Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI. of Scotland, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the First, or Royal Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI. of Scotland, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1846
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 1st (Royal Scots)
The 2nd battalion did not remain long on home service before it
was again ordered to embark; and it formed part of the force under
Lieut.-General Sir James Pulteney which landed on the 25th of August,
1800, on the coast of Galicia, in Spain, with the view of attacking
the strong fortress of _Ferrol_, a sea-port situated at the influx of
the river Javia into the extensive inlet called the Bay of Corunna.
Having made good their landing, the troops advanced to the heights
which overlook the town; some sharp skirmishing took place, and the
ROYALS had one private soldier killed, and Lieutenant Edmonston and
one private soldier wounded. After viewing the town and its defences,
Sir James Pulteney resolved not to lose time in attacking this place,
but to re-embark the troops and proceed to join General Sir Ralph
Abercrombie, who commanded a British force in the Mediterranean. The
united forces afterwards sailed to _Cadiz_, and summoned the governor
to surrender; but a disease was ravaging the city at the time, and
the fleet quitted the coast for fear of infection, and proceeded to
Gibraltar.
[Sidenote: 1st Batt.]
During the summer the 1st battalion quitted Ireland, and proceeded to
Scotland, where it continued during the remainder of the year.
[Sidenote: 2nd Batt.]
After its arrival at Gibraltar the 2nd battalion was selected to form
part of an expedition under the orders of Sir Ralph Abercrombie,
designed to drive the French army out of Egypt; and in November it
sailed from Gibraltar to the island of Malta, where the men were
disembarked to refresh themselves after having been many months at
sea. The abundance of fresh provisions which the island afforded, the
comforts of the beautiful city of Valetta, with the luxury of the
scenery, soon restored and reanimated the troops; and on the 20th of
December the expedition sailed for the Bay of Marmorice, in Asiatic
Turkey, where the fleet arrived in nine days.
[Sidenote: 1801]
Here the troops remained for several weeks, in a bay surrounded by
mountains, which presented to the eye the most picturesque scenery
imaginable; the regiments were successively disembarked and exercised;
Turkish horses were purchased for the cavalry; gun-boats were procured
to cover the landing of the troops in Egypt, and a plan of co-operation
was arranged with the Turks. The delays of the Turks detained the fleet
some time; but on the 23rd of February, 1801, it again put to sea, when
a gale of wind dispersed the Greek and Turkish vessels. The British
continued their course, and having arrived on the 1st of March off the
celebrated city of Alexandria, the ancient capital of Egypt, they bore
down at sunset into the bay of _Aboukir_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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