| Year | Page | |
| 1685 | Formation of the Regiment at Nottingham | 1 |
| 1686 | Establishment | 2 |
| 1687 | Encamped on Hounslow Heath | 4 |
| 1688 | Revolution in Great Britain | 5 |
| —— | Marched to Scotland | - |
| 1689 | Battle of Killicrankie | 6 |
| 1690 | ——–at Cromdale | - |
| —— | Marched to Inverlochy | 8 |
| 1691 | Submission of the Highlanders to King William and Queen Mary | 9 |
| 1694 | Embarked for Flanders | - |
| —— | Engaged in the capture of Huy | 10 |
| 1695 | ———– at Fort Kenoque | — |
| —— | ———– at the surrender of Dixmude to the French | 11 |
| —— | Colonel Sir James Lesley cashiered, and succeeded by Colonel Emanuel Howe | 12 |
| —— | Garrison of Namur surrendered | — |
| —— | Released from prisoners of war | — |
| 1696 | Marched to Bruges | — |
| 1697 | Proceeded to Brussels | 13 |
| —— | Treaty of Peace at Ryswick | — |
| —— | Embarked for England | 14 |
| —— | Proceeded to Ireland | — |
| 1701 | Preparations for War with France | — |
| —— | Re-embarked for Holland | — |
| —— | Reviewed at Breda by King William III. | — |
| 1702 | Proceeded to Rosendael | 15 |
| —— | Siege of Kayserswerth | — |
| —— | Engaged at Nimeguen | — |
| —— | War declared against France and Spain | — |
| —— | The Earl of Marlborough assumed the command of the army in Flanders | — |
| —— | Engaged at the siege of Venloo | 16 |
| —— | —————————– Ruremonde | — |
| —— | —————————– Liege | — |
| 1703 | Surrender of Bonn | — |
| —— | Proceeded to Maestricht | 17 |
| —— | Engaged at the capture of Huy | — |
| —— | —————————— Limburg | — |
| 1704 | Proceeded from Holland to the Danube | — |
| —— | Joined the Imperial Army | 18 |
| —— | Battle of Schellenberg | — |
| —— | ———– Blenheim | 19 |
| —— | Marshal Tallard taken prisoner, and the French Army defeated | 20 |
| —— | Siege of Landau | 21 |
| 1705 | Re-capture of Huy | 22 |
| —— | Forced the French lines at Neer-Hespen and Helixem | — |
| 1706 | Battle of Ramilies | — |
| —— | Many prisoners, with cannon, colours, &c. taken | 23 |
| —— | Surrender of Brussels, Ghent, &c. | — |
| —— | ———— of Ostend | — |
| —— | ———— of Menin | — |
| —— | ———— of Dendermond and Aeth | — |
| 1708 | Re-embarked for England to repel the invasion of the Pretender | — |
| —— | Returned to Flanders | 24 |
| 1708 | Battle of Oudenarde | — |
| —— | Engaged in the Siege of Lisle | — |
| —— | Re-capture of Ghent and Bruges | 25 |
| 1709 | Siege and Capture of Tournay | — |
| —— | Battle of Malplaquet | 26 |
| —— | Siege and Capture of Mons | — |
| —— | Marched into winter quarters at Ghent | — |
| 1710 | Forced the French lines at Pont-à-Vendin | 27 |
| —— | Siege and Capture of Douay | — |
| —— | Encamped at Villars-Brulin | — |
| —— | Surrender of Bethune | — |
| —— | ———— of Aix and St. Venant | — |
| —— | Marched into quarters at Courtray | — |
| 1711 | Encamped at Warde and reviewed by the Duke of Marlborough | — |
| —— | Forced the French lines at Arleux | — |
| —— | Siege and surrender of Bouchain | — |
| 1712 | Negociations for peace commenced | 28 |
| —— | Duke of Ormond assumed the command of the Army | — |
| —— | Returned to Ghent | — |
| 1713 | Removed to Dunkirk | — |
| —— | ———— to Nieuport | — |
| 1714 | Returned to England | — |
| —— | Decease of Queen Anne, and accession of King George I. | — |
| 1715 | Employed against the rebels in Great Britain | — |
| 1719 | Employed in Scotland | 29 |
| —— | Invasion of a Spanish force at Kintail | — |
| —— | Defeat and surrender of the invaders at Glensheil | — |
| 1728 | Reviewed at Blackheath by King George II. | — |
| 1740 | Encamped in the Isle of Wight | 30 |
| —— | Embarked for the West Indies | — |
| 1741 | Arrived at Jamaica | — |
| —— | Sailed for Carthagena | — |
| 1741 | Attack and capture of Bocca-chica | 31 |
| —— | Siege of the Castle of St. Lazar | — |
| —— | Forts of Carthagena destroyed | 32 |
