Part 11

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

[10] The following return of killed and wounded during the siege of Gibraltar, from the 11th of February to the 12th of June 1727, is extracted from “_The Political State of Great Britain_,” vol. xxxiv. p. 413:--

+-------------------------------+---------+--------------------------+ | |Officers.| Men. | | Regiments. |---------+-------+---------+--------+ | | Killed. |Killed.| Wounded.| Died of| | | | | | Wounds.| +-------------------------------+---------+-------+---------+--------+ |Foot Guards | - | 2 | 19 | 2 | |Royal Artillery | 1 | 11 | 16 | 2 | |Pearce’s, 5th Foot | - | 4 | 9 | - | |Lord Mark Kerr’s, 13th ditto | - | 7 | 26 | 3 | |Clayton’s, 14th ditto | - | 7 | 13 | 5 | |Egerton’s, 20th ditto | 1 | 8 | 12 | 8 | |Middleton’s, 25th ditto | 1 | 3 | 14 | - | |Anstruther’s, 26th ditto | - | 6 | 29 | 3 | |Disney’s, 29th ditto | - | 2 | 12 | - | |Bissett’s, 30th ditto | - | 8 | 15 | 4 | |Hayes’s, 34th ditto | - | 2 | 16 | 2 | |Newton’s, 39th ditto | - | 6 | 4 | 4 | |Detachment from the regiments }| | | | | | at Minorca, under }| - | 6 | 17 | 1 | | Colonel Cosby, 18th Foot }| | | | | +-------------------------------+---------+-------+---------+--------+ | Total | 3 | 72 | 202 | 34 | +-------------------------------+---------+-------+---------+--------+

[11] The numbers of the two armies are taken from the _Life of Robert Lord Clive_, by Major-General Sir John Malcolm, G.C.B., in which is published a letter from Lieut.-Colonel Clive to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, containing an account of the battle of Plassey, and of the loss sustained in killed and wounded.

[12] Topasses were black infantry, descended from Portuguese who had married natives, and were so named because they wore hats.

[13] These distinctions having, in after years, been discontinued, His Majesty King William IV., on the 17th of November 1835, was graciously pleased to authorise their being resumed. A handsome silver-mounted drum-major’s cane (now in possession of the regiment) was presented to the THIRTY-NINTH by the Nabob of Arcot, with the following device and inscription thereon:--DEVICE: _an Elephant_, with motto “_Primus in Indis_,” PLASSEY, 1757:--INSCRIPTION: Nabob of Bengal overturned by the 39th Regiment and the Company’s troops, _5th February 1757_.

It will be observed that the date 5th February 1757, is not that of the battle of _Plassey_, but of the action fought near Calcutta, which is narrated at page 18. The battle of _Plassey_ took place on the 23rd of June 1757.

[14] The force under Captain Caillaud, of the Company’s service, consisted of one hundred and fifty Europeans, including artillery, five hundred Sepoys, and two field-pieces.

[15] These men belonged to “_The Soldier Artificer Company_,” and were commanded by the officers of _Royal Engineers_.

[16] The proceedings of the Spanish Government were somewhat sudden; and it is stated by Colonel John Drinkwater, of the late Seventy-second regiment, or Royal Manchester Volunteers, in his popular _History of the Siege of Gibraltar_, that “those officers whose curiosity had led them into the interior parts of the country were positively refused liberty to return to the garrison; they were therefore conducted to Cadiz, and had passports granted them to leave the kingdom by other routes. Brevet-Colonel Charles Ross and Captain John Vignoles, of the THIRTY-NINTH, with Captain Henry Lefanue, of the Fifty-sixth regiment, nevertheless contrived to join their corps, by assuming disguises, and risking the passage in a row-boat from Faro (a port in Portugal) to Gibraltar: others also attempted, but unfortunately were intercepted in their voyage.”

[17] The flank companies of the THIRTY-NINTH formed part of the centre column under Lieut.-Colonel Dachenhausen; the grenadier company consisted of three officers, three serjeants, and fifty-seven rank and file; the light infantry company was composed of a like number.

[18] In Colonel Drinkwater’s _History of the Siege of Gibraltar_, it is stated, “that in the forenoon of the 6th of September 1782, Lieut.-General Boyd, the colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment, and Lieut.-Governor of Gibraltar, recommended, by letter, to the Governor, the immediate use of _red-hot shot_ against the land-batteries of the besiegers. General Eliott acquiesced in the proposal, and immediately ordered Major Lewis, the commandant of the artillery, to wait on Lieut.-General Boyd for his instructions and commands, submitting entirely to him the execution of the attack which he had projected. In consequence of the Governor’s assent, preparations were instantly made; and in a short time everything was properly arranged for the service.”

