES.

LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY LONGMAN, ORME AND CO.,
PATERNOSTER-ROW,
AND BY MESSRS. CLOWES AND SONS, 14, CHARING CROSS.
AND TO BE HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS.
1839.

LONDON:
Printed by W. Clowes and Soss,
Stamford Street.

CONTENTS.

Anno Page
1688 Origin of the regiment at the Revolution . . 1
 List of King James's army (note) . . .3
  the Prince of Orange's army (note) . 4
 Establishment of the regiment . . . .8
 Names of officers ...... 9

1689 Equipped as cuirassiers, and obtained rank as
Horse. .....
 Embarks for Ireland
 • Siege of Carrickfergus
1690 Battle ofthe Boyne.
 Embarks for England
 Returns to Ireland ....
1691 Action at the bog of Allen
 Proceeds to England
1692 Embarks for the Netherlands
1693 Battle of D'Otignies
 Skirmish at Pont-a-Tresein
1695  near Bruges

 Covering the siege of Namur
1697 Returns to England.
1702 Embarks for Holland
 Covering the sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde, Stevens-
¦waert, and Liege ......

Tenth

101113
141516
1718

IV

CONTENTS.

Hespen and

Anno
1703 Skirmish near Haneif
 Covering the sieges of Huy and Limburg
1704 Battleof Schellenberg
 Blenheim
 Covering the siege of Landau
1705 Forcing the French lines at Neer
Helixem ....
1706 Battle of Ramilies .
 Capture of Antwerp and Dendermond
1708 Battle of Oudenarde
 Covering the siege of Lisle
 Forcing the passage of the Scheldt
1709 Covering the siege of Tournay
 Battleof Malplaquet
1710 Covering the sieges of Douay, Bethune.
and Aire ....
1711 Forcing the French lines at Arleux
 Covering the siege of Bouchain .
1712  Quesnoy
1714 Embarks for Ireland
17201 iThe excellent conduct of Colonel John Ligonier
1740) ^
1742 Proceeds to England — Reviewed by George II.
 Embarks for Flanders
1743 Battle of Dettingen .
1745  Fontenoy .
 Returns to England .
 Skirmish on Clifton moor

St. Venant,

1746 Embarks for Ireland
1747 Obtains rank as Fourth Irish Horse
1751 Description of the clothing and standards
1760 Embarks for England, and proceeds to Germany
 Skirmish near Wolfshagen
 Battle of Warburg ......
1761  Kirch-Denkern .

Page 19
20 24
25 2627

28

29
30

31

32
33
34"
39 41
4243 44 47 4851

CONTENTS.

Anno
1761 Skirmishes at Stratberg and Immenhausen
1762 Battle of Grobenstein ....
1763 Embarks for England, and proceeds to Ireland
1788 The title changed to Seventh, or Princess Royal'.
Regiment of Dragoon Guards
1798 The rebellion in Ireland .
 Action at Kilbeggan
 Vinegar Hill, and Rathangan
1799 Embarks for England
1805 Proceeds to Scotland
1806 Embarks for Ireland
1809 Returns to England
1813 Proceeds to Scotland
1814 Embarks for Ireland
1818 Returns to England
1820 Proceeds to Scotland
1821 Returns to England.
1822 Proceeds to Scotland
1823 Embarks for Ireland
1827 Returns to England .
1829 Conflagration of York Minster .
 Fire at Norwich

Page 52535455
57 58
6061

6264
65

66

67

68

1830 Disturbed state ofthe southern counties
1831 Coronationof King William IV., and Queen Adelaide 69
1833 Embarks for Ireland  70
1834) >¦ Duties in consequence ofthe disturbed state of Ireland —
1835)

1836 Returns to England .
1838 Proceeds to Scotland
1839 Returns to England .
— — The conclusion

74
75
76

Vl

CONTENTS.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.

1688 William Lord Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire
1690 Meinhardt, Count de Schomberg
1711 Charles, Marquis of Harwich
1713 Charles Sybourg
1720 John Ligonier
1749 Sir John Mordaunt, K.B. .
 Henry De Grangue .
1754 Honorable Henry Seymour Conway
1759 Philip Honeywood .
1782 Studholme Hodgson.
1789 Sir Charles Grey, K.B. .
1795 Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B.
1796 Sir William Medows, K.B.
1813 Richard Rich Wilford
1822 Sir Robert Bolton, G.C.H.
1836 Sir 15 van Lloyd, K.C.H. .

77 80 8182
848586
87 89
91 94
9596
97

1839 The Establishment

98

LIST OF PLATES.
The standard and uniform of the regiment . to face page 1
Ligonier's horse at the battle of Dettingen . 35

THE SEVENTH. OR PRINCESS ROYALS, DRAGOON QUARDS.

HISTORICAL RECORD
OF THE
SEVENTH, OR
PRINCESS ROYAL'S REGIMENT
OF
DRAGOON GUARDS.

The Seventh Regiment of Dragoon Guards i688
derives its origin from that important event, — the
Revolution in 1688, — which forms, in the annals
of Great Britain, an era of peculiar interest to all
who entertain genuine feelings of patriotism. The
men, of whom the regiment was originally com
posed, were called from their rural and mecha
nical employments to appear in arms in the
autumn of that eventful year, at the time when
an important crisis was approaching, on which
the destiny of millions depended. A Protestant
people saw with dismay the throne surrounded
by Popish priests, and a prince (James II.) at
the head of the state, whose actions indicated a
determination to overturn their religion, to anni
hilate their liberties, and to establish papacy and -
despotic power. To avert this calamity associa
tions were formed ; the Prince of Orange was in
vited to come to England ; and while the ports of
Holland were resounding with the din of prepara-
B

2 HISTORICAL record OF
1688 tion for this enterprise, the British nobility, gentry,
clergy, and officers of the army who had united to
save their country, were looking forward with in
tense anxiety to the period when the Prince would
arrive Avith the armament. Among the most zea
lous ofthe opposers of the proceedings ofthe court,
was William Lord Cavendish, Earl of De
vonshire, who was residing at his seat in Derby
shire, and was making preparations for an appeal
to arms ; and with his proceedings the origin of
the Seventh Dragoon Guards is intimately
connected. To oppose the champions of civil and religious
liberty, the King of France was mustering his le
gions, — the British monarch was augmenting his
forces, — ^the drums and trumpets of recruiting par
ties were heard in almost every town and village in
England, — a Scots army was traversing the coun
try by regular marches towards the south, — and
troops were embarking from Ireland ; the country,
from the Orkney Islands to the Land's-end, was
agitated with apprehension of the consequences of
the struggle for which these extensive preparations
were making, and which threatened to change
the rich and flourishing island of Great Britain
into a scene of carnage and devastation.
Among the numerous additions made to the
English army on this occasion, were five regiments
of horse, commanded by Colonels the Earl of
Salisburyi Viscount Brandon, the Marquis de
Miremont, Henry Slingsby, and George Holman ;
with which corps the origin ofthe Seventh Dra
goon Guards is also associated.
King James was enabled to assemble an army

the seventh dragoon guards.

of upwards of thirty thousand men,* to oppose the 1688
* The foUowina: return shows the e.stablishment of King
James's army on the 1st of November, 1688 : —

ENGLISH.
Life Guabds.
The King's own troop .
The Queen's ....
3rd or Lord Churchill's .
4th or Lord Dover's .
Horse.
Royal Horse Guards .
The Queen Consort's regt,
Earl of Peterborough's
Sir John Fenwick's .
Major-General Werden's
Earl of Arran's .
Richard Hamilton's .
The Princess Anne's .
The Queen Dowager's
Earl of Salisbury's .
Marquis de Miremont's
Viscount Brandon's .
Henry Slingsby's
George Holman's
Sir Thos. Burton's light troop
Draqoons.
The Royal Regiment
The Queen Consort's
The Princess Anne's .
Foot Guards.
1st or Duke of Grafton's Regt.
2nd or Coldstream . .
Foot.
The Royal, or Earl of Dum-1
harton's regime ut . .-/
The Queen Dowager's .
Prince George of Denmark's
The Holland regiment
The Queen Consort's
The Royal Fusiliers .
The Princess Anne's .
Henry Cornwall's
The Earl of Bath's .
Viscount Montgomery's
Earl of Litchfield's .
Earl of Huntingdon's
Sir Edward Hales's .
Sackville Tufion's

Officers and
Soldiers,

293287287287

536
536359359 359359359359359359359
359 359359 60

589
443443

2938 1555

1464 809777777
809866
807 768
594
594 594
594594594

John Hales's regiment
Roger M'Eligott's .
Archibald Douglas's .
Sir Solomon Richard's
Duke of Newcastle's .
Colonel Gage's
Colonel Skelton's
Sixteen independent companie
Total English .
SCOTS.
The Troop of Life Guards .
Royal Regiment of Horse .
Royal Eegiment of Dragoons
Regiment of Foot Guards .
Thomas Buchan's regiment!
of Fusiliers . . . )
John Wachop's Regiment ofi
Foot  J

Total Scots.

IRISH.

Colonel Butler's Dragoons .
Battalion of Ormond's Foot)
Guards . . . . j
Lord Forbes's regiment ofi
Foot  J
Anthony Hamilton's .
Total Irish . .

CAVALRY.
Life Guards . 1286
Horse . . . 5792
Dragoons . . 2467— 9545
INFANTRY.
Foot Guards. 6385
Line . . .21,288—27,673

Total

37,218

officers and
Soldiers,

927927
927927927 927
927 945

30,637

132
352
357
1251 744927

3763

635641771771

2818

N.B. This return gives the establishment of the various corps from the public
records ; but several of the regiments were not complete in numbers, particularly
those newly raised ; others did not take the field, being on garrison duty.
B 2

4 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1688 forces under the Prince of Orange, which did not
amount to half that number ;* his Majesty, there
fore, declined the offered assistance of a French
army, and trusted to the numerical superiority of
his own troops.
The Prince of Orange landed on the western
coast on the Sth of November ; and as soon as the
Earl of Devonshire was apprized of this event,
he proceeded with a small armed retinue to the
town of Derby, where he invited the neigh
bouring gentry and yeomen to join him. He
called out the mayor and commonalty; read to
them the Prince's declaration ; and also delivered
to them a copy of the declaration made by himself
and the nobility and gentry with him, " that they
" would, to their utmost, defend the Protestant re-
" ligion, the laws of the kingdom, and the rights
" and liberties of the subject."f
* List of the army under the Prince of Orange.
Life Guards — One troop. Foot — Mackay's regiment.
Horse Guards — One regiment. Balfour's
Horse— Waldeck's „ Talmash's (now sth)

Nassau's Mompellian's
Ginckell'sCount Vander Lip's
Dragoons — The Prince's
Marrewis's Scravenmore'sSapbroeck'sFloddorp'sSeyde's Oye's
Suylestein's
Foot Guards — Solms's
Cavalry . .'  3,660
Infantry  j 0,592

Bellasis's (late) (now 6th)
Wachop's (late)
Ossory's (late)
Berkevelt's
Holstein'sWirtemberg' s
Hagerndorn's Fagel's
Nassau'sCarelson's Brander's Prince of Berkevelt's

Total . 14,352

London Gazette.
T Bishop Kennett's Memoirs ofthe family of Cavendish.

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 5
While his Lordship was at Derby, a messenger 1688
arrived from London with a letter in the heel of his
boot, so much damaged by water and dirt as to be
scarcely legible : its contents were to signify King
James's retreat from Salisbury, and the advance of
the Prince of Orange towards London. In the
midst of the joy which this news occasioned, ano
ther courier arrived with a contrary account, which
produced suspense and consternation, and the
King's party began to form a plot for securing the
Earl and his company. His Lordship, however,
quitted the place with expedition, and proceeded to
Nottingham, where he was joined by a number of
well-affected gentlemen and yeomen, who unani
mously subscribed to a resolution founded in this
professed principle — " we own it rebellion to resist a
" King that governs by law ; but he was always ac-
" counted a tyrant who made his will the law ; and
" to resist such a one, we justly esteem no rebel-
" lion, but a necessary and just defence."* This
declaration was thought to be so equitable, that
numbers of persons of all ranks joined him, and
being formed into troops and companies, they had
the appearance of a regular army.
Meanwhile many noblemen and principal offi
cers of the King's army joined the Prince of
Orange, and brought with them a number of
officers and soldiers of their several corps : the
Princess Anne (afterwards Queen Anne) was also
induced to forsake her father's palace. She quitted
London with the Lord Bishop, the Earl of Dorset,
and a small train of ladies, on the night of Sunday
* Bishop Kennett.

6 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1688 the 25th of November, determining to go directly
to Nottingham. In her journey a rumour was
spread of a design of the adherents of the court to
intercept her, upon which the Earl of Devon
shire marched out with his troops of horse, and
meeting her Royal Highness at some miles distant
from the town, conducted her with great respect
and joy to the castle. After remaining a short
time at Nottingham, the Princess was desirous of
proceeding to Oxford, to meet her husband. Prince
George of Denmark, who had joined the standard
ofthe Prince of Orange, and her Royal Highness
was conducted thither by the Earl of Devon
shire, with his troops of horse.
King James, finding himself forsaken by the
members of his own family, and by the noblemen
and officers in whom he had placed confidence,
fled to France; and the kingdom was rescued
from the power of papacy without that effusion of
blood which is generally attendant on such im
portant events. The Prince of Orange assumed
the reins of government ; and his Highness was
so well pleased with the conduct of William
Lord Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire, and
the gallant gentlemen, yeomen, and mechanics who
had volunteered their services and hazarded their
lives in the cause of liberty and the reformed reli
gion, that he commissioned his Lordship to raise
out of their numbers a regiment of horse for per
manent service. At the same time his Highness
directed the five regiments of horse raised by King
James in the autumn, to be disposed of as follows :
the officers, quarter-masters, and such of the pri
vate troopers as were of the -Roman Catholic reli-

the seventh dragoon guards.

gion, were dismissed the service ; the regiments 1688
were disbanded; the Protestant soldiers and the
horses were transferred to the other regiments of
horse ; and a number of them were incorporated
in the Earl of Devonshire's regiment.*
Such was the origin of the regiment which forms
the subject of this memoir, and which now bears
the title of the Seventh, or Princess Royal's,
Dragoon Guards. Being composed principally
of the men who had boldly forsaken their homes
and vocations, and stood forward as champions of
liberty and the Protestant religion, at the moment
when both were in danger, its devotion to the
principles of the Revolution was undoubted ; and
it was one of the corps in which the Prince of
Orange could place implicit confidence.

* "William Henry, by the grace of God Prince of Orange
" and Nassau, &c. &c. &c.
" To William Lord Cavendish, greeting.
" We, reposing especial faith and confidence in your fidelity,
" courage, and good conduct, do by these presents constitute and
" appoint you to be colonel of a regiment of horse to be forthwith
" raised for our service, and likewise to be captain of a troop in
" the said regiment. You are therefore to take the said regi-
" ment as colonel, and the said troop as captain, into your care
" and charge, and duly to exercise as well the officers as soldiers
" thereof in arras ; and to use your best endeavours to keep
" them in good order and discipline. And we hereby command
" them to obey you as their colonel and captain respectively.
" And you are to observe and follow such orders and directions,
" from time to time, as you shall receive from us, or any, your
" superior officer, according to the rules and discipline of war, in
" pursuance of the trust we hereby repose in you.
" Dated the Slst December, 1688."
War Office Commission Book.
The Viscount Brandon's and Marquis de Miremont's regiments
were directed to be disbanded on the 31st of December, 1688, and
the other three regiments on the 1st of January, 1689. — Public
Records.

8

historical record of

1688 The establishment was fixed at the following
numbers and rates of pay : —

WILLIAM lord cavendish, EARL OF DEVONSHIRE'S
regiment of HORSE.

FlKLD AND SlAFF-OrFICEaS.

Per Diem.

The Colonel, as (Jolonel 
Lieutenant-Colonel, as Lieut.-Colonel 
The Major (teho has no troop), for himself, horses, 1
and servants  i
Adjutant 
Chaplain 
Chirurgeon iv" per day, and j horse to carry hisl
chest, ij' per day  J
A Kettle- Drummer to the Colonel's troop

The Colonel's Troop.
The Colonel, as Captaine, x' per day, and ij horses,!
each at ij' per day  J
Lievtenant vi', and ij horses, each at ij' . . . .
Cornett v', and ij horses, each at ij' 
Quarter-Master iv', and i horse, at ij» 
Three Corporals, each at iij' per day 
Two Trumpeters, each at ij' viii'' 
Fifty Private Soldiers, each at ij' vi'' per day .
Five Troops more, ofthe same numbers, and at thei
same rates of pay as the Colonel's troop . . j
Total for this Reqiment per Diem
Per Annum  £20,634. ]3». 4d.

56

12

10

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS.

The following officers were appointed to com- 1688
missions in the regiment : —

Captains.

Lieutenants.

Cornets.

William Lord Cavendish,
Earl of Devonshire
(Colonel).
John Coke (Lieut.-Col)
Francis Palmes
Parry Cash
John Charlton
John South

Edward Harvey
Rohert Milward
William Neville
Adam Bland
Francis Surley
Philip Prince

Carew Mews
Richard Pope
Henry Vincent
Daniel Weaver
Thomas Harropp
 Cholmondeley

Henry Boyle  Major.
Robert Norton .... Adjutant.
Swindall Clerk .... Chaplain.
John Ogar  Chirurgeon.

