Historical Record of the First Regiment of Foot

15911595

The occasion of these Scots companies being raised and sent to France in the reign of James VI., was the succession of Henry of Navarre, a Protestant prince, to the throne of France, in 1589, by the title of Henry IV., when a sanguinary war commenced between him and the combined Roman Catholic princes and nobles, called the Leaguers, who opposed his accession to the throne with all their power and influence. Queen Elizabeth furnished the French monarch with auxiliary English forces; the King of Scotland permitted his subjects to aid the Protestant cause, and several companies of Scottish foot were raised and sent to France. The British troops highly distinguished themselves under the Lord Willoughby, Sir John Norris, Sir Roger Williams, and other commanders. The English afterwards quitted France, but Henry IV., having discovered the value of these companies of hardy and valiant Scots, retained them in his service.

16091610

In 1609, and the early part of 1610, Henry IV. made preparations for engaging in a war with the House of Austria; but he was murdered in the streets of Paris on the 14th of May, 1610; and, after his death, his son, Louis XIII., being a minor, the preparations for war were discontinued, and part of the army was disbanded.

Leaving the Scots companies in France, where they appear to have been employed in garrison duty for many years, the Record commences the narrative of the services of another body of Scots, under the King of Sweden, of which the Royal Regiment is also the representative.

16111613

Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, who was designated "the lion of the north," succeeded to the throne in 1611, and he soon began to take an important part in the affairs of Europe. Having heard of the valour of the Scots, he procured, in 1613, a number of companies from Scotland and from the Netherlands,12 and formed two Scots regiments. He also hired fifteen ships from the Scots nation, which took the town and district of Drontheim, and sailed afterwards to the southernmost shores of Sweden.13

16151616

A peace was soon afterwards concluded between Sweden and Denmark; but Gustavus retained his Scots veterans in his service; and in 1615 he commenced a war with Russia. He soon rendered himself master of the province of Ingria, – took by storm the strong fort of Kexholm, and besieged Plesko; but he was induced to desist from further enterprises by the pacific interposition of King James I. of England, and a cessation of hostilities took place.

16171619

The Scots in the service of Gustavus were, however, allowed but a short period of repose before they were again called upon to take the field. In 1617 Gustavus invaded Poland; and his troops were engaged in various actions until 1619, when a truce was agreed upon by the contending powers.

16201621

In 1620 the King of Sweden renewed the war; and the Scots, under Colonels Ruthven and Seaton, distinguished themselves at the siege and capture of Riga, the capital city of Livonia. The towns of Dunamond and Mittau were also captured soon afterwards; and these successes were followed by another truce.

Meanwhile events had transpired which gave rise to the formation of another body of Scots, with whose services the Royal Regiment is also connected. The Protestants of Bohemia having revolted from the dominion of Austria, elected to the throne the Count Palatine, who was assisted by an English regiment under Sir Horace Hore; and had also in his service a regiment of English and Scots, under Colonel Gray; and one of the Scots companies was commanded by John Hepburn, who was the first Colonel of the Royal Regiment. Gray's regiment was employed in 1620 to guard the King of Bohemia's person; but after the loss of the battle of Prague in 1621, His Majesty fled to Holland. Gray's regiment formed part of the force rallied by the Earl of Mansfield; after many enterprises, it retreated to the Palatinate, and was employed in Alsace and Germany.

16221625

After the Princes of the Union had made peace with the Emperor, it retreated through Alsace and Lorraine, and along the borders of France to the Netherlands, and was engaged with a Spanish force near Fleurus (30th August, 1622), when Sir James Ramsay and Captains Hepburn and Hume evinced signal gallantry. The army afterwards proceeded to Holland, and was disbanded; when Hepburn and his company entered the service of the King of Sweden. About the year 1625, Gustavus Adolphus appointed John Hepburn Colonel of a Scots regiment, of which the Royal Regiment of Foot is the representative.

The King of Sweden renewed hostilities with Poland in 1625, and conquered Selburg, Duneberg, Nidorp, and Dorpat; and defeated the Polish army on the plains of Semigallia.

1626

During the succeeding year he captured several places belonging to the Elector of Brandenburg; and in a short time afterwards gained possession of Polish Prussia.

