In the year 1787 four new regiments were
ordered to be raised for the service of the
state, to be numbered the 74th, 75th, 76th, and 77th. The first two were
directed to be raised in the north of Scotland, and were to be Highland
regiments. The regimental establishment of each was to consist of ten companies
of 75 men each, with the customary number of commissioned and non-commissioned
officers. Major-General Sir Archibald Campbell, K.B., from the half-pay of
Fraser’s Highlanders, was appointed colonel of the
74th regiment.
The establishment of the regiment was
fixed as ten companies, consisting
of—.
I Colonel and Captain. 1 Adjutant.
1 Lieutenant-Colonel and 1 Quartermaster.
Captain. 1 Surgeon.
1 Major and Captain. 2 Surgeon’s Mates.
7 Captains. 80 Sergeants.
1 Captain-Lieutenant. 40 Corporals.
21 Lieutenants. 20 Drummers.
8 Ensigns. 2 Fifers, and
1 Chaplain. 710 Privates.
A
recruiting company was afterwards added, which
consisted of—
1
Captain. 8 Corporals.
2 Lieutenants. 4 Drummers.
1 Ensign. 80 Privates.
8 Sergeants.
Total of Officers and Men of all ranks, 902.
The regiment was styled "The 74th Highland
Regiment of Foot." The uniform
was the full Highland garb of kilt and feathered bonnet, the
tartan being similar to that of the 42nd regiment, and the facings white; the
use of the kilt was, however, discontinued in the East Indies, as being unsuited
to the climate.
The following were the officers first appointed to the
regiment:—
Colonel—Archibald
Campbell, K.B.
Lieutenant-Colonel—Gordon
Forbes.
Captains.
Dugald Campbell. William
Wallace.
Alexander Campbell. Robert Wood.
Archibald Campbell.
Captain-Lieutenant and Captain—Heneage
Twysden.
Lieutenants.
James Clark. John Alexander.
Charles Campbell. Samuel Swinton.
John Campbell. John Campbell.
Thomas Carnie. Charles Campbell.
W. Coningsby Davies. George Henry Vansittart
Dugald Lamont. Archibald
Campbell.
Ensigns
John Forbes. John Wallace.
Alexander Stewart. Hugh M’Pherson.
James Campbell.
Chaplain—John
Ferguson.
Adjutant—Samuel
Swinton.
Quartermaster—James
Clark.
Surgeon—William
Henderson.
As the state of affairs in India
required that reinforcements should be immediately
despatched to that country, all the men who had been embodied previous to
January 1788 were ordered for embarkation, without waiting for the fall
complement. In consequence of these orders, 400 men, about one-half Highlanders,
embarked at Grangemouth, and sailed from Chatham for the East Indies, under the
commend of Captain William Wallace. The regiment
having been completed in autumn, the recruits followed in February 1789, and arrived
at Madras in June in perfect health. They joined the first detachment at the
cantonments of Poonamallee, and thus united, the corps amounted to 750 men.
These were now trained under Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell, who had succeeded
Lieutenant-Colonel Forbes in the command, and who had acquired some experience
in the training of soldiers as captain in Fraser’s Highlanders.
In connection with the main army under
Lord Cornwallis, the Madras army under General Meadows, of which the 74th formed
a part, began a series of movements in the spring of 1790. The defence of the
passes leading into
the Carnatic from Mysore was intrusted to Colonel Kelly, who, besides his own
corps, had under him the 74th; but he dying in September, Colonel Maxwell [This
able officer was son of Sir William Maxwell of Monreith, and brother of the
Duchess of Gordon. He died at Cuddalore in 1783] succeeded to the command.
The 74th was put in brigade with the 71st
and 72nd Highland regiments. The regiment suffered no loss in the different
movements which took place till the storming of Bangalore, on the 21st of March
1791. The whole loss of the British, however, was only 5 men. After the defeat
of Tippoo Sahib at Seringapatam, on the 15th of May 1791, the army, in
consequence of bad weather and scarcity of provisions, retreated upon
Bangalore, reaching that
place in July.
The 74th was detached from the army at
Nundeedroog on the 21st of October, with three Sepoy battalions and some field
artillery, under Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell,
into the Baramahal country, which this column was
ordered to clear of the enemy. They reached the south end of the valley by
forced marches, and took the strong fort of Penagurh by escalade on the 31st of
October, and after scouring the whole of the Baramahal to the southward,
returned towards Caverypooram, and encamped within five miles of the strong fort
of Kistnagherry, 50 miles S.E. of Bangalore, on the 7th of November.
Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell determined on attacking the lower fort and town
immediately, and the column advanced from the camp to the attack in three
divisions at ten o’clock on that night; two of these were sent to the right and
left to attack the lower fort on the western and eastern sides, while the centre
division advanced directly towards the front wall. The divisions approached
close to the walls before they were discovered, succeeded in escalading them,
and got possession of the gates. The enemy fled to the upper fort without making
much resistance, and the original object of the attack was thus gained. But a
most gallant attempt was made by Captain Wallace of the 74th, who commanded the
right division, to carry the almost inaccessible upper fort also. His division
rushed up in pursuit of the fugitives; and notwithstanding the length and
steepness of the ascent, his advanced party followed the enemy so closely that
they had barely time to shut the gates. Their standard was taken on the steps of
the gateway; but as the ladders had not been brought forward in time, it was
impossible to escalade before the enemy recovered from their panic.
During two hours, repeated trials were
made to get the ladders up, but the enemy hurling down showers of rocks and
stones into the road, broke the ladders, and crushed those who carried them.
Unluckily, a clear moonlight discovered every movement, and at length, the
ladders being all destroyed, and many officers and men disabled in carrying
them, Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell found it necessary to order a discontinuance of
the assault.
The retreat of the men who had reached the
gate, and of the rest of the troops, was conducted with such regularity, that a
party which sallied from the fort in pursuit of them was immediately driven
back. The pettah, or lower town, was set fire
to, and the troops withdrawn to their camp before
daylight on the 8th of November.
The following were the casualties in the
regiment on this occasion :—Killed, 2 officers, 1 sergeant, 5
rank and file; wounded, 3
officer; 47 non-commissioned officers and men. The officers killed were
Lieutenants Forbes and Lamont; those wounded, Captain Wallace, Lieutenants
M’Kenzie and Aytone.
The column having also reduced several
small forts in the district of Ossoor, rejoined the
army on the 30th of
November.
In the second attempt on Seringapatam, on
the 6th of February 1792, the 74th, with the 52nd regiment and 71st Highlanders,
formed the centre under the immediate orders of the Commander-in-Chief. Details
of these operations, and others elsewhere in India, in which the 74th took part
at this time, have already been given in our accounts of the 71st and 72nd
regiments. The 74th on this occasion had 2 men killed, and Lieutenant Farquhar,
Ensign Hamilton, and 17 men wounded.
On the termination of hostilities this
regiment returned to the coast. In July 1793 the flank companies were embodied
with those of the 71st in the expedition against Pondicherry. The following
interesting episode, as related in Cannon’s account of the regiment, occurred
after the capture of Pondicherry:-
The 74th formed
part of the garrison, and
the French troops remained in the place as prisoners of war. Their officers were
of the old régime, and were by birth and in manners gentlemen, to whom it
was incumbent to show every kindness and hospitality. It was found, however,
that both officers and men, and the French population generally, were strongly
tinctured with the revolutionary mania, and some uneasiness was felt lest the
same should be in any degree imbibed by the British soldiers. It happened that
the officers of the 74th were in the theatre, when a French officer called for
the revolutionary air, "Cą Ira;" this was opposed by some of the
British, and there was every appearance of a serious disturbance, both parties
being highly excited. The 74th, being in a body, had an opportunity to consult,
and to act with effect. Having taken their resolution, two or three of them made
their way to the orchestra, the rest taking post at the doors, and, having
obtained silence, the senior officer addressed the house in a firm but
conciliatory manner. He stated that the national tune called for by one of the
company ought not to be objected to, and that, as an act of courtesy to the
ladies and others who had seconded the request, he and his brother officers were
determined to support it with every mark of respect, and called upon their
countrymen to do the same. It was accordingly played with the most uproarious
applause on the part of the French, the British officers standing up uncovered;
but the moment it was finished, the house was called upon by the same party
again to uncover to the British national air, "God save the King." They now
appealed to the French, reminding them that each had their national attachments
and recollections of home; that love of country was an honourable principle, and
should be respected in each other; and that they felt assured their respected
friends would not be behind in that courtesy which had just been shown by the
British. Bravo! Bravo! resounded from every part of the house, and from that
moment all rankling was at an end. They lived in perfect harmony till the French
embarked, and each party retained their sentiments as a thing peculiar to their
own country, but without the slightest offence on either side, or expectation
that they should assimilate, more than if they related to the colour of their
uniforms. As a set-off to this, it
is worth recording that in 1798, when
voluntary contributions for them support of the war with France were being
offered to Government from various parts of the British dominions, the privates
of the 74th, of their own accord, handsomely and patriotically contributed eight
days’ pay to assist in carrying on the war,—" a war," they said, "unprovoked on
our part, and justified by the noblest of motives, the
preservation of our individual constitution." The sergeants
and corporals, animated by similar sentiments, subscribed a fortnight’s, and the
officers a month’s pay each.