[19] CALPÉ, in the south of Spain, and ABYLA, on the opposite coast of Africa (about eighteen miles distant), were celebrated as the _Pillars of Hercules_; and, according to heathen mythology, these two mountains were united, until that hero separated them, and made a communication between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. CALPÉ received the present designation of Gibraltar from the Arabic “_Gib-el-Tarif_,” or “_Mountain of Tarif_,” being the spot where that Moorish chieftain landed on his invasion of Spain in the year 711. The device of the “_Castle and Key_,” the present arms of Gibraltar, was given by Henry IV., King of Castile, upon his capturing the place from the King of Granada in 1462, in allusion to its being considered as the key to the Mediterranean.

[20] Major Henry Magan was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 17th of August 1794, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Fremantle, deceased.

[21] Return of the troops at _Guadeloupe_ on the 1st of September 1794:

+------------------------------+-----------------------+ | | Rank and File. | | Corps. +-------+-------+-------+ | |Fit for| | | | | Duty. | Sick. | Total.| +------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+ |Grenadier battalion | 152 | 208 | 360 | |Light Infantry battalion | 33 | 382 | 415 | |35th regiment | 47 | 116 | 163 | |39th ditto | 24 | 284 | 308 | |43rd ditto | 23 | 176 | 199 | |56th ditto, three companies | 67 | -- | 67 | |65th ditto | 43 | 209 | 252 | | +-------+-------+-------+ | General total | 389 | 1,375 | 1,764 | +------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+

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

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

[23] A List of the Regiments which received men raised under the _Army of Reserve_, and _Additional Force Acts_, in the years 1803 and 1804, is inserted in the Appendix, pp. 125 to 128.

[24] See Appendix, pp. 125 to 128.

[25] Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan, of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment, remained in Sicily, and was present, in command of a grenadier battalion, at the battle of Maida on the 4th of July 1806, for which victory he received a gold medal.

[26] A Memoir of Major-General Sir Patrick Lindesay, C.B. and K.C.H., is inserted in the Appendix, page 121.

[27] Lieut.-General Rowland Hill was nominated a Knight of the Bath on the 22nd of February 1812.

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

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

[30] General the Right Honorable Lord William Bentinck, G.C.B. relinquished the appointment of Commander-in-Chief in India on the 20th of March 1835, prior to the receipt of this letter in Bengal.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF

THE THIRTY-NINTH,

OR

THE DORSETSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT.

RICHARD COOTE.

_Appointed 13th February 1702._

Several regiments were raised in the beginning of the year 1702, in consequence of the anticipated renewal of the war with France, and Colonel Richard Coote was appointed to raise the regiment which is now numbered the THIRTY-NINTH, of which he was appointed Colonel on the 13th of February 1702. This honor he did not long enjoy, for he was killed in a duel in the beginning of 1703.

NICHOLAS SANKEY.

_Appointed 17th March 1703._

This officer attained the rank of Colonel on the 28th of September 1689, and was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Anne to be Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 17th of March 1703. On the 1st of January 1704 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General. He afterwards embarked with the THIRTY-NINTH regiment for Portugal in May 1707, on the 1st of January of which year he had been promoted to the rank of Major-General. In the action at the Caya on the 7th of May 1709, he was taken prisoner. On the 1st of January 1710, he was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General. He died on the 6th of March 1719.

THOMAS FERRERS.

_Appointed 11th March 1719._

This officer served under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough, and was promoted to the rank of Captain and Lieut.-Colonel in the Foot Guards. In May 1705 he was advanced to the rank of Colonel, and in 1710 to that of Brigadier-General. Being conspicuous for loyalty at a period when Jacobite principles were prevalent in the kingdom, he was commissioned to raise a regiment of Dragoons, which was disbanded in 1718. On the 11th of March 1719 he was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment, from which he was removed in September 1722 to the Seventeenth regiment. His decease occurred about three weeks afterwards.

WILLIAM NEWTON.

_Appointed 28th September 1722._

This officer served during the wars of King William III. and Queen Anne, and on the 1st of January 1707 received the brevet rank of Colonel in the army. Colonel Newton was appointed by King George I. to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 28th of September 1722, and on the 4th of March 1727, was advanced to the rank of Brigadier-General, while serving with his regiment at the siege of Gibraltar. He died in November 1730.

SIR JOHN COPE, K.B.

