Richard Cannon

“ Great Britain has produced a race of heroes who, in moments of danger and terror, have stood “firm as the rocks of their native shore:” and when half the world has been arrayed against them, they have fought the battles of their Country with unshaken fortitude. It is presumed that a record of achievements in war,—victories so complete and surprising, gained by our countrymen, our brothers, [vii] 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. ”

“ Under these circumstances, may I be permitted to hope that you will do me the favour to lay at His Majesty’s feet my humble petition that the Eighty-seventh regiment may be appointed a light infantry corps, which, as being a mark of His Majesty’s approbation, would be most gratifying to those brave men, who have so freely bled, and would lay down their lives, to manifest their devoted attachment to their gracious and beloved Sovereign. ”

“ There exists in the breasts of most of those who have served, or are serving, in the Army, an Esprit de Corps—an attachment to everything belonging to their Regiment; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove interesting. Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the valiant, the loyal, have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized people. ”

“ THE INFANTRY. The natives of Britain have, at all periods, been celebrated for innate courage and unshaken firmness, and the national superiority of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in the midst of the most imminent perils. History contains so many proofs of extraordinary acts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which are recorded. It must therefore be admitted, that the distinguishing feature of the British soldier is Intrepidity. ”

“ This quality was evinced by the inhabitants of England when their country was invaded by Julius Cæsar with a Roman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they descended from their ships; and, although their discipline and arms were inferior to those of their adversaries, yet their fierce and dauntless bearing intimidated the flower of the Roman troops, including Cæsar’s favourite tenth legion. ”

“ Lieut.-General Graham stated, in his public despatch, “No expressions of mine could do justice to the conduct of the troops throughout. Nothing less than the almost unparalleled exertions of every officer, the [52] invincible bravery of every soldier, and the most determined devotion to the honor of His Majesty’s arms, in all, could have achieved this brilliant success, against such a formidable enemy so posted.” ”

“ I have the honor to report, that when I minutely inspected the second battalion of the Eighty-seventh regiment two months after their arrival in this island, I found every thing in a state of perfection that would have done credit to an old established regiment, and which could not have been expected in a battalion so lately formed. The flank companies are uncommonly fine. The battalion men are in general of good size, young and stout, and the whole appear healthy and well fed: they march well, are steady under arms, and perfect in their discipline. ”

“ The conduct of the British Troops, their valour, and endurance, have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in spite of the most formidable opposition, and by the gallantry and steadiness with which they have maintained their advantages against superior numbers. ”

“ At the brilliant action of Barrosa the conduct of [71] the Eighty-seventh in taking up the first position under a most destructive fire from the enemy’s artillery, and a column three times its numbers, when it formed with the precision of parade movements, gave a happy omen of the issue of the day. The advance of the battalion in line, its volley into the two battalions of the eighth, and its charge on that corps, called for and received the proudest meed of gallantry, the enthusiastic approbation of such an officer as Sir Thomas Graham. ”

“ I have no doubt whatever, that their success would have had the effect of raising the siege of Cadiz, if the Spanish corps had made any effort to assist them; and I am equally certain, from your account of the ground, that if you had not decided with the utmost promptitude to attack the enemy, and if your attack had not been a most vigorous one, the whole allied army would have been lost. ”

“ These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves: and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,—that no circumstances can appal,—and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means. ”

“ On the 6th of June, the regiment performed the melancholy duty of attending to the grave the remains of its beloved and lamented commanding officer, Lieut.-Colonel Henry Browne. He had entered the regiment in 1800 as an ensign, when sixteen years of age, and had never belonged to any other: his qualities as a man and a soldier endeared him to all. ”

“ In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enterprise of the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on the perilous duties of the soldier and the sailor,—on their sufferings,—and on the sacrifice of valuable life, by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved. ”

“ I have had the honor to lay before the King your letter of the 20th instant, requesting that the Eighty-seventh, or Prince of Wales’s Own Irish regiment, of which you are colonel, may be made a corps of Light Infantry. ”

“ The British Government continued to adopt the most vigorous measures for the defence of the kingdom, and for the prosecution of the war. In addition to the acts of Parliament passed in July 1803 for raising “The Army of Reserve,” further Acts were passed in June and July 1804 for levying a larger number of men in the several counties of Great Britain and Ireland, which were termed the “Additional Force Acts.”
The Eighty-seventh regiment was augmented by a second battalion, which, with seven other regiments, was appointed to receive men raised in Ireland under the act of the 14th of July 1804 ”

“ 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 [v] 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. ”

“ Serjeants Coppin, M’Mahon, Milligan, O’Hara, and Palmer, were promoted to be ensigns after the retreat, on account of the good conduct of the regiment.
A striking instance of intrepidity and presence of mind occurred on one of those marches in the Peninsula, which so frequently terminated in a general action. During a short halt, the Eighty-seventh took up its ground upon a hill not far from the enemy, and the [60] men were sitting down to rest, when a howitzer, that had been masked, opened upon them; some shells fell short, but one alighted in the centre of one of the companies. ”