Besides reinforcements of recruits from
Scotland fully sufficient to compensate all casualties, the regiment received,
on the occasion of the 71st being ordered home to Europe,
upwards of
200 men from that regiment. By these additions the strength of the 74th was kept
up, and the regiment, as well in the previous campaign as in the subsequent one
under General Harris, was one of the most effective in the field.
The 74th was concerned in all the operations of this
campaign, and had its full share in the
storming of
Seringapatam on the 4th of May 1799.
The troops for the assault, commanded by
Major-General Baird, were divided into
two columns of attack. The 74th, with the 73rd regiment, 4 European flank
companies, 14 Sepoy flank companies, with 50 artillerymen, formed the right
column, under Colonel Sherbroke. Each column was preceded by 1 sergeant and 12
men, volunteers, supported by an advanced party of 1 subaltern and 25 men.
Lieutenant Hill, of the 74th, commanded the advanced party of the right column.
After the successful storm and capture
of the fortress, the 74th was the first regiment that entered the palace.
The casualties of the regiment during the
siege were :—Killed, 5 officers, and 45 non commissioned officers and men.
Wounded, 4 officers, and 111 non-commissioned officers and men. Officers killed,
Lieutenants Irvine, Farquhar, Hill, Shaw, Prendergast. Officers wounded,
Lieutenants Fletcher, Aytone, Maxwell, Carrington.
The regiment received the royal authority
to bear the word "Seringapatam" on its regimental colour and appointments in
commemoration of its services at this siege.
The 74th had not another opportunity of
distinguishing itself till the year 1803, when three occasions occurred. The
first was on the 8th of August, when the fortress of Ahmednuggur, then in
possession of Sindiah, the Mahratta chief, was attacked, and carried by assault
by the army detached under the Hon. Major-General Sir Arthur Wellesley. In this
affair the 74th, which formed a part of the brigade commanded by Colonel
Wallace, bore a distinguished part, and gained the special thanks of the
Major-General and the Governor-General.
The next was the battle of Assaye, fought
on the 23rd of September. On that day Major-General the Hon. Arthur Wellesley
attacked the whole combined Mahratta army of Sindiah and the Rajah of Berar, at
Asssya, on the banks of the Kaitna river. The Mahratta force, of 40,000 men, was
completely defeated by a force of 5000, of which not more than 2000 were
Europeans, losing 98 pieces of cannon, 7 standards, and leaving 1200 killed, and
about four times that number wounded on the field. The conduct of the 74th in
this memorable battle was most gallant and distinguished; but from having been
prematurely led against the village of Assaye on the left of the enemy’s line,
the regiment was exposed, unsupported, to a most terrible cannonade, and being
afterwards charged by cavalry, sustained a tremendous loss.
In this action, the keenest ever fought in
India, the 74th had Captains D. Aytone, Andrew Dyce, Roderick Macleod, John
Maxwell; Lieutenants John Campbell, John Morshead Campbell, Lorn Campbell, James
Grant, J. Morris, Robert Neilson, Volunteer Tew, 9 sergeants, and 127 rank and
file killed; and Major Samuel Swinton, Captains Norman Moore, Matthew Shawe,
John Alexander Main, Robert Macmurdo, J. Longland, Ensign Kearnon, 11 sergeants,
7 drummers, and 270 rank and file wounded. "Every officer present," says Cannon,
"with the regiment was either killed or wounded, except Quartermaster James
Grant, who, when he saw so many of his friends fall in the battle, resolved to
share their fate, and, though a non-combatant, joined the ranks and fought to
the termination of the action." Besides expressing his indebtedness to the 74th
in his despatch to the Governor-General, Major-General Wellesley added the
following to his memorandum on the battle :— "However, by one of those unlucky
accidents which frequently happen, the officer commanding the piquets which were
upon the right led immediately up to the village of Assays. The 74th regiment,
which was on the right of the second line, and was ordered to support the
piquets, followed them. There was a large break in our line between these corps
and those on our left. They were exposed to a most terrible cannonade from
Assaye, and were charged by the cavalry belonging to the Campoos; consequently
in the piquets and the 74th regiment we sustained the greatest part of our loss.
"Another bad consequence resulting from
this mistake was the necessity of introducing the cavalry into the action at too
early a period. I had ordered it to watch the motions of the enemy’s cavalry
hanging upon our right, and luckily it charged in time to save the remains of
the 74th and the piquets."
The names especially of
Lieutenants-Colonel Harness and Wallace were mentioned with high approbation
both by Wellesley and the Governor-General. The Governor-General ordered that
special honorary colours be presented to the 74th and 78th, who were the only
European infantry employed "on that glorious occasion," with a device suited to
commemorate the signal and splendid victory.
The device on the special colour awarded
to the 74th appears at the head of this account. The 78th for some reason ceased
to make use of its third colour after it left India, so that the 74th is now
probably the only regiment in the British army that possesses such a colour, an
honour of which it may well be proud.
Captain A. B. Campbell of the 74th, who
had on a former occasion lost an arm, and had afterwards had the remaining one
broken at the wrist by a fall in hunting, was seen in the thickest of the action
with his bridle in his teeth, and a sword in his mutilated hand, dealing
destruction around him. He came off unhurt, though one of the enemy in the
charge very nearly transfixed him with a bayonet, which actually pierced his
saddle.
The third occasion in 1803 in which the
74th was engaged was the battle of Argaum, which was gained with little loss,
and which fell chiefly on the 74th and 78th regiments, both of which were
specially thanked by Wellesley. The 74th had 1 sergeant and 3 rank and file
killed, and 1 officer, Lieutenant Langlands, [A powerful Arab threw a spear at
him, and, drawing his sword, rushed forward to finish the lieutenant. But the
spear having entered Langland’s leg, cut its way out again, and stuck in the
ground behind him. Langlands grasped it, and, turning the point, threw it with
so true an aim, that it went right through his opponent’s body, and transfixed
him within three or four yards of his intended victim. All eyes were for an
instant turned on these two combatants, when a Sepoy rushed out of the ranks,
and patting the lieutenant on the back, exclaimed, "Atcha Sahib! Chote atcha
keeah!" " Well Sir! very well done." Such a ludicrous circumstance, even in a
moment of such extreme peril, raised a very hearty laugh among the
soldiers.—Welsh’s "Military Reminiscences," vol. i. p. 194.] 5 sergeants, 1
drummer, and 41 rank and file wounded.
Further details of these three important
affairs will be found in the history of the 78th regiment.
In September 1805, the regiment, having
served for sixteen years in India, embarked for England, all the men fit for
duty remaining in India.
The following Order in Council was issued
on the occasion by the Governor, Lord William Bentinck:-
"Fort St George, 5th Sept. 1805.
"The Right Honourable the Governor in
Council, on the intended embarkation of the remaining officers and men of His
Majesty’s 74th regiment, discharges a duty of the highest satisfaction to his
Lordship in Council in bestowing on that distinguished corps a public testimony
of his Lordship’s warmest respect and approbation. During a long and eventful
period of residence in India, the conduct of His Majesty’s 74th regiment,
whether in peace or war, has been equally exemplary and conspicuous, having been
not less remarkable for the general tenor of its discipline than for the most
glorious achievements in the field.
"Impressed with these sentiments, his
Lordship in Council is pleased to direct that His Majesty’s 74th regiment be
held forth as an object of imitation for the military establishment of this
Presidency, as his Lordship will ever reflect with pride and gratification, that
in the actions which have led to the present pre-eminence of the British Empire
in India, the part so nobly sustained by that corps will add lustre to the
military annals of the country, and crown the name of His Majesty’s 74th
regiment with immortal reputation.
"It having been ascertained, to the
satisfaction of the Governor in Council, that the officers of His Majesty’s 74th
regiment were, during the late campaign in the Deccan, subjected to
extraordinary expenses, which have been aggravated by the arrangements connected
with their embarkation for Europe, his Lordship in Council has been pleased to
resolve that those officers shall receive a gratuity equal to three months’
batta, as a further testimony of his Lordship’s approbation of their eminent
services.
"By order of the Right Honourable the
Governor in Council.
"J. H. WEBB,
"Secretary to the Government.
Besides the important engagements in which
the 74th took part during its long stay in India, there were many smaller
conflicts and arduous services which devolved upon the regiment, but of which no
record has been preserved. Some details illustrative of these services are
contained in Cannon’s history of the 74th, communicated by officers who served
with it in India, and afterwards throughout the Peninsular War. Captain Cargill,
who served in the regiment, writes as follows:—
"The 74th lives in my recollection under
two aspects, and during two distinct epochs.
"The first is the history and character of
the regiment, from its formation to its return as a skeleton from India; and the
second is that of the regiment as it now exists, from its being embarked for the
Peninsula in January 1810.
"So far as field service is concerned, it
has been the good fortune of the corps to serve during both periods, on the more
conspicuous occasions, under the great captain of the age; under him also,
during the latter period, it received the impress of that character which
attaches to most regiments that were placed in the same circumstances, which
arose from the regulations introduced by His Royal Highness the Duke of York,
and the practical application of them by a master mind in the great school of
the Peninsular War. Uniformity was thus given; and the 74th, like every other
corps that has had the same training, must acknowledge the hand under which its
present character was mainly impressed. But it was not so with the 74th in
India. At that time every regiment had its distinctive character and system
broadly marked, and this was generally found to have arisen from the materials
of which it had been originally composed, and the tact of the officer by whom it
had been embodied and trained. The 74th, in these respects, had been fortunate,
and the tone and discipline introduced by the late Sir Archibald Campbell,
together with the chivalrous spirit and noble emulation imbibed by the corps in
these earlier days of Eastern conquest, had impressed upon the officers the most
correct perception of their duties, not only as regards internal economy and the
gradation of military rank, but also as regards the Government under which they
served. It was, perhaps, the most perfect that could well exist. It was
participated in by the men, and certainly characterised the regiment in a strong
degree.