The regiment was speedily completed in num- 1689
bers, and equipped as a corps of Cuirassiers ; it
ranked as Tenth Horse ; but it was usually dis
tinguished by the name of its colonel, — numerical '
titles not having been adopted until the reign of
George II. It was sometimes called Cavendish's
Regiment, after the family name of its distin
guished commander ; and on other occasions it
was styled Devonshire's Regiment, after the
title of its colonel.
The accession of King William and Queen
Mary meeting with some opposition in Scotland,
Devonshire's troopers were ordered to march to
the north ; halting a short period at Newcastle-on-
Tyne, they were inspected there on the 7th of June,
1689, by the commissioners appointed to correct irre-

10 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1689 gularities and re-model the interior economy of the
several regiments. The destination of the regi
ment was soon afterwards changed to Ireland,
where King James had arrived with a body of
troops from France, and had reduced all that
kingdom (excepting Londonderry and Inniskilling)
to subjection to his authority.
From Newcastle the regiment marched to
Chester, where it arrived on the 23rd of August ;
and embarking at Highlake on the following day,
landed at Bangor, in the county of Down, and
joined King William's army commanded by Mar
shal Duke Schomberg, before Carrickfergus, which
place surrendered on the 28th of that month.
Advancing along the coast to Dundalk, De
vonshire's troopers were encamped with the army
near that town ; and the ground chosen for the
encampment having the mountains of Mourne on
one side, a river on the other, and on the third bogs
and marshes, it proved detrimental to the health of
the troops. The season proved particularly rainy ;
the roads — bad, narrow, and intersected by bogs —
were all broken up ; the purveyor-general neglected
his duty, and the army suffered from a scarcity of
provision and forage. Such were the circum
stances in which Devonshire's Horse were so
speedily placed, and for which they were not pre
pared by their previous habits of life, the ranks
being coniposed of the well-fed English yeomanry
and peasantry, and the officers being the sons of
wealthy country-gentlemen. After remaining in
camp at Dundalk upwards of a month, the re
giment proceeded to Carlingford, and it was

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 1 1
subsequently stationed in extensive village canton- 1689
ments, where the troopers had occasional encoun
ters with the bands of Roman Catholic peasantry,
who had forsaken their homes and prowled the
country in arms, plundering the Protestants : these
banditti were called rapparees.
In April, 1690, the Earl of Devonshire was 1690
succeeded in the colonelcy by Meinhardt Count
DE Schomberg, son of the veteran Duke Schom
berg, who commanded the army in Ireland; and
the regiment obtained the appellation of Schom
berg's Horse.
The colonel of the regiment, having been ap
pointed to the command of the cavaliy in Ireland,
arrived in that kingdom in the early part of
June, and having inspected his corps, expressed
his approbation of its appearance. It had previ
ously taken the field; and the officers and
troopers expressed their satisfaction at the pros
pect of serving this campaign under the eye of
their sovereign. The army in Ireland had been
augmented to upwards of thirty thousand men ;
and the attention of all Europe was directed to
that country, where two kings were to contend for
the crown of three kingdoms on a public theatre,
and where the singular spectacle was to be exhi
bited of a nephew fighting against his uncle, and
two sons-in-law against the father of their wives.
Advancing to the bank of the Boyne, on the
30th of June, Schomberg's Horse prepared to
take part in forcing the passage of the river on the
following day. The French and Irish forces were
in position on the opposite side of the stream, and

12 historical record of
1690 King James was resolved to hazard a general en
gagement for his crown.
Early on the morning of the 1st of July,
Schomberg's troopers appeared at their post in
order of battle, ready to take part in one of the
most memorable engagements fought in the west
of Europe. Each man exhibited a green branch
in his hat; and the Count de Schomberg,
placing himself at the head of the cavalry of the
right wing, led the gallant horsemen towards the
fords near Slane bridge ; while another division
was directed to force its way at the pass of the old
bridge. The fords at Slane bridge were forced ;
the enemy's left flank was turned; and Count de
Schomberg, pursuing the retreating Irish with
his horsemen, killed and wounded numbers of the
enemy. As soon as Duke Schomberg was ap
prised of his son's progress on the right, he urged
forward the centre to pass the river ; and having
forded the stream, he fell mortally wounded at the
head of a regiment of French Protestants. King
William crossed the river with the cavalry of the
left wing, and led the regiments to the charge
with signal gallantry ; but King James, instead
of seeking his adversary in the hottest of the battle,
played the hero so ill as to hide himself behind an
old church about a mile from the scene of conflict,
where he witnessed the retreat of his defeated
forces, and afterwards fled towards Dublin.
Count Schomberg, being informed of his
father's death, called his valiant troopers forward,
and led them in pursuit of the enemy with all the
zeal and ardour which a noble resentment could

THE seventh dragoon GUARDS. 13
inspire. He drove the Irish several miles beyond 1690
Duleek, covering the ground with slaughtered
men, and continued the pursuit until the Earl of
Portland overtook him with an express command
from King William to desist.
After returning from the pursuit, the regiment
bivouacked in the fields : it subsequently advanced
to the vicinity of Dublin ; and at the review at
Fingiass on the 7th and Sth of July, it mustered
forty-one private men per troop.
In the mean time a naval engagement had taken
place near Beachy in Sussex, in which the French
fleet gained considerable advantage over the Eng
lish and Dutch. It was apprehended that Louis
XIV., taking advantage of the absence of King
William and his army in Ireland, would land a
body of troops on the English coast, with the view
of replacing King James on the throne. The mi
litia' was called out, the citizens of London pro
posed to raise six additional regiments of foot, one
of horse, and a thousand dragoons ; other pre
parations were made to defend the throne ; and
Schomberg's troopers, Matthews's dragoons,
Hasting's and Trelawny's foot, and a squadron of
life guards, were ordered to embark for England.
After its arrival in England the regiment went
into quarters ; the French fleet withdrew from the
coast, and the alarm of foreign invasion subsided.
In October, Schomberg's Horse and Mat
thews's dragoons were directed to return to Ire
land ; they sailed from Highlake on the 17th of
that month, landed on the 20th, and went into
winter quarters near Cork.

14 historical record of
1691 The cantonments of the English army continued
to be much infested with bands of rapparees ; and
upwards of a thousand of these banditti took refuge
in the bog of Allen, which (as Story states in his
history of these wars) is forty miles in length, and
has several islands covered with trees in the midst
of it. The rapparees had fortified the island at
the end of the bog nearest to Dublin, and issuing
from thence in the night, they ravaged the country
in every direction. These hordes were beset in
January, 1691, by two detachments from the
army, and forty of Schomberg's troopers were
engaged in this service. The soldiers penetrated
boldly into the bog, when the rapparees fled, and
betook themselves to the woods.
In the spring of this year the colonel ofthe re
giment was created Duke of Leinster in Ire
land, and this corps obtained the appellation of
Leinster's Horse. Being a regiment in which
King William placed great confidence, it was or
dered to return to England, where it arrived in
May ; and, after landing at Highlake, it was quar
tered at Coventry and Northampton, from whence
it was removed to the vicinity of London, and em
ployed in attendance on the court.
1692 From these duties Leinster's Horse were
relieved, and ordered in 1692 to proceed to the
Netherlands to join the confederate army, where
they anticipated gaining additional laurels under
the eye of their sovereign ; but they did not arrive
in Flanders in time to take part in the battle of
Steenkirk. In October they marched into quar
ters at Ghent, where they passed the winter.

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 15
They now ranked as Eighth Horse, two of the 1692
senior regiments having been disbanded.
Leinster's troopers again took the field in 1693
May, 1693, and joined the grand army commanded
by King William in person, who confronted a
French force of one hundred and twenty thousand
men. They formed part of the cavalry of the left
wing at Parck-camp, near Louvain, and " made a
very fine appearance" at the review of the British
horse. After several marches they were selected
to form part of the division commanded by the
Prince of Wirtemberg, detached from the main
army to force the French fortified lines between
the rivers Scheldt and Lys. This service was
gallantly performed on the 9th of July at D'Oti
gnies, when the enemy's works were carried by
assault, and his troops* driven from their entrench
ments with great loss. Leinster's Horse sup
ported the infantry during the assault of the French
lines ; having passed the entrenchments, they
charged their adversaries with singular intrepidity,
and pursued with ardour the broken ranks of
French horse and foot, chasing them from the field,
and cutting down the fugitives with great energy.
Three days afterwards a detachment was en
gaged in a skirmish with a party of the enemy at
Pont-a-Tresein; and the regiment was subse
quently employed in levying contributions in the
territory subject to France, as far as Lisle ; in
which service it was employed when the main army
was defeated at the battle of Landen.
In the autumn the regiment returned to its for
mer station at Ghent.

16 historical record of
1693 Charles Duke Schomberg having died in Italy
of wounds received at the battle of Marsaglia,
Meinhardt Duke of Leinster succeeded, his brother
in the title of Duke Schomberg, and this regi
ment was again distinguished by the title of
Schomberg's Horse.
1694 Having been joined by a remount from Eng
land, the regiment took the field; it served the
campaign of 1694 under King William, and was
engaged in many manoeuvres and long and toil
some marches before it returned to its quarters at
Ghent: previous to quitting the field it was re
viewed by the King, and made " a most gallant
appearance."
1695 The regiment was also reviewed by the King at
the camp at Arseele on the 31st of May, 1695,
when the English horse '' made a very gallant
" show ; the horses being in very good order, and
" the men very well clothed and armed." It sub
sequently advanced with the army from Arseele to
Becelaer ; from whence a squadron of the regi
ment was detached to Bruges, and encountering
a detachment of the enemy, took the commanding
officer and twenty men prisoners.
Schomberg's Horse also formed part of the
covering army during the siege of the important
fortress of Namur, and were formed in brigade
with the regiments of Lumley, Langston, and
Wyndham (now first, fourth, and sixth dragoon
guards), commanded by Brigadier-General Lum
ley, to resist the attempts of Marshal Villeroy to
relieve the garrison. ,
1696 The King reviewed Schomberg's Regiment

the seventh dragoon GUARDS. 17
near Ghent, in May, 1696 ; and they made a " very 1696
" noble appearance, both men and horses being in
" good order." They were brigaded with Lum
ley's and Langston's horse, under the orders of
Brigadier- General Lumley, and served with the
army of Flanders commanded by the Prince of
Vaudemont. In the summer of 1697 the regiment again 1697
served under King William with the army of Bra
bant. It was encamped at St. Quintin Linneck ;
and subsequently between Nivelle and Waterloo,
from whence it proceeded by a night march through
the forest of Soigne to Brussels, and was encamped
before that city. From Brussels the regiment
proceeded to "V\^avre, for the convenience of forage,
and was encamped near that place when the treaty
of peace was concluded at Ryswick.
Hostilities having thus been terminated, the
regiment quitted Belgium during the winter, and
after its arrival in England the troopers delivered
their cuirasses into store.
During the four succeeding years the regiment 1698
was stationed, generally, in the south of England, 1699
and furnished, in turn with the other regiments of 1 700
horse, the travelling escorts for the royal family. 1701
Its establishment was fixed at twenty-one officers,
six q'uarter-masters, twelve corporals, one kettle
drummer, six trumpeters, and two hundred and
four men ; and subsequently a further reduction
was made in its numbers. But when the French
monarch had violated the conditions of the treaties
he had entered into, and procured the accession of
c

18 historical record of
1701 his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, to the throne of
Spain, it was ordered to be augmented (12th
1702 February, 1702) to a war establishment, namely,
to three corporals, two trumpeters, fifty-seven
troopers, and sixty-two horses per troop, and held
in readiness to proceed on foreign service.
The regiments of horse were held in high esti
mation in the country ; little difficulty was experi
enced in procuring recruits ; and, in less than a
month after the order for the augmentation was
issued, the regiment embarked for Holland, where
it arrived in the middle of March. It formed two
squadrons, three troops in each squadron, and was
quartered near Breda for three months ; in June one
squadron marched with five other regiments from
Breda, under the orders of Lieutenant-General
Lumley, and joined the main army commanded by
the Earl (afterwards Duke) of Marlborough at
Duckenburg. The other squadron remained at
Breda with the train of artillery until the middle
of July, and joined the army on the 26th of that
month. Throughout this campaign the French com
manders avoided a general engagement, and the
services of Schomberg's Horse were limited to
outpost duty, escorting supplies for the army, and
covering the sieges of Venloo, Ruremonde, and
Stevenswaert ; — they were one of the first corps
which entered the city of Liege when it was sur
rendered to the allied army. They remained at
Liege until after the capture of the citadel by
storm, and the chartreuse by capitulation, and sub-

the seventh dragoon GUARDS. 19
sequently marched back to Holland for winter 1702
quarters.
The services of the regiment during the succeed- 1703
ing year were also of a similar character ; it joined
the army near Maestricht in May, 1703, and ad
vancing to the enemy's lines, was encamped near
Haneff. While at this camp, parties of the Eng
lish cavalry had several skirmishes with detach
ments ofthe enemy ; and on the llth of June, ten
of Schomberg's troopers, who were foraging, en
countered a detachment of French infantry of more
than double their own numbers ; when dashing
forward with the martial spirit and valour of Bri
tish horsemen, they overthrew their adversaries and
captured eighteen prisoners, whom they brought
in triumph to the camp. The regiment was subse
quently employed in covering the sieges of Huy
and Limburg, and in October struck its tents and
retired from the pleasant plains of Spanish Guel
derland to Holland, for winter quarters.
The campaign of 1704 was, however, distin- J704
guished by more important events, and the regi
ment gained new honours in the heart of Germany,
where the British troops, under the celebrated
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, acquired
immortal fame in the early part of the preceding
century. Leaving Holland in May, 1704, the regiment
directed its march to Coblentz, where it passed the
Rhine and the Moselle, and directed its march
with the army through the several states of Ger
many, to the assistance of the emperor, whose
troops were unable to withstand the united forces
c 2

20 historical record of
1704 of France and Bavaria, which waged war against
him and endangered the imperial throne.
The renowned Marlborough having led his army
from the ocean to the distant Danube, and joined
the forces of the empire, resolved to attack the
enemy's fortified post on the heights of Schellen
berg, on the 2nd of July. Schomberg's Horse
supported the attacks of the infantry : when the
fortifications were forced, the British cavalry
charged, and completed the overthrow of the
French and Bavarians, who fell in great numbers
beneath the sabres of the pursuing horsemen.
The Bavarian commander, the Count d'Arco, es
caped by swimming across the Danube. He lost
all his baggage, sixteen pieces of artillery, and a
number of standards and colours.
Schomberg's Horse were commanded on this
occasion by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Sybourg,
and had several men and nineteen horses killed,
and others wounded.
After crossing the Danube, the regiment pene
trated with the army into Bavaria, and appeared
before the enemy's fortified camp at Augsburg ; it
subsequently retired, and was employed in opera
tions near the Danube, while the Germans be
sieged Ingoldstadt.
The French monarch sent another army through
the Black Forest to the assistance of the Elector of
Bavaria ; and the united forces took up a position
in the valley of the Danube, near the village of
Blenheim, where they were attacked by the British
and Germans under the Duke of Marlborough on
the 13th of August.

the seventh dragoon guards. 21
At an early hour on the morning of this eventful 1704
day, Schomberg's Horse were at their post and
ready to advance ; after traversing many miles of
difficult ground, they arrived in front of the enemy,
and one squadron commanded by Major Charles
Creed, forming part of the advance-guard of three
squadrons commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
Francis Palmes of the carabineers, crossed the
little river Nebel, and advanced with signal intre
pidity to try the countenance of the enemy's front,
and to enable the Duke of Marlborough to make a
reconnoissance. The French commander, Marshal Tallard, or
dered forward five squadrons of horse to cut to
pieces the three squadrons of British cavalry which
dared thus to approach his lines unsupported ; and
two of his squadrons having inclined outwards,
menaced the flanks, while the other three advanced
with all the confidence which the anticipation of
success could inspire, to charge the front. The ap
proach of these formidable adversaries, instead of
intimidating the British horsemen, infused new
ardour into their souls, and they boldly advanced
to measure swords with their antagonists. Schom
berg's troopers, being on the right, wheeled out
ward to charge the French squadron which me
naced that flank ; a squadron of Wood's horse
(now third dragoon guards) commanded by Major
Oldfield, wheeled to the left, to attack the squadron
which menaced that flank, and the squadron of the
carabineers advanced against the enemy's front.
The innate valour of British troopers has seldom
shone with brighter lustre than on this occasion.