Historians have omitted to state the part which the Scots regiments took in these services; but it is recorded that at the relief of Mew, a town near the conflux of the river Versa into the Vistula, Colonel John Hepburn's Scots soldiers highly distinguished themselves. These veterans being sent upon a desperate service, climbed a steep and difficult eminence with surprising alacrity to attack the Poles.

"When Thurn and Hepburn had gained the summit, which lay near the banks of the Vistula, they found the Polish soldiers entrenching themselves, and fell on them with incredible fury. But as the Poles poured in fresh troops every moment, the fight was maintained for two hours with surprising obstinacy. During this interval Gustavus threw a supply of men and ammunition into the town. And here, once more, it appeared that infantry were able to resist an equal or superior body of cavalry, for the fire of Thurn's soldiers was irresistible, and the pikemen stood immovable, like a wall of brass."14 The Poles, dismayed at the desperate resolution of their opponents, raised the siege, and Gustavus entered the town on the same evening.

1627

The King of Sweden made his appearance in Prussia in 1627, at the head of a brave and well-appointed army, of which Colonel Hepburn's regiment formed a part; he took Kesmark by assault, and defeated, on the same day, a division of Polish troops marching to its relief. He afterwards besieged and captured Marienberg; and defeated the Poles at Dirschan.

1628

The army was joined in 1628 by nine thousand Scots and English soldiers, and from this period the British troops took an important part in the military operations of the Swedish monarch, who was now at the head of 2,000 cavalry, 24,000 infantry, and 3,000 archers. He repulsed the Poles in a sharp skirmish, and captured four field-pieces and fourteen colours; and he subsequently besieged Dantzic, but he afterwards relinquished his design on this place, and captured, by surrender, Newburg, Strasberg, and Dribentz, and took Sweitz and Massovia by storm.

This year Stralsund was besieged by the Imperialists, and two Scots regiments in the service of the King of Denmark, with a detachment from the King of Sweden's army, under the Scots Colonel, Sir Alexander Lesley, assisted in the defence of the town; after a siege of three months, the Emperor's General, Albert Count Walstein, having half-ruined a numerous army, retired from before the place.

1629

In the succeeding year the Emperor Ferdinand II. commenced measures for the extirpation of the protestant religion in Germany, where it had taken deep root for about a century; he also sent troops to the assistance of the Poles in their war with Sweden; but Gustavus was enabled to oppose the united armies, and to hold them in check. In a partial action between the advance-guards, a few miles from Thorn, Gustavus's hat was knocked off in a personal encounter with one of the enemy's officers named Sirot, who afterwards wore the hat without knowing to whom it belonged. On the succeeding day, two prisoners (one a Scots officer named Hume) seeing Sirot wearing the King, their master's, hat, wept exceedingly, and with exclamations of sorrow, desired to be informed if the King was dead. Sirot, being thus made acquainted with the quality of his antagonist in the preceding day's skirmish, related the manner in which he became possessed of the hat, upon which they recovered a little from their anxiety and surprise. Soon afterwards the King of Poland, having nearly exhausted his resources, became disposed to enter into pacific relations with Sweden, and a treaty was concluded in the summer of this year.

This peace gave the King of Sweden an opportunity of executing his design of interposing in behalf of the persecuted protestants of Germany, in which he was abetted by England, France, and Holland, and the Scots in his service had the honour of taking part in this glorious enterprise.

1630

Preparations were made for this great undertaking with perseverance and judgment. It is recorded in history that the King of Sweden had in his service ten thousand English and Scots soldiers, well nurtured and experienced in war, in whom "he always principally confided, conferring on them the glory of every critical and trying adventure." Amongst these forces, Colonel John Hepburn's Scots Regiment appears to have held a distinguished character for gallantry on all occasions; and no troops appear to have been found better calculated for this important enterprise than the Scots, who proved brave, hardy, patient of fatigue and privation, frugal, obedient, and sober soldiers. In addition to the British troops already in his service, Gustavus afterwards entered into a treaty with the Marquis of Hamilton, who engaged to raise eight thousand English and Scots for the service of the Swedish monarch.

When the King sailed with his main army for Pomerania, where he arrived towards the end of June, 1630, Colonel Hepburn's Regiment was stationed under the renowned Chancellor Oxenstiern in Polish Prussia; but it was soon afterwards engaged in operations in Outer Pomerania; and was subsequently again stationed in Prussia, from whence it was suddenly ordered to Rugenwald, in consequence of the following extraordinary occurrence.