"It was an established principle in the
old 74th, that whatever was required of the soldier should be strikingly set
before him by his officers, and hence the most minute point of ordinary duty was
regarded by the latter as a matter in which his honour was implicated. The duty
of the officer of the day was most rigidly attended to, the officer on duty
remaining in full uniform, and without parting with his sword even in the
hottest weather, and under all circumstances, and frequently going the rounds of
the cantonments during the night. An exchange of duty was almost never heard of,
and the same system was carried into every duty and department, with the most
advantageous effect upon the spirit and habits of the men.
"Intemperance was an evil habit fostered
by climate and the great facility of indulgence but it
was a point of honour
among the men never to indulge when near an enemy, and I often heard it
observed, that this rule was never known to be broken, even under the protracted
operations of a siege. On such occasions the officers had no trouble with it,
the principle being upheld by the men themselves.
"On one occasion, while the 74th was in
garrison at Madras, and had received a route to march up the country, there was
a mutiny among the Company’s artillery at the Mount. The evening before the
regiment set out it was reported that they had some kind of leaning towards the
mutineers; the whole corps felt most indignant at the calumny, but no notice was
taken of it by the commanding officer. In the morning, however, he marched
early, and made direct for the Mount, where he unfurled the colours, and marched
through the cantonments with fixed bayonets. By a forced march he reached his
proper destination before midnight, and before dismissing the men, he read them
a short but pithy despatch, which he sent off to the Government, stating the
indignation of every man of the corps at the libelous rumour, and that he had
taken the liberty of gratifying his men by showing to the mutineers those
colours which were ever faith fully devoted to the service of the Government.
The circumstance had also a happy effect upon the mutineers who had heard the
report, but the stern aspect of the regiment dispelled the illusion, and they
submitted to their officers."
The losses sustained by the regiment in
officers and men, on many occasions, of which no account has been kept, were
very great, particularly during the last six years of its Indian service.
That gallant veteran, Quarter-master
Grant, who had been in the regiment from the time it was raised, fought at
Assaye, and returned with it to England, used to say that he had seen nearly
three different sets of officers during the period, the greater part of whom had
fallen in battle or died of wounds, the regiment having been always very
healthy.
Before the 74th left India, nearly all the
men who were fit for duty volunteered into other regiments that remained on
service in that country. One of these men, of the grenadier company, is said to
have volunteered on nine forlorn hopes, including Seringapatam.
The regiment embarked at Madras in
September 1805, a mere skeleton so far as numbers were concerned, landed at
Portsmouth in February 1806, and proceeded to Scotland to recruit, having
resumed the kilt, which had been laid aside in India. The regiment was stationed
in Scotland (Dumbarton Castle, Glasgow, and Fort-George), till January
1809, but did not manage to recruit to within 400 men of its complement, which
was ordered to be completed by volunteers from English and Irish, as well as
Scotch regiments of militia. The regiment left Scotland for Ireland in January
1809, and in May of that year it was ordered that the Highland dress of the
regiment should be discontinued, and its uniform assimilated to that of English
regiments of the line; it however retained the designation Highland until
the year 1816, and, as will be seen, in 1846 it was permitted to resume the
national garb, and recruit only in Scotland. For these reasons we are justified
in continuing its history to the present time.
It was
while in Ireland, in September 1809, that
Lieutenant-Colonel Le Poer Trench, whose name will ever be remembered in
connection with the 74th, was appointed to the command of the regiment, from
Inspecting Field-Officer in Canada, by exchange with Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm
Macpherson; the latter having succeeded that brave officer, Lieutenant-Colonel
Swinton, in 1805.
In January 1810 the regiment sailed from
Cork for the Peninsula, to take its share in the warlike operations going on
there, landing at Lisbon on February 10. On the 27th the 74th set out to join
the army under Wellington, and reached Vizeu on the 6th of March. While at Vizeu,
Wellington inquired at Colonel Trench how many of the men who fought at Assaye
still remained in the regiment, remarking that if the 74th would behave in the
Peninsula as they had done in India, he ought to be proud to command such a
regiment. Indeed the "Great Duke" seems to have had an exceedingly high estimate
of this regiment, which he took occasion to show more than once. It is a curious
fact that the 74th had never more than one battalion; and when, some time before
the Duke’s death, "Reserve Battalions" were formed to a few regiments. He
decided "that the 74th should not have one, as they got through the Peninsula
with one battalion, and their services were second to none in the army."
The regiment was placed in the 1st brigade
of the 3rd division, under Major-General Picton, along with the 45th, the 88th,
and part of the 60th Regiment. This division performed such a distinguished part
in all the Peninsular operations, that it earned the appellation of the
"Fighting Division." We of course cannot enter into the general details of the
Peninsular war, as much of the history of which as is necessary for our purpose
having been already given in our account of the 42nd regiment.
The first action in which the 74th had a
chance of taking part was the battle of Busaco, September 27, 1810. The allied
English and Portuguese army numbered 50,000, as opposed to Marshal Massena’s
70,000 men. The two armies were drawn upon opposite ridges, the position of the
74th being across the road leading from St Antonio de Cantara to Coimbra. The
first attack on the right was made at six o’clock in the morning by two columns
of the French, under General Regnier, both of which were directed with the usual
impetuous rush of French troops against the position held by the 3rd division,
which was of comparatively easy ascent. One of these columns advanced by the
road just alluded to, and was repulsed by the fire of the 74th, with the
assistance of the 9th and 21st Portuguese regiments, before it reached the
ridge. The advance of this column was preceded by a cloud of skirmishers, who
came up close to the British position, and were picking off men, when the two
right companies of the regiment were detached, with the rifle companies
belonging to the brigade, and drove back the enemy’s skirmishers with great
vigour nearly to the foot of the sierra. The French, however, renewed the attack
in greater force, and the Portuguese regiment on the left being thrown into
confusion, the 74th was placed in a most critical position, with its left flank
exposed to the overwhelming force of the enemy. Fortunately, General Leith,
stationed on another ridge, saw the danger of the 74th, and sent the 9th and
38th regiments to its support. These advanced along the rear of the 74th in
double quick time, met the head of the French column as it crowned the ridge,
and drove them irresistibly down the precipice. The 74th then advanced with the
9th, and kept up a fire upon the enemy as long as they could be reached. The
enemy having relied greatly upon this attack, their repulse contributed
considerably to their defeat. The 74th had Ensign Williams and 7 rank and file
killed, Lieutenant Cargilland 19 rank and file wounded. The enemy lost 5000
killed and wounded.
The allies, however, retreated from their
position at Busaco upon the lines of Tones Vedras, an admirable series of
fortifications contrived for the defence of Lisbon, and extending from the Tagus
to the sea. The 74th arrived there on the 8th of October, and remained till the
middle of December, living comfortably, and having plenty of time for amusement.
The French, however, having taken up a strong position at Santarem, an advanced
movement was made by the allied army, the 74th marching to the village of
Togarro about the middle of December, where it remained till the beginning of
March 1811, suffering much discomfort and hardship from the heavy rains, want of
provisions, and bad quarters. The French broke up their position at Santarem on
the 5th of March, and retired towards Mondego, pursued by the allies. On the
12th, a division under Ney was found posted in front of the village of Redinha,
its flank protected by wooded heights. The light division attacked the height on
the right of the enemy, while the third division attacked those on the left, and
after a sharp skirmish the enemy retired across the Redinha river. The 74th had
1 private killed, and Lieutenant Crabbie and 6 rank and file wounded. On the
afternoon of the 15th of March the third and light divisions attacked the French
posted a Foz de Arouce, and dispersed their left and centre, inflicting great
loss. Captain Thomson and 11 rank and file of the 74th were wounded in this
affair.
The third division was constantly in
advance of the allied forces in pursuit of the enemy, and often suffered great
privations from want of provisions, those intended for it being appropriated by
some of the troops in the rear. During the siege of Almeida the 74th was
continued at Nave de Aver, removing on the 2nd of May to the rear of the village
of Fuentes d’Onor, and taking post on the right of the position occupied by the
allied army, which extended for about five miles along the Dos Casas river. On
the morning of the 3rd of May the first and third divisions were concentrated on
a gentle rise, a cannon-shot in rear of Fuentes d’Onor. Various attacks and
skirmishes occurred on the 3rd and 4th, and several attempts to occupy the
village were made by the French, who renewed their attack with increased force
on the morning of the 5th May. After a hard fight for the possession of the
village, the defenders, hardly pressed, were nearly driven out by the superior
numbers of the enemy, when the 74th were ordered up to assist. The left wing,
which advanced first, on approaching the village, narrowly escaped being cut off
by a heavy column of the enemy, which was concealed in a lane, and was observed
only in time to allow the wing to take cover behind some walls, where it
maintained itself till about noon. The right wing then joined the left, and with
the 71st, 79th, and other regiments, charged through and drove the enemy from
the village, which the latter never afterwards recovered. The 74th on this day
lost Ensign Johnston, 1 sergeant, and 4 rank and file, killed; and Captains
Shawe, M’Queen, and Adjutant White, and 64 rank and file, wounded.