22 historical record of
1704 and the encounter taking place between the two
armies, it formed a prelude to the general engage
ment which followed, Avhile, at the same time, it
assumed the character of a national trial of skill
aud courage ; and the result was glorious to the
British arms. Schomberg's Horse and Wood's
troopers broke the two opposing squadrons in a few
moments, then wheeling inwards charged the other
three in flank, while the carabineers charged them
in front, and the English horsemen, who, during
the two preceding campaigns, had panted for an
opportunity to signalize themselves, gave proof of
their native valour. The combatants were mingled
in close fight, and the swift motion of the glittering
sabres showed with what vehemence the gallant
troopers strove for victory ; soon a British shout
arose above the din of clashing arms, and the
French horsemen were seen galloping back in
confusion to their lines. The English squadrons
pursued a short distance, and then retired leisurely
towards the Nebel, leaving twenty adversaries wel
tering on the grassy plain.*
When the British infantry attacked the French
troops posted in the village of Blenheim, they were
repulsed ; and their flank being menaced by the
enemy's cavalry, the two squadrons of Schom
berg's Horse commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel

This skirmish taking place while the lines were forming it
has been omitted by man}; historians ; but it is detailed very mi
nutely by General Kane, in his history of the Duke of Marlbo
rough's Campaigns, and by Captain Parker in his Memoirs • and
these authors were both present at the battle, and in one ofthe
brigades which passed the Nebel with the three squadrons • they
consequently both had an opportunity of witnessing the aifray

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 23
Sybourg and Major Creed, with a squadron of 1704
Wood's horse, and two squadrons of the cara
bineers, advanced to support the foot. These five
squadrons had scarcely cleared a difficult swamp
which obstructed their advance, when they were
saluted with a volley of musketoons from five
squadrons of gens d'armes, the pride and flower of
the French army ; and before the smoke had
cleared away, the British horsemen rushed, sword
in hand, upon their renowned adversaries. The
gens d'armes were broken, and they were chased
through the intervals of the brigade of Silly, in
their second line ; but the English squadrons, pur
suing too far, were assailed in front and flank by
a storm of musketry, charged by fresh squadrons
of cavalry, and forced back in disorder, leaving se
veral brave officers and troopers lifeless on the
plain ; the enemy's horse pursuing with avidity,
were driven back by the fire of the infantry.
A second attempt on Blenheim having failed, a
feint attack was continued on the village, while the
main body crossed the rivulet, and the action be
came general along the front. While varied for
tunes marked the progress of the battle, Schom
berg's Horse were occasionally called forward,
and they charged the adverse squadrons with the
same noble ardour and chivalric spirit which they
evinced at the commencement of the engagement.
At length a critical moment arrived, and a general
charge of the cavalry was ordered. The French
battalions and squadrons were broken and driven
from the field with dreadful carnage ; numbers
were drowned in the Danube ; others laid down

24 historical record of
1704 their arms and surrendered : and Marshal Tallard
was among the prisoners. The troops in Blenheim
also laid down their arms : the Germans on the
right were likewise victorious ; the triumph was
complete, and the field was covered with colours,
standards, cannon, baggage, and other trophies of
victory. The regiment lost in this hard-fought battle the
gallant Major Creed, with Lieutenant Hawkes
and Cornet Charlton, killed ; and Captain Prime,
Lieutenant Palmes, and Cornet Cresaw, wounded.
Its loss in non-commissioned officers and soldiers
has not been ascertained ; but it is stated in the
records in the war-office that the regiment had
fifty-six troop horses killed.
This splendid victory was followed by the
most decisive results : the empire was delivered
from the menaced danger ; Bavaria was subdued ;
and Schomberg's Horse directed their march
with the army through the circle of Swabia to
Philipsburg, where they crossed the Rhine in the
early part of September, and encamped at Croon-
Weissemberg, while the imperialists, under the
King of the Romans and the Margrave of Baden,
besieged the important fortress of Landau, situate
in a beautiful valley on the river Queich. The
capture of that city was the concluding event of
the campaign ; and Schomberg's troopers
marched back to the United Provinces for winter
quarters.
1705 Having been joined by a body of fine recruits,
and a remount of horses of superior weight and
power, the regiment quitted its cantonments in

THE seventh dragoon GUARDS. 25
April, 1705, and advancing to the vicinity of 1705
Maestricht, pitched its tents on the banks of the
Maese, where it was reviewed by the Duke of
Marlborough. It subsequently traversed a moun
tainous country to the ancient city of Treves, and
was engaged in the attempt to carry on the war
in Alsace. When this design was frustrated by
the tardy co-operation of the Germans, the regi
ment marched back to the Netherlands; and it
was engaged in the forcing of the French lines at
Neer-Hespen and Helixem on the morning of the
18th of July. Schomberg's Horse were among
the squadrons which, after passing the works, en
gaged the Spanish and Bavarian horse guards, and
rushing into the midst of their adversaries, used
their broad swords with dreadful execution; —
fighting with the native strength and energy of
British troopers, they came off victorious, and the
numerous legions, which had been appointed to
guard the lihes, made a precipitate retreat beyond
the Dyle, with the loss of many officers and men,
a train of artillery, and a number of standards and
colours. The regiment was also employed in the move
ments connected with the attempts to force the
passage of the Dyle, which failed in consequence
of the pertinacity of the Dutch generals : it passed
the winter in cantonments in Holland.
At the commencement ofthe campaign of 1706, 1706
the regiment had another opportunity of distin
guishing itself, at the battle of Ramilies, which
was fought on Whit-Sunday, the 23rd of May.
On this occasion the British horse were held in

26 historical record of
1706 reserve until towards the close ofthe engagement,
when they Avere ordered forward, and by their
powerful and resolute attacks completed the over
throw and discomfiture of the united forces of
France, Spain, and Bavaria, commanded by the
Elector of Bavaria and Marshal Villeroy, who
narrowly escaped being made prisoners. A num
ber of prisoners, colours, standards, and guns were
captured ; and one of the finest and best appointed
armies, which the King of France had ever sent
into the field, was destroyed. After pursuing the
enemy until two o'clock on the following morning,
making additional captures every hour, the regi
ment was ordered to halt.
Most important results followed this splendid
victory ; several cities and provinces were delivered
from the power of the enemy ; and the regiment
was one of the corps detached under Brigadier-
General Cadogan (afterwards Earl Cadogan) to
summon Antwerp. After the surrender of that
fortress, the regiment was employed in the block
ade of Dendermond, which place was delivered up
in the early part of September.
1707 After passing the winter in the Spanish Nether
lands, the regiment took the field to serve the
campaign of 1707, and was again supplied with
ARMOUR. At the general review of the British
cavalry at the camp at Meldert, it appeared " very
complete and in good order ;"* but the campaign
* "June 20th.— This day his Grace the Duke of Marlborough
" reviewed the horse and dragoons of the right wing of the first
" line ; those of Great Britain appeared for ih^ first time in their
" cuirasses ; and the whole was very complete and in good order."
— London Gazette.

the seventh DRAGOON GUARDS. 27
passed without either a siege or general engage- 1707
ment. The campaign of 1708 was, however, distin- 1708
guished by splendid achievements ; and Schom
berg's Horse were at the battle of Oudenarde on
the llth of July, when the French army, com
manded by his Royal Highness the Duke of Bur
gundy and Marshal Duke of Vendome, was over
thrown in a general engagement near the banks
of the Scheldt. The regiment was formed, on this
occasion, in brigade with Wood's horse (now third
dragoon guards), commanded by Brigadier-Ge
neral Sybourg ; and having passed the Scheldt by
the bridge of boats, it supported the infantry, and
manoeuvred so as to sustain the battalions in front,
and to be always ready to charge ; but owing to
the ground being intersected by hedges, ditches,
and rivulets, darkness put an end to the conflict
before it had an opportunity to signalize itself. It
was one of the cavalry corps sent forward on the
following morning in pursuit of the wreck of the
French army, towards Ghent.
When the Duke of Marlborough and Prince
Eugene of Savoy besieged the strong fortress of
Lisle, situated on a plain watered by several
streams, and defended by a series of stupendous
works, constructed under the superintendence of
the celebrated Vauban, Schomberg's troopers
formed part of the covering army, and were in
position, when the united French forces advanced
to raise the siege, but were intimidated by the de
termined countenance of the allies. Schomberg's
Horse were also engaged in the forcing of the

28 historical record of
170 passage of the Scheldt, and in compelling the
elector of Bavaria to raise the siege of Brussels.
After the capture of the famous city of Lisle the
regiment marched back to Flanders for winter
quarters.
1 709 Another remount and a body of recruits replaced
the losses of the preceding campaign, and in June,
1709, Schomberg's Horse advanced towards the
frontiers of France, and pitched their tents on the
plain of Lisle. When the siege of Tournay was
resolved upon, they were selected to form part of
the force sent forward to invest that fortress. The
town surrendered on the 29th of July, and during
the siege of the citadel the regiment was detached
under the Earl of Orkney towards St. Ghislain to
facilitate the subsequent operations in Hainault.
After the surrender ofthe citadel, the army directed
its march towards Mons : the French army took
up a position in front of Malplaquet, and, in the
general engagement fought on the 1 1 th of Septem
ber, the regiment had another opportunity of dis
playing its gallantry in close combat.
Moving forward from the meadow where it had
passed the preceding night, the regiment supported
the infantry in their fierce and sanguinary attacks
on the enemy's entrenchments and other defences
which covered his front. When the position was
forced, the cavalry was ordered forward, and the
English cuirassiers defeated and chased to the rear
the renowned French gens d'armes; but as Schom
berg's squadrons, and the other cavalry under
Major-General Wood, pursued their adversaries,
they were charged by a cqmpact line of household

the seventh dragoon guards. 29
troops, the pride and flower of the French army, 1709
and, by these celebrated warriors, the British horse
men were overthrown and driven back in disorder.
The French cavalry having been checked by the
fire of the infantry, the British troopers rallied and
dashed forward, burning with eagerness once more
to encounter their celebrated antagonists ; the
Prussian and German squadrons joined in the
charge, and the French gardes-du-corps, light
horse, musketeers, and horse grenadiers of the
royal household, were forced from their ground.
The victory was no longer doubtful, and the
French army retreated from the field of battle,
leaving a number of guns, colours, standards, and
other trophies, in possession of the allies.
After this victory, the regiment formed part of
the covering army during the siege of Mons ; and
on the surrender of that fortress it proceeded into
winter quarters at Ghent, where its losses were
replaced by men and horses from England.
During the summer of 1710, Schomberg's 1710
Horse were employed in covering the sieges of
Douay, Bethune, St. Venant, and Aire; also in
protecting convoys of provision and ammunition
for the army, and in keeping up the communica
tion with the towns in the rear. This year the
lieutenant-colonel, Charles Sybourg, was promoted
to the rank of major-general; but he retained the
lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment until he was
appointed to the colonelcy of Orrery's foot.
In January, 1711, the Duke of Schomberg was 1711
succeeded in the colonelcy by his son, Charles
Marquis of Harwich, and during the two succeed-

30 historical record of
1711 ing years the regiment was styled Harwich's
Horse. The army assembled from its winter quarters in
the spring of this year, and on the 29th of May
the regiment was reviewed by the Duke of Marl
borough at the camp at Warde. The French
commander. Marshal Villiers, occupied an exten
sive line of fortifications, which he deemed impreg
nable, and vauntingly styled them Marlborough's
"ne plus ultra;' the marshal was, however, out-
generalled, and the lines, about which so much
boast had been made, were entered and passed at
Arleux without opposition. Harwich's Horse
were employed in the manoeuvres by which these
lines were passed, and they were subsequently en
gaged in the siege of Bouchain, — a service so diffi
cult that it appeared impracticable to men of ordi
nary talent ; but this fortress yielded to the superior
tact and perseverance of the Duke of Marlborough,
who stood victorious on the confines of France,
ready to penetrate into Picardy.
1712 The King of France, finding his projects for
extending his dominions frustrated, and an hostile
army ready to carry the scourge of war into the
heart of his own kingdom, sued for peace. Har
wich's cuirassiers took the field in April 1712,
and advanced with the army commanded by the
Duke of Ormond, to Cateau-Cambresis, where
they were encamped during the siege of Quesnoy.
A cessation of hostilities was soon afterwards pub
lished, and the British army retired from the fron
tiers of France to Ghent, where this regiment en
camped a short time, and afterwards went into

the seventh dragoon guards. 31
quarters, to await the conclusion of the negocia- 1712
tions, and the settlement of the barriers of the
several states concerned in the treaty.
In June, 1713, the regiment was placed upon 1713
the Irish establishment ; but it was not withdrawn
from the Netherlands ; the negociations being pro
longed until the succeeding year.
After the decease of the Earl of Harwich, the
colonelcy was conferred on Major-General Charles
Sybourg, from a newly raised regiment of foot, by
commission dated the I2th of October, 1713 ; and
the regiment obtained the title Sybourg's Horse.
On the decease of Queen Anne, on the 1st of 1714
August, 1714, the adherents ofthe Stuart dynasty
made exertions to excite the people to open rebel
lion in favour of the Pretender, and several persons
were apprehended and sentenced to death for en
listing men in Ireland for the Pretender's service.
The regiments were ordered home from Flanders
(excepting two battalions of infantry which were
left in garrison at Ghent), and Sybourg's Horse
was one of the corps which proceeded to Ireland.
The tranquillity of that part of the kingdom was
preserved ; and the troopers delivered their armour
into store.
After the suppression of the rebellion of the 1715
Earl of Mar, and the discomfiture of the designs 1716
ofthe King of Sweden in the Pretender's behalf, 1717
the establishment of the regiment was reduced to 1718
two corporals, one trumpeter, and twenty-four
private men per troop.
In 1720 the command of the regiment was con- 1720
ferred by King George I. on an officer of great

32 historical record of
1720 gallantry and military talent. Colonel John Ligo
nier, in succession to Lieutenant-General Sybourg,
deceased.
1721 The regiment was styled Ligonier's Horse,
and its zealous and meritorious commander paying
exemplary attention to its discipline, recruiting,
remounting, and interior economy, in which he was
ably seconded by his brother, Francis Ligonier,
1729 who was appointed major in 1729, and lieu-
1737 tenant-colonel in 1737, it soon became celebrated as
an efficient regiment ; a laudable esprit de corps,
was infused among the officers and troopers, every
individual was proud of being styled a Ligonier ;
and though weak in numbers, it was allowed to be
as fine a corps of heavy cavalry as any in Europe.
The excellent system of training the men and
horses, and the order and regularity introduced into
this corps in time of peace, proved an excellent
preparation for the more arduous duties of foreign
service ; and when the succession of the Arch
duchess Maria Theresa to the hereditary domi
nions of her father, the Emperor Charles VI., who
died in the autumn of 1740, occasioned the break
ing out of hostilities on the continent, an aug
mentation of nine men per troop was made to its
numbers ; a further augmentation of ten men per
1741 troop was made in March 1741.
1742 When King George II. resolved, with the view
of supporting the house of Austria, and of pre
serving the balance of power in Europe, to send
an army to the continent, Ligonier's Horse were
selected to proceed abroad, and were transferred
from the Irish to the English establishment on the

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 33
25th of April, 1742. They landed near Chester 1742
in the middle of May, where they were stationed
until the end of that month, when they marched
into quarters in the villages near London ; they
were reviewed on Hounslow-heath, on the 26th of
June, in brigade with the royal horse guards
and the King's regiment of horse, by His Majesty,
and received the expressions of his high appro
bation of their appearance and discipline. Towards
the end of August they embarked in transports on
the river Thames, and in a few days arrived in the
Netherlands, the country where the regiment had
acquired numerous laurels in the reign of Queen
Anne. Owing to the tardy councils and irresolution
of the Dutch, offensive measures could not be
undertaken this year ; and Ligonier's Horse,
after occupying quarters for several months at
Ghent, were removed into cantonments near
Brussels. In the early part of 1743 the army commenced 1743
its march in divisions for the Rhine, to co-operate
with the Austrians in Germany ; but owing to the
scarcity of forage, the life guards, royal horse
guards, the King's horse (now first dragoon
guards), and Ligonier's regiment, remained at
Brussels until the beginning of May, when they
commenced their march for Germany, under the
orders of Lieutenant'General Honeywood. Ligo
nier's Horse crossed the Maese near Maestricht
on the 17th of May, and in the early part of June
they joined the army at the camp near the bank
of the Maine, where King George II. and His
D

34 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1743 Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland arrived
a few days afterwards. Thus the regiment had
the honour of serving under the eye of its
sovereign, and it soon had an opportunity of giv
ing proof that its ranks were composed of men who
rivalled in valour the heroes of the Boyne, Blen
heim, Ramilies, and Malplaquet.
Some difficulty being experienced in procuring
supplies, the army proceeded on the morning of the
26th of June for Hanau, and Ligonier's squadrons
formed part of the advance-guard. While march
ing between the Maine and the mountains on the
right, the troops were exposed to the fire of several
French batteries on the opposite side of the river,
and after proceeding a few miles, the French army
was discovered near the village of Dettingen,
where they had taken up a position which ob
structed the progress of the allied army. The
King commanded dispositions to be made for at
tacking the enemy, and Ligonier's Horse were
posted in advance to cover the formation.
The position occupied by the enemy was of
difficult access ; it extended from the bank of the
Maine to the mountains, and was partially covered
by a wood and a morass ; but the French princes
and nobles at the head of the household troops and
gens darmes, being impatient of inactivity, and
feeling confident of success against an ^neniy
supposed to be dispirited by fatigue and privatioH,
forsook their post and advanced boldly to the
charge. " I saw them," observed an eye-witness,
" gay in splendid uniforms and bright in armour,
" come sword in hand at full speed down the hill.

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 35
" and break in upon Johnson's infantry (now 1743
" thirty-third foot), who received them without
" retiring an inch ; while another party fell upon
" Ligonier's Horse and some dragoons."*
Major-General Ligonier opposed the French
squadrons with his own regiment of horse, and,
though not defended with cuirasses as in former
wars, it withstood its steel-clad adversaries with
signal firmness ; but it was overpowered by su
perior numbers and forced from its ground. The
royal horse guards and the King's regiment of
horse were also repulsed by the gens d'armes,
who, flushed with success, rushed upon the British
foot, but were severely punished for their temerity.
The British horsemen, exasperated at this mo
mentary eclipse to their fame, rallied and returned
to the charge. Ligonier's troopers, having re
formed their ranks, advanced against their cele
brated adversaries : the bold hearts of these reso
lute horsemen swelled with noble ardour ; their
manly breasts heaved with the anticipation of ac
quiring glory and renown in the presence of their
king; and rushing forward in compact order, the
fury of their charge was irresistible, and the
French squadrons were overthrown and driven
back in disorder.
The action soon became general ; while the
regiment was formed behind the infantry, the
blaze of musketry spread from rank to rank, ex
tending along the front from the mountains to the
river. His Majesty rode between the lines, fear-

* Letters from officers ofthe array, published in July, 1743.
D 2

36 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1743 less of the fire ofthe musketry and artillery, and
his presence and animating language added confi
dence to the natural bravery of his soldiers. At
length the French cavalry menaced the British
ranks with another charge, and Ligonier's Horse
were among the squadrons ordered forward to op
pose the enemy. After passing the lines of in
fantry, the regiment confronted the gay, the vain,
yet valiant household troops and gens d'armes of
France, whose martial bearing, splendid costume,
and polished armour glittering in the sun, gave
them an imposing appeara,nce ; they advanced six
deep to encounter the celebrated British horse,
whose dauntless countenance bespoke the ardour
which glowed in every breast ; and the grand
military spectacle of two lines of heavy cavalry
advancing to the charge was hailed by a simul
taneous shout from both armies. A terrific rush
of rank against rank followed ; the weight apd
power of the British horse overthrew a number of
opponents, and after a few moments' hard fight
ing, the French gave vi^ay. As the victorious
troopers pursued and cut down their adversaries
with a dreadful slaughter, large bodies of the
enemy came down to support their broken squad
rons ; gardes du corps, gens d'armes, musketeers,
and dragoons, pressed iforward in overwhelming
numbers, and Ligonier's Horse were sur
rounded. The enemy's ranks closing round the
regiment threatened its destruction; but soon a
British shout was heard, the circling ci"owd of
French horsemen was rent, and Ligonier's
men, breaking violently through the throng, re-

LIOONIERS HORSE(NOW SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS) AT THE BATTLE OF DETTINGEN ON ZeT" JUNE . 1743.