| —— | Returned to Jamaica | 33 |
| 1742 | Re-embarked for England | — |
| 1745 | Embarked for Ostend | — |
| —— | Ostend captured by the French | — |
| —— | Recalled to England in consequence of the French invasion | 34 |
| 1746 | Battle of Culloden | — |
| —— | Embarked for the coast of France, and proceeded against Port L'Orient and Quiberon | — |
| —— | Returned to England | 35 |
| 1748 | Peace concluded at Aix-la-Chapelle | — |
| 1749 | Proceeded to Ireland | — |
| 1751 | Royal Warrant issued for regulating the clothing, colours, &c. | — |
| 1755 | War re-commenced with France | 36 |
| —— | Returned to England | — |
| 1756 | Encamped at Blandford | — |
| 1757 | Encamped at Barham-downs | — |
| —— | Embarked on an expedition against the coast of France | — |
| —— | Capture of the Isle of Aix | 37 |
| —— | Returned to England | — |
| 1758 | Embarked for North America | — |
| —— | Formed part of an expedition against Louisbourg, and in the taking of the Island of Cape Breton, under Brigadier-General James Wolfe | 38 |
| —— | The captured colours, &c. presented to the King, and publickly conveyed from Kensington Palace to St. Paul's Cathedral | 39 |
| —— | Rewarded by the approbation of the Sovereign, and by the thanks of Parliament | — |
| 1759 | Embarked in an expedition against Quebec, under Major-General James Wolfe | — |
| —— | Death of Major-General Wolfe | 41 |
| —— | Surrender of Quebec | 42 |
| —— | Approbation of the King of the conduct of the troops, thanks of Parliament, and public thanksgiving of the Nation | — |
| 1760 | Defence of Quebec against an attempt of the French to retake it | 43 |
| —— | Joined in an attack on Montreal | 44 |
| —— | Conquest of Canada | — |
| 1761 | Encamped at Staten Island | 44 |
| —— | Embarked for Barbadoes | — |
| 1762 | Engaged on an expedition in the capture of Martinique | — |
| —— | Embarked on an expedition to the Havannah | 45 |
| —— | Capture of Moro Fort, nine ships of war, &c. | — |
| 1763 | Peace with Spain concluded | — |
| —— | The Havannah restored to Spain | — |
| —— | Embarked for New York, and proceeded to Canada | 46 |
| 1768 | Embarked for England | — |
| 1770 | Reviewed at Chatham by King George III. | — |
| 1772 | Marched to Scotland | — |
| 1774 | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1776 | War with North America | — |
| —— | Embarked for America | 47 |
| —— | Proceeded on an expedition against Charleston | — |
| —— | Re-embarked and proceeded to Staten Island | — |
| —— | Effected a landing at Long Island | — |
| —— | Proceeded against New York | 48 |
| —— | ———————White Plains | — |
| —— | ———————Fort Washington | — |
| 1777 | ———————Peek's-Hill | — |
| —— | ———————Danbury | — |
| 1777 | Arrived at Ridgefield | 49 |
| —— | Engaged at the Hill of Compo | — |
| —— | Embarked at New York | — |
| —— | Proceeded on an expedition against Philadelphia | 50 |
| —— | Engaged at Brandywine | — |
| —— | Engaged at Germantown | 51 |
| —— | ———– at Whitemarsh | — |
| 1778 | Marched from Philadelphia to New York | 52 |
| —— | Embarked for the West Indies | — |
| —— | Proceeded on an expedition against St. Lucia | 53 |
| 1779 | Embarked from St. Lucia and landed at St. Christopher's | 54 |
| 1781 | War declared against Holland | — |
| —— | Capture of the Island of St. Eustatius | — |
| —— | Recaptured by the French, and the 13th and 15th Regiments taken prisoners | — |
| 1782 | Island of St. Christopher's taken by the French | 55 |
| —— | Regiment returned to England | 56 |
| —— | Received the County title of "York East Riding" | — |
| 1784 | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1790 | ———— for Barbadoes | — |
| 1793 | Removed to Dominica | — |
| 1794 | Embarked on an expedition against Martinique and Guadaloupe | 57 |
| 1795 | Stationed at Martinique | 58 |
| 1796 | Re-embarked for England | — |