One of the Scots regiments15 in the service of Sweden, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monro, having embarked from Pillau in the middle of August, in order to join the main army, was shipwrecked a short distance from Rugenwald in Pomerania, which place was occupied by a garrison of Imperialists. These brave Scots, being cast ashore, drenched with wet, without ammunition, and having only their pikes and swords, and a few wet muskets, found themselves surrounded by garrisons of the enemy, and at a distance of eighty miles from the king and his army; yet, with astonishing resolution and courage, under such disadvantageous circumstances, they concealed themselves near the shore until night, and, having secretly procured a few dry muskets and some ammunition from a Pomeranian officer, they took the town by a midnight assault, and maintained themselves, fighting and skirmishing with the enemy, until Colonel Hepburn arrived with his regiment to their relief.16

A Swedish army of eight thousand men was soon afterwards assembled near Rugenwald, and Colonel Hepburn's Regiment, having been relieved from garrison duty, advanced to Colberg, and was engaged in the blockade of the town; a detachment of the regiment was also sharply engaged with a body of Imperialists which was advancing to relieve the place, but was defeated.17

1631

During the winter the regiment marched to the vicinity of Stettin, the capital of Pomerania: it was subsequently employed in several operations; and in March, 1631, it was encamped at Schwedt, in the province of Brandenburg, where it was formed in brigade with three other Scots regiments, viz. – Mackay's, Lumsdell's, and Stargate's. This brigade was commanded by Colonel Hepburn, whose regiment took the right, and was designated Hepburn's Scots Brigade or the Green Brigade: other brigades were also formed and designated the Yellow Brigade, the Blue Brigade, and the White Brigade.18

Advancing from Schwedt on the 24th of March, the regiment proceeded with the main army, commanded by Gustavus in person, to Frankfort on the Oder, and was employed in the attack on the town. The army arrived before the town during the afternoon preceding Palm Sunday, and the regiment was posted opposite Gubengate. On the following day, after divine service had been twice performed, the King sent Captain Guntier of the regiment, with a serjeant and twelve private men, to ascertain if a body of troops could be lodged between the outer and inner walls; and this little party having, with fine courage, waded the ditch and ascended the mud wall, gained the required information, and returned without sustaining any loss; the King immediately afterwards commanded the town to be attacked by storm; Hepburn's Scots Brigade was ordered to commence the assault, and a select body of pikemen, with Sir John Hepburn at their head, took the lead in this splendid enterprise.

The fascines and scaling ladders being ready, the King called Colonels Hepburn and Lumsdell, and said, My valiant Scots, remember your countrymen slain at Old Brandenburg.19 The next moment the cannon fired a volley, and the storming party rushing through the smoke instantly attacked the town. Colonel Hepburn and his gallant pikemen waded the ditch, in doing which they were waist deep in mud and water, and carried the outer wall in gallant style. The enemy fled from the wall towards a great sallyport, followed by Hepburn and his valiant pikemen in full career; but when within a few paces of the port, Hepburn was wounded in the leg and forced to halt; his place was instantly supplied by the Major of his regiment, who was shot dead the next moment; many of the pikemen also fell, and the remainder shrank back before the tempest of bullets which assailed them. But in a few moments the pikemen, led by Colonel Lumsdell and Lieutenant-Colonel Monro, returned to the charge, and forced the sallyport; the enemy, being confounded by the fury of the onset, omitted to let down the portcullis. Having gained the streets, the pikemen formed up, and a division of musketeers formed on each flank; the musketeers opened their fire, the pikemen charged along the street, and the enemy was routed, when a dreadful slaughter ensued, for during the fury of the assault no quarter was given. Lieutenant-Colonel Masten, with a party of musketeers of Hepburn's Brigade, followed the pikemen into the town, and joining in the charge, augmented the confusion and slaughter of the enemy. Meanwhile Major John Sinclair and Lieutenant George Heatly, with another party of fifty musketeers of Hepburn's Brigade, scaled the walls with ladders and drove their opponents into the town; but were immediately afterwards charged by a troop of Imperial cuirassiers. The brave Scots retired a few paces, and placing their backs to the wall, kept up such a sharp fire that they forced the cuirassiers to retreat.

