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)
[10] "The Duke of York detached seven Austrian battalions, and the
second brigade of British infantry, (FOURTEENTH, _Thirty-seventh_,
and _Fifty-third_,) under Major-General Fox, who, though they had
lost so many men only four days before, anxiously wished to get
into action. Nothing could exceed their spirit and perseverance;
they stormed the village of Pontechin, and after firing a few shot
rushed with fixed bayonets into the heart of the enemy, and turned
the fate of the day once more in favour of the allies. The charge
was conducted with such skill and activity that it immediately
threw the enemy into confusion, and forced them to give way. At
this time the artillery came into action and directed their fire
so well, and followed it up with such activity, the enemy could
never be rallied so as to renew the attack, although they had
fresh troops constantly coming up, but continued to lose ground
till dark. Such a battle has seldom been fought; the enemy was in
action, under an incessant fire of cannon and musketry, upwards
of twelve hours, and left twelve thousand dead in the field, five
hundred taken, and seven pieces of cannon.
"The loss of the allies, in this memorable action, amounted to four
thousand men; one hundred and ninety-six were British, and all,
except three, from General Fox's brigade. It is a fact, although it
appears almost impossible, that _a single British brigade, and that
brigade less than six hundred men, on that great day, absolutely
won the battle_; for had it not come up, the allies would have been
beaten."--CAPTAIN JONES' _Journal_.
[11] Every man of the FOURTEENTH was proud of the reputation which
the regiment had acquired, with which he identified himself; even
the recruits possessed the same _esprit de corps_. After the
capture of Gueldermalsen a young soldier, named Sullivan, struck
the butt-end of his musket against a cask, when the musket went
off, and the ball passed through the soldier's body. He instantly
called to Lieutenant Graves, and said, "I hope, Sir, you will let
my friends know that I always behaved as became a good soldier,"
and immediately expired.
[12] Captain Jones, speaking of the conduct of the FOURTEENTH,
Twenty-seventh, and Twenty-eighth Regiments, at Gueldermalsen,
states in his _Journal_, "These regiments behaved with their usual
gallantry, and faced every danger with that cheerfulness and
perseverance which has peculiarly distinguished them."
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