The 74th was next sent to take part in the
siege of Badajos, where it remained from May 28 till the middle of July, when it
marched for Albergaria, where it remained till the middle of September, the
blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo in the meantime being carried on by the allied army.
On the 17th of September the 74th advanced to El Bodon on the Agueda, and on the
22nd to Pastores, within three miles of Ciudad Rodrigo, forming, with the three
companies of the 60th, the advanced guard of the third division. On the 25th,
the French, under General Montbrun, advanced thirty squadrons of cavalry,
fourteen battalions of infantry, and twelve guns, direct upon the main body of
the third division at El Bodon, and caused it to retire, surrounded and
continually threatened by overwhelming numbers of cavalry, over a plain of six
miles, to Guinaldo.
The 74th, and the companies of the 60th,
under Lieut.-Colonel Trench, at Pastores, were completely cut off from the rest
of the division by the French advance, and were left without orders; but they
succeeded in passing the Agueda by a ford, and making a very long detour through
Robledo, where they captured a party of French cavalry, recrossed the Agueda,
and joined the division in bivouac near Fuente Guinaldo, at about two o’clock on
the morning of the 26th. It was believed at headquarters that this detachment
had been all captured, although Major-General Picton, much pleased at their safe
return, said he thought he must have heard more firing before the 74th could be
taken. After a rest of an hour or two, the regiment was again under arms, and
drawn up in position at Guinaldo before daybreak, with the remainder of the
third and the fourth division. The French army, 60,000 strong, being united in
their front, they retired at night about twelve miles to Alfayates. The regiment
was again under arms at Alfayates throughout the 27th, during the skirmish in
which the fourth division was engaged at Aldea de Pouts. On this occasion the
men were so much exhausted by the continued exertions of the two preceding days,
that 125 of them were unable to remain in the ranks, and were ordered to a
village across the Coa, where 80 died of fatigue. This disaster reduced the
effective strength of the regiment below that of 1200, required to form a second
battalion, which had been ordered during the previous month, and the requisite
strength was not again reached during the war.
The 74th was from the beginning of October
mainly cantoned at Aides de Ponte, which it left on the 4th of January 1812, to
take part in the siege of Rodrigo. The third division reached Zamora on the 7th,
five miles from Rodrigo, where it remained during the siege. The work of the
siege was moat laborious and trying, and the 74th had its own share of
trench-work. The assault was ordered for the 19th of January, when two breaches
were reported practicable.
The assault of the great breach was
confided to Major-General M’Kinnon’s brigade, with a storming party of 500
volunteers under Major Manners of the 74th, with a forlorn hope under Lieutenant
Mache of the 88th regiment. There were two columns formed of the 5th and 94th
regiments ordered to attack and clear the ditch and fausse-braie on the
right of the great breach, and cover the advance of the main attack by General
M’Kinnon’s brigade. The light division was to storm the small breach on the
left, and a false attack on the gate at the opposite side of the town was to be
made by Major-General Pack’s Portuguese brigade.
Immediately after dark, Major-General
Picton formed the third division in the first parallel and approaches, and lined
the parapet of the second parallel with the 83rd Regiment, in readiness to open
the defences. At the appointed hour the attack commenced on the side of the
place next the bridge, and immediately a heavy discharge of musketry was opened
from the trenches, under cover of which 150 sappers, directed by two engineer
officers, and Captain Thomson of the 74th Regiment, advanced from the second
parallel to the crest of the glacis, carrying bags filled with hay, which they
threw down the counterscarp into the ditch, and thus reduced its depth from 134
to 8 feet. They then fixed the ladders, and General M’Kinnon’s brigade, in
conjunction with the 5th and 94th Regiments, which arrived at the same moment
along the ditch from the right, pushed up the breach, and after a sharp struggle
of some minutes with the bayonet, gained the summit. The defenders then
concentrated behind the retrenchment, which they obstinately retained, and a
second severe struggle commenced. Bags of hay were thrown into the ditch, and as
the counterscarp did not exceed 11 feet in depth, the men readily jumped upon
the bags, and without much difficulty carried the little breach. The division,
on gaining the summit, immediately began to form with great regularity, in order
to advance in a compact body and fall on the rear of the garrison, who were
still nobly defending the retrenchment of the great breach. The contest was
short but severe; officers and men fell in heaps, as Cannon puts it, killed and
wounded, and many were thrown down the scarp into the main ditch, a depth of 30
feet; but by desperate efforts directed along the parapet on both flanks, the
assailants succeeded in turning the retrenchments. The garrison then abandoned
the rampart, having first exploded a mine in the ditch of the retrenchment, by
which Major-General M'Kinnon and many of the bravest and most forward perished
in the moment of victory. General Vandeleur’s brigade of the light division had
advanced at the same time to the attack of the lesser breach on the left, which,
being without interior defence, was not so obstinately disputed, and the
fortress was won.
In his subsequent despatch Wellington
mentioned the regiment with particular commendation, especially naming Major
Manners and Captain Thomson of the 74th, the former receiving the brevot of
Lieutenant-Colonel for his services on this occasion.
During the siege the regiment lost 6 rank
and file killed, and Captains Langlands and Collins, Lieutenants Tew and Ramadge,
and Ensign Atkinson, 2 sergeants, and 24 rank and file, killed.
Preparations having been made for the
siege of Badajo; the 74th was sent to that place, which it reached on the 16th
of March (1812), taking its position along with the other regiments on the
south-east side of the town. On the 19th the garrison made a sortie from behind
the Picurina with 1500 infantry and a party of cavalry, penetrating as far as
the engineers’ park, cutting down some men, and carrying off several hundred
entrenching tools. The 74th, however, which was the first regiment under arms,
advanced under Major-General Kempt in double quick time, and, with the
assistance of the guard of the trenches, drove back the enemy, who lost 300
officers and men. The work of preparing for the siege and assault went on under
the continuance of very heavy rain, which rendered the work in the trenches
extremely laborious, until the 25th of March, when the batteries opened fire
against the hitherto impregnable fortress; and on that night Fort Picurina was
assaulted and carried by 500 men of the third division, among whom were 200 men
of the 74th under Major Shawe. The fort was very strong, the front well covered
by the glacis, the flanks deep, and the rampart, 14 feet perpendicular from the
bottom of the ditch, was guarded with thick slanting palings above; and from
thence to the top there were 16 feet of an earthen slope. Seven guns were
mounted on the works, the entrance to which by the rear was protected with three
rows of thick paling. The garrison was about 300 strong, and every man had two
muskets. The top of the rampart was garnished with loaded shells to push over,
and a retrenched guardhouse formed a second internal defence. The detachment
advanced about ten o’clock, and immediately alarms were sounded, and a fire
opened from all the ramparts of the work. After a fierce conflict, in which the
English lost many men and officers, and the enemy more than half of the
garrison, the commandant, with 86 men, surrendered. The 74th lost Captain
Collins and Lieutenant Ramadge killed, and Major Shawe dangerously wounded.
The operations of trench-cutting and
opening batteries went on till the 6th of April, on the night of which the
assault was ordered to take place. "The besiegers’ guns being all turned against
the curtain, the bad masonry crumbled rapidly away; in two hours a yawning
breach appeared, and Wellington, in person, having again examined the points of
attack, renewed the order for assault.
"Then the soldiers eagerly made themselves
ready for a combat, so furiously fought, so terribly won, so dreadful in all its
circumstances, that posterity can scarcely be expected to credit the tale, hut
many are still alive who know that it is true."
It was ordered, that on the right the
third division was to file out of the trenches, to cress the Rivillas rivulet,
and to scale the castle walls, which were from 18 to 24 feet high, furnished
with all means of destruction, and so narrow at the top, that the defenders
could easily reach and overturn the ladders.
The assault was to commence at ten
o’clock, and the third division was drawn up close to the Rivillas, ready to
advance, when a lighted carcass, thrown from the castle close to where it was
posted, discovered the array of the men, and obliged them to anticipate the
signal by half an hour. "A sudden blaze of light and the rattling of musketry
indicated the commencement of a most vehement contest at the castle. Then
General Kempt,—for Picton, hurt by a fall in the camp, and expecting no change
in the hour, was not present,—then General Kempt, I say, led the third division.
He had passed the Rivillas in single files by a narrow bridge, under a terrible
musketry, and then reforming, and running up the rugged hill, had reached the
foot of the castle, when he fell severely wounded, and being carried back to the
trenches met Picton, who hastened forward to take the command. Meanwhile his
troops, spreading along the front, reared their heavy ladders, some against the
lofty castle, some against the adjoining front on the left, and with incredible
courage ascended amidst showers of heavy stones, logs of wood, and burning
shells rolled off the parapet; while from the flanks the enemy plied his
musketry with a fearful rapidity, and in front with pikes and bayonets stabbed
the leading assailants, or pushed the ladders from the walls; and all this
attended with deafening shouts, and the crash of breaking ladders, and the
shrieks of crushed soldiers, answering to the sullen stroke of the falling
weights."
