Chapter 21 of 32 · 2547 words · ~13 min read

CHAPTER XX

THE THIRD BATTALION.—THE HISTORY AND PRESENT DESIGNATION OF THE COMPANIES.

NOT very long after the Battle of Minden, and while the lessons of the war were urging on the military world the increasing importance of Artillery, the Board of Ordnance resolved to increase the Royal Artillery still further. This was done by transferring five companies from the existing battalions, and by raising five others; the ten being combined into the Third Battalion with a staff similar to that of the other two. Each company of the battalion consisted of a Captain, a Captain-Lieutenant, a First and Second Lieutenant, 3 Lieutenant- Fireworkers, 3 sergeants, 3 corporals, 8 bombardiers, 20 gunners, 62 matrosses, and 2 drummers; making a total of 105 per company.

The total of all ranks, on the formation of the battalion, was 1054. At the end of the Seven Years' War, the battalion was reduced to 554; but as the troubles in America became visible, it was again increased; and in 1779, the establishment of all ranks stood at 1145. At the peace of 1783, it fell to 648; rising, however, in 1793, during England's continental troubles, to 1240. It reached its maximum during the Peninsular War, when its strength was no less than 1461 of all ranks. In the year 1778, when the 4th Battalion was raised, two companies were taken from the 3rd; but they were replaced in 1779.

For thirty years after the reductions made in 1816, the average strength of the battalion was 700; but from that time it gradually rose until, at the commencement of the war with Russia, it stood at 1128, and in the following year it reached 1220.

There is a little obscurity as to the services of this battalion during the American War of Independence. One set of documents claims for Nos. 1 and 6 Companies, no inconsiderable share in the earlier part of the campaign; another asserts that to the 4th Battalion alone does all the credit, which the Artillery during that war especially merited, belong. The truth seems to be, that, in 1778, two companies of the 3rd Battalion were in America, and were engaged in several battles; but that in 1779, the men of these companies were drafted into those of the 4th Battalion, and their officers returned to England.

The fusion was not, however, complete; for we find traces of No. 1 Company of the 3rd Battalion in America so late as 1781, when a detachment of it was present at Guildford Court-house.

No fewer than seven companies of the battalion were engaged in the West Indies in the last decade of the eighteenth century; five companies served in the Peninsula, four being present at the Battle of Corunna; eight companies served on the Walcheren expedition; and four companies— Nos. 2, 4, 7, 9—were present at the Battle of Waterloo. At this battle detachments of Nos. 5 and 6 Companies were also present.

At the commencement of the Crimean war, although the strength of the battalion was considerable, it only consisted of eight companies, two having been reduced in 1819; and of these eight, no fewer than six took

## part in the war.

Appended is a list—as in the case of the 1st and 2nd Battalions—showing, in anticipation, the various military operations in which the companies of the 3rd Battalion were engaged—the succession of Captains, as far as can be traced down to 1859—and the nomenclature introduced in that year, when Battalions and Companies became Brigades and Batteries.

No. 1 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "A" BATTERY, 4th BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Battles, Sieges, and other Military operations in which this Company has been engaged. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1776-1783. American War of Independence, including:— Capture of Charlestown, South Carolina, January, 1778. Defeat of Rebels on Rhode Island, 29th August, 1778. Expedition on the Acushuet River, 5th September, 1778. Battle of Guildford Court-house, 15th March, 1781. 1791-1802. West Indies. Present at the taking of the Island of Tobago, April, 1793. Martinique, 23rd March, 1794. Saint Lucia, 4th April, 1794. Guadaloupe, 12th April, 1794. Saint Lucia (2nd time), April, 1796. Trinidad, February, 1797. Porto Rico, 2nd May, 1797. Surinam, August, 1799. 1809 Walcheren Expedition, and Siege of Flushing, July, 1809. 1813-14 Peninsula. Present at the Siege of Tarragona, June, 1813. 1854 Crimea. Affair on the Bulganak. 1854 Crimea. Affair at Mackenzie's Farm. 1854 Battle of Alma, Sept., 1854. 1854 Battle of Balaclava, Oct., 1854. 1854 Battle of Inkerman, Nov., 1854. 1855 Siege and Fall of Sebastopol, 8th Sept., 1855.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1757 Captain John Innes. 1779 Captain Thomas Johnson. 1781 Captain James Dunbar. 1783 Captain Charles Smith. 1790 Captain Francis Whitworth. 1796 Captain Lawrence H. Newton. 1798 Captain John Sheldrake. 1804 Captain Alexander Campbell. 1814 Captain John Briscoe. 1825 Captain Archibald M. Maxwell. 1826 Captain Charles Blachley. 1831 Captain John Gordon. 1843 Captain W. H. Pickering. 1851 Captain H. J. Thomas. 1854 Captain C. H. Morris. 1856 Captain H. Bent.