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 37
gained their own lines. A third attack of the 1743
cavalry being ordered, the regiment faced about,
and, without waiting to re-form its ranks, it ad
vanced to the charge. The officers and soldiers
had become chafed in spirit, and, rushing upon
their adversaries, they fought with desperate reso
lution. A veteran corporal of the regiment, who,
with about half-a-dozen private troopers, had cut
his passage through the enemy's ranks, was heard
to address the men in terms of exultation and en
couragement ; and though every individual of them
was wounded, this little band again charged their
adversaries, and many of them perished in the
conflict. The colonel of the regiment received two
wounds, but continued at his post ; and the
lieut.-colonel was dangerously wounded. Cornet
Richardson, who carried one of the standards, was
surrounded ; he refused to surrender, and received
upwards of thirty sabre cuts and shots on his body
and through his clothes ; his standard and
standard-lance were also much damaged, but he
preserved the standard. The other standards were
also much damaged by shots ; and the conflict
waxed fiercer and fiercer. At length the French
gave way and were chased across the Maine with
great slaughter.
The victory being complete, the King expressed
his royal approbation of the gallantry of the regi
ment, and calling its colonel, Major-General
Ligonier, with the Duke of Cumberland, and
several other general officers, under the royal
standard, honoured them with the dignity of
KNIGHTS BANNERETS. In the official account o£

38 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
] 743 the battle it was stated, that " Ligonier's regi-
"MENT OF HORSE GAINED GREAT REPUTATION."*
Among the trophies captured on this occasion
were four pair of kettle-drums : one pair of these
drums is stated to have been captured by Ligo
nier's Horse, and to have been presented to them
after the engagement.^
The regiment lost Quai'ter- Master Jackson,
twenty-one men, and thirty-five horses, killed ; its
colonel, Major-General Ligonier, his younger
brother, Lieut.-Colonel Ligonier, Captains Stuart
and Robinson, J Lieutenant Cholmondeley, and
Cornet Richardson, with one quarter-master,
thirty men, and twenty-seven horses, wounded.
The army halted on the field of battle, and on
the following day continued its route to Hanau,
where the troops were encamped until the early
part of August, when they again advanced, and
having crossed the Rhine, were engaged in opera
tions in West Germany. On the 14th of August
Major-General Ligonier was invested with the
Order of the Bath.
In the middle of October Ligonier's Horse
quitted Germany and marched back to the Nether
lands. During the winter the standards ofthe regiment,
which were so much damaged at the battle of Det
tingen as to be unfit for use, were replaced by new

* London Gazette, No. 8,240.
t A very old-fashioned pair of kettle-drums now in use in the
band ofthe Seventh Dragoon Guards, are stated by tradition
to be the drums above alluded to ; and their ancient appearance
is calculated to favour the assertion.
% Captain Robinson died of bis wounds.

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 39
ones from England, and each cornet was presented ] 743
with the one he had carried duiing the action, as
a testimony of his good conduct.
Before the following spring the establishment 1744
was augmented to fifty men and horses per troop,
and the regiment was completed by drafts of men
and horses from the cavalry regiments on home
service. During the campaign of 1744 Ligonier's
Horse were employed in several manoeuvres on
the fruitful plains of Brabant and Flanders ; but
no general engagement occurred, and they passed
the winter in quarters at Brussels.
The regiment marched out of quarters in April 1745
1745, and pitched its tents near Brussels, where
it was reviewed by His Royal Highness the Duke
of Cumberland. It appeared in new clothing,
and went through its evolutions with an exactness
and facility which excited admiration ; a periodi
cal writer observed, " no finer sight could be seen
" than this excellent regiment."
The French having invested Tournay, Ligo
nier's Horse advanced with the army, com
manded by the Duke of Cumberland, to endeavour
to raise the siege ; and on the 28th of April the
enemy's advance-guards were driven back. On
the following day the French out-posts were at
tacked and forced to retire on the main body of
their army, in position in front of Tournay, and
near the village of Fontenoy.
On the 30th of April (O.S.) the enemy's posi
tion was attacked with great vigour, and the
British infantry gained considerable advantage.

40 historical record op
1745 hut were forced to retire in consequence of the
failure of the Dutch. After a short respite the at
tack was repeated, and the British infantry were
successful ; but the Dutch were again repulsed.
As a la^t effort the cavalry was ordered forward,
and the Duke of Cumberland, placing himself at
the head of Ligonier's Horse, led them through
a rugged way abounding with difficulties, to that
part of the field where the conflict raged with the
greatest fury, when they charged into the thickest
of the fight and evinced signal gallantry in close
combat with their numerous adversaries. Not
withstanding the spirited efforts made by one por
tion of the army, the failure of the Dutch, and
other causes, rendered a retreat necessary, and the
army withdi-ew from the field, and took post near
the town of Aeth.
The loss of the regiment in this action was two
men and sixteen horses killed ; Quarter-Master
Heath, four men, and six horses wounded ; and
one man missing.
On the following day the esprit de corps which
prevailed in the regiment was evinced in a signal
manner. Private Thomas Stevenson, having had
his horse shot under him in the early part of the
action, did not rejoin his regiment until the evening
ofthe next day. Every man was proud of being
styled a Ligonier, aud when Stevenson joined
his troop, his comrades accused him of unworthy
conduct, and refused to permit him to remain
within the lines. The man demanded a trial, and
a court-martial was assembled on the following
day to investigate his conduct ; when he produced

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 41
Lieut. Izard, of the Royal Welsh fusileers, who 1745
stated that, " on the morning ofthe day of action,
" the prisoner addressed him, acquainted him with
" the death of his (the prisoner's) horse, and re-
" quested permission to carry a firelock in the
" grenadier company under him. The prisoner's
" request was granted ; he behaved throughout the
" day with uncommon intrepidity, and was one of
" the nine grenadiers which he (the evidence)
" brought out ofthe action." Stevenson was im
mediately restored to his troop with honour, and
was promoted, on the following day, to a lieute
nancy in the fusileers by His Royal Highness the
Duke of Cumberland.
The regiment was afterwards encamped on the
plain of Lessines, and subsequently near Brussels.
In the meantime Charles Edward, eldest son of the
Pretender, had arrived in Scotland, and being
joined by several highland clans, he asserted his
father's pretensions to the throne of Great Britain.
Sevei'al regiments were immediately ordered to re
turn to England to oppose the rebels, and on the
14th of October the Duke of Cumberland left
Brussels with four troops of Ligonier's Horse,
and detachments from several other corps. The
four troops of this regiment arrived in the Thames
on the 25th of October, and having landed, they
formed part of a division of the army sent into
Lancashire under the orders of Lieut.-General Sir
John Ligonier, to prevent the advance of the rebel
army to the south of England. The other two
troops landed about a month afterwards, and were
quartered at Barnet.

42 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1745 The young adventurer eluded the King's forces,
and advanced with the highland clans as far as
Derby, where he arrived on the 4th of December.
At this period four troops of the regiment were at
Lichfield, forming part of the army commanded by
the Duke of Cumberland ; and the other two were
under orders to proceed to Finchley-common,
where an army was directed to assemble to cover
the metropolis. The fidelity of the English to the
reigning family rendered this precaution unneces
sary ; the projects of the rebel commanders were
disconcerted, and the young Pretender was obliged
to make a precipitate, retreat to Scotland. The
four troops of Ligonier's Horse were sent for
ward by the Duke of Cumberland, with other
forces, in pursuit of the rebel host ; and overtaking
the rear-guard of highlanders, under Lord George
Murray, on Clifton-moor, near Penrith, a sharp
skirmish ensued, in which the King's Own (now
third light) dragoons distinguished themselves.
Ligonier's Horse followed the retiring army
as far as Carlisle, where the rebels left a garrison,
and the four troops remained before this place
until its surrender on the 30th of December.
Meanwhile the King of France having made
some preparations for a descent upon the southern
coast of England, in favour of the Stuart cause, the
two troops of this regiment at Barnet were ordered
to quarters in Kent, to oppose the invaders, and
the other four troops were ordered from the north.
1746 No attempt was, however, made by the enemy to
effect a landing ; the four troops of the regiment
were halted at Northampton, and the other two

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 43
marched into quarters at Brentford and its vicinity, 1745
to take part in the escort duty for the royal family.
After the overthrow of the rebel army at Cullo
den, Ligonier's Horse furnished detachments to
guard the Lord Lovat and other prisoners to
London. The rebelhon having been finally suppressed,
the regiment was ordered, on the 25th of De
cember, 1746, to march to Liverpool, and embark
for Ireland, where it arrived in the foUoAving
month. From the period the regiment left Ireland, in 1747
1742, until its return in January, 1747, not one
man deserted from the corps ; neither was there a
man or horse taken by the enemy, nor a man tried
by a general court-martial. Six men died of dis
eases, and thirty-seven non-commissioned officers
and privates were promoted to commissions : this
last circumstance is demonstrative of the pre-emi
nent merit of the corps, and of the high character
it maintained. From the year 1693 the regiment had ranked
in the army as eighth horse ; but in December
1746 the second, third, and fourth horse became
first, second, and third dragoon guards ; and
Ligonier's regiment obtained rank as fourth
HORSE ; being on the Irish establishment it was
usually designated the " Fourth Irish Horse,"
and sometimes the " Black Horse," from the
distinguishing colour, or facing, of the regiment.
Negociations having been commenced at Aix- 1748
la-Chapelle, mth the view of concluding a treaty of
peace, the establishment of the Fourth Irish

44 historical record of
1748 Horse was reduced to twenty-one private men per
troop.
1749 On the removal of General Sir John Ligonier,
K.B., to the second dragoon guards, in July,
1749, King George II. conferred the colonelcy of
the regiment on Sir John Mordaunt, K.B., from
the twelfth dragoons ; and on his removal to the
tenth dragoons in November following, the com
mand of the Fourth Irish Horse was conferred
upon Major-General Henry de Grangue.
] 751 The following particulars respecting the clothing
and standards of the regiment are extracted from
a warrant under the sign manual, bearing date the
1st of July, 1751 :—
Coats — scarlet ; the facings and lappels of
black ; the button-holes worked with yellow ; the
buttons of yellow metal, set on two and two ; and
a long slash pocket in each skirt.
Waistcoats and Breeches — buff.
Hats — bound with gold lace, and ornamented
with a yellow metal loop, and a black cockade.
Boots — of jacked leather.
Cloaks — of scarlet cloth, with a black collar,
and lined with black shalloon ; the buttons set on
two and two upon yellow frogs or loops, with a
black stripe down the centre.
Horse Furniture — of buff-coloured cloth;
the holster-caps and housings having a border of
broad white lace, with a black stripe down the
centre ; h embroidered on a red ground within a
wreath of roses and thistles on each corner of the
housing ; and on the holster-caps, the king's
cypher and crown, with ^^ underneath.

the seventh dragoon guards. 45
Officers distinguished by gold lace ; their 1751
coats and waistcoats bound with gold embroidery ;
the button-holes worked with gold ; and a crimson
silk sash worn across the left shoulder.
Quarter-Master — to wear a crimson sash
round the waist.
Corporals — to have narrow gold lace on the
lapels, cuffs, pockets, and shoulder-straps.
Trumpeters — clothed in buff-coloured coats,
faced and lapelled with red, and ornamented with
white lace with a black stripe down the centre ;
their waistcoats and breeches of red cloth.
Standards. — ^The first, or king's, standard to
be crimson damask, embroidered and fringed with
gold and silver ; in the centre the rose and thistle
conjoined and crown over them, with the motto
Dieu et mon Droit underneath : the white horse
in a compartment in the first and fourth corners,
and 'J in gold characters on a black ground in a
compartment in the second and third corners.
The second and third standards to be of black
damask, in the centre the rank of the regiment in
gold Roman characters on a crimson ground,
within a wreath of roses and thistles : the white
horse on a scarlet ground in the first and fourth
compartments, and the rose and thistle conjoined
upon a scarlet ground in the second and. third com
partments. On the Sth of July, 1754, His Majesty was 1754
pleased to appoint Major-General Henry Seymour
Conway to the colonelcy of the Fourth Irish
Horse, in succession to Lieut.-General de
Grangue, deceased.
Few years elapsed from the conclusion of the

46 historical record of
1755 treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, before another war with
France took place, which, commencing in 1755,
and ending in 1762, has been designated the seven
years' war.
The principal cause of this rupture between the
two nations arose from the undetermined limits of
the British territory in North America, where hos
tilities commenced on the banks ofthe Ohio. Eu
rope also soon became the theatre of active opera-
1756 tions. The enemy's design of landing an army on
the British coast having been frustrated, Hanover
1757 was attacked : the Hanoverian, Hessian, and
Brunswick troops employed in the defence of the
electorate under the Duke of Cumberland, were
outnumbered by their adversaries, and his Royal
Highness concluded a convention, in which he
agreed for the Hesse and Brunswick troops to re
turn to their homes, and the Hanoverians to remain
in a district assigned them.
1758 The separation of the army was followed by ag
gressions on the part of France ; King George II.
declared the conditions of the convention violated,
reassembled the troops, and having appointed Fer
dinand Duke of Brunswick to the command of the
army, sent a number of British regiments to Ger
many to serve under his Serene Highness. Several
victories were gained, and Hanover was rescued
from the power of the enemy.
1759 On the 5th of April, 1759, Major-General
Philip Honeywood was appointed to the colonelcy
of the Fourth Irish Horse, from the ninth dra
goons ; and Lieutenant-General Seymour Conway
was removed to the royal dragoons.
1760 Military operations being continued on the

THE seventh dragoon GUARDS. 47
frontiers of Hanover, and in the neighbouring 1760
states, additional forces were sent to Germany,
and, in the early part of 1760, the Fourth Horse
were directed to prepare for foreign service. The
establishment was augmented to forty-nine private
men per troop, and the ranks were completed by
transfers of men and horses from other cavalry
corps. The regiment marched to Dublin, , where
(according to the publications of the day) its fine
appearance was universally admired, and, with the
recollection of its gallant conduct during the late
war, produced the most lively anticipations of its
future achievements on the plains of Germany.
Embarking from Dublin towards the end of March,
the regiment arrived in Germany in the following
month, and, after along and toilsome march, joined
the army commanded by the Duke of Brunswick
at the camp at Saxenhausen in the landgraviate of
Hesse, on the 18th of July, and was united to the
brigade consisting of the royal horse guards and
carabineers, commanded by Major-General Ho
neywood. Shortly after the regiment joined the army, the
enemy endeavoured to cut off the communication
with Cassel, when the Duke of Brunswick retired
to KaUe, and during the retreat a piquet of the
Fourth Horse, and a detachment of the carabi
neers, had an opportunity of evincing their innate
bravery in a sharp rencounter with the enemy near
JVolfshagen on the 25th of July.
The Chevaher de Muy, having passed the Dymel
at Stradtberg with upwards of thirty thousand men,
extended his force along the banks of the river, in

48 HISTORICAL RECORD OF
1760 order to cut off the communication of the allies
with Westphalia ; at the same time a division of
Danes proceeded in the direction of Cassel, and the
main body of the French army advanced against
the camp at KaUe. The Duke of Brunswick de
tached a body of troops to defend Cassel, and
crossed the Dymel with the main body of the army.
The Fourth Horse quitted the camp at Kalle at
eleven o'clock on the night of the 30th of July,
crossed the Dymel at Libenau, and were in posi
tion on the heights of Corbeke at five o'clock on
the following morning. Meanwhile the Chevalier
de Muy had taken post on the heights of War
burg ; and a division of the allied army, led by
the hereditary Prince of Brunswick, having passed
the Dymel lower down, had gained the left flank
of the French army. The Fourth Horse, and
nine other regiments of British cavalry, advanced
to a wood near the barony of Denenberg, and as
soon as the . hereditary prince had attacked the
enemy's flank, they were ordered forward to charge
the enemy in front. The distance was five miles,
and as the enemy was falling back upon Warburg
the occasion was pressing. The British regiments
dashed forward, and traversing the ground with a
velocity and eagerness which indicated the glowing
ardour that animated the officers and men, they
soon arrived at the scene of conflict. Major-Ge
neral Honeywood formed his brigade, and leading
the three regiments to the charge with distin
guished gallantry, while the other brigades formed
and joined in the attack, the enemy's cavalry was
broken and driven out of the field. The Fourth

the seventh dragoon GUARDS. 49
Horse, emulating the conduct of their colonel, 1760
broke the opposing squadrons of French cavalry,
and pressing forward in pursuit, passed through
Warburg, crossed the Dymel (where many of the
French were drowned in their haste to pass the
river), and bivouacked that night on the heights
of Wilda, four miles in advance of the main body
of the army.
The conduct of the British cavalry on this occa
sion excited applause ; the noble spectacle of ten
regiments arriving at speed on the contested ground,
— deploying, — charging the enemy's cavalry with
irresistible fury, — falling upon the infantry, and
displaying all the chivalrous spirit — the native
valour of Britons, occasioned the Duke of Bruns
wick to state in general orders, " all the British
CAVALRY PERFORMED PRODIGIES OF VALOUR."
The Marquis of Granby stated in his public de
spatch that " NOTHING COULD EXCEED THEIR GAL
LANT BEHAVIOUR ON THAT OCCASION ;" and in the
publications of that period it was declared that
" THE British cavalry outdid the prince's
EXPECTATIONS, AND INDEED ALL FORMER EXAM
PLES." The Fourth Horse had twenty men and fifty-
one horses killed and missing ; and Captain Gore,
Cornet Colebrough, three men, and two horses
wounded. They quitted the heights of Wilda on
the 3rd of August, repassed the Dymel, and joined
the main army encamped near Warburg. They
were stationed along the banks of the Dymel for
five months, and several sharp actions occurred be
tween the piquets and patroles of both armies.
E

50 HISTORICAL RECORD OP
1760 The weather becoming severe, and provision and
forage difficult to procure, the men suffered severe
hardships. On the 10th of October the troopers
received orders to build huts for themselves, and
temporary sheds for their horses. In December
the regiments went into quarters in the neighbour
ing villages, which had been plundered by the
French, and finding the inhabitants in a state of
destitution, the British troops, though suffering
extreme hardships and privations themselves, sub
scribed a sum of money for the relief of the perish
ing peasantry.*
1761 The Fourth Horse were engaged in February,
1761, in the expedition into the country of Hesse,
when the French were surprised in their winter-
quarters, and several towns containing extensive
magazines of provision and forage were captured.
After returning from this expedition, they were
quartered in villages near the banks of the river
Lippe, where they were joined by a remount from
England. In June they marched to Hamm, a
town situate at the confluence of the Lippe and the
Asse rivers, where they were again formed in bri
gade with the royal horse guards and carabineers,
commanded by Major-General the Earl of Pem
broke. From Hamm they advanced along the
course of the Asse, and joined the army com
manded by the Duke of Brunswick on the 24th of
June, at Soest, in Westphalia. Having quitted
Soest on the 28th of June, the brigade encamped
near Werl, and on the following day advanced

* The Marquis of Granby"s order-book.

