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)
On the 24th of September the _depôt_ companies of this battalion
embarked at Kingstown for England, and landed on the 26th at Devonport.
Previous to the arrival of the ROYALS in Lower Canada, the minds of
the inhabitants of that flourishing colony were agitated by factious
men, who sought to dictate to the Government measures not deemed
conducive to the welfare of the state. During the summer, the House
of Assembly refused to proceed in its deliberations until the demand
for the total alteration of the legislative powers was complied with;
and this was followed by the appearance of many of the colonists in
arms, and by open violations of the law. The revolt rapidly extending,
the law-officers of the Crown and the magistrates of Montreal applied
to Lieut.-General Sir John Colborne, K.C.B. (now Lord Seaton), the
commander of the forces in Canada, for a military force to assist
in apprehending several persons charged with high treason, who were
supposed to be at the villages of St. Denis and St. Charles; and
Colonel Gore was sent with detachments of the 24th, 32nd, and 66th
regiments, and one howitzer, with a magistrate to St. Denis; at the
same time Lieut.-Colonel Wetherall, K.H., of the ROYALS, was directed
to move with Captain David's troop of Montreal cavalry, four companies
of the ROYALS, a detachment of the 66th, and two six-pounders, from
Chambly, on _St. Charles_, a village seventeen miles from the ferry at
Chambly, to assist the magistrates in executing the warrants.
The detachment under Lieut.-Colonel Wetherall passed the river
Richelieu by the upper ferry at Chambly; but the severity of the
weather, and the bad state of the roads, impeded the march, and
information having been received of the increased numbers of the
rebels at St. Charles, the detachment halted at St. Hilaire until
joined by another company of the ROYALS from Chambly. On the 26th of
November the detachment resumed its march, and on arriving within a
mile of St. Charles it was fired upon by the insurgents on the opposite
side of the river, and one man of the ROYAL Regiment was wounded.
Several rifle shots were also fired from a barn in front, which was
burnt by the detachment. On arriving at the vicinity of St. Charles
1500 rebels were found posted in a close stockaded work, which was
attacked; and after firing a few rounds, the troops assaulted and
carried the defences by storm, killed a number of the rebels, took
sixteen prisoners, and burnt the buildings. The ROYALS had 1 Serjeant
and 1 rank and file killed; 8 rank and file severely, and 7 slightly,
wounded. Lieut.-Colonel Wetherall's horse was shot under him during
the action, and Major Warde's horse was severely wounded, and died
afterwards. The detachment of the 66th had 1 man killed and 3 wounded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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