Historical Record of the Thirty-first, or, the Huntingdonshire Regiment of Foot;: containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1702, and of its subsequent services to 1850Cannon, Richard
History
Historical Record of the Thirty-first, or, the Huntingdonshire Regiment of Foot;: containing an account of the formation of the regiment in 1702, and of its subsequent services to 1850
Cannon, Richard
Great Britain. Army -- History; Great Britain. Army. Regiment of Foot, 31st
“To Brigadiers MacDowell and Stedman, commanding their gallant,
brigades of cavalry, the fortune of the day is greatly indebted,
and to all commanding officers of cavalry and infantry my warmest
thanks are due; to Major Smyth, commanding the sixteenth lancers;
to Lieut.-Colonel Spence, commanding Her Majesty’s THIRTY-FIRST
foot; to Lieut.-Colonel Ryan, K.H., commanding Her Majesty’s
fiftieth regiment; and to Lieut.-Colonel Phillips, commanding Her
Majesty’s fifty-third foot.
“His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief having witnessed the
glorious services of Her Majesty’s THIRTY-FIRST and fiftieth
regiments, I have only to report upon Her Majesty’s fifty-third,
a young regiment, but veterans in daring gallantry and regularity.
“To Captain Lugard (THIRTY-FIRST regiment) the
Assistant-Adjutant-General of this force, I am deeply indebted,
and the service still more so; a more cool, intrepid, and
trustworthy officer cannot be brought forward.
“The brigadiers all speak in high terms of their majors of
brigade, Captain O’Hanlan, of the second brigade, and Captain
Garvock, of Her Majesty’s THIRTY-FIRST foot, of the first
brigade.”
The loss of the THIRTY-FIRST regiment in this conflict was
fortunately small: one officer, Lieut. Atty, slightly wounded, and
fifteen men killed and wounded. The troops bivouacked for the night
near the field of battle. The army remained at Aliwal five days,
during which the following General Order was received from General
Sir Hugh Gough, the Commander-in-Chief:--
“GENERAL ORDERS TO THE ARMY OF THE SUTLEJ.
“Head-Quarters, Camp, Nihalkee,
“29th January, 1846.
“A glorious victory, with the capture of all the enemy’s guns,
having been achieved by the force under Major-General Sir Henry
Smith, K.C.B., the whole line will parade at eight o’clock
this morning for the inspection of the Right Honorable the
Governor-General and his Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, and
a royal salute will be fired from the eighteen-pounder battery,
and three cheers will be given by the line after the salute, in
celebration of this triumphant event.”
The following extract is taken from the General Orders issued by
the Governor-General, dated “Camp, Ferozepore, 2nd of February,
1846:”--
“Great praise is due to Brigadier Hicks, who, with Her Majesty’s
THIRTY-FIRST regiment, the twenty-fourth and forty-seventh Native
infantry, stormed the village of _Aliwal_, drove the enemy from
it, and seized the guns by which it was defended.”
Extract of the despatch of the Governor-General of India to the
Secret Committee, dated “Camp, Kanha Kutchwa, 19th of February,
1846:”--
“The immediate result of the victory of Aliwal was the evacuation
by the Sikh garrisons of all the forts hitherto occupied by
detachments of Lahore soldiers on this side of the river Sutlej,
and the submission of the whole of the territory on the left
bank of that river to the British government.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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