Richard Cannon

“ In the summer of 1796 the regiment was removed to Croydon, and in October to York. The French republic was, in the mean time, conspiring the destruction of British commerce, and having concluded a treaty of peace with Spain, had entered into negociations with the Portuguese; but the Queen of Portugal refused to ratify the treaty, and agreed to receive British troops into several ports of Portugal. The Twelfth Light Dragoons were selected to proceed to Portugal, to assist in the defence of that kingdom, in the event of its being attacked by France or her allies. ”

“ One hundred and twenty men of Bonaparte's famous dromedary corps were among the prisoners, and presented a grand and novel appearance; and the horses and camels formed a valuable acquisition to the British army.
Brigadier-General (afterwards Sir John) Doyle expressed, in a letter to Colonel Browne, his approbation of the excellent conduct of the Twelfth and Twenty-sixth Light Dragoons, adding,—"With such troops I shall always feel a pride to serve; and at their head, be content to fall, being convinced it must be with honor." ”

“ Soon after their arrival in Flanders, they were reviewed by the Duke of Wellington, who was pleased to express his "approbation of their appearance; that he was happy at having again under his orders, a corps which had always been distinguished for its gallantry and discipline, and he did not doubt, should occasion offer, but it would continue to deserve his good opinion; and he hoped every [47] man would feel a pride in endeavouring to maintain the reputation of the regiment." ”

“ In Great Britain, where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, and where these pursuits have, for so long a period, been undisturbed by the presence of war, which few other countries have escaped, comparatively little is known of the vicissitudes of active service, and of the casualties of climate, to which, even during peace, the British Troops are exposed in every part of the globe, with little or no interval of repose. ”

“ When the severity of the weather abated, the army was again put in motion; and in the second week of February, 1814, the British commander advanced against the enemy's left to draw Marshal Soult's attention to that quarter, while the passage of the Adour was effected, by the division under Lieut.-General Sir John Hope, below Bayonne. By a difficult night-march a body of troops approached the river on the morning of the 23rd of February; the artillery forced the French flotilla to retire, and sixty men of the foot-guards were rowed across in a pontoon ”

“ In 1776, he was nominated to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the thirteenth dragoons, and having brought that regiment into an excellent state of discipline and efficiency, he was rewarded with the rank of colonel in 1782; in 1783 his regiment was constituted a corps of light cavalry. In 1788 detachments from the cavalry regiments in Ireland were assembled at Dublin, and placed under his command, for the purpose of forming an improved system of interior economy, discipline, and field movements for the cavalry ”

“ The marked consideration which the Holy Father has always entertained, and never will cease to entertain, for the generous and illustrious English nation, induces him not to neglect the opportunity of giving a proof of it, which is now afforded by the stay of a British regiment at Civita Vecchia. As his holiness cannot but applaud the regular and praiseworthy conduct of the troops in question, he has determined to evince his entire satisfaction [19] by presenting a gold medal to each of the officers, including General Sir James Steuart, Baronet, and Colonel Erskine [1] , though absent ”

“ Every non-commissioned officer and soldier also received a silver medal, with the privilege of reckoning two years' service for having been present at this battle,—the greatest of past or present times, and one which has increased the reputation of the British arms.
Following the shattered remnant of the French army in its flight, the regiment arrived in the [59] vicinity of Paris, and the submission of the capital was followed by the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty to the throne of France. ”

“ Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, second son of Frederick third earl of Besborough, was appointed cornet in the Tenth Light Dragoons in 1800, and rose in 1803 to the rank of captain in the same corps, from which he exchanged to the Sixteenth Light Dragoons in 1806. In 1807 he was appointed major in the Twenty-third Light Dragoons, at the head of which corps he distinguished himself at the battle of Talavera in 1809; and in 1810 he was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the regiment. ”

“ Although the King of France was beheaded, and the republicans maintained their authority by the terrors of the guillotine, yet many patriots stood forward in the cause of royalty, and the inhabitants of the celebrated port of Toulon,—the principal station of the French navy, delivered up their port and city to Admiral Lord Hood, who took possession in August, 1793, in the name of Louis XVII. A French army advanced against Toulon, which was defended by a few British, Spanish, Neapolitan, and Sardinian troops ”

“ It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,—victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen,—our brothers,—our fellow-citizens in arms,—a record which revives the memory of the brave, and brings their gallant deeds before us, will certainly prove acceptable to the public. ”

“ Sebastian, the troops which had been employed in the siege advanced to the frontiers, and on the 7th of October the passage of the Bidassoa was forced, and the army entered France. Unprincipled aggression was thus overtaken by retributive justice, and the kingdom which had sent its legions to other countries to ravage and devastate, became the theatre of war. ”

“ War having commenced between Great Britain and France in 1756, Lieutenant-General Bligh was appointed, in 1758, to the command of an expedition designed to make a descent on the coast of France, with the view of causing a diversion in favour of the army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick in Germany. ”

“ Richard Cannon, Principal Clerk of the Adjutant-General's Office; and while the perusal of them cannot fail to be useful and interesting to military men of every rank, it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general reader, particularly to those who may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service.
There exists in the breasts of most of those who have [viii] served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps—an attachment to every thing belonging to their Regiment ”

“ As we were descending in a gallop, we received from our own troops on the right, a fire much more destructive than theirs, they having begun long before it could take effect, and slackening as we drew nearer ”