Part 7

In an affair which took place on the 19th of March at Vic Bigorre, three rank and file were killed, and two lieutenants and twelve rank and file wounded: total, seventeen. The strength of the battalion was five hundred and seventy.

_Wounded._

_Lieutenant_—William Dunlevie. _Lieut. and Adjt._—James T. Moore.

Having continued the pursuit of the enemy and crossed the river Garonne, four leagues below _Toulouse_, on the 5th of April, and attacked the French on the 10th of the same month at _Toulouse_ on the left of the town, the redoubts were taken and retaken several times during the day. The enemy retreated at night, having suffered great loss; that of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH was one brevet-major, four serjeants, one drummer, and twenty-two rank and file killed; one lieutenant, one ensign, six serjeants, and sixty-four rank and file wounded: total, one hundred. Its strength in the field was four hundred and sixty-four.

_Killed._

_Brevet-Major_—Henry Bright.

_Wounded._

_Lieutenant_—William Wolsley Lanphier. _Ensign_—Abraham F. Royse.

Patrick Connors never went into action without attracting the notice of his officers. On this occasion he particularly distinguished himself, and was promoted to the rank of serjeant, which situation he retained until his death.

Serjeant Carr, who was wounded at Tarifa, and served with credit in every action with the battalion, distinguished himself; likewise Serjeants Rideaux and Irwin. Lieutenant and Adjutant Moore had a horse shot under him. Private Thomas Byrne was also badly wounded, but recovered, and was promoted.

The royal authority was afterwards granted for the EIGHTY-SEVENTH to bear the word “TOULOUSE” on the regimental colour and appointments, in commemoration of the second battalion having shared in this battle.

During the night of the 11th of April the French troops evacuated _Toulouse_, and a white flag was hoisted. On the following day the Marquis of Wellington entered the city amidst the acclamations of the inhabitants. In the course of the afternoon of the 12th of April intelligence was received of the abdication of Napoleon; and had not the express been delayed on the journey by the French police, the sacrifice of many valuable lives would have been prevented.

A disbelief in the truth of this intelligence occasioned much unnecessary bloodshed at _Bayonne_, the garrison of which made a desperate _sortie_ on the 14th of April, and Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Earl of Hopetoun) was taken prisoner, Major-General Andrew Hay was killed, and Major-General Stopford was wounded. This was the last action of the Peninsular war.

A Treaty of Peace was established between Great Britain and France; Louis XVIII. was restored to the throne of his ancestors, and Napoleon Bonaparte was permitted to reside at Elba, the sovereignty of that island having been conceded to him by the allied powers.

Prior to the breaking up of the Peninsular army, the Duke of Wellington issued the following general order:

“_Bordeaux, 14th June 1814._ “GENERAL ORDER.

“The Commander of the Forces, being upon the point of returning to England, again takes this opportunity of congratulating the army upon the recent events which have restored peace to their country and to the world.

“The share which the British army have had in producing those events, and the high character with which the army will quit this country, must be equally satisfactory to every individual belonging to it, as they are to the Commander of the Forces, and he trusts that the troops will continue the same good conduct to the last.

“The Commander of the Forces once more requests the army to accept his thanks.

“Although circumstances may alter the relations in which he has stood towards them for some years so much to his satisfaction, he assures them he will never cease to feel the warmest interest in their welfare and honor, and that he will be at all times happy to be of any service to those to whose conduct, discipline, and gallantry their country is so much indebted.”

In addition to the other distinctions acquired during the war in the Peninsula and the south of France, the EIGHTY-SEVENTH received the royal authority to bear the word “PENINSULA” on the regimental colour and appointments.

The war being ended, the battalion marched from Toulouse to Blanchfort, and embarked at Pouillac on the 7th of July, and arrived at Cork on the 20th of that month.

After being inspected, on landing at Cork, by the General commanding the district, the battalion was marched to Mallow to relieve the Twentieth regiment. It subsequently marched to the city of Limerick, and was stationed there for a few days, when orders were received for it to proceed to Middleton, in the county of Cork, to await the arrival of transports.

The battalion embarked at the Cove of Cork on the 23rd of August, and landed at Portsmouth, after a protracted voyage, on the 14th of September. On the day of disembarkation it proceeded _en route_ to Horsham, where the depôt of the regiment was stationed. After a stay of some days at Horsham, it marched to Plymouth for garrison duty, where it remained until December, having taken its tour of a month’s duty over the American prisoners of war at Dartmoor.

On the 6th of December 1814 the battalion embarked for Guernsey, of which island General Sir John Doyle, Bart., the Colonel of the regiment, was Governor, and where it arrived on the 8th of that month.

[Sidenote: 1816.]