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 51
with other forces against a corps of the enemy 1761
posted behind Werl ; but the French made a pre
cipitate retreat towards the main body of their
army ; some skirmishing took place, and at night
the brigade encamped between the Unna and the
Roer. During the night of the 1 st of July, the
allied army marched through a heavy rain towards
Unna, and turned- the enemy's left flank with the
view of attacking him in the rear ; but this was
rendered impracticable by morasses, and having
continued the march three days, along roads
scarcely passable, the allies took post on the right
flank of the French army. On the Sth of July
they advanced in six columns to attack the enemy,
but found him too strongly posted to admit of a
chance of success. The French forces, commanded
by Marshal de Soubise, quitted their position on
the evening of the 6th of July, and marched
towards Soest, where they were joined by the
troops under the Duke de Broglio, and by this
union they had a great superiority of numbers.
The Duke of Brunswick advanced to Hans-
Hohenover, and took up a position, his left on the
river Lippe and his right behind Werl ; and on
the 15th of July the infantry under the Marquis
of Granby, posted at Kirch Denkern, were at
tacked by the enemy, whom they repulsed and
drove back to the woods. On the following day
the enemy renewed the attack with additional
numbers, and the Fourth Horse moved forward,
with the remainder of their brigade, and, passing
Kirch Denkern, took post near the Asse river,
E 2

52 historical record op
1761 to support the infantry. The day was passed in
hard fighting, and ended in the defeat of the enemy
with considerable loss ; but owing to the nature of
the ground the heavy cavalry could not act. After
the retreat of the enemy the regiment returned to
its camp at Hans-Hohenover.
The French commanders having changed their
position, the regiment marched on the 28th of July
in the direction of Paderborn ; and on the Sth of
August it was engaged in the action near Stradt
berg. The army was again in motion on the 10th
of that month, and the cavalry had several encoun
ters with detachments of the enemy. On the 24th
the regiment proceeded towards the Dymel, and
was employed in forcing the enemy's posts in that
quarter ; on the 30th it re-passed the Dymel, and
encamped at Buhne until the 17th of September,
when it crossed the river a second time at War
burg, and was at the engagement at Immenhausen
on the following day.
The Fourth Horse were subsequently en
camped near Wilhelmsthal, from whence they
marched in the beginning of October, and were
engaged in several skirmishes in the electorate of
Hanover. On the 4th of December they proceeded
into quarters in East Friesland.
1762 The regiment remained in quarters until June,
1762, and on the 18th of that month it joined the
camp al Brakel, where it was formed in brigade
with the carabineers, under the orders of Brigadier-
General Napier. Advancing from Brakel on the
20th of June, the brigade proceeded towards the

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 53
Dymel, and encamped on the following day with 1762
the army between Corbeke and the heights of
Tissel. At daybreak on the morning ofthe 24th of June
the regiment advanced towards the Dymel, crossed
that river at Libenau, and proceeded by Langen-
berg towards Groebenstein, with the column des
tined to attack the centre of the French army un
der Marshals D'Etrfees and Soubise. The enemy
was surprised in his camp, and soon put to confu
sion ; and abandoning his equipages at Groeben
stein, made a precipitate retreat upon Cassel. One
division of the French army was surrounded in the
woods of Wilhelmsthal, and nearly every man
either killed or taken prisoner. The Fourth
Horse afterwards pursued the enemy in the direc
tion of Cassel, and bivouacked at night on the
heights near Weimar.
The regiment was subsequently engaged in an
extensive plan of operations, and in several skir-
mishes with the enemy it evinced a noble bearing
and gallantry which procured it the approbation
and thanks of the commander-in-chief. By a se
ries of combined manoeuvres the French were
driven from a considerable portion of the territory
on which they had seized, and the city of Cassel
was wrested from them. This success was fol
lowed by proposals for a treaty of peace ; a cessa
tion of arms took place in November; and the
Fourth Horse went into quarters in the bishop
ric of Munster,
In the beginning of the following year the 1763
thanks of Parliament were communicated to the

54 historical record of
1763 army for its eminent and meritorious services
during the war. On the 25th of January, 1763,
the Fourth Horse commenced their march
through the United Provinces to Williamstadt,
where they embarked for England. According to
the official returns their numbers were reduced by
losses in action, and the other casualties of war, to
nine officers and two hundred and ninety-one men.
After its arrival in England, the regiment was
quartered at St. Alban's and the neighbouring
towns, and the establishment was reduced to two
corporals, one trumpeter, and twenty private men
per troop. About the middle of May it was
ordered to proceed to Ireland, and it landed at
Dublin on the 28th of that month.
1764 In 1764 and 1765 several alterations were made
1765 in the uniform. The binding of gold lace, or em
broidery on the officers' regimentals, was directed
to be discontinued ; the jacked leather boots were
ordered to be replaced by others of a lighter de
scription ; and the regiment was ordered to be re
mounted with long-tailed horses.
1776 Hostilities having commenced between Great
Britain and her revolted North American colonies,
the regiment sent, in February, 1776, a draft of
troop-horses to that country to be employed as the
service required ; an augmentation of one corporal
and ten private men per troop was also made to its
numbers ; but the nature of the war occasioned
few demands to be made on the cavalry for active
service, and the Fourth Horse remained in
Ireland.
1782 On the 7th of June, 1782, General Honeywood

the seventh dragoon guards. 55
was removed to the third dragoon guards, and the 1782
colonelcy of the Fourth Horse was conferred on
Lieut.-General Studholme Hodgson, from the
fourth foot.
At the conclusion of the American war, in 1783
1783, the establishment was reduced to its former
numbers. On the 1st of April, 1788, the four regiments 1788
of horse on the Irish establishment were reduced
to the pay and quality of dragoons, and designated
the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh dragoon
guards. The regiment which forms the subject
of this memoir became the Seventh Regiment
OF Dragoon Guards, and it was further honoured
with the title of the Princess Royal's Regi
ment.* Several alterations were at the same time
made in the costume of the regiment. The waist
coats, breeches, lining to the coats and cloaks, and
horse furniture, were changed from buff to white ;
the waistcoats and breeches of the trumpeters and
kettle-drummers from red to white ; and the
officers were directed to wear an epaulette on each
shoulder. The width of the pouch-belt was also
reduced, and the flask-string laid aside.
General Hodgson was removed, in March, 1789, 1789

* " Adjutant-General's Office, 4th April, 1788.
" Sir, — Having had the honour this day to lay before His
" Majesty your application for his royal permission that the regi-
" ment of Irish cavalry, now the Seventh Regiment of Dra-
•' GOON Guards, under your command, may have the title of the
" Princess Royal's Dragoon Guards, I have the pleasure to
" acquaint you, that His Majesty has been graciously pleased to
" comply with your request, on which flattering mark of distinction
" I beg leave to congratulate you and the regiment.
(Signed) " William Fawcett, A.G.
" General Studholme Hodgson, Colonel ofthe
Seventh Regiment of Dragoon Guards."

56 historical record op
1789 to the eleventh dragoons, and was succeeded in the
command of the Princess Royal's Dragoon
Guards by Lieut.-General Sir Charles Grey,
from the eighth dragoons.
1790 The head quarters were established at TuUa
more in January, 1790 ; in September at Birr ; in
1791 December, 1791, at Mountmelick; and in De-
1792 cember, 1792, they returned to TuUamore. In the
1793 beginning of 1793, they were removed to KeUs,
but returned to TuUamore in July following, and
1794 in April, 1794, proceeded to Dublin, where they
1795 remained until August, 1795.
In the meantime a revolution had taken place
in France; Great Britain was at M^ar with the re
publican government of that country ; the estab
lishment of the Seventh Dragoon Guards had
been considerably augmented, and they were di
rected to hold themselves in readiness to proceed
on foreign service. In August, 1795, they pro
ceeded to Cork, under the command of Lieut.-
Colonel Edward Dunne, in order to embark for
Quiberoon Bay ; but the embarkation was subse
quently countermanded, and the regiment pro
ceeded to Mallow.
On the Sth of November, 1795, His Majesty
conferred the colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoon
Guards on Major-General Sir Ralph Aber
cromby, from the sixth foot, in succession to Sir
Charles Grey, removed to the twentieth light
dragoons.
1 796 The head quarters were removed in March, 1 796,
to Longford ; and in November foUowing Sir
Ralph Abercromby was removed to the Scots
Greys, and was succeeded in the colonelcy of the

the seventh dragoon guards. 57
Princess Royal's Dragoon Guards by Lieut.- 1796
General Sir William Medows, K.B., from the
seventy-third foot.
In the summer of 1797 the regiment was en- 1797
camped on the Curragh of Kildare, with five other
regiments of cavalry ; and in October, when the
camp broke up, the head quarters proceeded to
TuUamore. The establishment having been
augmented to nine troops of seventy men each,
a second lieutenant-colonel was added to its
effectives. The war with France assumed a character 1798
which called forth strenuous exertions on the part
of the British government and people ; the dan
gerous doctrines of republicanism gained ground,
and many persons, particularly in Ireland, became
infected with republican principles. Public as well
as private subscriptions were made towards de
fraying the expenses of war ; and the Princess
Royal's Dragoon Guards evinced their loyalty
and their abhorrence of republican principles by a
donation of 420/. for that purpose, which sum was
accepted as a token of their fidelity and attachment
to His Majesty's person and government. The
regiment was in Ma-jor-GeneralWilford's brigade:
Colonel Edward Dunne was appointed to act as
brigadier-general, but remained in command of the
corps. The passions of the misguided Irish peasantry
had, in the meantime, been so wrought upon by
designing men, that in May, 1798, they broke out
into open rebellion ; and during the continuance
of the unnatural warfare which followed, the
Seventh Dragoon Guards performed much

58 historical record op
1798 painful and harassing duty; they were frequently
detached in small parties and had occasional ren
counters with the bands of insurgents which
prowled about the country. A squadron of the
regiment, commanded by Captains Head and
Davies, was employed near Kilbeggan ; and a body
of rebels, in an attack upon that town on the 17th
of June, having been repulsed by the Northumber
land fencibles, took refuge in a bog, when Captain
Head, dismounting every second man, pursued the
insurgents into the bog on foot, and killed and took
prisoners a considerable number.
One troop ofthe regiment served under General
Lake in the attack on the rebel strong-hold on
Vinegar-hill on the 21st of June ; it formed part
of the column under Lieut.-General Sir David
Dundas, and contributed to the overthrow of the
rebel army : Captain Dunne, who commanded the
troop, was wounded.
On the 29th of June the detachments were
called in, and the regiment was ordered to assemble
at TuUamore. The rebels having assembled in
considerable numbers in the county of Kildare
and seized on the town of Rathangan, two
squadrons of the Seventh Dragoon Guards
were ordered from TuUamore under the command
of Colonel the Hon. Stephen Mahon, with direc
tions to dislodge them. The two squadrons
entered the lower part of the town without mo
lestation ; but on arriving near the centre, the
streets were found barricaded with trees, cars, and
other articles, and a severe fire was opened from
the windows of the houses; at the same time
Cornet Malone, of the regiment, riding a

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 59
spirited horse, was carried over the barricade and 1798
taken prisoner. Colonel Mahon withdrew his
squadrons from the streets with the loss of three
men and three horses killed ; Captain Tomkins,
one serjeant, six rank and file, and eleven horses,
wounded. Having surrounded the town, two
field-pieces were brought forward, and opening
their fire, the rebels were dislodged, when the
troops made a second attack, and several hundreds
of the insurgents were cut down : in the con
fusion Cornet Malone effected his escape. This
officer's adventure is rather singular : the instant
he was taken prisoner by the insurgents he was
ordered for execution ; but one of the rebel cap
tains (who had been butler to the cornet's father)
procured a respite for a few hours; and in the
confusion of the attack which followed, he
escaped. The rebel captain was not so for
tunate ; he was taken, marched a prisoner by the
regiment to TuUamore, where he was tried by a
court-martial, and received sentence of death,
which was commuted, at the earnest request of
Cornet Malone, to transportation.
On the 12th of July a detachment of the
Seventh Dragoon Guards, and another of the
city of Limerick militia, under the command of
Lieut.-Colonel Gough, attacked a large body of
rebels, and, after a sharp contest, put them to
flight, and captured their camp with many horses
and black cattle.
Soon afterwards the rebellion was finally sup
pressed ; and the conduct of the Seventh Dra
goon Guards during the whole of its continuance,
and their exertions in preserving tranquillity in the

60 historical record of
1 798 district more immediately entrusted to their charge,
was such as to call forth the unqualified approba
tion ofthe lord lieutenant of Ireland, the Marquis
Cornwallis.
1799 The regiment remained in Ireland until the
summer of 1799, when it proceeded to England,
and was placed on the English establishment on
the 24th of August ; its head-quarters were estab
lished at Worcester ; and an order was received
for the horses' taUs to be docked; short-skirted
coatees were also directed to be substituted for the
long coats previously worn.
1800 In the beginning of 1800 the establishment was
augmented to ten troops, and the total numbers ta
850, officers and men.
The regiment was reviewed at Worcester by
Major-General Wilford in April, 1800. In May
the head quarters proceeded to Gloucester ; in
June to Bristol ; back to Worcester in October ;
1801 and in February, 1801, they were again established
at Bristol. In April they were once more re
moved to Worcester ; in May to Rumford ; and
on the 25th of that month the regiment had the
honour of being inspected at Forest-end by His
Royal Highness the Duke of York.
After the inspection the regiment marched to
Canterbury ; and, a treaty of peace having been
concluded with the French republic at Amiens,
1802 the establishment was reduced, in May, 1802, to
sixty-five non-commissioned officers and private
men per troop. In June a further reduction of
two troops took place ; and the head-quarters were
removed to Birmingham.
The first consul of France, Napoleon Bona-

the seventh dragoon guards. 61
parte, having violated the conditions of the treaty 1802
of Amiens, the war was resumed in 1803, when 1803
the dismounted men were ordered to be mounted
as quickly as possible : one serjeant and ten men
were added to each troop; and three additional
captains released the field-officers from the charge
of troops. In July the regiment proceeded to
Hertford, where eighty men and eighty horses
were added to its establishment ; and after its ar
rival "at Bury St. Edmund's, in September, two
troops were added.
In the following spring the regiment marched 1804
northwards, and arrived at Newcastle-on-Tyne in
May ; it proceeded to Edinburgh in the following 1805
year, where it arrived in May, and the head
quarters were established at Piershill barracks.
Early in 1806 the regiment marched to Port 1806
Patrick, where it embarked for Ireland; on its
arrival, its head-quarters were stationed at Dun
dalk ; in February, 1807, they were removed to 1807
Clonmel, and in August following to Dublin.
The regiment left Dublin in the summer of 1808
1808, and the head-quarters were established at
Limerick ; in the autumn it proceeded to Cork,
and during the winter to Mallow, but returned in
February, 1809, to Limerick, from whence it 1809
marched during the following summer to Dublin,
and embarked for England. After landing, the
head-quarters proceeded to Manchester ; and
during the summer of 1810 they vvere removed to 1810
Birmingham. In August of this year six troops of the
Seventh Dragoon Guards were directed to be
held in readiness for foreign service ; but the order

62 historical record op
1810 was subsequently cancelled, and the regiment had
no opportunity of distinguishing itself during the
war. In the summer of 1812 the regiment was en-
1812 camped near Sutton Coldfield. In this year the
cocked hats were replaced by helmets, and the
breeches and long boots by cloth pantaloons and
short boots.
1813 In 1813 the regiment marched to Scotland,
where it remained twelve months.
On the 20th of November, 1813, His Royal
Highness the Prince Regent appointed Lieut.-
General Richard Rich Wilford colonel of the
Seventh Dragoon Guards, in succession to Sir
William Medows, deceased.
1814 In May, 1814, the regiment again proceeded to
Ireland, and was stationed at Dundalk, &c., where
it was inspected by Major-General Coghlan, who
issued a brigade order on the occasion, from which
the following is an extract : —
" Major-General Coghlan has great pleasure in
" expressing to Colonel Latham the very high
" opinion he formed of the three troops of the
" Seventh Dragoon Guards stationed at Dun-
" dalk, and of the troop at Monaghan, when he in-
" spected them on the 24th and 26th of May.
" The major-general requests that Colonel
" Latham wUl accept his thanks, and will inform
" Lieut.-Colonel Dunne, Major Bunbury, and the
" officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates,
" that he highly approves of their appearance and
" conduct in the field, and that he has much satis-
" faction in observing the correctness and celerity
" Avith which the field movements were performed.''

the seventh dragoon guards. 63
The war having been terminated by the over- 1814
throw of the power of Bonaparte and the restora
tion of the Bourbon dynasty to the throne of
France, the establishment of the regiment was
considerably reduced. 18 1 5
In May, 1815,* the regiment was inspected by
Major-General Burnett, who was pleased to issue
the following brigade order : —
" Major-General Burnett has every reason to be
" satisfied with the troops of the Seventh or
" Princess Royal's Regiment of Dragoon
" Guards, which he lately inspected at Dundalk,
" Belturbet, and Monaghan. The major-general
" particularly remarked the uniform appearance
" both of the officers and men, and the' good con-
" dition of the horses. The interior of the regi-
" ment appears to be extremely well conducted,
" and is very creditable to Lieut.-Colonel Dunne."
In August of the same year the regiment pro
ceeded to Dublin, where it was inspected by Major-
General O'Loghlin, who expressed great satisfac
tion at the general good appearance of the corps.
In April, 1816, the regiment proceeded to Clon- 1816
mel, and the following brigade order was issued
after the half-yearly inspection made on the 2d of
October : —
" Major-General Doyle was much satisfied with
" the clean, steady, and soldier-like appearance of
" the Seventh Dragoon Guards at the inspec-

* About eleven o'clock on the night of the 24th of February,
1815, Serjeant James Roxter, ofthe regiment, who was returning
from revenue duty, was shot at the head of his party (six mounted
men) within two miles of Barliebrough.

