The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95thCope, William Henry
History
The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95th
Cope, William Henry
Great Britain. Army. Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
On May 31, 1818, the Battalion was again encamped at Helfaut till
August 15, when it marched to and encamped near Valenciennes. On
October 17 it marched to Neuville near Bouchain, preparatory to a
grand review by the Duke of Wellington in the presence of the Emperor
of Russia, the King of Prussia and other Sovereigns and Princes;
which took place on the 23rd.
The Army of Occupation being now to leave France, the Battalion
marched on the 25th to Auberchicourt, and thence through Lens,
Lillers, Blendecques, Peuplingue, near Ardres, whence they marched at
two o’clock in the morning of the 30th to Calais, where they arrived
and embarked at ten o’clock, and sailing immediately arrived at Dover
in the night. On the 31st they disembarked and marched to Shorncliffe.
The 1st Battalion also moved into camp and changed its cantonments
during the time it formed part of the Army of Occupation; but I
am not able to give its movements with equal minuteness, as the
regimental Record for that period has not been kept with the same
accuracy as that of the 2nd Battalion. It was moved into the 7th
Brigade under the command of Major-General Sir W. O’Callaghan; and I
find that on September 27, 1818, it was encamped near Cambrai.[176]
It marched to Calais, where it embarked on October 31, and sailing
on the same day arrived at Dover and marched to Shorncliffe on
November 1.
I have now to trace the movements of the 3rd Battalion, which had
returned to Shorncliffe in December 1815. Soon afterwards it was
ordered to Dublin, where it was quartered for two years and three
months. Whilst the Battalion was in Dublin a melancholy event took
place, on August 16, 1817: the death of Lieutenant Amphlett from
hydrophobia, resulting from the bite of his dog. The details of
this sad case are very fully related by Dr. Ridgway, Surgeon of the
Battalion, in the _United Service Journal_, vol. i. part i. p. 577.
The Battalion afterwards proceeded to Birr; and at the end of 1818,
a diminution of the army having been resolved upon, this Battalion
was reduced. The junior officers of each rank, who thereby became
non-effective, were placed on half pay on December 25, 1818; but the
actual disbanding of the Battalion did not take place till towards
the end of January 1819; when some of the men were drafted into
the 1st and 2nd Battalions and the remainder were discharged. Its
strength when disbanded was 810 men.[177]
[Illustration:
Plate III
RIFLE BRIGADE, TO 1833]
FOOTNOTES:
[152] This list (copied from Simmons’ ‘Narrative’) is not perfect.
Captain William Johnston was at Waterloo. He was probably with the
detachment which had been in Holland, and which joined on the advance
from Ostend to Brussels. Captain Glasse, who was acting as Deputy
Judge Advocate, did not join till after the battle of Waterloo.
[153] General FitzMaurice’s letter to the ‘Times.’
[154] Leach’s company, under the command of FitzMaurice, who thus
‘opened the ball’ on that memorable day.
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