The battalion continued on duty at Guernsey until the 2nd of April 1816, when it embarked for Portsmouth, from whence it marched to Colchester in September following.

[Sidenote: 1817.]

On the 25th of January 1817, in pursuance of measures being taken for the reduction of the army, orders were received for the disbandment of the second battalion of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment, on which occasion Lieut.-Colonel Sir Hugh Gough issued the following orders:—

“_Colchester Barracks, 24th January, 1817._ “REGIMENTAL ORDERS.

“It is with the most painful feeling of regret Lieut.-Colonel Sir Hugh Gough is necessitated to announce to the second battalion, _Prince’s Own Irish_, that their services as a corps are no longer required, in consequence of the military arrangements it has been found necessary to adopt.

“In making this distressing though necessary communication, and in taking leave of those brave officers and men, at whose head it has been Sir Hugh Gough’s good fortune so long to have been placed, he feels himself on this occasion called upon to recapitulate the leading ones of so many brilliant achievements performed by his gallant comrades now about to separate. The recollection of such scenes must be a source of gratification to all, whether called on to serve their country in India, or to retire to their families and native land. To their Commanding Officer it ever has and ever will be, a source of heartfelt exultation. By their country and by their illustrious master, their services have been duly appreciated, and nobly rewarded by that designation, and by those badges so peculiar, so honorable, and so gratifying.

“The EIGHTY-SEVENTH had the good fortune to serve under the first General of the age, throughout the greater part of the Peninsular war, and longer than most corps in the service. At the battle of _Talavera_ on the 27th of July, 1809 (when the battalion first encountered the enemy), they had to sustain unsupported the repeated attacks of the advance corps, and did not retire until both flanks were turned, the battalion nearly surrounded by an infinitely superior force, and two-thirds of the officers and men either killed or wounded. The movement of the regiment to the rear, and its formation on the other corps of the division, was a counterpart of their conduct, in having instantly recovered, on the first attack of the enemy, a temporary confusion which was occasioned by the fire of a British regiment into the rear of the battalion, the thickness of the wood having made it impossible for that distinguished corps to have perceived the new position which the EIGHTY-SEVENTH had taken up.

“On this memorable occasion the charge of the two centre companies did them and their officers the greatest honor. The gallantry of the whole was conspicuous, and obtained the personal thanks of the brave officer who commanded the division[16], and who unfortunately fell on the following day, and also the repeated thanks of the officer commanding the brigade.

“At the brilliant action of _Barrosa_ the conduct of 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.

“This charge was rewarded by the wreathed eagle of the eighth French regiment, and a howitzer: it led in a great measure to the total discomfiture of the right column under General Laval, and nearly annihilated two battalions of one of the finest regiments in the French army: of one thousand six hundred men, which they brought into the field, only three hundred and fifty returned to Chiclana. 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.

“At _Tarifa_, a species of service new to the British army called for a renewal of that steady gallantry which marked the conduct of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH at Barrosa. The immense superiority, in number, of the enemy, added enthusiasm to discipline: the cool intrepidity, the strict observance of orders, the exulting cheer when the enemy’s columns pressed forward to the attack, proved the feelings which influenced the defenders of the breach of _Tarifa_, and was as honorable to them as soldiers, as their humane conduct to the wounded (when the enemy fled) was to their characters as men.

“The persevering attention to their duty on the walls, in conjunction with their brave comrades, the second battalion of the Forty-seventh, exposed to the continued fire of an enemy ten times the number of the garrison, and to the most dreadfully inclement weather, led to the ultimate abandonment of the siege, and was rewarded by the approbation of their General, their Prince, and their Country.

“The battle of _Vittoria_ renewed the claim the EIGHTY-SEVENTH had to a place in the third division, and under its lamented leader[17] the battalion acquired fresh laurels. The charge of the Prince’s Own on the hill crowned with the enemy’s artillery, and covered with a strong column, called forth the marked approbation of Major-General the Honorable Charles Colville, as did the pursuit of that column, though flanked by a corps greatly superior in numbers. The cool steadiness with which they preserved their second position, under the fire and within a short range of a large portion of the enemy’s field artillery, although the battalion at this time had lost upwards of half the number it took into the field, showed the steady perseverance in bravery and discipline which ever marked the glorious career of the corps.

“The attack on the fortified hill at the action of the _Nivelle_, and the gallantry which rendered the conduct of the battalion so conspicuous in the subsequent attacks on that day, called for those animated expressions from Major-General the Honorable Charles Colville and Colonel John Keane, who commanded the division and brigade, ‘Gallant EIGHTY-SEVENTH!’ ‘Noble EIGHTY-SEVENTH!’ and deservedly were those titles bestowed.

