Historical Record of the Seventy-Second Regiment, or the Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders: Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1778, and of its subsequent services to 1848Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Seventy-Second Regiment, or the Duke of Albany's Own Highlanders: Containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1778, and of its subsequent services to 1848
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 72nd -- History; Great Britain. Army. Seaforth Highlanders -- History
On the 13th of June a general attack was made on the French line,
on which occasion the gallant bearing of the Highlanders was
conspicuous, and the ardour and intrepidity they evinced, gave
presage of that renown which the two corps (now seventy-first and
SEVENTY-SECOND) afterwards acquired. The action commenced about
four o’clock in the morning, and was continued until near two in
the afternoon, during which time the French were driven from the
principal defences on their right. Major-General Stuart designed to
renew the attack on the following morning; but the French retreated
into the fortress during the night.
The regiment had Captain George Mackenzie and nine rank and file
killed; Lieutenants Patrick Grant and Malcomb M^c Pherson, two
serjeants, and twenty-eight rank and file wounded; two men missing.
Major-General Stuart stated in his public despatch--“Nothing, I
believe, in history, ever exceeded the heroism and coolness of
this army in general, which was visible to every one, for the
action lasted from four in the morning to two in the afternoon.”
The Major-General also stated in Orders:--“The Commander-in-chief,
having taken time minutely to investigate the conduct and execution
of the orders and plan in attacking the enemy’s posts, lines, and
redoubts, on the 13th instant, with the comparative strength in
numbers and position of the enemy, composed almost entirely of the
best regular troops of France, takes this occasion to give it as
his opinion to this brave army in general, that it is not to be
equalled by anything he knows, or has heard of, in modern history.”
The conduct of Lieut.-Colonel James Stuart of the regiment was
commended in the Major-General’s despatch and in Orders.
On the morning of the 25th of June the French made a sally from the
fortress; but were repulsed with severe loss; Colonel the Chevalier
de Damas was among the prisoners taken on this occasion.[8]
The siege of Cudalore was soon afterwards terminated by the arrival
of news from Europe of a treaty of peace having been concluded
between England and France.
In the meantime Hyder Ali had died, in December, 1782, and was
succeeded, in the government of the Mysore, by his son, Tippoo
Saib; who, being deprived of his French allies by the peace,
entered into negociations for terminating the war between Mysore
and the British, and an armistice took place.
Colonel Humberston was wounded in an action at sea, on the coast of
India, and died, in his twenty-eighth year, universally lamented,
as a young man of superior accomplishments, and of great promise in
his profession. He was succeeded, as lieut.-colonel commandant of
the regiment, by Major-General James Murray, by commission dated
the 1st of November, 1783.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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