64 historical record of
1816 « tion in the field this day. The good condition
" of the horses, the precision and celerity with
" which the several movements were performed,
" and the excellent system of interior economy
" is highly creditable to Lieut.-Colonel Dunne,
" who appears to be ably supported by the officers
" under his command.
" Major-General Doyle is happy to observe the
" same good system and regularity maintained in
" the Seventh Dragoon Guards, which he had
" the satisfaction to notice at the last half-yearly
" inspection. The cleanly and soldier-like appear-
" ance of the men, and the fine condition of the
" horses, reflects much credit on Lieut.-Colonel
" Dunne and the regiment at large."
This year the establishment was further reduced
to 493 men and 333 horses.
1817 The regiment continued in Ireland until the
1818 summer of 1818 : previous to its embarkation for
England it was inspected by Major-General Doyle,
who issued the following order on the subject : — •
" The appearance of the Seventh Dragoon
" Guards at the half-yearly inspection this day
" does infinite credit to Lieut.-Colonel Dunne.
" The movements in the field were performed with
" great precision ; the charges in squadrons and
" in line were compact and rapid : and the horses
" were in excellent condition. The interior eco-
" nomy of the regiment is extremely good."
The regiment embarked at Waterford on the
20th and 22d of July, and landed at Biddeford two
days afterwards. T,he head-quarters were subse
quently established at Exeter.

the seventh dragoon guards. 65
In September, 1819, the regiment commenced 1819
its march for Carlisle ; but on arriving at Barns-
ley, th« route for Carlisle was countermanded, and
the regiment was ordered to proceed to Preston in
Lancashire, where it arrived on the 1st of October.
In December, 1819, the clothing was altered from
short coat6es to long coats, with lace across the
breast ; the helmet with bear-skin crest was also
introduced ; and the colour of the pantaloons
changed from blue-grey to dark grey.
In the spring of 1820 the regiment marched for |820
Scotland, and arrived at Piershill barracks near
Edinburgh on the 1st of May.
After remaining in Scotland twelve months the 1821
regiment returned to England, and was stationed
at Nottingham and its vicinity ; and on the 25th
of August, 1821, the establishment was reduced to
six troops, — each troop consisting of three officers,
one serjeant-major, two serjeants, three corporals,
one trumpeter, one farrier, forty-seven private
men, and forty-two horses.
In February, 1822, the regiment marched into i822
Lancashire, and the head-quarters were established
at Manchester. In July of the same year the regi
ment marched for Scotland, and arrived at Glasgow
barracks on the 3d of August. While on the
march a squadron under the command of Lieut.-
Colonel Head was ordered to Edinburgh lo assist
in the duties to be performed during His Majesty's
visit to Scotland : it proceeded to Glasgow after
the King's departure.
On the 24th of December, His Majesty ap
pointed Lieut.-General Sir Robert Bolton, G.C.H.,
to the colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoon
F

66 historical record of
1822 Guards, in succession to General WUford, de
ceased.
1823 The regiment remained at Glasgow until May,
1823, when the foUowing order was received,
bearing date the 24th of that month ; — " Major-
" General Sir Thomas Bradford having received
" orders to put in motion for Ireland the Seventh
" Dragoon Guards, which have been so long
" under his command, he cannot, in justice to the
" corps, allow it to depart without expressing his
" approbation of the correct and zealous manner in
" which all duties have been performed by every in-
" dividual in the regiment, as well as the very
" orderly and soldier-like deportment ofthe men in
" quarters ; and the major-general requests Colonel
" Dunne will be pleased to convey to the officers,
" non-commissioned officers, and privates, these his
" sentiments of their conduct during the long period
" they have been stationed in North Britain."
Having embarked at Portpatrick on the 1st of
June, the regiment arrived at Dundalk on the
Sth ; was inspected at that town by Lieut.-General
Lord Combermere in October, and again in April,
jg2g 1824 ; and in June marched to Newbridge-barracks,
1826 where it remained until January, 1827, when it pro-
1827 ceeded to Dublin, and occupied Portobello barracks.
The regiment remained at Dublin until April,
when it embarked in two divisions for Liverpool,
from whence it marched to Coventry and Bir
mingham, where it was stationed until the following
1828 spring, when it proceeded to Manchester; and in
the autumn it was removed to York and New
castle on Tyne. In this year the lace across the
breast of the coat was discontinued, and the em-

the seventh dragoon guards. 67
broidered coUar and sleeves adopted ; the colour of 1828
the overalls was changed to dark blue, with a gold
lace stripe.
York Minster having been set on fire on the 1829
morning of the 2d of February, 1829, by an in
cendiary, the four troops of the regiment imme
diately proceeded thither with the barrack engine
to assist in extinguishing the fire, which was for
tunately effected about four o'clock in the after
noon ; and on the 10th of that month the follow
ing communication was received : —
" At a meeting of the Chapter, held in York
'• Minster on Tuesday, the lOth of February, 1829,
" present the Dean and Residentiaries.
" Resolved unanimously, ' That the most grateful
" thanks of the Chapter be offered to Major Clark,
" the officers and privates of the Seventh Regiment
" of Dragoon Guards, for their valuable services at
" the time ofthe conflagration in York Minster.'
" To compliment so distinguished a regiment as
" the Seventh Dragoon Guards on its order and dis-
" cipline would be superfluous and nugatory; but it
" may truly be remarked that there never was an oc-
" casion when order and discipline were more con-
" spicuous, or more useful, than in the conduct of
" this regiment on the awful 2d of February,1829."
A change of quarters took place in March and
April, and the regiment was stationed at Ipswich
and Norwich. An extensive fire having occurred
at Norwich on the 30th of October, which the
exertions of the troops contributed greatly in ex
tinguishing, the public thanks of the court of
mayoralty were communicated to the regiment, in
the following terms. p 2

68 historical record of
1829 '¦ Norwich. — At a Court of Mayoralty held at
" the GmldhaU on the 31st day of October, 1829.
" Resolved unanimously — ' That the thanks of
" this Court be, and they are hereby given, to the
" officers and privates of the Seventh Dragoon
" Guards, for the prompt, active, and effectual as-
" sistance which they afforded at the fire last night
" on the premises of Messrs. Squire and Hill.' "
1830 The regiment marched for Canterbury in April,
1830 ; two troops were detached on the 29th of
that month to Rye, in Sussex, to assist the civil
power : they commenced their march at eight
o'clock in the evening, and arrived at Rye at two
in the morning, a distance of thirty-five miles.
General Lord Hill reviewed four troops of the
Seventh Dragoon Guards at Canterbury, with
the seventy-fifth regiment, and the reserve com
panies of the eighty-second, on the Sth of May,
when his Lordship was pleased to express himself
perfectly satisfied with the appearance of the men
and horses, and with the correctness of their move
ments in the field.
On the llth of June Lieut.-Colonel Alex
ander Kennedy Clark was appointed to the lieut.-
colonelcy of the regiment, in succession to Lieut.-
Colonel Skinner Hancox, who retired from the
service. During the months of October, November, and
1831 December, 1830, and January, 1831, the regiment
performed much extra duty, in consequence of the
disturbed state of the southern counties of Eng
land. The agricultural labourers, assembling in
large bodies during the night, destroyed thrashing
machines, and burnt large quantities of corn.

the seventh dragoon guards. 69
straw, and farming property ; and the Seventh 1831
Dragoon Guards furnished patroles, and small
parties in the neighbourhood of Canterbury, to
assist the magistrates in suppressing these pro
ceedings. At the same time detachments, varying
in numbers from twenty men to a squadron,
traversed the counties of Kent, Sussex, &c., in
various directions, aud rendered effectual aid to
the civil authorities in reducing the disaffected
peasantry to obedience to the laws.
On the 28th of July, General Lord Hill, accom
panied by the adjutant-general, quarter-master-
general, and other distinguished officers, reviewed
the regiment on the exercising ground at Canter
bury, and his lordship was pleased to express his
unqualified approbation of its appearance and dis
cipline. The Seventh Dragoon Guards, having been
appointed to attend the coronation of their majesv
ties King William IV. and Queen Adelaide,
marched from their different quarters on the 1st of
September, arrived at Lambeth on the 3d, and
formed part of the troops on duty on the 8th Sep
tember, when their Majesties proceeded in state
from St. James's palace to Westminster Abbey,
and the ceremonial of the coronation took place.
In commemoration of this event His Majesty was
graciously pleased to present a gold coronation
medal to Lieut.-Colonel A. K. Clark, the com
manding officer of the regiment, accompanied by
a letter expressive of His Majesty's approbation
of the appearance of the troops on that occasion.
On the following day the Seventh Dragoon
Guards, with the household brigade, Scots greys,
ninth lancers, and a detachment of the royal horse

70 historical record op
1831 artillery, the whole commanded by General the
Marquis of Londonderry, were reviewed by his
Serene Highness the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen,
accompanied by the Queen, the Duke of Cumber
land, and other distinguished personages.
The regiment left London on the 10th of Sep
tember, and returned to Canterbury and Battle ;
but was suddenly recalled to the neighbourhood of
London in the early part of November : the agi
tated state of the metropolis was, at this period,
such as induced his Majesty to decline attending
the banquet at Guildhall on the Lord Mayor's
day. The regiment marched back to Canterbury,
where it arrived on the 13th November; two
troops were detached to Chatham.
1832 Numerous chauges of quarters took place in the
early part of 1832; and in March the head
quarters were removed from Canterbury to Dor
chester.
1833 In January, 1833, the regiment marched to
Bristol and embarked for Ireland ; it landed at
Dublin, (excepting two troops, which were forced
by stormy weather to disembark at Waterford,)
and marched to Newbridge, where it was inspected
on the 29th of January by Lieut.-General Sir
Hussey Vivian, commanding the forces in Ireland,
who expressed his satisfaction at its appearance
and discipline. The head-quarters were subse
quently established at BallincoUig, which the regi
ment occupied, together with several detached
stations, and it furnished numerous parties to aid
the magistrates in preserving tranquillity in the
collection of tithes, to which much opposition
was shown by the Irish peasantry. While em
ployed in these painful duties the troops supported

the seventh dragoon guards. 71
the administration of the laws with firmness, and 1833
by their mild demeanour gained the approbation
of all parties.
The disturbed state of Ireland caused the regi- 1834
ment much extra duty in the early part of 1 834 ;
and in April the head-quarters were removed to
Cahir. The harassing services, before alluded to,
were also frequent during the summer and autumn.
On the llth of October Lieut.-General Sir Hussey
Vivian again inspected the regiment, and expressed
his approbation of its appearance, discipline, and
interior economy.
Several strong parties were furnished in Janu- 1835
ary, 1835, to preserve order at the contested elec
tions for members of parliament ; and the cheerful
alacrity, firmness, and forbearance with which
these duties were performed, elicited the approba
tion of the civU authorities. The lord-lieutenant
declared, in an official communication, — " I feel
" myself called upon to express the high sense I
" entertain ofthe admirable conduct of both officers
" and men, while employed in the performance of
" a duty in its very nature harassing and unplea-
" sant. According to all the reports which have
" been under my cognizance, nothing could have ex-
" ceeded their coolness, patience, and forbearance."
When the detachment of the regiment returned
from Cork, the commanding officer brought with
him the following communication : —
" Assistant Adjutant General's Office,
Cork, 2&th January, 1835.
" Sir, " Major General Sir Thomas Arbuthnot

72 historical record of
1835 "cannot allow the detachment of the Seventh
" Dragoon Guards under your command to quit
" this district without expressing to you his full ap-
" probation ofthe regular and soldier-Uke manner
" in which they turned out when called on, and at
" the cheerful manner in which they performed
" their duties during the county and city election
" held at this place. Sir Thomas Arbuthnot re-
" quests you will make these sentiments known to
" Lieut.-Colonel Clark.
" (Signed) Charles Turner, Colonel,
A. A. G.
" To the Officer commandimg ihe Detachment of
the Seventh Dragoon Guards, Cork."
In June a squadron of the regiment was em
ployed at Carlow during the election for the county,
and Lieut.-Colonel Clark commanded the cavalry
and infantry engaged in assisting the civil power
in preserving the public peace. Party spirit
running veiy high, the duty proved particularly
arduous and harassing, and the conduct of the
troops was such as to elicit the following commu
nications : — " Adjutant General's Office,
Dublin, 20th June, 1835.
" Sir, " The election at Carlow having terminated, I
" have received the commands ofthe major-general
" commanding to convey to you his entire approba-
" tion ofthe zeal and judgment you have displayed
" in the various arrangements connected with the
" disposal of the troops on this occasion.
" I am desired also by Sir Edward Blakeney to

the seventh dragoon guards. 73
" request that you wUl communicate to the officers, 1835
" non-commissioned officers and men, employed
" under your command, the great satisfaction he has
" derived from the assurance he has received from
" you, as well as from the civil authorities, of the
" perfect discipline and good conduct which have
" distinguished them throughout this election.
" (Signed) George D'Aquilar,
D. A. G.
" Lieut.-Col. Clark, K.H., Seventh Drag non
Guards, Carlow." " Carlow, 2QthJune, 1835.
" Sir,
" I should consider myself very deficient as high
" sheriff of this county, were I not to return my
" best thanks to you, the officers, non-commissioned
" officers, and soldiers under your command during
" the late contested election, for your able support
" and prompt co-operation with me at all times
" during that contest. From the great excitement
" that prevailed, and from the very numerous body
" of persons that assembled at Carlow during the
" election, in my opinion, and that of the magistrates
" of the county, — excitement would have increased
" to a very alarming extent, — the peace ofthe town
" could not have been preserved, — and many lives
" would have been lost, were it not for your very
" excellent arrangements of the troops, your great
" exertions, and that of the officers, non-commis-
" sioned officers, and soldiers under your command.
" (Signed) J. H. Eustace,
High Sheriff", County of Carlow.
" To Lieut.-Col. Clark, Seventh Dragoon
Guards, commanding at Carlow."

74 historical record op
1835 In July the regiment marched to DubUn, where
it was inspected on the 12th of October, by
Major-General Sir Edward Blakeney, the com
mander-in-chief in Ireland, who expressed himself
highly satisfied with the discipline, drill, and in
terior management of the corps, and with the ap
pearance and condition of the horses.
This year the black helmets with horse-hair
crests were discontinued, and the regiment was
supplied with brass helmets surmounted by a lion,
and calculated to be worn either with or without
a bear-skin crest.
1836 In March, 1836, Lieut.-General Sir Evan
Lloyd, K. C. H., was appointed colonel of the
Seventh Dragoon Guards, in succession to
General Sir Robert Bolton, deceased.
On the 30th of April the regiment exercised in
the Phoenix park, in field day order, in presence
of the general commanding-in-chief in Ireland,
who expressed his approval of the manner in which
the movements were executed, and his satisfaction
at the general good conduct of the regiment
during the period it had been under his immediate
command. In May it embarked for England, and
after landing at Liverpool, marched to Birming
ham, Walsall, Kidderminster, and Clifton. At
the half-yearly inspection in July, Major-General
Sir Charles Dalbiac expressed himself highly
satisfied with the corps.
1837 A change of quarters took place in April, 1837,
and the regiment was stationed at York, Leeds,
and Newcastle-on-Tyne. At the half yearly in
spection on the 28th of August, Major-General

THE SEVENTH DRAGOON GUARDS. 75
Sir Charles Dalbiac repeated his expressions of 1837
approbation of the appearance of the men and
horses, and of the interior economy of the corps.
In the summer of 1838 the regiment marched 1838
to Scotland, and occupied Piershill barracks,
Edinburgh, where it was inspected on the 12th
of July by Major-General Lord Greenock, K.C.B.,
commanding the forces in North Britain ; and his
Lordship was pleased to express his entire appro
bation of the appearance of the men and horses, and
of the discipline and interior economy of the corps.
In October, Lieut.-General Sir Charles Dalbiac,
K.C.H., made a most minute inspection of the re
giment, mounted and dismounted, on Portobello
sands, and in Piershill barracks, after which he
was pleased to observe (in presence of Major-
General Lord Greenock) that the Seventh
Dragoon Guards was the first regiment he in
spected after his appointment as inspecting general
of cavalry, and it was likely to be the last he
should see in his official capacity ; he therefore
availed himself of that opportunity to express
his entire approbation of the discipline, interior
economy, and efficiency of the regiment during the
eight years he had held that responsible situation.
On leaving Edinburgh, the following memoran- 1839
dum was received, bearing date the 14th of April,
1839 : " Major-General Lord Greenock cannot
" allow the Seventh Dragoon Guards to leave
" Scotland without expressing to Lieut.-Colonel
" Kennedy Clark,* and the ofiicers of that regi-
" ment, his very great regret at parting with a
* Now Lieut.-Colonel Clark Kennedy.