The British, somewhat baffled, were
compelled to fall back a few paces, and take shelter under the rugged edges of
the hill. But by the perseverance of Picton and the officers of the division,
fresh men were brought, the division reformed, and the assault renewed amid
dreadful carnage, until at last an entrance was forced by one ladder, when the
resistance slackened, and the remaining ladders were quickly reared, by which
the men ascended, and established themselves on the ramparts.
Lieutenant Alexander Grant of the 74th led
the advance at the escalade, and went with a few men through the gate of the
castle into the town, but was driven back by superior numbers. On his return he
was fired at by a French soldier lurking in the gateway, and mortally wounded in
the back of the head.
He was able, however, to descend the
ladder, and was carried to the bivouac, and trepanned, but died two days
afterwards, and was buried in the heights looking towards the castle. Among the
foremost in the escalade was John M’Lauchlan, the regimental piper, who, the
instant he mounted the castle wall, began playing on his pipes the regimental
quick step, "The Campbells are comin’," as coolly as if on a common parade,
until his music was stopped by a shot through the bag; he was afterwards seen by
an officer of the regiment seated on a gun-carriage, quietly repairing the
damage, while the shot was flying about him. After he had repaired his bag, he
recommenced his stirring tune.
After capturing the castle, the third
division kept possession of it all night, repelling the attempts of the enemy to
force an entrance. About midnight Wellington sent orders to Picton to blow down
the gates, but to remain quiet till morning, when he should sally out with 1000
men to renew the general assault. This, however, was unnecessary, as the capture
of the castle, and the slaughtering escalade of the Bastion St. Vincente by the
fifth division, having turned the retrenchments, there was no further
resistance, and the fourth and light divisions marched into the town by the
breaches. In the morning the gate was opened, and permission given to enter the
town.
Napier says, "5000 men and officers fell
during the siege, and of these, including 700 Portuguese, 3500 had been stricken
in the assault, 60 officers and more than 700 men being slain on the spot. The
five generals, Kempt, Harvey, Bowes, Colville, and Picton were wounded, the
first three severely." At the escalade of the castle alone 600 officers and men
fell. "When the extent of the night’s havoc was made known to Lord Wellington,
the firmness of his nature gave way for a moment, and the pride of conquest
yielded to a passionate burst of grief for the loss of the gallant soldiers."
Wellington in his despatch noticed particularly the distinguished conduct of the
third division, and especially that of lieutenant-Colonels Le Poer Trench and
Manners of the 74th.
The casualties in the regiment during the
siege were:—Killed.—3 officers, Captain Collins, Lieutenants Rainadge and Grant,
1 sergeant, and 22 rank and file. Wounded, 10 officers, Lieut-Colonel the Hon. R
Le Poer Trench, Captain Langlands, Brevet-Major Shawe, Captains Thomson and
Wingate, Lieutenants Lister, Pattison, King, and Ironside, Ensign Atkinson, 7
sergeants, and 91 rank and file.
The 74th left Badajoz on the 11th of
April, and marched to Pincdono, on the frontiers of Beira, where it was encamped
till the beginning of June, when it proceeded to Salamanca. Along with a large
portion of the allied army, the 74th was drawn up in order of battle on the
heights of San Christoval, in front of Salamanca, from the 20th to the 28th of
June, to meet Marshal Marinont, who advanced with 40,000 men to relieve the
forts, which, however, were captured on the 27th. Brevet-Major Thomson of
the 74th was wounded at the siege of the forts, during which he had been
employed as acting engineer.
On the 27th Picton having left on leave of
absence, the command of the third division was entrusted to. Major-General the
Hon. Edward Pakenham.
After the surrender of Salamanca the army
advanced in pursuit of Marmont, who retired across the Douro. Marmont, having
been reinforced, recrossed the Douro, and the allies returned to their former
ground on the heights of San Christoval in front of Salamanca, which they
reached on the 21st of July. In the evening the third division and some
Portuguese cavalry bivouacked on the right bank of the Tormes, over which the
rest of the army had crossed, and was placed in position covering Salamanca,
with the right upon one of the two rocky hills called the Arapiles, and the left
on the Tormes, which position, however, was afterwards changed to one at right
angles with it. On the morning of the 22nd the third division crossed the Tormes,
and was placed in advance of the extreme right of the last-mentioned position of
the allied army. About five o’clock the third division, led by Pakenham,
advanced in four columns, supported by cavalry, to turn the French left, which
had been much extended by the advance of the division of General Thomières, to
cut off the right of the allies from the Cindad Rodrigo road. Thomières was
confounded when first he saw the third division, for he expected to see the
allies in full retreat towards the Cindad Rodrigo road. The British columns
formed line as they marched, and the French gunners sent showers of grape into
the advancing masses, while a crowd of light troops poured in a fire of
musketry.
"But bearing on through the skirmishers
with the might of a giant, Pakenham broke the half formed line into fragments,
and sent the whole in confusion upon the advancing supports." Some squadrons of
light cavalry fell upon the right of the third division, but the 5th Regiment
repulsed them. Pakenham continued his "tempestuous course" for upwards of three
miles, until the French were "pierced, broken, and discomfited." The advance in
line of the 74th attracted particular notice, and was much applauded by Major
General Pakenham, who frequently exclaimed, "Beautifully done, 74th; beautiful,
74th!!’
Lord Londonderry says, in his Story of the Peninsular
War:—
"The attack of the third division was not only the most
spirited, but the most perfect thing of the kind that modern times have
witnessed.
"Regardless alike of a charge of cavalry
and of the murderous fire which the enemy’s batteries opened, on went these
fearless warriors, horse and foot, without check or pause, until they won the
ridge, and then the infantry giving their volley, and the cavalry falling on,
sword in hand, the French were pierced, broken, and discomfited. So close indeed
was the struggle, that in several instances the British colours were seen waving
over the heads of the enemy’s battalions."
Of the division of Thomières, originally
7000 strong, 2000 had been taken prisoners, with two eagles and eleven pieces of
cannon. The French right resisted till dark, when they were finally driven from
the field, and having sustained a heavy loss, retreated through the woods across
the Tormes.
The casualties in the regiment at the
battle of Salamanca were :—Killed, 3 rank and file. Wounded, 2 officers,
Brevet-Major Thomson and Lieutenant Ewing, both severely; 2 sergeants,
and 42 rank and file.
Alter this the 74th, with the other allied
regiments, proceeded to Madrid, where it remained till October 20, the men
passing their time most agreeably. But, although there was plenty of gaiety,
Madrid exhibited a sad combination of luxury and desolation; there was no money,
the people were starving, and even noble families secretly sought charity.
In the end of September, when the distress
was very great, Lieutenant-Colonel Trench and the officers of the 74th and 45th
Regiments, having witnessed the distress, and feeling the utmost compassion for
numbers of miserable objects, commenced giving a daily dinner to about 200 of
them, among whom were some persons of high distinction, who without this
resource must have perished. Napier says on this subject, that "the Madrilenos
discovered a deep and unaffected gratitude for kindness received at the hands of
the British officers, who contributed, not much, for they had it not, but enough
of money to form soup charities, by which hundreds were succoured. Surely this
is not the least of the many honourable distinctions those bravo men have
earned."
During the latter part of October and the
month of November, the 74th, which had joined Lieutenant-General Hill, in order
to check the movement of Souls and King Joseph, performed many fatiguing marches
and counter marches, enduring many great hardships and privations, marching over
impassable roads and marshy plains, under a continued deluge of rain, provisions
deficient, and no shelter procurable. On the 14th of November the allied army
commenced its retreat from Alba de Tormes towards Ciudad Rodrigo, and the
following extract from the graphic journal of Major Alves of the 74th will give
the reader some idea of the hardships which these poor soldiers had to undergo
at this time:—" From the time we left the Arapeiles, on the 15th, until our
arrival at Ciudad Rodrigo, a distance of only about 15 leagues, we were under
arms every morning an hour before daylight, and never got to our barrack until
about sunset, the roads being almost unpassable, particularly for artillery, and
with us generally ankle deep. It scarcely ceased to rain during the retreat. Our
first endeavour after our arrival at out watery bivouack, was to make it as
comfortable as circumstances would admit; and as exertion was our best
assistance, we immediately set to and cut down as many trees as would make a
good fire, and then as many as would keep us from the wet underneath. If we
succeeded in making a good enough fire to keep the feet warm, I generally
managed to have a tolerably good sleep, although during the period I had
scarcely ever a dry shirt. To add to our misery, during the retreat we were
deficient in provisions, and had rum only on two days. The loss of men by death
from the wet and cold during this period was very great. Our regiment alone was
deficient about thirty out of thirty-four who had only joined us from England on
the 14th, the evening before we retreated from the Arapiles."
The 74th went into winter quarters, and
was cantoned at Sarzedas, in the province of Beira, from December 6, 1812, till
May 15, 1813.
During this time many preparations were
made, and the comfort and convenience of the soldiers maintained, preparatory to
Wellington’s great attempt to expel the French from the Peninsula.
The army crossed the Douro in separate
divisions, and reunited at Toro, the 74th proceeding with the left column.
Lieutenant-General Picton had rejoined from England on the 20th May.