While Hepburn's Scots Brigade was thus carrying all before it, the Yellow and Blue Brigades attacked another part of the town, where they were warmly received by an Irish Regiment in the Emperor's service, and were twice repulsed. The Irish behaved to admiration, but being eventually overpowered, nearly every man was killed; and their Colonel, Walter Butler, being shot through the arm, and pierced through the thigh with a pike, was taken prisoner.

The slaughter continued for some time. The Imperialists beat a parley twice, but the noise and tumult of the conflict was so great that the drum was not heard; and they eventually fled over the bridge, leaving nearly two thousand men and fifty colours behind them, besides stores, treasure, and much valuable property, which fell into the hands of the victors. The leading division of pikemen of Hepburn's Brigade, which, after he was wounded, was commanded by Colonel Lumsdell, captured EIGHTEEN COLOURS. This officer highly distinguished himself; and after the town was taken, the King bid him ask what he pleased and his request should be granted.20

Frankfort being thus gallantly won, a Scots officer, Major-General Lesley, was appointed governor of this important acquisition; and on the 5th of April, the King, placing himself at the head of a select body of men from each brigade, commanded by Colonel Hepburn, proceeded in the direction of Landsberg, and while on the march, the advance guard defeated a regiment of Croatians. On the 8th of April a strong fort in front of the town was attacked. The King, having through the invention of a floating-bridge, and the ingenuity of a blacksmith, surprised an out-guard and gained some advantage, the fort surrendered, and the town soon afterwards followed this example. It was a remarkable circumstance that the garrison exceeded in numbers the besieging army; but the valour of Gustavus's troops, and the high state of discipline which prevailed in his army, enabled him to perform astonishing exploits. Colonel Hepburn and Lieutenant-Colonel Monro acquired great credit by their conduct on this occasion.

After placing a garrison in Landsberg, the detachment commenced its march on the 18th of April, back to Frankfort; and Hepburn's Regiment proceeded soon afterwards to the vicinity of Berlin. Attempts were made to induce the Duke of Brandenburg to join with the Swedes, and when persuasion proved unavailing, the city of Berlin was invested. The Duke, alarmed at this hostile proceeding, sent his Duchess and the ladies of the court to entreat Gustavus to forbear; but the Swedish monarch proved inexorable, and the Duke of Brandenburg was forced to comply.

In July the regiment proceeded to Old Brandenburg, and on its arrival, a pestilential disease raging in the city, the regiment was ordered to encamp in the fields. During the same month the Marquis of Hamilton arrived in Germany with six thousand British troops, which had been raised for the service of the King of Sweden.

The regiment was subsequently engaged in several operations. It encamped a short time near the banks of the Elbe, in the vicinity of Werben, where an entrenched camp was formed, which was attacked several times by the Imperialists without success.

The Saxons at length united their force with the Swedes; at the same time the Imperialists, under the Count de Tilly, invaded Saxony, and captured several towns, including Leipsic. The Swedish and Saxon armies advanced against the invaders, and this movement was followed by the decisive battle of Leipsic, in which Colonel Hepburn's Regiment took an important part.21

Having passed the night in order of battle, at day-break, on the morning of the memorable 7th of September, 1631, divine service was performed in the Swedish army, and the troops afterwards advanced against the enemy. The Swedes took the right, and the Saxons the left. The advance guard was composed of three regiments, two Scots and one Dutch, led by three Scots colonels; and Hepburn's Scots Brigade formed part of the reserve, which was commanded by Colonel Hepburn. The engagement commenced about mid-day; and after a tremendous cannonade, the cavalry of both armies advanced and engaged in a series of charges, in which the Swedish and Finland horse had the advantage; and the King was enabled to change his position so as to avoid the evil effects of a high wind and clouds of dust which nearly blinded his soldiers. At length the enemy attacked the Saxons on the left with great fury, and drove them out of the field. The Imperialists then directed their main force against the Swedes, and a detachment from the Scots regiments highly distinguished itself in a conflict with the enemy's cavalry.22 During the heat of the conflict Hepburn's Scots Brigade was moved from the rear of the centre to the left flank, which had become exposed by the flight of the Saxons. Immediately afterwards two columns of the enemy were seen coming down upon the left of the Swedish army, and the King ordered Hepburn's Scots Brigade to wheel to the left and confront the enemy. Before this movement was executed, the Imperialists were within musket shot; in a moment the artillery on both sides opened a tremendous cannonade; this was followed by two volleys from the musketeers, and the next moment Hepburn's pikemen went cheering to the charge with distinguished bravery, and, breaking in upon the front of the first column, drove it back with terrible confusion and slaughter. Meanwhile Hepburn's right wing of musketeers, commanded by Colonel Monro, fell with great fury upon the enemy's troops which protected the cannon and captured the guns. The slaughter would have been great, but the ground where the battle was fought being very dry, and newly ploughed, and the wind high, the clouds of dust favoured the escape of the enemy.23 When Hepburn's Brigade was attacking the enemy's columns, the King sent the Blue Brigade and a body of musketeers to its assistance; but before the arrival of these reinforcements the Scots were triumphant. The Imperial columns being broken, the Swedish horsemen pursued the fugitives until dark and made great slaughter. Success having attended the Swedish arms in other parts of the field, the victory was complete; but the conquerors had the misfortune to lose their baggage, which was plundered by their friends, the runaway Saxons.