76 historical record.
1839 " corps which has so perfectly acquired his esteem
" and regard, both in respect to their private rela-
" tions and their public duties. The appearance,
" discipline, and efficiency of the Seventh Dra-
" GOON Guards, afford very satisfactory proof of
" the zeal and attention with which the service is
" conducted by them in every department. The
" major-general at the same time requests that the
" non-commissioned officers and soldiers may be
" assured that he has fully appreciated their ex-
" ceUent and soldier-like behaviour, on all occa-
" sions during the period the regiment has been
" under his command."
The regiment quitted PiershUl barracks in April,
and marched to Leeds, Halifax, Todmorden, and
Newcastl e-on-Ty ne .
The foregoing pages contain an account of the
formation and services of the Seventh Dragoon
Guards ; — the heroic conduct of the regiment at
the battles of the Boyne, Blenheim, Ramilies, and
Malplaquet ;— and its gallant behaviour at Det
tingen and Warburg. These, and the numerous
other occasions when it has been called upon to
render most arduous and important services in
Great Britain and Ireland, afford abundant proofs
of the value of this corps to the sovereign and to
the government ofthe country ; and the readiness
with which these services have been rendered, and
the firmness, temper, and endurance with which
the several duties have been performed, entitle the
regiment to the gratitude ofthe public, and reflect
honour on the ofiicers and men who compose it, or
who have at any time belonged to the corps.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

SEVENTH, OR PRINCESS ROYAL'S REGIMENT

DRAGOON GUARDS.

William Lord Cavendish, Earl of Devonshire.
Appointed Slst December, 1688.
Lord William Cavendish, son of the Earl of Devon
shire, was born in January, 1640. Descending from a
family ennobled for many generations, he possessed an
hereditary spirit of magnificence and patriotism; and
his natural abilities were so improved by education and
travelling, that he was distinguished for gracefulness
and gallantry, and was an ornament to the British
court. He was one of the four young noblemen who
bore the train of King Charles II. at the coronation in
1661. His innate bravery was evinced, while serving as a
volunteer on board the fleet under His Royal Highness
the Duke of York, at the naval engagement off Harwich,
on the 3rd of June, 1665 ; when the Dutch fleet was de
feated, eighteen ships were taken, fourteen sunk, and
several blown up. Bishop Burnet, speaking of his lord
ship, says, " he was ambitious, and had the courage of an
hero ;" and this quality was conspicuously displayed at

78 SUCCESSION OF colonels.
Paris in 1669, when, resenting the insult of three ofllicers
of the French guards, he had seven or eight swords drawn
against him, and defended himself with resolution. He
was a member of parliament for Derbyshire, and when
he saw the predilection of the court to French councils, he
presumed that papacy and arbitrary government were
predetermined on, and he prepared himself for that noble
opposition, in which he was so eminently distinguished
afterwards. His speeches were called severe reflections,
the more severe because true ; yet satisfied that he had
done his duty to his country faithfully, no frowns could
daunt him, and he appeared at court with an air of as
surance which he thought became his integrity. He
was the firm friend of William Lord Russel, at whose
trial he appeared boldly in court, and gave evidence in
the prisoner's behalf; and when he saw his friend sub
mitting to the hard sentence of death, he proposed to
change clothes in prison, and remain in disguise until
Lord Russel escaped.
Lord Cavendish had contracted an intimacy with
Thomas Thynne, Esq., after whose assassination he pur
sued a legal vengeance on the murderers, and brought
the immediate actors to condign punishment ; and when
the great abettor was acquitted, he charged the guilt of
blood upon Count Coningsmark, and engaged to prove it
in single combat.
On the decease of his father in 1684, he became fourth
Earl of Devonshire ; and he retained his principles of
opposition to papacy and arbitrary government in the
reign of King James II. Some attempts were made to
affright him, and one witness of rebellion was prepared
against him, whose mouth he stopped by desiring to con
front him. Having been insulted by Colonel Culpepper,
he chastised the aggressor within the verge of the court
with his cane, for which he was fined £30,000 by the
Court of King's Bench, and imprisoned until the fine
should be paid ; but he quitted the prison and proceeded

SUCCESSION OF colonels. 79
to his seat at Chatsworth, where he gave a bond for the
money, which had this providential discharge, " it was
found among the papers of King James, and was given
up by King William." His mother tendered in payment
bonds and other acknowledgments for above £60,000,
lent to King Charles I. and King Charles II. in their
greatest extremities ; but the popish party at court thought
his lordship had forfeited all title to gratitude and equity.
Notwithstanding these difficulties he projected the
splendid mansion at Chatsworth ; where he remained in re
tirement during the most part of the short reign of James
II.; and hearing with indignation ofthe advances to popery
and arbitrary power, he engaged freely in drawing the eyes
of the nobility and gentry towards the Prince of Orange.
The King, upon the first alarm from Holland, had a
jealousy of his lordship above any other peer, and sent
for him to court, that a strict watch might be kept on his
proceedings ; but he excused his attendance. He also
declined an invitation to enter the King's service ; and
concerted measures in favour of the Revolution with the
Earl of Danby, the Lord Delamere, Sir Scroop How,
and other persons of quality and interest. From among
the men his lordship raised in favour of the Prince of
Orange, a regiment of horse was formed, which now bears
the title ofthe Seventh Dragoon Guards, of which corps
his lordship was appointed colonel.
In his speeches in the house of lords he argued boldly
for the elevation of the Prince of Orange to the Throne.
In Febuary, 1689, he was appointed a member of the privy
council ; in March he was constituted lord lieutenant of
Derbyshire, also lord steward of their Majesties' house
hold ; and in April he was elected a knight companion of
the most noble order of the garter. At the coronation of
King William and Queen Mary he was lord high steward
of England for the day, and carried the regal crown ; in
this solemnity, his person, port, and habit were so very

80 SUCCESSION OF COLONELS.
graceful, that they adorned the procession and made the
regalia appear more illustrious.
Not designing to take any part in military services, he
was succeeded in the colonelcy of his regiment by Mein
hardt Count de Schomberg. He accompanied the King
to the congress at the Hague in January, 1691 : and in
May, 1694, he was created Marquis of Harrington and
Duke of Devonshire. On the accession of Queen Anne
his grace was continued in his high office, and he bore
the crown at her Majesty's coronation. He was active in
securing the Protestant succession ; and he was one of the
commissioners to treat of the union between England and
Scotland. The decease of his grace occurred in August,
1707 ; and a short account of his life was published in 1708
by Doctor White Kennett, Archdeacon of Huntingdon,
and afterwards Bishop of Peterborough.
Meinhardt Count de Schomberg.
Appointed 10th April, 1690.
Meinhardt Count de Schomberg (son of the celebrated
Frederick de Schomberg, who rose to the rank of marshal
in France, was created an English peer by tlie title of
Duke Schomberg, and was killed at the battle of the
Boyne) was honored with the dignity of Count of the
Roman empire, and acquired the reputation of an effi
cient military officer previously to his arrival in England.
King William III. conferred upon him the colonelcy of
the Earl of Devonshire's regiment of horse, and appointed
him to the command of the cavalry in Ireland, where he
served under his Majesty, and distinguished himself at the
battle of the Boyne. He was elevated to the peerage of
Ireland in April, 1691, by the title of Duke of Leinster;
and in 1692 he commanded a body of troops designed to
make a descent on the coast of France. " We had,"
observed Captain Parker, who served in the expedition.

succession of colonels. 81
" the grand fleet of England and Holland to attend us ;
" but, as the famous sea-fight of La Hogue, in which the
" naval force of France was in a great measure destroyed,
" had been fought but three weeks before, the French
" court expected a descent, and had drawn a great number
" of regular troops and militia to the coast, which we
" found so strongly guarded in all parts, that, in a council
" of war, neither admirals nor generals were for landing
" the troops." He afterwards joined the army in Flanders
with fifteen regiments of foot.
On the decease of his brother Charles, who died in
Italy in 1693, of wounds received at the battle of Mar
saglia, he succeeded to the title of Duke Schomberg;
he performed the duties of inspecting general of cavalry ;
and in 1695 he was appointed commander-in-chief,
which he held until 1702. In 1703 he was pro
moted to the local rank of general in the peninsula, and
appointed to the command of a body of troops sent to
Portugal, to assist in placing Archduke Charles of Austria
on the throne of Spain by force of arms. Bishop Burnet
states : — " The Duke of Schomberg was a better officer in
" the field than in the cabinet ; he did not enough know
" how to prepare for a campaign ; he was both too inactive
" and too haughty ; so it was thought necessary to send
" another to command." The disasters which attended
the campaign in Portugal appear, however, to have arisen
more from the tardiness, inexperience, and pertinacity of
the Portuguese generals, than from the want of capacity
in the Duke Schomberg, who solicited to be recalled.
He was honoured with the order of the Garter ; and
dying in July, 1719, he was buried with great state in the
Duke of Ormond's vault in King Henry the Seventh's
chapel in Westminster Abbey.
Charles Marquis of Harwich.
Appointed 27th January, 1711.
Charles de Schomberg, son of Meinhardt Duke
G

82 SUCCESSION of colonels.
Schomberg, was born in December, 1683, and in January,
1711, he succeeded his father in the colonelcy of the
Eighth Horse, now Seventh Dragoon Guards. He
was of a weak constitution, and died of consumption, on
the road between Chester and London, on his return
from Ireland, in October, 1713.
Charles Sybourg.
Appointed 12th October, 1713.
Charles de Sibourg, a gentleman of French extrac
tion and a Protestant, entered the English army soon after
the Revolution in 1688, and proved a brave and meri
torious officer. In 1694 he was promoted to the rank of
major ; he was subsequently appointed to the lieut.-
colonelcy of the Eighth Horse, now Seventh Dragoon
Guards, from which time he discontinued the de in his
name, which was afterwards spelt Sybourg. He com
manded the Eighth Horse at the battles of Schellenberg,
Blenheim, and Ramilies ; and was promoted to the rank
of brigadier-general on the 1st of January, 1707. In
1708 he commanded a brigade of cuirassiers at the battle
of Oudenarde; in 1710, he was promoted to the rank
of major-general; and he succeeded the Earl of Orrery
in the colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment of foot on the
8th of December of the same year. He commanded a
brigade under the Duke of Marlborough during the cam
paign of 1711. On the decease ofthe Marquis of Har
wich, he obtained the colonelcy of the Eighth Horse,
which he retained until 1720. He was also governor of
Fort William in Scotland ; and it was reported that he
amassed a fortune of £80,000. He died in January,
1733. John Ligonier.
Appointed 18th July, 1720.
John Ligonier entered the army in the beginning of
the year 1703; and in numerous battles and sieges
during the wars of Queen Anne he gave presage of those

succession of colonels. 83
bright qualities which eventually raised him to the highest
military rank, and procured him a celebrity seldom
equalled. In 1711 he obtained the rank of colonel in
the army; and in 1716 he was appointed lieut.-colonel
of the fourth horse, now third dragoon guards. He
served as adjutant general to the expedition to Vigo,
under Viscount Cobham, in 1719; and in the following
year he was promoted to the colonelcy of the Eighth
Horse, which corps he brought into a high state of dis
cipline and efficiency. He was promoted to the rank of
brigadier-general in 1735 ; and he held an appointment
on the staff of Ireland : in 1739 he was promoted to the
rank of major-general : in 1742 he was placed on the staff
of the army sent to Flanders under the Earl of Stair :
he obtained the rank of lieut.-general in the following
year ; and his distinguished gallantry at the battle of Det
tingen attracted the attention of King George II., who con
stituted him a knight banneret under the royal standard.
Continuing to serve on the continent, he acquired new
honours at the battle of Fontenoy, where he set a noble
example of valour and magnanimity worthy of imitation.
He commanded the British troops at the battle of
Roucoux in 1746, and evinced great talent ; in 1747 he
commanded the cavalry at the battle of Val, where he
charged at the head of the Scots Greys, had his horse
killed under him, and was taken prisoner.
In 1749 he was removed to the second dragoon guards,
and in 1753 to the royal horse guards. In 1757 he was
created a peer of Ireland by the title of Viscount
Ligonier; he was appointed commander-in-chief and
colonel of the first foot guards in the same year ; and in
1759 he was constituted master-general of the ordnance.
His lordship was subsequently promoted to the rank of
field marshal ; was created a peer of Great Britain by
the title of Baron Ligonier in 1763 ; and was advanced
to the dignity of Earl Ligonier in 1766. After serving
the crown faithfully a period of sixty-seven years, he
g 2

84 succession of colonels.
died on the 28th of April, 1770, at the advanced age of
ninety-one. Sir John Mordaunt, K.B.
Appointed 24th July, 1749.
John Mordaunt entered the army in August, 1721,
and after a progressive service of several years he was
appointed captain and lieut .-colonel in the third foot gu ards.
In January, 1741, he was promoted to the colonelcy of a
newly-raised regiment which was numbered the fifty-
eighth (now forty-seventh) foot, from which he was pro
moted to the eighteenth foot in 1742 ; and in June, 1745,
he obtained the rank of brigadier-general. He commanded
a brigade of infantry at the disastrous battle of Falkirk,
fought on the 17th of January, 1746, and his distinguished
conduct was commended by Lieut.-General Hawley in his
public despatches. He also held an appointment in the
army commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of
Cumberland, and was sent in pursuit of the rebels from
Stirling, with two regiments of dragoons and the Camp
bell highlanders. At the battle of Culloden he com
manded a brigade of infantry, and gained additional
reputation ; and he also signalized himself at the battle
of Val in 1 747. His meritorious conduct was rewarded,
in the autumn of the same year, with the rank of major-
general ; he was also appointed colonel of the twelfth
dragoons in December ; and was removed in July, 1749,
to the Fourth Irish Horse, (now Seventh Dragoon
Guards,) and in November following to the tenth
dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general
in 1754 ; and to that of general in 1770. He was also
rewarded with the dignity of a knight companion of the
most honorable military order of the Bath; and the
government of Berwick. He died at Bevis-mount, near
Southampton, on the 23d of October, 1780, at the age
of eighty-three years.

succession of colonels. 85
Henry de Grangue.
Appointed 1st November, 1749.
This officer entered the army in the reign of William
III., two years before the peace of Ryswick. He served
in the wars of Queen Anne, and was promoted to the
lieut.-colonelcy of the royal regiment of dragoons. When
the contest respecting the succession to the throne of
Hungaria and Bohemia involved Europe in another war,
he was appointed colonel of a newly-raised regiment
which was numbered the sixtieth foot, his commission
bearing date the 21st of January, 1741. On the 1st of
April, 1743, he was removed to the ninth dragoons, and
in November, 1749, he obtained the colonelcy of the
FourthIrish Horse, (now Seventh Dragoon Guards,)
which he retained until his decease in June, 1754.
The Honorable Henry Seymour Conway.
Appointed Sth July, 1754.
The Honorable Henry Seymour Conway, second
son of Lord Conway and brother of Francis Earl of
Hertford, was appointed lieutenant in the first foot guards
in 1737, captain and lieut.-colonel in 1741, and in 1746
he was appointed aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumber
land and promoted to the colonelcy of the fifty-ninth
(now forty-eighth) foot. He was removed to the thirty-
fourth foot in 1749, to the thirteenth dragoons in 1751,
and to the Fourth Horse in 1754. In 1756 he was
promoted to the rank of major-general, and in 1759 to
that of lieut.-general, and he was removed to the royal
dragoons in the same year. He commanded a division
of the allied army in Germany under the Duke of Bruns
wick in 1761; and the British forces in Germany were
placed under his orders during the absence of the Marquis
of Granby. He was also one of the grooms of the bed
chamber to his Majesty, and a member of parliament :

86 succession of colonels.
and having voted against ministers on the great question
of military warrants, in 1764, he resigned his court
appointment and military commands ; but in 1 768 he
was appointed colonel of the fourth dragoons. In 1770
he succeeded the Marquis of Granby in the colonelcy of
the royal regiment of horse guards ; in 1772 he was
promoted to the rank of general, and in 1782 to be
commander-in-chief of the army; in 1793 he was pro
moted to the rank of field marshal. He died in 1795,
at which period he was eldest general officer, and first
field marshal in the army.
Philip Honeywood.
Appointed 5th April, 1759.
Philip Honeywood entered the army in 1735, and was
appointed major of the third dragoons in 1741. He
proceeded with his regiment to Flanders in 1742, and
evinced signal gallantry at the battle of Dettingen in
1743, where his regiment engaged the French household
troops and suffered severely : Major Honeywood received
five wounds, and being thought dead he was stripped by
some plunderers, and lay in that state six hours on the
field of battle. He subsequently revived, and, having re
covered of his wounds, was at the battle of Fontenoy in
1745. The rebellion having broken out in Scotland in
the autumn of the same year, he returned with his regi
ment to England, and being employed in the pursuit of
the highlanders, overtook the rear-guard on Clifton-moor,
when a sharp action ensued, in which he displayed his
wonted bravery, and was wounded in the shoulder. In
March, 1752, he was promoted to the rank of colonel in
the army ; and in 1755 King George II. rewarded him
with the colonelcy of the twentieth foot ; from which he
was removed in May of the following year to the ninth
dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of major-general
in May 1758 ; and in 1759 he was appointed colonel of
the Fourth Horse.

succession of colonels. 87
During the seven years' war, this meritorious officer
commanded a brigade of cavalry in Germany under the
Duke of Brunswick, and performed a distinguished part
in many skirmishes and general engagements ; particu
larly at the battle of Warburg, on the 31st of July,
1760, when he led his own regiment to the charge with
signal gallantry : the enemy was overthrown, the most
dreadful slaughter followed, and many of the French were
drowned in attempting to escape across the river Dymel.
In December of the same year he was promoted to the
rank of lieutenant-general ; and, continuing to serve in
Germany, he acquired great celebrity, and was com
mended by the commander-in-chief in his public des
patches. After his return to England he was advanced
to the rank of general ; and a vacancy occurring in the
colonelcy of the third dragoon guards in 1782, King
George III. conferred that appointment on this distin
guished veteran.
General Honeywood was many years governor of
Hull ; he was also member of parliament for Appleby :
and died on the 20th of January, 1785.
Studholme Hodgson.
Appointed 7th June, 1782.
Studholme Hodgson, after serving several years in the
army, in which he had acquired the character of a
zealous and efficient officer, was appointed, in 1745, aide-
de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland, whom he attended
at the battles of Fontenoy and Culloden. In February,
1747, he obtained the command of a company in the first
foot guards with the rank of lieut.-colonel, and on the
30th of May, 1756, he was promoted to the colonelcy of
the fiftieth foot. He obtained the rank of major-general
in June, 1759, and in October following he was removed
to the colonelcy of the fifth foot. He was advanced to
the rank of lieut.-general in 1761, and appointed to the
command of the land forces of an expedition against