| 1797 | Proceeded to Scotland | — |
| 1799 | Returned to England | — |
| —— | Received volunteers from the Militia and augmented to two battalions | — |
| 1800 | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1802 | Peace concluded with France | — |
| —— | Establishment reduced, and the second battalion disbanded | — |
| 1803 | War recommenced against France | — |
| 1804 | Establishment again augmented, and second battalion added and formed in Yorkshire | 59 |
| 1805 | First battalion embarked for the West Indies | — |
| —— | Embarked as Marines on board the Fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson | — |
| —— | Relanded at Barbadoes | — |
| 1807 | Again embarked on board the fleet | — |
| —— | Returned to Barbadoes, and embarked for Grenada | — |
| —— | Engaged in an expedition against the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix | 60 |
| 1809 | —————————— against the island of Martinique | — |
| —— | Capture of Martinique | — |
| —— | Engaged in the reduction of the islands in the vicinity of Guadaloupe | 61 |
| —— | Returned to Grenada | — |
| 1810 | Embarked in an expedition against Guadaloupe | — |
| —— | Capture of Guadaloupe | 62 |
| 1812 | Removed to St. Christopher's | 63 |
| 1814 | General peace proclaimed | — |
| 1815 | War recommenced by the violation of the treaty of peace by Napoleon Buonaparte | 64 |
| —— | The islands of Martinique and Guadaloupe again taken possession of | — |
| —— | Re-embarked for Barbadoes | — |
| 1816 | Peace being restored, the second battalion disbanded | 65 |
| —— | Removed to Martinique | — |
| —— | Proceeded to Grenada | — |
| 1817 | Embarked for Nova Scotia | — |
| 1819 | ———— for Bermuda | — |
| 1821 | ———— for England | — |
| 1822 | ———— for Ireland | — |
| 1827 | Formed into six Service and four Depôt Companies | 66 |
| 1827 | Embarked for Canada | — |
| 1832 | Employed in aid of the civil power at Montreal | |
| in suppressing a serious riot | 67 | |
| —— | Expressions of approbation of the conduct of the | |
| regiment | 68 | |
| —— | Suffered severely from the effects of Asiatic cholera | 73 |
| 1838 | Engaged on active duties in consequence of rebellion among a portion of the inhabitants of the Canadas | 75 |
| 1840 | Returned to England | 79 |
| —— | Disembarked at Portsmouth, and joined by the Depôt Companies | — |
| 1841 | Proceeded to Winchester, and thence to Woolwich | — |
| 1842 | Marched to Windsor | — |
| —— | Reviewed by Her Majesty the Queen Victoria, and the Prince Albert | — |
| —— | Proceeded to Chester | 80 |
| —— | ———— to Manchester | — |
| 1843 | Embarked for Ireland | — |
| 1845 | Formed into six Service and four Depôt Companies | — |
| —— | Service Companies embarked for Ceylon | — |
| 1846 | ———————— arrived at Ceylon | 81 |
| 1847 | Depôt Companies embarked from Ireland to England | — |
| 1848 | The Conclusion | — |
| Year | Page | |
| 1685 | Sir William Clifton, Bart | 83 |
| 1686 | Arthur Herbert, afterwards Earl of Torrington | — |
| 1687 | Sackville Tufton | 84 |
| 1688 | Sir James Lesley | 85 |
| 1695 | Emanuel Howe | — |
| 1709 | Algernon Earl of Hertford, afterwards Duke of Somerset | 86 |
| 1715 | Harry Harrison | — |
| 1749 | John Jordan | 87 |
| 1756 | Jeffery Amherst, afterwards Lord Amherst | — |
| 1768 | Charles Hotham, afterwards Thompson | 88 |
| 1775 | Richard Earl of Cavan | 89 |
| 1778 | Sir William Fawcett, K.B. | — |
| 1792 | James Hamilton | 92 |
| 1794 | Henry Watson Powell | — |
| 1814 | Sir Moore Disney, K.C.B. | — |
| 1846 | Sir Phineas Riall, K.C.H. | 93 |
| APPENDIX. | ||
| Battles, Sieges, &c., from 1689 to 1697 | 95 | |
| ———————— from 1702 to 1713 | 96 | |
|
|
||
| PLATES. | ||
| Colours of the Regiment | to face | 1 |
| Costume of the Regiment | " | 82 |
THE FIFTEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
HORSE-GUARDS,
1st January, 1836.