_Appointed 10th November 1730._

This officer entered the army in the reign of Queen Anne, and was for several years Lieut.-Colonel of the second troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. He obtained the rank of Colonel in the army on the 15th of November 1711; and was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 10th of November 1730, from which he was removed to the Fifth Foot on the 15th of December 1732. In 1735 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General; in 1737 he was removed to the Ninth Dragoons; and on the 2nd of July 1739 he was advanced to the rank of Major-General.

Major-General Cope served for several years on the staff of the army in Ireland, and after having been appointed Colonel of the Seventh Dragoons in 1741, he proceeded in the summer of 1742 to Flanders with the army commanded by Field-Marshal the Earl of Stair. In the beginning of the following year he was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General; and having signalised himself at the battle of Dettingen, on the 27th of June 1743, under the eye of his Sovereign, he was constituted a Knight of the Bath.

In 1745 Lieut.-General Sir John Cope was Commander-in-Chief in Scotland, and a small body of troops under his immediate command sustained a defeat from the Highlanders under the Young Pretender at Preston Pans, on the 21st of September, which unfortunate circumstance enabled the rebels to penetrate into England, and advance as far as Derby. The rebellion was suppressed in 1746, the victory obtained at Culloden on the 16th of April of that year having completely destroyed the hopes of the Pretender.

Lieut.-General Sir John Cope retained the Colonelcy of the Seventh Dragoons until his decease in 1760.

THOMAS WENTWORTH.

_Appointed 15th December 1732._

This officer was appointed to a commission in the army on the 10th of March 1704, and served several campaigns in the wars of Queen Anne. In December 1722 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the army, and on the 15th of December 1732 was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment, from which he was removed, in June 1737, to the Twenty-fourth regiment. Two years afterwards he was appointed Brigadier-General; in 1741 he was promoted to the rank of Major-General; and in June 1745 he was removed to the Colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, which corps became the Second Irish Horse in the following year, and in 1788 was constituted the Fifth Dragoon Guards. Major-General Wentworth served the Crown in a diplomatic as well as military capacity, and died at the court of Turin in November 1747.

JOHN CAMPBELL (afterwards Duke of Argyle).

_Appointed 27th June 1737._

John Campbell, of Mamore, was an officer in the army in the reign of Queen Anne, and attained the rank of Lieut.-Colonel. During the rebellion in 1715 and 1716, he served as Aide-de-camp to the Duke of Argyle; he was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 27th of June 1737; and in the following year was removed to the Twenty-first or Royal North British Fusiliers. He commanded a brigade at the battle of Dettingen on the 27th of June 1743; was promoted to the rank of Major-General in the following year; and during the rebellion in 1745 and 1746, he held a command in Scotland. He was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1747, and was removed to the Second Dragoons or Scots Greys in 1752. In April 1761 Lieut.-General Campbell was appointed Governor of Limerick, and also succeeded in that year to the title of Duke of Argyle, upon the decease of his cousin Archibald, third Duke of Argyle. The Order of the Thistle was conferred upon His Grace in 1765. His decease occurred in 1770.

RICHARD ONSLOW.

_Appointed 1st November 1738._

This officer entered the army in 1716; and in 1733 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel. On the 1st of November 1738 King George II. appointed Colonel Onslow to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment; and in June 1739 he was removed to the Eighth regiment of Foot. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1743, and was removed to the first troop of Horse Grenadier Guards in 1745. He was advanced to the rank of Lieut.-General in 1747. Lieut.-General Onslow continued at the head of the first troop of Horse Grenadier Guards until his decease in the year 1760.

ROBERT DALWAY.

_Appointed 6th June 1739._

This officer commenced his military career as a Cornet in a regiment of cavalry on the 8th of March 1704. He served several campaigns under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough, and was distinguished for gallantry in action, and a strict attention to duty. On the 1st of February 1713 he was promoted to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of Harwich’s Horse, now Seventh Dragoon Guards, and on the 6th of June 1739 King George II. promoted him to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment, from which he was removed to the Thirteenth Dragoons on the 12th of May 1740. His decease occurred in November following.

SAMUEL WALTER WHITSHED.

_Appointed 28th December 1740._

SAMUEL WALTER WHITSHED entered the army in August 1704, and served in Spain and Portugal during the war of the Spanish Succession, under the Earl of Galway and Archduke Charles of Austria. On the 28th of December 1740 King George II. promoted Lieut.-Colonel Whitshed from the Eighth Dragoons to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment of Foot; and on the 14th of June 1743 he was removed to the Twelfth Dragoons. Colonel Whitshed was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General on the 28th of May 1745, and retained the command of the Twelfth Dragoons until his decease in 1746.

