Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or the King's, Regiment of Light Dragoons: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment and of Its Subsequent ServicesCannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Fourteenth, or the King's, Regiment of Light Dragoons: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment and of Its Subsequent Services
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Light Dragoons, 14th
During the wars of Queen Anne the Regiment of Carabineers was again
supplied with cuirasses, and was mounted on the same description
of horses as the other regiments; retaining, however, the title
of Carabineers. The activity, size, weight, and strength of the
horses ridden by the British Cuirassiers and Heavy Dragoons, with
the bravery and muscular powers of the men, established their
superiority in continental warfare over the Cavalry of other
nations; they acquired great celebrity in the valley of the Danube
and on the plains of the Netherlands, in the early part of the
eighteenth century, under the renowned John Duke of Marlborough;
and after the peace of Utrecht, in 1713, the reputation of the
British Horse and Dragoons was so high that no alteration was
thought necessary, and many years elapsed without any attempt being
made to revive the practice of having either Carabineers, or Light
Horse, in the British Army.
The great utility of the Light Cavalry of the continental armies
had, in the mean time, become apparent. Improvements in military
tactics, and in the arming and equipment of corps, were taking
place in various countries; and a spirit of emulation extending
itself to Great Britain, on the breaking out of the rebellion in
1745, his Grace the Duke of Montague evinced his loyalty and public
spirit by raising a Regiment of _Carabineers_ for the service of
King George II.; at the same time, his Grace the Duke of Kingston,
with equal zeal and generosity, raised, at his own expense, a
Regiment of _Light Horse_. The latter regiment approximated, in the
lightness of the men, horses, and equipment, to the Hussars of the
continental armies; the Duke of Montague's Carabineers were of a
heavier description of Cavalry.
At this period the old Cavalry Regiments rode black horses
(excepting the Scots Greys) with docked tails; but the Duke of
Kingston's Regiment was mounted on light horses of various colours,
with swish or nag tails. The accoutrements were as light as
possible: the men carried short carbines slung to their sides by a
moveable swivel, pistols, and light swords inclined to a curve.
The usefulness of the Duke of Kingston's Regiment of Light Horse
was proved in Scotland, where it served under His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cumberland, and was found qualified for every
description of service; the light horses traversing hilly grounds
with facility. It distinguished itself on several occasions,
particularly at the battle of Culloden, on the 16th of April, 1746,
when it charged the clans with signal gallantry, and evinced great
spirit and activity in the pursuit of the rebel army upwards of
three miles from the field of battle. The Duke of Cumberland was
highly pleased with its behaviour during the period it was under
his command; and the conduct of the Light Horse throughout the
contest reflected credit on the noble peer who had raised them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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