French Revolutionary Wars '89-03.
The French Revolutionary Wars began in 1789 in an attempt to
combat Revolutionary France following the fall of the Bourbon
Monarchy. In 1793 the First Coalition, containing Great Britain,
Austria, Prussia and a number of other smaller states alongside
French Royalists was formed to stop the spread of revolutionary
ideals and restore the Bourbons back on the throne of France.
The 1st Battalion participated both in the Battle of Famars and
the Siege of Valanciennes, both victorious in 1793. They also
took part in the Battle of Ceasar's camp, a minor engagement,
and the Siege of Dunkirk. In August of the same year the 1st
battalions of each Guards regiments took part in the Battle of
Lincelles. Just 1000 of the Guards were sent to recapture
Lincelles from the French, it had fallen under the Dutch, which
was garrisoned by a French force five times their number. The
Guards advanced with the professionalism and valour that
they so often embody, a feat considering the sheer amount of
artillery and small arms fire thrown upon them. Yet despite
taking grievous casualties the Foot Guards charged ferociously
and swept the village of the French with the Bayonet,
Lincelles was the 3rd's first Battle honour.
But whilst the British forces in the war were largely successful
the same unfortunately could not be said across the theatre
which in the end saw victory for France. Though Britain remained
at war with France the first coalition had ultimately failed.
In 1798 however a second coalition was formed from Austria,
Britain, Russia and a number of other smaller states. The war
for the Scots Guards began in defeat with an unsuccessful raid
on Ostend which saw the 1st Battalion light companies
captured by the French.
The regiment would soon see tides turned however when,
after Nelsons all but destruction of the French fleet at the
battle of The Nile trapping the French in Egypt until 1801. It was
in that year that an expedition was formed under General Sir
Ralph Abercromby. The force landed at Aboukir Bay in a
successful amphibious landing despite French opposition.
At the battle of Alexandria around 13 days later on the 21st of March
the French gave battle, outnumbering the British force by 6000
they had a considerable advantage yet across the line the
British force prevailed despite being outmaneuvered by French
cavalry, just 1500 British were lost against the 4000 French
casualties. Alexandria and Cairo were recaptured a short while
later with the regiment gaining it's fourth battle honour with
the Sphinx being placed on its colours and Egypt Superscribed
below it. | The Napoleonic Wars. 1803-1815.
With the Peace of Amiens temporarily ending the French
Revolutionary Wars in 1802 hostilities once again flared up in
1803 with the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, though apart
from a brief spell of service in Hannover in 1805 and being
present at the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807 the
regiment did little for a number of years. But on New Years day
,1809, the Battalion sailed for the Peninsula with 43 officers, 71
sergeants, 20 drummers, 1,214 men of the rank and file and 18
women. The regiment would serve under the Duke of
Wellington in Spain and Portugal for five years during which
time it would gain a further five battle honours and gain a
reputation unsurpassed by few.
It's first major action in the peninsula was the Passage at the
River Douro against Marshal Soult's Army which ended in a
well known and impressive victory which sent the French army in
full retreat to Amarante. At Talavera in July the French
were defeated but not without loss, it is recorded in the general
orders that "the Charge made by the Brigade of Guards on the
enemies' attacking columns was a most gallant one."
The 1st battalion lost 24 men killed and 267 men wounded,
though did gain a fifth battle honour.
Meanwhile the 2nd Battalion was sent on the ill fated
Walcheran expedition into Holland, and though without
a single shot fired in anger throughout the battalion the losses
were far graver than those at Talavera. In 1810 not long after
it's return, though the illness had not yet fully subsided, three
companies of healthy men were sent out with two companies
of the Coldstream to form a composite battalion for the
reinforcement of Cadiz, at the time besieged by the French.
In 1810 the 1st Battalion fought in the Battle of Busaco,
here a British Portuguese army of 50,000 defeated a larger
French army with little difficulty before marching to the Lines
of Torres Vedras, a series of fortifications defending Lisbon,
here the French were once again defeated.
Next year the composite battalion participated in the battle of
Barossa outside Cadiz, landing behind the besieging French the
4000 strong British force swiftly attacked, defeated and routed
the French force of 10,000 in just two hours. The report states
"how gloriously the Brigade of Guards maintained the high
character of His Majesty's Household Troops." And so the
regiment was awarded it's sixth battle honour.
A short while later the 1st Battalion fought in the Battle of
Fuentes de Onoro which saw another British victory and
another battle honour for the Guards
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