88 succession of colonels.
Belle-Isle, a French island in the Bay of Biscay off the
coast of Brittany, which was found like one vast fortress,
— the little which nature had left undone by rocks and
crags, having been supplied by art, and great difficulties
had to be overcome. The grenadiers climbed up a steep
rock and repulsed a body of French troops ; the cannon
were landed and dragged up the precipices ; the lines
which covered the town of Palais were carried, and the
siege ofthe citadel commenced. The estimation in which
Lieut-General Hodgson's services were held, may be
seen in the following copy of a letter to that officer from
the secretary of state, William Pitt, the afterwards
celebrated Earl of Chatham.
" Sir — I cannot let Captain Rooke go away without
" adding to my office letter the particular expressions of
" a private man's warm sense of the great service you
" have done your King and country. The merit of
" persevering through so many and so great difficulties
" can never be enough applauded, and I have the pleasure
" to assure you, that His Majesty feels it in the full
" extent. Accept my sincerest congratulations on an
" event so full of honour to yourself and to those under
" your command, and believe me that no man can wish
" more truly than myself, that, through the course of
" your life, you may experience in your consideration,
" and in your fortune, the just effects of his Majesty's
" gracious sense of such distinguished zeal for his service."
" I am, &c.
" W. Pitt.
" Mayy' 1st, 1761."
The siege of the citadel was prosecuted with vigour,
and in June, the governor, the Chevalier St. Croix, was
forced to surrender. Lieut.-General Hodgson received
the expressions of the King's approbation for this dis
tinguished service ; and also the following private com
munication from the secretary of state : —
" Dear Sir— I cannot let my office letter go away

succession of colonels. 89
" without accompanying it with a line in my own hand
" to express my true joy at the happy news you have
" sent us, and to congratulate you on the completion of
" so important and critical an operation, which must ever
" be remembered to your honour, and by no one more
'' sincerely and gratefully than by myself. I am parti-
" cularly happy that you have been able to close the
" scene without the effusion of blood which an assault
" must have been attended with. "I am, &c.,
" St. James's Square, " W. Pitt.
"Juney° l%th, 1761."
These successes were rewarded with the government
of Forts George and Augustus. In 1768 he was removed
to the fourth foot ; in 1778 he was promoted to the rank
of general ; and in 1 782 he obtained the colonelcy of the
Fourth Irish Horse, which, while under his command,
obtained the title of Princess Royal's Dragoon Guards.
In 1789, he was removed to the eleventh light dragoons ;
and on the 30th of July, 1796, he was promoted to the
rank of field marshal. He enjoyed this elevated rank
two years ; and died in the autumn of 1798, at the ad
vanced age of ninety years.
Sir Charles Grey, K.B.
Appointed 17th March, 1789.
Charles Grey, fourth son of Sir Henry Grey, Baronet,
entered the army in the reign of King George IL, and
was promoted to the command of a company in the twen
tieth foot on the 31st of May, 1755. In 1758 his regi
ment proceeded to Germany, and he was appointed aide-
de-camp to the Duke of Brunswick, in which capacity
he served in 1759 at the glorious battle of Minden, where
he was wounded. In 1761, he was appointed lieut.-
colonel commandant of the ninety-eighth regiment, which
was then newly raised, and was disbanded after the peace

90 succession of colonels.
of Fontainbleau, when he was placed on half-pay. In
1772 he was promoted to the rank of colonel, and ap
pointed aide-de-camp to King George III., who conferred
on him the colonelcy of the twenty-eighth foot in March,
1777, and promoted him to the rank of major-general in
August following. In 1782 he obtained the dignity of a
knight of the Bath ; was promoted to the rank of lieut.-
general, and appointed commander-in-chief in America ;
but the war was terminated before he had an oppor
tunity of proceeding thither. In 1787 he was removed
to the eighth dragoons ; and in 1789 he obtained the
colonelcy of the Princess Roya l's Dragoon Guards.
In 1793 Sir Charles Grey was appointed to the com
mand of an expedition to the West Indies ; but while
the armament was preparing, the Duke of York raised
the siege of Dunkirk, and the French menaced Ostend
and Nieuport. The troops sailed for Flanders, and by
his timely arrival Sir Charles Grey preserved the two
fortresses from the power of the enemy. He subsequently
proceeded to the West Indies, and the islands of Marti
nico, St. Lucia, and Guadaloupe were captured : and his
services were recompensed with the government of Dum
barton, and the colonelcy of the twentieth, or Jamaica,
regiment of light dragoons, by commission dated the 4th
of November, 1795. After his return to England he
was promoted to the rank of general, sworn of the privy-
council, re-appointed colonel of the eighth dragoons, and
placed in command of the troops stationed in the southern
district, to repel the projected French invasion. In 1799
he was appointed colonel of the third dragoons. At
length, being worn out with age and active service, he
retired to his country seat to pass the remainder of his
days in the bosom of his family. His services were not
forgotten by his sovereign, who created him Baron
Grey de Howick in 1801 ; and advanced him, in 1806,
to the dignity of Viscount Howick and Earl Grey : he
held also the government of the island of Guernsey. His

succession of colonels. 91
decease occurred on the 14th of November, 1807, at his
seat called Fallowden, near Alnwick, in Northumberland
Sir Ralph Abercromby, K.B.
Appointed 5th November, 1795.
This distinguished officer commenced his military career
as cornet in the third dragoon guards in 1756; in
1762 he was appointed captain in the third horse,
(now sixth dragoon guards,) and was promoted to the
lieut.-colonelcy of the regiment in 1773. Under his
vigilant care and attention to all the duties of command
ing officer, his regiment became distinguished as an effi
cient cavalry corps ; and he was rewarded with the rank
of colonel in the army in 1780 ; in the following year he
was appointed colonel of the 103d regiment, or King's
Irish infantry, which corps was disbanded at the peace
in 1783. In 1787 he was promoted to the rank of major-
general; and in September, 1790, he was appointed
colonel of the sixty-ninth regiment, from which he was
removed in 1792 to the sixth foot.
On the breaking out of the war with France in 1793,
he was promoted to the local rank of lieut.-general on the
continent, and he held a command under the Duke
of York, in Flanders. In this service he highly signalized
himself, and his conduct was spoken of in the warmest
terms of commendation in his Royal Highness's des
patches ; particularly his gallantry at the battle of Cateau
on the 26th of April, 1794, and in the general attack
made on the French posts on the 17th of May, following.
He also took an active and distinguished part in conduct
ing the unfortunate retreat through Holland, and was
wounded before Nimeguen on the 27th of October, 1794.
Shortly after his return to England he was sent with an
expedition to the West Indies, to complete the deliverance
of the French West India islands from the power of the
republican government, and to reduce to obedience the
insurgents in the islands of St. Vincent and Grenada.

92 succession of colonels.
In this service he had distinguished success: he took
Grenada, — obtained possession of the settlements of De
merara and Essequibo, — completed the capture of St.
Lucia and St. Vincent, — and afterwards reduced the
Spanish colony in the island of Trinidad, and placed it
under the dominion of the British crown. In the mean
time he had been appointed to the colonelcy of the
Princess Royal's Dragoon Guards, and created a
knight of the Bath: and in November, 1796, he was re
moved to the command ofthe Scots Greys : his distinguished
merit was also rewarded with the appointment of lieut.-
governor of the Isle of Wight, and the government of
Forts George and Augustus.
In 1799 he was selected to command the first division
of the Anglo-Russian army destined to attempt the deli
verance of Holland from the power of France ; and in
effecting a landing on the 27th of August, — in repulsing
the troops assembled to oppose him, — and in gaining
possession of the fort of the Helder, which was followed
by the surrender of the Dutch fleet, he evinced the abili
ties of a consummate general and the valour of an hero.
He was also successful in the action of the Zyp on the
lOth of September : — after the arrival of the Duke of
York he commanded a division under His Royal High
ness with reputation ; and in the accounts of the engage
ments which followed, his conduct was mentioned in terms
of the highest praise.
After his return from Holland he was appointed to the
command of an expedition sent into the Mediterranean ;
he captured Malta, and appeared before Cadiz ; but an
epidemic disease raging in the city at the time, the at
tempt on this fortress was desisted in for fear of infection.
He subsequently directed his course towards Egypt, with
the view of driving the French army from that country ;
and while the fleet anchored in the bay of Marmorice, in
Asiatic Turkey, he arranged a plan of co-operation with
the Turks. In February, 1801, he again put to sea.

succession of colonels. 93
and on the 8th of March he effected a landing in the bay
of Aboukir, and defeated a body of French troops ; on the
13th he drove the French from their position beyond
Mandora Tower, on which occasion he had a horse shot
under him ; and on the 19th Fort Aboukir capitulated.
On the 21st of the same month he repulsed a furious attack
of the enemy on the position which he occupied near
Alexandria, and during the action he received a mortal
wound which deprived his king and country of his most
valuable services. He appears to have been wounded in
the early part of the day, but continued in the field giving
his orders with that coolness and perspicuity which had
ever marked his character, till after the action was over,
when he fainted through weakness and loss of blood, and
died on the 28th March, 1801.
Thus fell one of the most honorable military men whose
lives have been commemorated in history. His charac
ter was held up to the admiration of the army in general
orders, in which it was observed, — " The illustrious ex-
" ample of their commander cannot fail to have made an
" indelible impression on the gallant troops, at whose head,
" crowned with victory and glory, he terminated his honor-
" able career : and His Majesty trusts that a due con-
" templation of the talents and virtues, which he uniformlv
" displayed in the course of his valuable life, will for ever
" endear the memory of Sir Ralph Abercromby to the
"British army. His steady observance of discipline, —
" his ever watchful attention to the health and wants of
"his troops, — the persevering and unconquerable spirit
" which marked his military career, — the splendour of
" his actions in the field, and the heroism of his death,
" are worthy the imitation of ali who desire, like him, a
" life of honour and a death of glory."

94 succession of colonels.
Sir William Medows, K.B.
Appointed 2nd November, 1796.
The early services of this distinguished officer are con
nected with the Fourth Horse, now Seventh Dragoon
Guards, in which corps he was appointed captain in March,
1764, and major on the 1st of October, 1766. He was
appointed lieut.-colonel of the fifth foot in 1769, was re
moved to the twelfth light dragoons in 1773, and to the
fifty-fifth foot in 177.5. While serving with his regiment
in North America he evinced that valour, magnanimity,
and military skill, which were afterwards more fully de-
voloped in the West and also the East Indies. He was
again removed to the lieut.-colonelcy of the fifth foot in
1777, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Walcott, who died of
wounds received at the battle of Germantown in Pennsyl
vania. He commanded the fifth during the long and
hazardous retreat from Philadelphia to New York ; and
having been appointed to act as brigadier-general, he pro
ceeded with the expedition under Major-General Grant to
the West Indies. He commanded the reserve, consisting of
the fifth foot, grenadiers, and light infantry, at the attack
of St. Lucia in December, 1 778 ; and having seized on the
post of La Vigie, he evinced signal intrepidity in defend
ing it against the attacks of a French force of very supe
rior numbers : though severely wounded early in the day,
he refused to quit his post, and finding his ammunition
nearly expended, he drew up his men in front of their
colours, and waving his sword, exclaimed, " Soldiers, as
" long as you have a bayonet to point against an enemy's
" breast, defend these colours." They did so, and secured
the conquest of St. Lucia.
His distinguished bravery was rewarded in 1780 with
the colonelcy ofthe eighty-ninth regiment : and in 1781
he was promoted to the local rank of major-general in the
East Indies, where he acquired numerous laurels under
the Marquis CornwalHs. He was promoted to the rank

succession of colonels. 95
of major-general in 1782; obtained the colonelcy of the
seventy-third highland regiment in 1786; and his meri
torious services procured him the honour of bearing the
insignia of a knight companion of the Bath. In 1792 he
was promoted to the rank of lieut.-general ; in 1796 he
obtained the colonelcy ofthe Seventh Dragoon Guards ;
and in 1798 he was advanced to the rank of general.
He was also governor of Hull, and a member of the privy
council in Ireland. His decease occurred on the 20th of
November, 1813.
Richard Rich Wilford.
Appointed 20th November, 1813.
This officer was appointed ensign in the second foot in
October 1770, and in December joined his regiment at
Gibraltar, where he remained until the winter of 1775,
when he returned to England. In the spring of 1777 he
was appointed aide-de-camp to Lieut.-General Burgoyne,
whom he attended in the difficult and dangerous service
of forcing his passage with a small body of troops from
Canada to Albany ; he was present at the actions on the
19t.h of September and 9th of October; and returned to
England in 1778. He obtained the command of a com
pany in the second foot in March, 1778 ; was on duty
with his regiment in London during the riots in 1780;
and in 1782 he was appointed aide-de-camp to Lieut.-
General Burgoyne, then commander-in-chief in Ireland,
when he exchanged to the ninth dragoons, and obtained
in the following year the majority of the third dragoons.
He continued at his post of duty in Ireland until 1789,
when he was appointed lieut.-colonel of the eighth dra
goons, and in April, 1794, he exchanged to the third
dragoon guards, which corps was then serving under the
Duke of York in Flanders. He proceeded to the conti
nent, was present at the action near Tournay on the 23rd
of May, and commanded a brigade of cavalry under his
Royal Highness until September, when he was appointed

96 succession of colonels.
brigadier-general in the West Indies. He embarked
with a body of light cavalry for St. Domingo in October ;
and he was present at several partial attacks on the out
posts at Port-au-Prince ; but returned to England in
1796. He had previously been appointed aide-de-camp
to King George III., and colonel of the York Hussars ;
and in 1797 he was appointed brigadier-general on the
staff of Ireland, where he was appointed major-general
on the 1st of January, 1798, and served during the
rebellion of that year. In August he returned to England
and was placed on the staff in command of a brigade of
light cavalry, which he held until the peace of 1802;
when the York Hussars were disbanded. In 1803 he
was placed on the staff of the western district ; and in
the following year he was appointed colonel of the
twenty-fifth light dragoons. He was removed from the
western district on his promotion to lieut-general in
1805; in 1813 he was appointed colonel ofthe Seventh
Dragoon Guards; and in 1814 he was advanced to the
rank of general. He died in 1822.
Sir Robert Bolton, G.C.H.
Appointed 24th December, 1822.
Robert Bolton was appointed ensign in the sixty-
seventh regiment in 1782; in the following year he was
removed to the thirteenth light dragoons, in which corps
he rose to the rank of major, and embarked with his
regiment for the West Indies in 1795. He was ordered
to North America on a particular service, where he re
mained until the spring of 1797, when he returned to
his regiment, and he obtained the Ueut.-colonelcy by
purchase in June following. The thirteenth light
dragoons returned from the West Indies a mere skeleton
in 1798 ; and Lieut.-Colonel Bolton repeatedly received
the thanks of the commander-in-chief for the zeal and
ability he evinced in obtaining recruits and horses, and
in bringing his corps into a state of efficiency. In 1805

succession of colonels. 97
he was appointed aide-de-camp to King George III.
with the rank of colonel ; and in the same year he super
intended the formation of the cavalry of the German
legion, for the performance of which service he received
the approbation of their Royal Highnesses the Prince
Regent and the Duke of York, and he obtained the ap
pointment of inspector of the German cavalry in 1806 :
he was appointed brigadier-general in 1808 and major-
general in 1810 : he was appointed inspecting general
of the cavalry upon the staff of Great Britain on the
12th June, 1815, which appointment he held until the
12th August, 1819, when he was promoted to the rank
of lieutenant-general : in 1817 he received the honour of
knighthood, and he was subsequently invested with the
insignia of the Hanoverian Guelphic order : in 1822 he
obtained the colonelcy ofthe Seventh Dragoon Guards;
he was also one of the equerries to King George IV. ;
and a member of the consolidated board of general
officers. He died in March, 1836.
Sir Evan Lloyd, K.C.H.
Appointed ISth March, 1836.

98

establishment.

Estimated charge of the Seventh Dragoon Guards for
the present military year 1839, of 366 days, at an estab
lishment of 28 officers, 31 non-commissioned officers and
trumpeters, 304 rank and file, and 271 horses.

1 Colonel 

Per Day.

Per Year.

£ 0

s. 0

d. 0

£
900

s. 0

d. 0

1 Lieut.-Colonel .....

1

3

0

420

18

0

2 Majors, each 19s. 3rf. . . .

1

18

6

704

11

0

6 Captains, each 14s. Id, . .

4

7

6

1601

5

0

6 Lieutenants, each 9s. .

2

14

0

988

4

0

6 Comets, each 89. . .

2

8

0

878

8

0

1 Paymaster 
1 Adjutant 

00

1210

6 0

228 183

15 0

0
0

I Quarter-master 

0

8

6

155

11

0

1 Surgeon 

0

13

0

237

18

0

I Assistant Surgeon ....

0

8

6

155

11

0

1 Veterinary Surgeon
I Reg. Serjeant-Major .
6 Troop Serjeant-Majors, each 3s.
6 Sta€f Serjeants, each 2s. 2rf. .

0
0 0
0

8
3
1813

0
600

146 64
329237

8 1
8
18

0
00 0

12 Troop Serjeants, each 2s. Id.

1

6

0

475

16

0

1 Trumpet-Major
5 Trumpeters, each Is.Td. .

00

2 7

2
11

39
144

1317

0
6

6 Farriers, each Is. 3d. . . .

0

7

6

137

5

0

18 Corporals, each Is. 7Jrf. . .

1

9

3

535

5

6

280 Privates, each Is. 3d. . .
Total Pay . . .
Allowance to Troop Officers,1

17

10

0

6405

0

0

38

8

10

14969

13

0

Captains, Riding-master, and >
773
1
6
tor Farriery .... J
Aerencv 
199
0
9
Clothing 
1453
0
0
Total . . .
•¦
17394
15
3
London : Printed by William Clowes ahd Sons, Duke Slieet, Lambeth.
YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 04078 2907