“ The Quartermaster was employed on the general staff as an assistant engineer, and the tour of duty fell upon Lieutenant Michael Barry, of the grenadier company; but this high-spirited young man earnestly solicited, and obtained permission, to accompany his regiment, and was the first officer who fell the next day. No other subaltern being found willing to remain behind, the charge was entrusted to Quartermaster-Serjeant William Grady. He was the first man who joined the corps on its formation, and had been distinguished for his bravery, intelligence, and trustworthiness ”

“ The weapons carried by the infantry, during the several reigns succeeding the Conquest, were bows and arrows, half-pikes, lances, halberds, various kinds of battle-axes, swords, and daggers. Armour was worn on the head and body, and in course of time the practice became general for military men to be so completely cased in steel, that it was almost impossible to slay them. ”

“ They had chariots, to the [x] axles of which were fastened sharp pieces of iron resembling scythe-blades, and infantry in long chariots resembling waggons, who alighted and fought on foot, and for change of ground, pursuit or retreat, sprang into the chariot and drove off with the speed of cavalry. These inventions were, however, unavailing against Cæsar’s legions: in the course of time a military system, with discipline and subordination, was introduced, and British courage, being thus regulated, was exerted to the greatest advantage ”

“ The feudal troops established by William the Conqueror consisted (as already stated in the Introduction to the Cavalry) almost entirely of horse: but when the warlike barons and knights, with their trains of tenants and vassals, took the field, a proportion of men appeared on foot, and, although these were of inferior degree, they proved stout-hearted Britons of stanch fidelity. When stipendiary troops were employed, infantry always constituted a considerable portion of the military force ”

“ Major Doyle formed a corps of light cavalry from amongst the backwoodsmen, with which he rendered essential service to the army, and was again severely wounded. In the expedition against General Marion he charged the State regiment of Carolina dragoons with his advanced corps of seventy horse, the killed, wounded, and prisoners of the enemy exceeding his whole force. The American War shortly afterwards terminated, and the One hundred and fifth regiment was ordered to Ireland, when Major Doyle was entrusted with public despatches to the ministers. ”

“ The exhausted state of the troops rendered pursuit impossible, and a position was occupied on the eastern side of the hill. When the conflict had ceased, Lieut.-General Graham remained on the field of battle; but the Spanish general, La Pena, who had looked on while this terrible battle was fought, did not seize the favourable opportunity which the valour of the British troops had put into his hands, of striking a severe blow at the remains of the French army retreating in disorder. The inactivity of the Spaniards continuing, the British proceeded to Cadiz on the following day. ”

“ The Prince’s Own Irish bled prodigally and nobly; they have sealed their duty to their King and country by the sacrifice of nearly two thousand of their comrades. But, while Lieut.-Colonel Sir Hugh Gough feels an honest pride in recounting these achievements, he wishes to caution his brother soldiers from assuming any exclusive right to pre-eminence over their gallant comrades; the Army of the Peninsula nobly did their duty, and repeatedly received the thanks of their Prince and their country. ”

“ His Majesty is pleased to leave to you the nomination of the officers of the regiment; but the lieut.-colonel and major are to be taken from the list of lieut.-colonels or majors on half-pay, or the major from a captain on full pay. Six of the captains are to be taken from the half-pay, and the other captain and the captain-lieutenant from the list of captains or captain-lieutenants on full pay. All the lieutenants are to be taken from the half-pay; and the gentlemen recommended for ensigns are not to be under sixteen years of age. ”

“ The ready formation of the right wing from amidst the ranks of the retreating enemy, and their charge on the fifty-fourth French regiment, which at this moment attacked the right of the Eighty-seventh, was rewarded by the marked approbation of their esteemed chief. The ultimate advance of the battalion on the enemy’s guns was equally praiseworthy. ”

“ The Grenadier company is to consist of one captain, two lieutenants, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, two fifers, and fifty-seven private men. The Light Infantry company of one captain, two lieutenants, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, and fifty-seven men; and each battalion company of one captain, one lieutenant, and one ensign, three serjeants, three corporals, two drummers, [3] and fifty-seven private men, together with the usual staff officers, and with a serjeant-major and quartermaster-serjeant, exclusive of the serjeants above specified. ”

“ An Ordnance regiment was raised in 1685, by order of King James II., to guard the artillery, and was designated the Royal Fusiliers (now 7th Foot) . This corps, and the companies of grenadiers, did not carry pikes.
King William III. incorporated the Admiral’s regiment in the second Foot Guards, and raised two Marine regiments for sea-service. During the war in this reign, each company of infantry (excepting the fusiliers and grenadiers) consisted of 14 pikemen and 46 musketeers; the captains carried pikes; lieutenants, partisans; ensigns, half-pikes; and serjeants, halberds. ”

“ From all classes of his officers he has uniformly experienced the most cordial and ready support. Their conduct in the field, while it called for the entire approbation of their Commanding Officer, acquired for them the best stay to military enterprise and military renown, the confidence of their men, and led to the accomplishment of their wishes, the Approbation of [74] their Prince, the Honor of their country, and the Character of their Corps. Every non-commissioned officer and man is equally entitled to the thanks of his Commanding Officer. ”