No. 2 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "7" BATTERY, 13th BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Battles, Sieges, and other Military operations in which this Company has been engaged. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1791-1802 West Indies. Present at the taking of the Island of Tobago, April, 1793. Martinique, 23rd March, 1794. Saint Lucia, 4th April, 1794. Guadaloupe, 12th April, 1794. Saint Lucia (2nd time), Apr., 1796. Trinidad, February, 1797. Porto Rico, 2 May, 1797. Surinam, August, 1799. 1809 Walcheren Expedition, and Siege of Flushing. 1813-1818 Holland, Netherlands, and France, including:— Bombardment of Merxham. Storming of Bergen-op-Zoom. Engagement with French Shipping off Fort Frederick, on 21st March, 1814. Quatre Bras. Battle of Waterloo. 1855 Expedition to Crimea, and Siege of Sebastopol. 1858 East Indies. Disembarked at Bombay, on 9th September, 1858.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1761 Captain Benjamin Stehelin. * * * * * 1781 Captain Orlando Manley. 1793 Captain Abram Du Vernet. 1801 Captain George B. Fisher. 1801 Captain Joseph Heaven. 1801 Captain Frederick Griffiths. 1802 Captain Henry Eveleigh. 1806 Captain Thomas Rogers. 1825 Captain William Miller. 1826 Captain Daniel M. Bourchier. 1829 Captain W. H. Stopford. 1841 Captain John Somerville. 1842 Captain Theophilus Desbrisay. 1850 Captain James W. Domville. 1850 Captain T. B. F. Marriott. 1855 Captain A. C. Gleig. 1856 Captain R. E. F. Craufurd.

No. 3 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "2" BATTERY, 13th BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1761 Captain Duncan Drummond. * * * * * 1782 Captain James Sympson. 1787 Captain John Reid. 1790 Captain Bailey Willington. 1797 Captain William Spicer. 1804 Captain Joseph Brome. 1806 Captain George Cobbe. 1806 Captain John Taylor. 1808 Captain William Holcroft. 1830 Captain Robert F. Romer. 1841 Captain Frederick A. Griffiths. 1843 Captain E. N. Wilford. 1848 Captain W. M. H. Dixon. 1854 Captain Richard Gregory. 1857 Captain Joseph Godby.

No. 4 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "4" BATTERY, 3rd BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * * * * * 1764 Captain Edward Foy. 1779 Captain James Wood. 1786 Captain Richard Dysart. 1795 Captain William H. Walker. 1798 Captain George Ramsay. 1799 Captain William Millar. 1803 Captain Percy Drummond. 1805 Captain Charles Younghusband. 1814 Captain Frederick Gordon. 1815 Captain Charles Egan. 1817 Captain Cyprian Bridge. 1832 Captain William E. Jackson. 1836 Captain Philip Sandilands. 1844 Captain Thomas Knatchbull. 1844 Captain Arthur Gosset. 1845 Captain Piercy Benn. 1852 Captain G. B. Shakespear. 1854 Captain Mortimer Adye.

No. 5 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "B" BATTERY, 11th BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * * * * * 1764 Captain Josiah Jeffreys. 1777 Captain Richard Chapman. 1782 Captain Francis M. Dixon. 1783 Captain Robert Douglas. 1794 Captain John A. Schalch. 1794 Captain William Bentham. 1801 Captain Robert Beevor. 1808 Captain George Beane. 1812 Captain Thomas Hutchesson. 1830 Captain William Bell. 1841 Captain John Bloomfield. 1841 Captain W. B. Ingilby. 1841 Captain Robert Burn. 1849 Captain P. H. Mundy. 1851 Captain J. W. Ormsby. 1854 Captain P. F. G. Scott. 1854 Captain F. B. Ward. 1857 Captain E. E. Dynelly. 1858 Captain S. M. Grylls. 1858 Captain G. C. Henry.