The Scots gained great honour in this action, particularly the brigade of which Hepburn's regiment formed part. Colonel Monro, who commanded the right wing of musketeers, writes – "The victory and credit of the day was ascribed to our brigade; we were thanked by his Majesty for our service in a public audience, and in view of the whole army, and we were promised to be rewarded." In another place the same author observes – "His Majesty did principally, under God, ascribe the glory of the victory to the Swedish and Finland horsemen, who were led by the valorous Velt-Marshal Horne; for though the Dutch horsemen did behave themselves valorously divers times that day, yet it was not their fortune to make the charge which did put the enemy to flight; and though there were brave brigades of Swedes and Dutch in the field, yet it was the Scots brigades' fortune to gain the praise for the foot service, and not without cause, for they behaved themselves well, being led and conducted by an expert and fortunate cavalier, the valiant Hepburn."24

The pursuit was continued until the Imperial army was literally cut to pieces, excepting a few regiments, which, being favoured by the clouds of dust and smoke, escaped. The Imperial camp was left standing, and the Swedish troops passed the night in their enemy's tents. The Imperial cannon, the greater part of the baggage, and many standards and colours, were captured by the victorious Gustavus. Such were the results of the famous battle of Leipsic, – the most important action which had been fought for more than half a century, – and where the regiment, which is now represented by the First, or Royal Regiment, in the British line, acquired great honour.

After passing the night on the field of battle the army assembled in column, and divine service was again performed; after which the King of Sweden addressed the several regiments on the subject of their exploits on the preceding day, and again returned thanks to Hepburn's Scots Brigade for its distinguished gallantry.25 From the field of battle the army advanced to Leipsic, and invested the town, but the recapturing of this place was left to the Saxons. Meanwhile part of Hepburn's Brigade proceeded to Halle, and captured the town and castle on the 11th of September. While the army lay near this place several protestant Princes, with the Elector of Saxony at their head, visited the King, on which occasion his Majesty passed many encomiums on the Scottish nation, and beckoning to Colonel Hepburn, who stood in another part of the room, recommended him, Lumsdell, and Monro, to the Elector's more immediate notice.26

From Halle the brigade marched to Erfurt, in the famous forest of Thuringia, and was afterwards destined to take part in the reduction of the Circle of Franconia. From Erfurt the brigade advanced, with other troops, through the forest of Thuringia, – proceeded a distance of one hundred and eleven miles along difficult roads, and took by capitulation six large towns, in the short period of eight days. Having arrived at Wurtzburg, the town soon surrendered; but a strong castle, called Marienberg, standing on an eminence on the other side of the river Maine, being garrisoned by a thousand men, well provided with every means of defence, held out against the Swedish arms, and the Scots were selected to commence operations against this place. The approach was hazardous beyond description; one arch of the bridge was blown up, and the batteries raked the bridge from one end to the other. A few daring Scots musketeers, however, passed the river in small boats on the 5th of October, and, leaping on shore in the face of a sharp fire, were soon warmly engaged. A plank had, in the meantime, been laid across the broken arch of the bridge, and a number of veteran Scots running across one after another, joined their companions in the fight, and a lodgment was effected beyond the river, and some advantage gained. The castle was afterwards taken by storm; and this having been deemed an impregnable fortress, it was found well stored with corn, wine, ammunition, and treasure; and small arms were found for seven thousand men.