The History of the Rifle Brigade (the Prince Consort's Own) Formerly the 95th

Towards the close of the last century Colonel Coote Manningham and Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable William Stewart addressed a representation to the Government, pointing out the importance of having a corps furnished with arms of precision, and the advantage of training such a corps in the special duties of Riflemen. It would have been interesting to preserve the text of this document; but I regret that it does not now exist. Every search has been made in the records of the War Department, by the kindness of Mr. Denham Robinson, of the War Office, but, I regret to say, without success; and it has been suggested that it may probably have been transferred to the Small Arms Department, and may have perished with the records of that office in the fire at the Tower of London in 1841.

However, in consequence of the suggestions it contained, the following Circular was issued to the commanding officers of fourteen regiments of infantry:--

CIRCULAR.

HORSE GUARDS: _January 17, 1800_.

_Addressed to Officers Commanding the 2nd Battalion Royals, the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th, 49th, 55th, 69th, 71st, 72nd, 79th, 85th, and 92nd Regiments._

Sir,--I have the honour to inform you that it is His Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief’s[12] intention to form a corps of detachments from the different regiments of the line for the purpose of its being instructed in the use of the rifle, and in the system of exercise adopted by soldiers so armed. It is His Royal Highness’s pleasure that you shall select from the regiment under your command 2 sergeants, 2 corporals, and 30 private men for this duty, all of them being such men as appear most capable of receiving the above instructions, and most competent to the performance of the duty of Riflemen. These non-commissioned officers and privates are not to be considered as being drafted from their regiments, but merely as detached for the purpose above recited; they will continue to be borne on the strength of their regiments, and will be clothed by their respective colonels.

His Royal Highness desires you will recommend 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, and 1 ensign of the regiment under your command, who volunteer to serve in this corps of Riflemen, in order that His Royal Highness may select from the officers recommended from the regiments which furnish their quota on this occasion a sufficient number of officers for the Rifle Corps. These officers are to be considered as detached on duty from their respective regiments, and will share in all the promotion that occurs in them during their absence.

Eight drummers will be required to act as bugle-horns, and I request you will acquaint me, for the information of His Royal Highness, whether you have any in the ---- Regiment qualified to act as such, or of a capacity to be easily instructed.

I have, &c. HARRY CALVERT. A. G.

Thus we see that the Regiment was formed as a _corps d’élite_; and as regards the officers there was a double selection, eight of each rank of company officers being selected from the fourteen originally recommended.

The detachments so selected assembled at Horsham, in Sussex, in March 1800, and their first parade as ‘An Experimental Corps of Riflemen’ took place there on April 1 in that year; Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable William Stewart being apparently in command.

The following is the Return of the state and strength of the Corps on this its first formation:

+----------+-------+--------+------+-------+---------+--------+--------+ | |Lieut.-|Captains|Lieut-|Ensigns|Sergeants|Drummers|Rank and| | |Colonel| |enants| | | | file | +----------+-------+--------+------+-------+---------+--------+--------+ | 1st Foot| | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 21st ” | | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 23rd ” | | | | | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 25th ” | | | 1 | | 2 | | 32 | | 27th ” | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 29th ” | | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 49th ” | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 55th ” | | | 1 | | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 67th ” | 1 | | 1 | | | | | | 69th ” | | 1 | 1 | | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 71st ” | | 1 | | | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 72nd ” | | 1 | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 79th ” | | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | 85th ” | | | | | 1 | | 27 | | 92nd ” | | | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 32 | | +-------+--------+------+-------+---------+--------+--------+ | Total | 1 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 27 | 12 | 443 | +----------+-------+--------+------+-------+---------+--------+--------+ |Wanting to| | | | | | | | | complete | | | | | 1 | 1 | 5 | +----------+-------+--------+------+-------+---------+--------+--------+ |Establish-| | | | | | | | | ment | 1 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 28 | 13 | 448 | +----------+-------+--------+------+-------+---------+--------+--------+

The Corps being now formed marched to a camp of exercise at Swinley in Windsor Forest in May, and proceeded actively with their training as Riflemen. They are mentioned with great approbation by Mr. W. H. Fremantle in a letter, dated July 15, 1800, to the Marquis of Buckingham, as being ‘good, and much more useful’ than some other regiments then in that camp.[13] The camp broke up at the end of July, and at the request of Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart three companies of the corps (Captains Travers’,[14] Hamilton’s, and Gardner’s) were ordered to embark, under his command, with the expedition against the north coast of Spain, under Lieutenant-General Sir James Pulteney, Bart., and Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, K.B.

The expedition arrived before the harbour of Ferrol on August 25, and immediately commenced its disembarkation. This was effected without opposition in a small bay near Cape Prioriño; but on the troops proceeding to occupy a ridge of hills adjoining the bay, the Rifle Corps, which covered the advance, just as they gained the summit fell in with a party of the enemy which they drove back. In this skirmish Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart was dangerously wounded through the body. On the next morning, at daybreak, the position was attacked by a considerable body of the enemy, who were repulsed with much loss, and the English troops remained in complete possession of the heights. But in this action Captains Travers and Hamilton, and Lieutenant Edmonston, attached to the Rifle Corps, and eight rank and file were wounded. Sir James Pulteney being, however, of opinion that Ferrol could not be taken, or the ground he occupied be held, re-embarked the troops.[15] It was subsequently stated in the House of Lords that at the very moment he did so the proper officer was on his way with the keys of the place, to surrender it. And Mr. Ford affirms that ‘had the expedition sailed boldly up to the Ferrol, the Gallicians were only waiting to surrender, being, as usual, absolutely without means of defence.’ He attributes the failure to the combined indecision of the leaders.[16]

Of this, the first affair in which the Regiment was engaged, it may be observed that it has the high honour of having shed its first blood before its actual embodiment, and while it consisted only of detachments experimentally assembled for instruction. It was the only corps engaged on the day of disembarkation, and (with the exception of one officer of the 52nd) the only officers wounded were attached to it. August 25, the day on which it was first engaged, was the date of the commissions of its first officers when it was formally embodied.

The expedition then proceeded to Malta; and an order was issued by the Commander-in-Chief for all officers and men of the Rifle Corps, whose regiments formed part of the expedition, to rejoin them, and for those whose regiments were not so employed to be attached to corps serving with the expedition.

Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, Captain Travers, and Lieutenant Edmonston returned to England.

The Rifle Corps was immediately re-formed, principally from detachments of fencible regiments serving in Ireland, and I presume also, on the return of the expedition, from the men originally selected as Riflemen. These detachments began to assemble at Blatchington in Sussex, near Lewes, about the end of August, and continued to join during the autumn. The whole of the officers who had been attached to the experimental corps were appointed to it; their commissions being ante-dated, as I have observed, to August 25, the anniversary of which has been since observed as the foundation-day of the Regiment. A second lieutenant-colonel and two majors were appointed, and some others were added to complete the Corps to eight companies, with a captain and two subalterns to each. The establishment was, therefore, on December 25, returned as follows:

Colonel 1

Lieut.-Colonels 2

Majors 2

Captains 8

First Lieutenants 8

Second Lieutenants 8

Paymaster 1

Adjutant 1

Quarter-Master 1

Surgeon 1

Assistant Surgeon 1

Staff-Sergeants 5

Sergeants 40

Buglers 18

Corporals 40

Privates 760

The officers on its formation were:

_Colonel