On the 4th of June the allies advanced,
following the French army under King Joseph, who entered upon the position at
Vittoria on the 19th of June by the narrow mountain defile of Puebla, through
which the river Zadorra, after passing the city of Vittoria, runs through the
valley towards the Ebro with many windings, and divides the
basin unequally. To give
an idea of the part taken by the 74th in the important battle of Vittoria, we
cannot do better than quote from a letter of Sir Thomas Picton dated July 1,
1813.
"On the 16th of May the division was put
in movement; on the 18th we crossed the Douro, on the 15th of June the Ebro, and
on the 21st fought the battle of Vittoria. The third division had, as usual, a
very distinguished share in this decisive action. The enemy’s left rested on an
elevated chain of craggy mountains, and their right on a rapid river, with
commanding heights in the centre, and a succession of undulating grounds, which
afforded excellent situations for artillery, and several good positions in front
of Vittoria, where King Joseph had his headquarters. The battle began early in
the morning, between our right and the enemy’s left, on the high craggy heights,
and continued with various success for several hours. About twelve o’clock the
third division was ordered to force the passage of the river and carry the
heights in the centre, which service was executed with so much rapidity, that we
got possession of the commanding ground before the enemy were aware of our
intention. The enemy attempted to dislodge us with great superiority of force,
and with forty or fifty pieces of cannon. At that period the troops on our right
had not made sufficient progress to cover our right flank, in consequence of
which we suffered a momentary check, and were driven out of a village whence we
had dislodged the enemy, but it was quickly recovered; and on Sir Rowland Hill’s
(the second) division, with a Portuguese and Spanish division, forcing the enemy
to abandon the heights, and advancing to protect our flanks, we pushed the enemy
rapidly from all his positions, forced him to abandon his cannon, and drove his
cavalry and infantry in confusion beyond the city of Vittoria. We took 152
pieces of cannon, the military chest, ammunition and baggage, besides an immense
treasure, the property of the French generals amassed in Spain.
"The third division was the most severely
and permanently engaged of any part of the army; and we in consequence sustained
a loss of nearly 1800 killed and wounded, which is more than a third of the
total loss of the whole army."
The 74th received particular praise from
both Lieutenant-General Picton and Major-General Brisbane, commanding the
division and brigade, for its alacrity in advancing and charging through the
village of Arinez.
The attack on and advance from Arinez
seems to have been a very brilliant episode indeed, and the one in which the
74th was most particularly engaged. The right wing, under Captain M’Queen, went
off at double quick and drove the enemy outside the village, where they again
formed in line opposite their pursuers. The French, however, soon after fled,
leaving behind them a battery of seven guns.
Captain M’Queen’s
own account of the battle
is exceedingly graphic. "At Vittoria," he says, "I had the command of three
companies for the purpose of driving the French out of the village of Arinez,
where they were strongly posted; we charged through the village and the enemy
retired in great confusion. Lieutenants Alves and Ewing commanded the companies
which accompanied me. I received three wounds that day, but remained with the
regiment during the whole action; and next day I was sent to the rear with the
other wounded. Davis (Lieutenant) carried the colours that day, and it was one
of the finest things you can conceive to see the 74th advancing in line, with
the enemy in front, on very broken ground full, of ravines, as regularly, and in
as good line as if on parade. This is in a great measure to be attributed to
Davis, whose coolness and gallantry were conspicuous; whenever we got into
broken ground, he with the colours was first on the bank, and stood there until
the regiment formed on his right and left."
Captain M’Queen, who became Major of the
74th in 1830, and who died only a year or two ago, was rather a remarkable man;
we shall refer to him again. Adjutant Alves tells us in his journal, that in
this advance upon the village of Arinez, he came upon Captain M’Queen lying, as
he thought, mortally wounded. Alves ordered two of the grenadiers to lift
M’Queen and lay him behind a bank out of reach of the firing, and there leave
him. About an hour afterwards, however, Alves was very much astonished to see
the indomitable Captain at the head of his company; the shot that had struck him
in the breast having probably been a spent one, which did not do him much
injury.
Major White (then Adjutant) thus narrates
an occurrence which took place during the contest at Arinez:— "At the battle of
Vittoria, after we had forced the enemy’s centre, and taken the strong heights,
we found ourselves in front of a village (I think Arinez) whence the French had
been driven in a confused mass, too numerous for our line to advance against;
and whilst we were halted for reinforcements, the 88th Regiment on our left
advanced with their usual impetuosity against the superior numbers I have spoken
of, and met with a repulse. The left of our regiment, seeing this, ran from the
ranks to the assistance of the 88th; and I, seeing them fall uselessly, rode
from some houses which sheltered us to rally them and bring them back. The piper
(M’Laughlan, mentioned before) seeing that I could not collect them, came to my
horse’s side and played the ‘Assembly,’ on which most of them that were not shot
collected round me. I was so pleased with this act of the piper in coming into
danger to save the lives of his comrades, and with the good effect of the pipes
in the moment of danger that I told M’Laughlan that I would not fail to mention
his gallant and useful conduct. But at the same time, as I turned my horse to
the right to conduct the men towards our regiment, a musket ball entered the
point of my left shoulder, to near my back bone, which stopped my career in the
field. The piper ceased to play, and I was told he was shot through the breast;
at all events he was killed, and his timely assistance and the utility of the
pipes deserves to be recorded." It was indeed too true about poor brave
M’Laughlan, whose pipes were more potent than the Adjutant’s command; a
nine-pound shot went right through his breast, when, according to the journal of
Major Alves, he was playing "The Campbell’s are comin" in rear of the column. It
is a curious circumstance, however that the piper’s body lay on the field for
several days after the battle without being stripped of anything but the shoes.
This was very unusual, as men were generally stripped of everything as soon as
they were dead.
When the village was captured and the
great road gained, the French troops on the extreme left were thereby turned,
and being hardly pressed by Sir Rowland Hill’s attack on their front, retreated
in confusion before the advancing lines towards Vittoria.
The road to Bayonne being completely
blocked up by thousands of carriages and animals, and a confused mass of men,
women, and children, thereby rendered impassable for artillery, the French
retreated by the road to Salvatierra and Pamplona, the British infantry
following in pursuit. But this road being also choked up with carriages and
fugitives, all became confusion and disorder. The French were compelled to
abandon everything, officers and men taking with them only the clothes they
wore, and most of them being barefooted. Their loss in men did not, however,
exceed 6000, and that of the allies was nearly as great. That of the British,
however, was more than twice as great as that of the Spanish and Portuguese
together, and yet both are said to have fought well; but as Napier says,
"British troops are the soldiers of battle."
The French regiments which effected their
escape arrived at Pamplona and took shelter in the defile beyond it, in a state
of complete disorganisation. Darkness, and the nature of the ground unfavourable
for the action of cavalry, alone permitted their escape; at the distance of two
leagues from Vittoria the pursuit was given up.
The following, Brigade Order was issued the day after the
battle:—
"Major-General Brisbane has reason to be highly pleased
with the conduct of the brigade in the action of yesterday, but he is at a loss
to express his admiration of the conduct of the Honourable Colonel Le Poer
Trench and the 14th Regiment, which he considers contributed much to the success
of the day."
The casualties in the 74th at the battle
of Vittoria were: —Killed, 7 rank and file; wounded, 5 officers, Captains
M’Queen and Ovens, Adjutant White, and Ensigns Hamilton and Shore, 4 sergeants,
1 drummer, and 31 rank and file.
The army followed the retreating French
into the Pyrenees by the valley of Roncesvalles.
Of the various actions that took place
among these mountains we have already given somewhat detailed accounts when
speaking of the 42nd. The 74th was engaged in the blockade of Pamplona, and
while thus employed, on the 15th of July, its pickets drove in a reconnoitring
party of the garrison, the regiment sustaining a loss of 3 rank and file killed,
and 1 sergeant and 6 rank and file wounded. On the 17th the blockade of Pamplona
was entrusted to the Spaniards, and the third, fourth, and second divisions
covered the blockade, as well as the siege of San Sebastian, then going on under
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham.
Marshal Soult, with 60,000 men, advanced
on the 25th to force the pass of Roncesvalles, and compelled the fourth
division, which had been moved up to support the front line of the allies, to
retire; on the 26th it was joined by the third division in advance of Zubiri.
Both divisions, under Sir Thomas Picton, took up a position on the morning of
the 27th July, in front of Pamplona, across the mouth of the Zubiri and Lanz
valleys. At daylight on the 30th, in accordance with Wellington’s orders, the
third division, with two squadrons of cavalry and a battery of artillery,
advanced rapidly up the valley of the Zubiri, skirmishing on the flank of the
French who were retiring under General Foy. About eleven o’clock, the 74th being
in the valley, and the enemy moving in retreat parallel with the allies along
the mountain ridge to the left of the British, Lieut-Colonel Trench obtained
permission from Sir Thomas Picton to advance with the 74th and cut off their
retreat The regiment then ascended the ridge in view of the remainder of the
division, which continued its advance up the valley. On approaching the summit,
two companies, which were extended as skirmishers, were overpowered in passing
through a wood, and driven back upon the main body. Though the regiment was
exposed to a most destructive fire, it continued its advance, without returning
a shot, until it reached the upper skirt of the wood, close upon the flank of
the enemy, and then at once opened its whole fire upon them.
