The History of the 2nd Dragoons: "Royal Scots Greys"Almack, Edward
History
The History of the 2nd Dragoons: "Royal Scots Greys"
Almack, Edward
Great Britain. Army. Dragoons, 2nd (Royal Scots Greys)
with a Bayonet (as it is supposed from one of our own people) upon
hearing him talk French to a soldier whom he had seized, and who
would not quit his firelock, but the wound is a very slight one.
What makes this affair the more satisfactory is that it has not
cost us ten men, which is wonderful in a night attack, where we
might have expected to have lost more by our own mistaking friends
for foes.
"The behaviour of the Officers and the bravery of the Troops upon
this occasion deserve the greatest commendation. Lord George Lennox
was a volunteer in this expedition, and had his horse wounded under
him by a shot from a window. With our prisoners we brought off two
pieces of cannon, and had we had time to search the houses the
number of our prisoners would have been doubled; but as day was
coming on, and we might have been cut off from Warburg, we returned
the same way we came, and arrived there at eight in the morning of
the 6th without being at all molested."
In 1763 a treaty of peace was signed, and as early as February, 1763,
the Greys quitted Germany, and marching through Holland, embarked at
Williamstadt in North Brabant, landed at Gravesend, and proceeded to
Hereford. Soon the light troop, which had remained in England, was
disbanded, but 8 men per troop were now equipped as Light Dragoons.
The establishment was reduced to 213 men! In November the Regiment
marched to Scotland, and were stationed at Dalkeith and Musselburgh;
but soon returned South, and in 1764 were stationed at Manchester and
Warrington. In April, 1765, they marched to Worcester and Pershore. In
1766 they went to Sussex.
At this date "Drummers," who had been on the establishment from the
foundation of the Corps, were ordered to be replaced by "Trumpeters."
In May, 1767, the Regiment marched to Canterbury, and in the winter of
1768 it was in winter cantonments in Lincoln and Boston.
In 1769 they went to Scotland, returning the next year to Warwick,
Lichfield and Stratford-upon-Avon.
The greater part of 1771 was spent in cantonments in Dorsetshire and
Somersetshire. In 1772 the Regiment was stationed at Canterbury,
with detachments on coast duty in Kent. In May, 1773, it marched
into quarters at Greenwich and the neighbouring villages; and on May
22nd King George the Third reviewed the Greys,--expressing his high
admiration of the Regiment's appearance and discipline.
The newspapers of the time describe the day as particularly fine, and
allude to the great crowds assembled to witness "the martial appearance
and correct manœuvring of this gallant old corps."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account