No. 6 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "7" BATTERY, 3rd BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Battles, Sieges, and other Military operations in which this Company has been engaged. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1776-83 American War of Independence:— Defeat of the Americans on Rhode Island, 29th August, 1778. Expedition on the Acushuet River, September, 1778. Expedition to Horseneck, in Connecticut, February, 1779. Engaged at the Capture of Charlestown, South Carolina, 1780. 1791-1802 West Indies. Present at the Capture of the Island of Tobago, April, 1793. Martinique, 23rd March, 1794. Saint Lucia, 4th April, 1794. Guadaloupe, 12th April, 1794. Saint Lucia (2nd time), Apr., 1796. Trinidad, February, 1797. Porto Rico, May, 1797. Surinam, August, 1799. 1808-9 Expedition to Peninsula, and Battle of Corunna. 1813-1818 Holland, Netherlands, and France, including:— Bombardment of Antwerp, and Bombardment of Maubeuge (attached to Saxon Army). 1855 Expedition to Crimea, and Fall of Sebastopol.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1759 Captain Thomas Smith. 1771 Captain Peter Traile. 1782 Captain John Downing. 1797 Captain John Godfrey. 1798 Captain Edward W. Drosier. 1805 Captain Robert Truscott. 1814 Captain Arthur Hunt. 1831 Captain William Brereton. 1837 Captain John R. Hornsby. 1838 Captain H. R. Moor. 1840 Captain Henry Stanway. 1840 Captain John R. Hornsby. 1846 Captain D. E. Wood. 1848 Captain G. A. F. De Rinzy. 1855 Captain H. A. Vernon.

No. 7 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "3" BATTERY, 7th BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * * * * * 1763 Captain Thomas Howdell. 1771 Captain Ellis Walker. 1782 Captain Edward Fage. 1793 Captain F. L. Deruvynes. 1796 Captain George W. Dixon. 1800 Captain Joseph McLean. 1806 Captain John Matthews. 1808 Captain William Cleeve. 1808 Captain George W. Unett. 1825 Captain William D. Jones. 1828 Captain John E. G. Parker. 1829 Captain W. D. Jones. 1837 Captain Reynolds Palmer. 1837 Captain Charles Otway. 1846 Captain Alfred Tylee. 1854 Captain R. O'Connell.

No. 8 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, Now "D" BATTERY, 4th BRIGADE.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * * * * * 1762 Captain Charles Torriano. 1773 Captain William Borthwick. 1782 Captain Joseph Barnes. 1794 Captain George Lewis. 1801 Captain Charles Newhouse. 1804 Captain Charles H. Fitzmayer. 1806 Captain John W. Kettlewell. 1808 Captain William Stewart 1808 Captain Edward Wilmot. 1809 Captain Robert Douglas. 1811 Captain George Turner. 1814 Captain Henry Bates. 1829 Captain Forbes Macbean. 1835 Captain Richard Hardinge. 1845 Captain John Gore. 1846 Captain J. W. Ormsby. 1846 Captain George Maclean. 1847 Captain J. W. Fitzmayer. 1854 Captain C. T. Franklin.

No. 9 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, _Reduced 1819._

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1759 Captain John Dovers. 1771 Captain William Johnstone. 1779 Captain James Sowerby. 1793 Captain Edward Howorth. 1793 Captain John Wilks. 1799 Captain John Duncan. 1803 Captain Charles C. Bingham. 1803 Captain Peter Fyers. 1813 Captain Lewis Carmichael. 1814 Captain Charles F. Sandham.

No. 10 COMPANY, 3rd BATTALION, _Reduced 1819._

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── List of Captains who have successively commanded the Company, as far back as can be traced, down to introduction of Brigade System, in 1859. ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1758 Captain William McLeod. * * * * * 1779 Captain David Vans. 1780 Captain William Tiffin. 1782 Captain Alexander Mackenzie. 1791 Captain Frederick Irwin. 1793 Captain Samuel D. Edwards. 1796 Captain Richard Hamilton. 1804 Captain Henry Marsh. 1813 Captain John Chester. 1816 Captain Thomas V. Straubenzee.