A column of 1500 or 1600 men was separated
from the main body, driven down the other side of the ridge, and a number taken
prisoners; most of those who escaped were intercepted by the sixth division,
which was further in advance on another line. After the 74th had gained the
ridge, another regiment from the third division was sent to support it, and
pursued the remainder of the column until it had surrendered to the sixth
division. Sir Frederick Stoven, Adjutant-General of the third division, who,
along with some of the staff cams up at this moment, said he never saw a
regiment behave in such a gallant manner.
The regiment was highly complimented by
the staff of the division for its conspicuous gallantry on this occasion, which
was noticed as follows by Lord Wellington, who said in his despatch,— "I cannot
sufficiently applaud the conduct of all the general officers, officers, and
troops, throughout these operations, &c.
"The movement made by Sir Thomas Picton
merited my highest commendation; the latter officer co-operated in the attack of
the mountain by detaching troops to his left, in which Lieutenant-Colonel the
Hon. Robert Trench was wounded, but I hope not seriously."
The regiment on this occasion sustained a
loss of 1 officer, Captain Whitting, 1 sergeant, and 4 rank and file killed, and
5 officers, Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. Robert Le Poer Trench, Captain
(Brevet-Major) Moore, and Lieutenants Pattison, Duncomb, and Tew, 4 sergeants,
and 36 rank and file wounded.
The French were finally driven across the
Bidasoa into France in the beginning of August.
At the successful assault of the fortress
of San Sebastian by the force under Sir Thomas Graham, and which was witnessed
by the 74th from the summit of one of the neighbouring mountains, Brevet Major
Thomson of the 74th, was employed as an acting engineer, and received the brevet
rank of Lieutenant-Colonel for his services.
Alter various movements the third division
advanced up the pass of Zagaramurdi, and on the 6th October encamped on the
summit of a mountain in front of the pass of Echalar; and in the middle of that
month, Sir Thomas Picton having gone to England, the command of the third
division devolved upon Major-General Sir Charles Colville. The 74th remained
encamped on the summit of this bare mountain till the 9th of November, suffering
greatly from the exposure to cold and wet weather, want of shelter, and scarcity
of provisions, as well as from the harassing piquet and night duties which the
men had to perform. Major Alves [This officer was present with the 74th during
the whole of its service in the Peninsula, and kept an accurate daily journal of
all the events in which he was concerned. He was afterwards
Major of the depot
battalion in the Isle of Wight.] says in his journal that the French picquets
opposite to the position of the 74th were very kind and generous in getting the
soldiers’ canteens filled with brandy,—for payment of course.
Pamplona having capitulated on the 31st of
October, an attack was made upon the French position at the Nivelle on the 10th
of November, a detailed description of which has been given in the history of
the 42nd. The third, along with the fourth and seventh divisions, under the
command of Marshal Beresford, were dispersed about Zagaramurdi, the Puerto de
Echellar, and the lower parts of these slopes of the greater Rhune, which
descended upon the Sarre. On the morning of the 10th, the third division, under
General Colville, descending from Zagaramurdi, moved against the unfinished
redoubts and entrenchments covering the approaches to the bridge of Amotz on the
left bank of the Nivelle, and formed in conjunction with the sixth division the
narrow end of a wedge. The French made a vigorous resistance, but were driven
from the bridge, by the third division, which established itself on the heights
between that structure and the unfinished redoubts of Louis XIV. The third
division then attacked the left flank of the French centre, while the fourth and
seventh divisions assailed them in front. The attacks on other parts of the
French position having been successful, their centre was driven across the river
in great confusion, pursued by the skirmishers of the third division, which
crossed by the bridge of Amotz. The allied troops then took possession of the
heights on the right bank of the Nivelle, and the French were compelled to
abandon all the works which for the previous three months they had been
constructing for the defence of the other parts of the position.
The 74th was authorised to bear the word "Nivelle"
on its regimental colour, in commemoration of its services in this battle;
indeed it will be seen that it bears on its colours the names of nearly every
engagement that took place during the Peninsular War. The French had lost 51
pieces of artillery, and about 4300 men and officers killed, wounded, and
prisoners, during the battle of the Niveile; the loss of the allies was about
2700 men and officers.
On the 9th of December the passage of the
Nive at Cambo having been forced by Sir Rowland Hill, the third division
remained in possession of the bridge at Ustariz. On the 13th the French having
attacked the right between the Nive and the Adour at, St Pierre, were repulsed
by Sir Rowland Hill after a very severe battle, and the fourth, sixth, and two
brigades of the third division were moved across the Nive in support of the
right.
The 74th, after this, remained cantoned in
farm-houses between the Nive and the Adour until the middle of February 1814.
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton
having rejoined the army, resumed the command of the third division in the end
of December 1813. Many acts of outrage and plunder had been committed by the
troops, on first entering France, and Sir Thomas Picton took an opportunity of
publicly reprimanding some of the regiments of his division for such offences,
when he thus addressed the 74th:—"As for you, 74th, I have nothing to say
against you, your conduct is gallant in the field and orderly in quarters! And,
addressing Colonel Trench in front of the regiment, he told him that he would
write to the colonel at home (General Sir Alexander Hope) his report of their
good conduct. As Lieutenant-General Picton was not habitually lavish of
complimentary language, this public expression of the good opinion of so
competent a judge was much valued by the regiment.
The next engagement in which the 74th took
part was that of Orthes, February 27, 1814. On the 24th the French had
concentrated at Orthes, with their front to the river Gave de Pau, while the
third division was at the broken bridge of Bereaux, five miles lower down the
river, on the 25th, crossing to the other side next day. On the 27th, when the
sixth and light divisions crossed, the third, and Lord Edward Somerset’s
cavalry, were already established in columns of march, with skirmishers pushed
forward close upon the left centre of the French position. During the whole
morning of the 27th a slight skirmish, with now and then a cannon shot, had been
going on with the third division, but at nine o’clock Wellington commenced the
real attack. The third and sixth divisions took without difficulty the lower
part of the ridges opposed to them, and endeavoured to extend their left along
the French front with a sharp fire of musketry. But after three hours’ hard
fighting, during which the victory seemed to be going with the French,
Wellington changed his plan of attack, and ordered the third and sixth divisions
to be thrown en masse on the left centre of the French position, which
they carried, and established a battery of guns upon a knoll, from whence their
shot ploughed through the French masses from one flank to another. Meantime Hill
had crossed the river above Orthes, and nearly cut off the French line of
retreat, after which the French began to retire, step by step, without
confusion. The allies advanced, firing incessantly, yet losing many men,
especially of the third division, whose advance was most strongly opposed. The
retreat of the French, however, shortly became a rout, the men flying in every
direction in scattered bands, pursued by the British cavalry, who cut down many
of the fugitives.
During the first advance
Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton particularly remarked to Major-General
Brisbane the steady movement of his brigade; and the latter reported to him the
notice he had taken of the gallantry of Sergeant-Major Macpherson, of the 74th,
upon which Sir Thomas Picton expressed to the sergeant-major his pleasure to
hear such a good report of him, and on the following day, during a short halt on
the march, desired Lieutenant-Colonel Manners, who commanded the regiment in the
absence of Lieutenant-Colonel Trench, to write his recommendation, which he did
on a drum-head; the sergeant-major was consequently promoted to a commission on
the 31st of March following, and was afterwards a captain in the regiment.
The casualties in the regiment at the
battle of Orthes were—1 sergeant and 7 rank and file killed; and 5 officers,
Captain Lyster, Lieutenant Ewing (mortally—dying shortly afterwards), Lieutenant
Ironside, Ensigns Shore and Luttrell, 1 sergeant, 1 drummer, and 17 rank and
file wounded.
The 74th, along with the other regiments
of the third division, was kept moving about until the 7th of March, when it was
cantoned at Aire, on the left bank of the Adour. On the 18th the whole allied
army advanced up both sides of the Adour, the French falling back before them.
The third division was in the centre column, which on the 19th came up with a
division of the French, strongly posted amongst some vineyards, two miles in
front of the village of Vic-en-Bigorre. The third division attacked the French
and drove them before it, and encamped in the evening about three miles beyond
the town of Vic-en-Bigorre.
The Marquis of Wellington stated in his
despatch—"On
the following day (the 19th) the enemy held a strong rear-guard in the vineyards
in front of the town of Vic-en-Bigorre; Lieutenant-General Picton, with the
third division and Major-General Rock’s brigade, made a very handsome movement
upon this rear-guard, and drove them through the vineyards and town!’
Two officers of the regiment, Lieutenant
Atkinson and Ensign Flood, were wounded in this affair.
