Historical Record of the Eightyseventh Regiment Or the Royal Irish

G E N E R A L O R D E R S H R O SE G UARDS, l st Januar 1 8 y, 36. Hrs MAJESTY t has been pleased to command tha , with the view of doing the fullest justice t o Regi I who ments , as well as to ndividuals have dis tingui shed themselves by their bravery in Action w ith the Enemy, an Account of the Services of every Regiment in the British Army shall be pub li shed under the superintendence and direction of the Adjutant - General and that this Account shall Viz . contain the following particulars , The Period and Circumstances of the Original Formation of the Regiment ; The Stations at which it has been from time to time employed ; The Bat M O i tles , Sieges , and other ilitary perations in wh ch u it has been engaged , partic larly specifying any f Achievement it may have per ormed , and the T &c . Colours , rophies , , it may have captured from the Enemy. The N Of ames of the ficers , and the number of No n - Commissioned Officers and Privates Killed or Wounded by the Enemy, specifying the Place D and ate of the Action . ii GENERAL ORDERS . f The Names of those O ficers who , in con sideration of their Gallant Services and Meritorious h Conduct in Engagements with the Enemy, ave T M been di stinguished with itles , edals , or other ’ Marks of His Majesty s gracious favour . The N Of No n - Co m ames of all such ficers , Offi missioned cers , and Privates , as may have specially signalized themselves in Action . And , The Badges and Devices which the Regi to ment may have been permitted bear, and the D Causes on account of which such Badges or evices , M r D a or any other a ks of istinction, h ve been granted . By Command of the Right Honorable G N R ORD HI E E AL L LL , Commandi ng - i n Chi ef JOHN MACDoNALD , Adi zetant General. P RE F A C E . THE character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour by which all who enter into its service are animated , and consequently it is of the hi ghest importance that any to of measure calculated excite the spirit emulation , a are bywhich lone great and gallant actions achieved, should be adopted . Nothing can more fully tend to the accomplish ment ofthis desirable object than a full display ofthe noble deeds with which the Military History of our To ex country abounds . hold forth these bright l to i amp es the imitation of the youthful sold er, and thus to incite him to emulate the meritorious conduct of those who have preceded him in their honorable career, are among the motives that have given rise t l o the present pub ication . The T operations of the British roops are , indeed , “ G announced in the London azette , from whence they ‘are transferred into the public print s the achievements of our armies are thus made known at e o f r e the tim their occu rence , and receive the tribut a 2 iv PREFACE . of praise and admiration to which they are entitled . H On extraordinary occasions , the ouses of Parlia ment have been in the habit of conferring on the Of T i Commanders , and the ficers and roops act ng n under their orders , expressio s of approbation and of thanks for their skill and bravery ; and these testimonials , confirmed by the high honour of their ’ Sovereign s approbation , constitute the reward which the soldi er most highly pri zes . I i rac t has not, however, unt l late years , been the p tice (which appears t o have long prevailed in some of the Continental armies)for British Regiments tokeep regular records of their services and achievements . Hence some difficultyhas been experienced in obtain ul R au then ing, partic arly from the old egiments , an o f e tic account their origin and subs quent services . T his defect will now be remedied, in consequence of His Majesty having been pleased to command R u u that every egiment shall, in f ture , keep a f ll and ample record of its services at home and abroad . d From the materials thus collecte , the country will henceforthderive information as to the difficulties and privations which chequer the career of those who e . I G mbrace the military profession n reat Britain , where so large a number of persons are devoted to the active concerns of agriculture , manufactures , and a so commerce , and where these pursuits h ve , for n r resence o long a period , been u distu bed by the p f war co m , which few other countries have escaped , paratively li ttle is known of the vicissitudes of active of m to service and of the casualties cli ate , which , T even during peace, the British roops are exposed in no o f every part of the globe , with little or interval repose . In their tranquil enjoyment of the blessings which the country derives from the industry and the enter o f prise the agriculturist and the trader, its happy inhabitants may be supposed not often to reflect on e —o n the perilous duties of the soldi r and the sailor, e ffe — e th ir su rings , and on the sacrifice ofvaluable lif , by which so many national benefits are obtained and preserved . The T conduct of the British roops , their valour, andendurance , have shone conspicuously under great and trying difficulties ; and their character has been established in Continental warfare by the irresistible spirit with which they have effected debarkations in f spite of the most ormidable opposition , and by the gall antry and steadiness with which they have m ain tained their advantages against superior numbers . In the Official Reports made by the respective e Commanders , ample justice has generally been don to the gallant exertions of the Corps employed ; bu t the details of their services and of acts of individual vi PREFACE . bravery can only be fully given in the Annals of the various Regiments . r These Records are now prepa ing for publication , ’ Mr. under His Majesty s special authority, by D C RICHAR CANNON , Principal lerk of the Adjutant ’ General s Office ; and while the perusal of them can no t fail to be useful and interesting to mili tary men of every rank , it is considered that they will also afford entertainment and information to the general who reader, particularly to those may have served in the Army, or who have relatives in the Service . There exists in the breasts of most of those who n E s ri t have served , or are servi g, in the Army, an p — de Corp s an attachment to everything belonging to their Regiment ; to such persons a narrative of the services of their own Corps cannot fail to prove n interesti g . Authentic accounts of the actions of the great, the valiant, the loyal , have always been of paramount interest with a brave and civilized G people . reat Britain has produced a race of heroes who , in moments of danger and terror have stood firm as the rocks of their native shore and when half the world has been arrayed against them , they have fought the battles of their Country with un shaken fortitude . It is presumed that a record of — achievements in war, victories so complete and u our s rprising, gained by countrymen , our brothers , PREFACE . - —a our fellow citizens in arms , record which revives a the memory of the br ve, and brings their gallant u s - ll t o deeds before , wi certainly prove acceptable the public . Biographical Memoirs of the C olonels and other distinguished Officers will be introduced in the R R ecords of their respective egiments , and the H D to onorary istinctions which have , from time u R i time, been conferred pon each eg ment, as testify ing the value and importance of its services,will be h fait qy set forth . R As a convenient mode of Publication , the ecord of each Regiment will be printed in a distinct num so ber , that when the whole shall be completed the Parts may be bound up in numerical succession . INTRODUCTION H E I N F A N R Y T T . THE r natives of Britain have, at all pe iods , been i celebrated for nnate courage and unshaken firmness , and the national superiority of the British troops over those of other countries has been evinced in H the midst of the most imminent perils . istory con d a tains so many proofs of extraor inary cts of bravery, that no doubts can be raised upon the facts which . I d it are recorded t must therefore be a m ted, that the di stingui shing feature of the British soldier is T INTREPIDITY . his quality was evinced by the ! inhabitants of England when their country was Ju i C ae a R invaded by l us s r with a oman army, on which occasion the undaunted Britons rushed into the sea to attack the Roman soldiers as they de and r di s scended from their ships , although thei cipline and arms were inferior to those of their s adver aries , yet their fierce and dauntless bearing R in intimidated the flower of the oman troops , ’ T cluding C aesar s favourite tenth legion .

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