Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or, the Buckinghamshire Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1845Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or, the Buckinghamshire Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1685, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1845
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 14th (Buckinghamshire)
Towards the end of May, 1766, the regiment marched into village
quarters near Hounslow Heath, where it was reviewed on the 4th of
June by the King, who was graciously pleased to express his royal
approbation of its appearance and movements in the field. After
the review the regiment marched to Salisbury and adjacents.
[Sidenote: 1771]
In June the regiment embarked at Portsmouth for North America,
and was stationed in Nova Scotia and Canada until 1771, when it
embarked from Halifax for the West Indies, to take part in reducing
to submission to the British government, the refractory Caribbees
in _St. Vincent's_.
[Sidenote: 1772]
[Sidenote: 1773]
The island of St. Vincent's was captured from the French in 1762,
and was ceded to Great Britain at the peace in 1763; it was found
to contain two tribes of natives called the _red_ and _black_
Caribs, the former being the Aborigines, and the latter having
sprung from a cargo of African slaves, who escaped from a vessel
which was wrecked on the island. The Caribbees were devoted
to the French interest; they were dangerous and troublesome
neighbours to the English planters, and it was found necessary to
restrain their conduct, and enforce obedience to a few salutary
regulations. They were, however, of a determined spirit, possessed
many thickly-wooded fastnesses, and so resolutely resisted all
attempts to restrain their roving propensities and mode of life,
that it was found necessary to augment the military force on the
island. The FOURTEENTH Foot were employed against the refractory
Caribbees in 1772 and 1773; numerous skirmishes occurred among the
thickly-wooded parts of the country, and several soldiers were
killed and wounded, in the bush fighting, which took place daily
for some time. At length the Caribbees were reduced to submission:
and the regiment returned to North America, leaving a number of
sick men and others in the West Indies.
[Sidenote: 1774]
[Sidenote: 1775]
The regiment was stationed at Virginia in North America, when the
misunderstanding between Great Britain and these prosperous and
wealthy colonies, produced open hostilities. The spirit which the
colonists evinced in resisting the acts of the British parliament,
for raising a revenue in their country, assumed a serious aspect
in the years 1773 and 1774, and in 1775 hostilities commenced in
the state of Massachusetts. The FOURTEENTH Regiment remained in the
state of Virginia for some time afterwards; it was, consequently,
not at Bunker's Hill; but it lost two promising officers at that
battle, on the 17th of June, 1775, who were attending Major-General
Howe during the engagement: viz., Lieutenant and Adjutant Bruce,
who was killed, and Ensign Hesketh mortally wounded.
On the 18th of October, 1775, the colonelcy of the regiment
was conferred on Major-General Robert Cunninghame, from the
Fifty-eighth Foot, in succession to Lieutenant-General the
Honorable William Keppel, removed to the Twelfth Dragoons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account