“The actions of _Orthes_ and _Toulouse_ were also most glorious to the character of the corps, and its conduct was rewarded by the repeated thanks of the Generals commanding.

“Since the return of the EIGHTY-SEVENTH from service, they have shown, that to gallantry in the field, they add the most essential requisite in a soldier, _orderly and correct conduct in garrison_, which has acquired for them the approbation of every general officer under whom they have served, and the good wishes and esteem of the inhabitants with whom they have been placed.

“While the foregoing detail will be most gratifying to the gallant men who have survived, the recital must also be consoling to the families of those who fell. 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.

“In parting with the remains of that corps in which Sir Hugh Gough has served twenty-two years, at the head of which, and by whose valour and discipline, he has obtained those marks of distinction with which he has been honored by his Royal Master, he cannot too emphatically express the most heartfelt acknowledgments and his deep regret.

“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 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. To all he feels greatly indebted, and he begs to assure all, that their prosperity as individuals, or as a corps, will ever be the first wish of his heart, and to promote which he will consider no sacrifice or exertion too great.”

The second battalion was disbanded at Colchester on the 1st of February 1817, having transferred to the first battalion three hundred and thirty effective men, most of whom were embarked in the same month, to join the first battalion in the Bengal Presidency.

1817.

[Illustration: EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT

_Madeley lith. 3 Wellington S^t. Strand_

_For Cannon’s Military Records_]

FOOTNOTES:

[10] A memoir of Lieut.-General Sir Charles William Doyle, C.B., is inserted in the Appendix, page 92.

[11] Lieut.-General Sir William Napier’s History of the Peninsular War.

[12] The following corps were employed in the battle of _Barrosa_ on the 5th of March 1811, viz.—

2nd Hussars, King’s German Legion. Royal Artillery. Royal Engineers. 1st Foot Guards, 2nd batt. Coldstream Guards, 2nd batt. 3rd Foot Guards, 2nd batt. 9th Foot, 1st batt. (flank companies.) 28th Foot, 1st batt. 47th Foot, 2nd batt. (flank comp.) 67th Foot, 2nd batt. 82nd Foot, 2nd batt. (flank comp.) 87th Foot, 2nd batt. Rifle Brigade { 2nd batt. { 3rd batt. 20th Portuguese Regiment. Royal Staff Corps, 1 comp.

[13] In the midst of the engagement, Serjeant Patrick Masterson seized and kept possession of the Eagle of the eighth French regiment of light infantry (which was the first taken in action since the commencement of the Peninsular war), and for which His Royal Highness the Prince Regent promoted the serjeant to an ensigncy in the Royal York Light Infantry Volunteers; he was subsequently removed to the EIGHTY-SEVENTH regiment.

Volunteer de Courcy Ireland, and Serjeant-Major McKeldon, were also promoted to be ensigns for their conduct in this action.

[14] In a letter, dated the 21st of January 1812, from General Viscount Wellington, K.B., to the Earl of Liverpool, Secretary of State, appeared the following tribute from that illustrious commander to the conduct of the troops at _Tarifa_:—“_I cannot refrain from expressing my admiration of the conduct of Colonel Skerrett, and the brave troops under his command, nor from recommending them to the protection of your Lordship._”

[15] History of the War in the Peninsular and in the South of France, by Lieut.-General Sir William Napier, K.C.B.

[16] Major-General John Randoll McKenzie, who fell at Talavera on the 28th of July 1809.

[17] Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Picton, G.C.B., who was killed at Waterloo on the 18th of June 1815.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS

OF

THE EIGHTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT,

OR

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS.

SIR JOHN DOYLE, BART., G.C.B. AND K.C.

_Appointed 3rd May 1796._

This officer was descended from an ancient Irish family, and was born at Dublin in the year 1756. He was at first intended for the law, which, on the death of his father, he relinquished for the military profession, and was appointed Ensign in the Forty-eighth regiment on the 21st of March 1771, in which he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the 17th of September 1773, and was wounded while on duty in Ireland. Lieutenant Doyle exchanged to the Fortieth regiment on the 1st of March 1775, and embarked with that corps for North America in the same year. During the War of Independence in that country he served with his regiment in the descent on Long Island in August 1776, and was present at the actions of Brooklyn, White Plains (28th of October), Fort Washington, Haerlem Creek, Springfield, and Iron Hills. In the

## action at Brooklyn, on the 27th of August, Lieutenant Doyle was

brought into notice by conduct which combined the best feelings with the most animated courage. He was Adjutant of the Fortieth, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Grant, who was regarded as a father by the younger portion of the corps. The Lieut.-Colonel was desperately wounded early in the action, which becoming very hot where he lay, Lieutenant Doyle, fearing he might be trampled to death, rushed with a few followers into the midst of the enemy, and dragged away the body of his friend; but it was too late, for he had expired. This act made a strong impression on all who witnessed it, and produced a handsome compliment from the Commander-in-Chief, General the Honorable Sir William Howe.

