Historical record of the Eighty-eighth Regiment of Foot, or Connaught Rangers : $b containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1793, and of its subsequent services to 1837.Cannon, Richard
History
Historical record of the Eighty-eighth Regiment of Foot, or Connaught Rangers : $b containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1793, and of its subsequent services to 1837.
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 88th (Connaught Rangers)
This battalion was composed of recruits raised in Ireland, for
limited service, under the authority of the Additional Force Act,
which passed 4th of July, 1804, and was placed on the establishment
of the army, December 25th of the same year. It was formed at
Dumfries, in Scotland, in November, 1805, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel John Alexander Wallace, embarked at Leith for
the Thames, and landing at Gravesend, marched into Sussex, where
it occupied various quarters, and furnished, from time to time,
reinforcements for the First Battalion. In January, 1807, it returned
to Ireland, and was quartered principally in Connaught, where it
recruited numerous volunteers from the Irish militia regiments.
In the summer of 1809 it embarked from Cork for Lisbon; but on its
arrival, and subsequent inspection there, it was sent, in consequence
of the youth of the men, to Gibraltar, and did duty in that garrison
for a few months. From Gibraltar it was ordered, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor, to Cadiz, in which city it was quartered
during the operations against Fort Matagorda. After the reduction
of that fort it was encamped for two or three months in the Isla de
Leon, under the command of Major (afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel)
Macpherson, and assisted in the construction of the lines thrown
up for the defence of that island against the French. A short time
before Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham engaged in the expedition
which led to the battle of Barossa, the Second Battalion of the
EIGHTY-EIGHTH was ordered again to Lisbon, where Colonel Taylor
resumed the command.
In the pursuit of Massena’s army from the lines of Torres Vedras,
the second battalion, under the command of Major Dunne, was attached
to the third division of the army. It was engaged in the action
at Sabugal, and was present in the operations of the army down to
the storming of Badajoz, after which, it furnished, as formerly
stated, a large draft of men to the First Battalion and returned
to England. In the end of 1813 it was ordered to Ireland, for the
greater facility of recruiting. The very liberal encouragement which
Lieutenant-General Lord Beresford afforded to this service, enabled
Major Dunne to obtain a number of volunteers from the Irish militia;
the liberality of the Colonel, and the judicious management of the
Commanding Officer, were so successful, that in two months the
battalion was increased from one hundred and forty to eight hundred
strong. It continued in Ireland, furnishing occasional drafts to the
First Battalion until January, 1816, when it was finally reduced at
Clare Castle, after transferring all the men who were fit for service
to the 1st battalion, then quartered in France.
SUCCESSION OF FIELD OFFICERS;
THE
NAMES OF OFFICERS, &c., KILLED AND WOUNDED;
WITH A
LIST OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, &c.,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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