Historical Record of the Fourth, or the King's Own, Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1680, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1839Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Fourth, or the King's Own, Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1680, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1839
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)
The regiment formed part of the force under Lieut.-General Sir
Thomas Graham, which advanced against the right of the French
army by the Bilboa road, and having taken possession of Gamara
Minor, the FOURTH, forty-seventh, and fifty-ninth regiments
were sent forward in columns of battalions, with the heroic
Major-General Robinson at their head, to storm the village of
_Gamara Major_, which was occupied as a tête-de-pont to the bridge
across the Zadora. Supported by two guns of Major Lawson's brigade
of artillery, the three regiments advanced with a determined
countenance; the French artillery opened a destructive fire, and
volleys of musquetry assailed the brigade in front; yet, undismayed
by the storm of bullets which rent chasms in the ranks, the British
regiments bore down upon their adversaries with fixed bayonets,
drove the enemy from the village with great slaughter, and captured
three guns.
This success was followed by an attack on the village of Abechuco,
by the first division. Meanwhile the French made great efforts
to repossess themselves of Gamara Major; but were repulsed, and
Abechuco was carried.
The possession of these villages enabled the troops to attack the
bridges across the Zadora; but these bridges were commanded by
a division of the enemy posted on the heights beyond the river.
Here the KING'S OWN, led by the gallant Lieut.-Colonel Brooke,
had another opportunity of displaying their native valour; they
charged three times across the bridge of Gamara Major; and when the
centre columns of the British army had penetrated to the vicinity
of Vittoria, the enemy vacated the heights, the river was passed,
and the retreat of the French army by the high road to France was
intercepted. Finally the French army was thrown into confusion,
and driven from the field with the loss of its artillery,
ammunition-waggons, and all its baggage and equipages.
The FOURTH had Lieutenant George Thorne, and Lieutenant and
Adjutant Thomas Barker killed; with Captains John Williamson, John
E. Kipping, James Ward, Charles James Edgell, and Ensign John
M'Crohon, wounded; also seventy-five non-commissioned officers and
soldiers killed and wounded. Their gallant conduct was afterwards
rewarded with the honour of bearing the word VITTORIA inscribed on
their colours.
After this victory the KING'S OWN were detached, with the remainder
of the left column, towards Bilboa, with the view of intercepting a
body of French under General Foy, who retreated on Bayonne. After
the enemy was driven beyond the frontiers of Spain, the regiment
was engaged in the siege of the strong and important fortress of
_St. Sebastian_, and supported the unsuccessful assault of the
works on the 25th of July: it also had the honour of taking a
conspicuous and important part in storming the breach on the 31st
of August.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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