Lieutenant Doyle was present at the action of Brandywine, fought on the 11th of September 1777, which was followed by the capture of Philadelphia. He shared in the surprise of General Wayne’s corps during the night of the 20th of September, and was again wounded at the battle of Germantown on the 4th of October. In the latter the Fortieth regiment highly distinguished itself by the defence of Chew’s Stone House, which was occupied under the following circumstances:—About three weeks after the affair of Brandywine, when the American troops were supposed to be totally dispersed, General Washington made a movement with the intention of surprising the British at Germantown. The advanced post of the British army was occupied by a battalion of light infantry and the Fortieth regiment, then commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Musgrove. These troops were attacked about daybreak on the 4th of October by the main body of the American army, commanded by General Washington in person. After a very spirited defence they were obliged to give way to numbers, and to retire towards Germantown. In this retreat Colonel Musgrove took possession of a large stone house, with such of the regiment as were nearest to it. This small body, not exceeding five officers and about one hundred and fifty men, stopped the progress of the enemy’s whole column, consisting of five thousand men, for a considerable time, notwithstanding cannon being brought to bear upon the house. This gallant defence was highly instrumental in saving the British army. In this affair Lieutenant Doyle and two officers were wounded. For this service the detachment was honored with His Majesty’s particular thanks.

In the spring of 1778, General the Honorable Sir William Howe, K.B., returned to England, and the command of the army in North America devolved on General Sir Henry Clinton, K.B. The next action in which Lieutenant Doyle shared was that at Monmouth Court-House on the 28th of June 1778, and on the 24th of October following he was promoted to a company in the corps raised by Lord Rawdon (afterwards Marquis of Hastings), which was at first named the “_Volunteers of Ireland_,” but which was subsequently numbered the One hundred and fifth regiment. Shortly after General Sir Henry Clinton assumed the chief command, it was deemed a measure of policy to withdraw from the ranks of the enemy the natives of Scotland and Ireland. Two regiments were raised by distinguished noblemen of these countries; one was designated the “_Caledonian Volunteers_,” and the other the “_Volunteers of Ireland_.” The former was given to Lord Cathcart, and the latter to Lord Rawdon, then Adjutant-General in America. The officers were chosen from the line, and Lieutenant Doyle obtained a company as above stated.

In the celebrated retreat through the Jerseys, Captain Doyle acted as Major of Brigade. During the winter of 1779 his regiment was ordered to South Carolina, under the command of Lord Rawdon, where he assisted at the siege of Charleston. After the fall of this place in May 1780, Captain Doyle accompanied Lieut.-General the Earl Cornwallis up the country, by whom he was appointed Major of Brigade, and was honorably mentioned in his Lordship’s despatch relative to the action at Camden, which was fought on the 16th of August 1780.

Upon Lord Cornwallis quitting the province of South Carolina, Captain Doyle served in the same capacity to Colonel Lord Rawdon, who succeeded to the command of this portion of the troops, and soon had another opportunity of distinguishing himself. General Green, having contrived after the battle of Guildford, on the 15th of March 1781, to turn Lord Cornwallis’s left, by a rapid movement penetrated the upper parts of South Carolina, and presented himself before the village of Camden, where Lord Rawdon commanded a small detachment, not exceeding nine hundred men, while the enemy’s force consisted of three thousand regulars, a fine corps of cavalry, and a numerous body of militia, strongly posted on the heights above the village in which the British were quartered. His Lordship seeing the difficulty of a retreat, boldly determined to advance against the enemy. Accordingly on the 25th of April 1781, he chose the hour of mid-day to make his attempt, when least expected, his march being concealed by a circuitous route through thick woods. This sudden and rapid manœuvre enabled his Lordship to reach Hobkirk Hill before General Green became aware of the movement, and the British gained a complete victory. The exertions of Brigade-Major Doyle on this well-fought field were alluded to in highly honorable terms in his Lordship’s despatch. Having raised the siege of Ninety-six, Lord Rawdon returned to England on account of ill health, when the Brigade-Major prepared to join the Earl Cornwallis in Virginia; but in consequence of the effects of the action at Ewtaw Springs on the 8th of September 1781, he was requested, from his knowledge of the country, to remain in the province to fill a more prominent situation. He subsequently acted as Adjutant-General and Public Secretary to Colonel Paston Gould; and on that officer’s decease in the following year, he was honored with the same confidence by his successors, Major-General James Stuart and Lieut.-General the Honorable Alexander Leslie.