On the 20th, after some sharp fighting, in
which the 74th lost a few men, the right column of the allies crossed the Adour
at Tarbes, and was encamped with the rest of the army upon the Larret and Arros
rivers. The French retreated towards Toulouse, and on the 26th the allied army
came in sight of the enemy posted behind the Teuch river, and covering that
city. Details having already been given, in our account of the 42nd Regiment,
concerning this last move of Soult, we need only mention here that the third,
fourth, and sixth divisions passed over the Garonne bya pontoon bridge fifteen
miles below Toulouse on the 3d of April. On the 10th about six o’clock in the
morning, the various divisions of the British army advanced according to
Wellington’s previously arranged plan. The part taken in the battle of Toulouse
by the 74th is thus narrated by Major Alves in his journal:—
"Shortly after daylight the division was
put in motion, with orders to drive all the enemy’s outposts before us, and
although acting as adjutant, I was permitted by Colonel Trench to accompany the
skirmishers. With but feeble opposition we drove them before us, until they
reached the tête-de-pont on the canal leading into Toulouse, on the right bank
of the Garonne; on arriving there I mentioned to Captain Andrews of the 74th,
that I thought we had gone far enough, and reconnoitered very attentively the
manner in which it was defended by strong palisades, &c. I then returned to
where the regiment was halted, and mentioned my observations to Colonel Trench,
and that nothing further could possibly be done without artillery to break down
the palisades. He immediately brought me to General Brisbane, to whom I also
related my observations as above, who directed me to ride to the left and find
out Sir Thomas Picton, who was with the other brigade, and to tell him my
observations. After riding about two miles to the left I found Sir Thomas, and
told him as above stated, who immediately said, in presence of all his staff,
‘Go back, sir, and tell them to move on.’ This I did with a very heavy heart, as
I dreaded what the result must be, but I had no alternative. About a quarter of
an hour afterwards the regiment moved from where it was halted. We experienced a
loss of 30 killed and 100 wounded, out of 350, in the attempt to get possession
of the tête-depont; and were obliged to retire without gaining any advantage.
The attack was the more to be regretted, as Lord Wellington’s orders were that
it was only to be a diversion, and not a real attack."
The casualties in the regiment at the
battle of Toulouse were 4 officers, Captains Thomas Andrews and William Tew,
Lieutenant Hamilton, and Ensign John Parkinson, 1 sergeant, and 32 rank and file
killed; and 5 officers, Brevet-Major Miller, Captain Donald M’Queen, [This
brave officer, who died only quite recently, and who
had been made a Military Knight of Windsor only a few months before his death,
was severely wounded through the lungs. He had been in almost every battle
fought during the Peninsulsr War, and seldom came out without a wound, yet he
became Major of his regiment only in 1830, though for his conduct in the
Peninsula he received the silver war medal with nine clasps. For some years he
was barrack-master at Dundee and Perth. In 1835, as a recognition of his
meritorious services in the Peninsula, he was made a Knight of the Royal
Hanoverian Guelphic Order. The following incident in which he was concerned at
Toulouse is worth narrating :—. When left for dead on the field, and his
regiment had moved on, a soldier, his foster-brother, named John Gillanders,
whom he had taken with him from his native parish as a recruit, missed his
captain, and hurried back through a heavy fire, searched for and found him, and
carried him to the rear. There were few places for shelter, and the faithful
soldier, loaded with his almost insensible burden, pushed his way into a house
which was filled with officers, and called out for a bed. In the room there was
a bed, and on it lay a wounded officer. He heard the entreaty of the soldier,
and saw the desperate condition of the officer he carried, and at once
exclaimed, "That poor fellow needs the bed more than I do," and rose and gave it
up. That officer was the gallant Sir Thomas Brisbane.] and Lieutenants Jason
Hassard, William Graham, and E. J. Crabbo, 4 sergeants, and 94 rank and file
wounded.
The French abandoned the city during the
night of the 11th of April, and the allies entered it in triumph on the 12th, on
the forenoon of which day intelligence arrived of the abdication of Napoleon and
the termination of the war. The officers charged with the intelligence had been
detained near Blois "by the officiousness of the police, and the blood of 8000
men had overflowed the Mount Rhune in consequence."
After remaining in France for some time
the 74th embarked in the beginning of July, and arrived at Cork on the 25th of
that month.
The record of the services of the 74th
during these eventful years will be sufficient to prove how well the corps
maintained the high character it had at first acquired in the East Indies, and
how well it earned the distinction for gallantry in the field and good conduct
in quarters.
In consideration of the meritorious
conduct of the non-commissioned officers and men of the regiment during the war,
Colonel Trench applied to the Commander-in-Chief to authorise those most
distinguished among them to wear silver medals in commemoration of their
services. The sanction of the Commander-in-Chief was conveyed to Colonel Trench
in a letter from the Adjutant-General, bearing date "Horse Guards, 30th June
1814."
Medals were accordingly granted to the
deserving survivors of the campaign, who were divided into three classes: first
class, men who had served in eight or nine general actions; second class, in six
or seven general actions; third class, in four or five general actions.
The regiment remained in Ireland till May
1818, not having had a chance of distinguishing itself at the crowning victory
of Waterloo, although it was on its way to embark for Belgium when news of that
decisive battle arrived. While at Fermoy, on the 6th of April 1818, the regiment
was presented with new colours. The colours which had waved over the regiment in
many a hard-fought field, and which had been received in 1802, were burned, and
the ashes deposited in the lid of a gold sarcophagus snuff-box, inlaid with part
of the wood of the colour-staves, on which the following inscription was
engraved:—"This box, composed of the old standards of the Seventy-fourth
regiment, was formed as a tribute of respect to the memory of those who fell,
and of esteem for those who survived the many glorious and arduous services on
which they were always victoriously carried, during a period of sixteen years,
in India, the Peninsula, and France. They were presented to the regiment at
Wallajahbad in 1802, and the shattered remains were burned at Fermoy on the 6th
of April 1818."
The 74th embarked at Cork for Halifax,
Nova Scotia, on the 13th of May, leaving one depôt company, which was sent to
the Isle of Wight. The companies were divided between St John’s, Newfoundland,
St John’s, New Brunswick, and Frederickton, where were headquarters and five
companies. The regiment remained in North America till 1828, in August of which
year proceeding to Bermudas, which it left at the end of the next year for
lreland, where it arrived in the beginning of 1830. In 1818 the regiment had
been reduced to ten companies of 65 rank and file each, and in 1821 it was
further reduced to eight companies of 72 rank and file. In 1825, however, the
strength was augmented to ten companies—six service companies of 86 rank and
file, and four depot companies of 56 rank and file each.
The regiment remained in Ireland till
1834, during part of which time it was actively employed in suppressing the
outrages consequent on the disturbed state of the country. In the latter part of
1834 the regiment was divided into four depot and six service companies; three
of the latter were sent to Barbadoes, while the headquarter division, consisting
of the three remaining companies, was sent to the island of Grenada. In November
1835 the two service divisions were sent to Antigua, where they remained till
February 1837. From thence the headquarter division proceeded to St Lucia, and
the other three companies to Demerara, both divisions being sent to St Vincent
in June of the same year. The regiment was kept moving about among these western
islands till May 1841, when it proceeded to Canada, arriving at Quebec at the
end of the month. While the regiment was stationed at Trinidad it was attacked
by fever and dysentery, which caused great mortality; and fever continued to
prevail among the men until the regiment removed to Trinidad. With this
exception the 74th remained remarkably healthy during the whole of its residence
in the West Indies.
The 74th remained in the North American
colonies till 1845, being removed from Canada to Nova Scotia in May 1844, and
embarking at Halifax for England in March 1845. On arriving in England in the
end of that month, the service companies joined the depot at Canterbury.
While the regiment
was stationed in
Canterbury, Lieutenant-Colonel Crabbe, commanding the regiment, submitted to the
Commander-in-Chief, through the colonel (Lieutenant-General Sir Phineas Ryall),
the earnest desire of the officers and men to be permitted to resume the
national garb and designation of a Highland regiment, under which the 74th had
been originally embodied.
The lieutenant-colonel having himself
first joined the regiment as a Highland corps in the year 1807, and having
served with it continuously during the intervening period, knew by his own
experience, and was able to certify to the Commander-in-Chief, how powerfully
and favourably its character had been influenced by its original organisation;
and also that throughout the varied services and changes of so many years, a
strong national feeling, and a connection with Scotland by recruiting, had been
constantly maintained. Various considerations, however, induced an application
for permission to modify the original dress of kilt and feathered bonnet, and
with the resumed designation of a Highland corps, to adopt the trews and bonnet
as established for the 71st regiment.
His Grace the Duke of Wellington was
pleased to return a favourable answer to the application, in such terms as to
render his consent doubly acceptable to the corps, causing it to be intimated to
the colonel, by a letter from the adjutant-general, bearing date ‘Horse Guards,
13th August 1845,’ that he would recommend to Her Majesty that the 74th Regiment
should be permitted to resume the appellation of a Highland regiment, and to be
clothed "accordingly in compliment to the services of that regiment so well
known to his Grace in India and in Europe."
In the "Gazette" of the 14th November 1845
the following announcement was published:—
"WAR Office, 8th November 1845.
"Memorandum,—Her Majesty has been
graciously pleased to approve of the 74th foot resuming the appellation of the
74th (Highland) Regiment of foot, and of its being clothed accordingly; that is,
to wear the tartan trews instead of the Oxford mixture; plaid cap instead of the
black chaco; and the plaid scarf as worn by the 71st Regiment. The alteration of
the dress is to take place on the next issue of clothing, on the 1st of April
1846."
The
national designation of the regiment was of course
immediately resumed, and the recruiting has been since carried on solely in
Scotland with uniform success.
It was directed by the Adjutant-General
that the tartan now to be worn by the 74th should not be of the old regimental
pattern, that being already in use
by two other regiments (the 42nd and 93rd), but that it
should be distinguished by the introduction of a white stripe. The alteration of
the regimental dress took place as ordered, on the 1st of April 1846.
In May 1846, Lieutenant-Colonel Crabbe,
who had been connected with the regiment for forty years, retired on full pay,
and took leave of the regiment in a feeling order. Major Crawley was promoted to
the lieutenant colonelcy in his place. |