EDWARD RICHBELL.

_Appointed 14th June 1743._

This officer entered the army in the reign of Queen Anne, and served with reputation under the celebrated John Duke of Marlborough. He evinced a constant attention to the duties of his profession, and was promoted, on the 18th of May 1722, to the Lieut.-Colonelcy of the Thirty-seventh regiment, and was advanced to the rank of Colonel in the army on the 27th of March 1742. He was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 14th of June 1743, and distinguished himself during the war of the Austrian Succession. On the 19th of April 1746 he was appointed Brigadier-General, in which year he commanded a brigade, under Lieut.-General St. Clair, in the expedition against Port l’Orient. In 1752, Brigadier-General Richbell was removed to the Seventeenth regiment, and on the 25th of March 1754 was promoted to the rank of Major-General. His decease occurred in 1757.

JOHN ADLERCRON.

_Appointed 14th March 1752._

Colonel John Adlercron was appointed by His Majesty King George II. to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 14th of March 1752, upon Brigadier-General Edward Richbell being removed to the Seventeenth Foot. In the beginning of 1754, Colonel Adlercron embarked with his regiment for Madras; in October 1756, a portion of the THIRTY-NINTH proceeded to Bengal with other troops under Lieut.-Colonel Clive. Of this force Colonel Adlercron claimed the command, but it was determined that he should remain at Madras with the remainder of the regiment. In May 1757 Colonel Adlercron marched from Madras in command of the force destined for the relief of _Trichinopoly_, then threatened by the French, and was afterwards engaged in operations against Wandewash, and in the vicinity of that place. On the 16th of May 1758 Colonel Adlercron was advanced to the rank of Major-General, and to that of Lieut.-General on the 18th of December 1760. His decease occurred on the 31st of July 1766.

SIR ROBERT BOYD, K.B.

_Appointed 6th August 1766._

Colonel Robert Boyd was appointed from the First Foot Guards to the Colonelcy of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 6th of August 1766. In 1768 he was appointed Lieut.-Governor of Gibraltar, where his regiment was at that period stationed. On the 25th of May 1772, Colonel Boyd was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and on the 29th of August 1777, was advanced to that of Lieut.-General. He was constituted a Knight of the Order of the Bath in 1784, in consideration of his services during the celebrated siege of Gibraltar. It was, according to his suggestion, that red-hot shot were used, as stated at page 32 of the Historical Record of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment. In 1790 Lieut.-General Sir Robert Boyd, K.B., was appointed Governor of that fortress, in succession to General Lord Heathfield, deceased. Sir Robert Boyd was appointed to the rank of General on the 12th of October 1793, and died in May of the following year, while holding the Governorship of Gibraltar.

NISBETT BALFOUR.

_Appointed 2nd July 1794._

This officer entered the army on the 27th of January 1761, as an ensign in the Fourth Foot, was promoted Lieutenant on the 15th of November 1765, and advanced to the rank of Captain in the regiment on the 26th of January 1770. He was at the battle of Bunker’s Hill on the 17th of June 1775, where he was wounded. Captain Balfour was present in the action on landing at Long Island and taking of Brooklyn, in August 1776. The capture of New York occurred shortly afterwards, on which occasion he was sent home by the Commander of the Forces in North America, Major-General the Honorable Sir William Howe, with the public despatches, and in consequence received the brevet rank of Major.

In the spring of 1777 Major Balfour was in the action near Elizabeth Town, in the Jerseys. He was promoted Major in the Fourth Foot on the 4th of June 1777; and was present in the actions of Brandywine and Germantown on the 11th of September and 4th of October of that year. On the 31st of January 1778 he was promoted Lieut.-Colonel of the Twenty-third Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and was present at the siege of Charlestown; and after the surrender of that place in May 1780 he served under Lieut.-General Earl Cornwallis, part of the campaign in South Carolina. On the 20th of November 1782 he was appointed Aide-de-camp to His Majesty King George III., with the rank of Colonel in the army. Colonel Balfour served part of the campaign of 1794 in Flanders and Holland under His Royal Highness the Duke of York. On the 12th of October 1793 Colonel Balfour was advanced to the rank of Major-General, and was appointed Colonel of the THIRTY-NINTH regiment on the 2nd of July 1794. He was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-General on the 1st of January 1798, and to that of General on the 25th of September 1803. He died on the 16th of October 1823.

SIR GEORGE AIREY, K.C.H.

_Appointed 28th October 1823._