His Majesty has been pleased to command that, with the view of doing the fullest justice to Regiments, as well as to Individuals who have distinguished themselves by their Bravery in Action with the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be published under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant-General; and that this Account shall contain the following particulars, viz.:—
—— The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the Regiment; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed; The Battles, Sieges, and other Military Operations in which it has been engaged, particularly specifying any Achievement it may have performed, and the Colours, Trophies, &c., it may have captured from the Enemy.
—— The Names of the Officers, and the number of Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the place and Date of the Action.
—— The Names of those Officers who, in consideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, have been distinguished with Titles, Medals, or other Marks of His Majesty's gracious favour.
—— The Names of all such Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Privates, as may have specially signalized themselves in Action.
And,
—— The Badges and Devices which the Regiment may have been permitted to bear, and the Causes on account of which such Badges or Devices, or any other Marks of Distinction, have been granted.
By Command of the Right Honorable
GENERAL LORD HILL,
Commanding-in-Chief.
John Macdonald,
Adjutant-General.
The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are animated, and consequently it is of the highest importance that any measure calculated to excite the spirit of emulation, by which alone great and gallant actions are achieved, should be adopted.
Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplishment of this desirable object than a full display of the noble deeds with which the Military History of our country abounds. To hold forth these bright examples to the imitation of the youthful soldier, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honorable career, are among the motives that have given rise to the present publication.
The operations of the British Troops are, indeed, announced in the "London Gazette," from whence they are transferred into the public prints: the achievements of our armies are thus made known at the time of their occurrence, and receive the tribute of praise and admiration to which they are entitled. On extraordinary occasions, the Houses of Parliament have been in the habit of conferring on the Commanders, and the Officers and Troops acting under their orders, expressions of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery; and these testimonials, confirmed by the high honour of their Sovereign's approbation, constitute the reward which the soldier most highly prizes.
It has not, however, until late years, been the practice (which appears to have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies) for British Regiments to keep regular records of their services and achievements. Hence some difficulty has been experienced in obtaining, particularly from the old Regiments, an authentic account of their origin and subsequent services.
This defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command that every Regiment shall, in future, keep a full and ample record of its services at home and abroad.
From the materials thus collected, the country will henceforth derive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who embrace the military profession. 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, being 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.
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.
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.
In the official Reports made by the respective Commanders, ample justice has generally been done to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed; but the details of their services and of acts of individual bravery can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments.
These Records are now preparing for publication, under his Majesty's special authority, by Mr. 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 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. 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, 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.
Biographical memoirs of the Colonels and other distinguished Officers will be introduced in the Records of their respective Regiments, and the Honorary Distinctions which have, from time to time, been conferred upon each Regiment, as testifying the value and importance of its services, will be faithfully set forth.
As a convenient mode of Publication, the Record of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct number, so that when the whole shall be completed, the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession.
Intrepidity