Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-02-19

,s from six to nine
battalions, each
swering to a regiment In the United
| States army-that Is to say, an organ
ization like the Coldstream guards or
the Royal highlanders Rlack Watch)
! includes two battalions of regulars,
two of reserves and two to five of mill
tia and volunteers. The militia and
volunteers are given local synonyms in
addition to their regimental designa-
tlons, as. for instance, the Bedford
shire regiment, called also Bedford
shires, has now in the field two battal-
ions of regulars and two of militia,
called the Bedford militia and the
| Hcrtford militia. s- a
The Royal Irish regimen. has the
First aud Second battalions on duty,
and the Third. Fourth and Fifth bat
talions. also known respectively as the
Wexford, North Tipperary and the Kill
kenny militia. in motion for the front.
! One of the first commands to come
into prominence in South Africa was
the Eighteenth hussars. which had the
unenviable luck to suffer the loss of
one whole squadron, cut off and cap
tured at the battle, of Glencoe. This
experience was especially humiliating
at the time Off it. .;sbecause thenI the
British went lin expecting ITO meet
boys" but found themselves "van-
quished by men," The Eighteenth
hussars has a record dating from the
Peninsula. Its dag bears the inscrip-
tions. sPeninsula" and "Waterloo.p9the
latter because, with the Tenth hussars,
1t completed the final rout of the
French. The headdress Of the Eight
bag and plume of the pattern worn in
Wellington's time.
The second heavy capture of British
by the Beers, which took place at
Nlcholson's Mex, near Ladysmith. in
cluded part of the Royal Irish fusileers,
also called the Eighty-seventh foot.
When captured, the fusileers were
engaged 10 daring fanking move
ment, and. with the Gloucesters and
a battery, stood fight until hopeless
ly surrounded.
|
Nicholson's Mex was the third field
Of humiliation for the Royal Irish
fusileers. Five hundred Of the regi-
mant were captured by the French
in the Netherlands in 1899. when the
regiment was new. In Brazil. In 1907,
a small detachment was captured by
a ruse de guerre.
Organized In lT93 the fusileers, also
called Faugh-a Ballaghs (Clear the
Ways). first saw service in Flanders.
They next appeared in the West In
dies. where fever carried off enough to
make full regiment In 1915 the conf
mand went to India and remained In
active service there over 80 years, with
a brief visit to England In 1925. For
their faithfulness In India the crown
granted the title of "Royal" as pre-
fix to the original name. Irish fusi-
leers."
For an adventurous career the Glou-
cesters. which shared In the humilia-
tion at Nlcholson's Mex. stand second to
zone IN the British army. They fought
in Canada side by side with American
colonials. they battled against Wash
ington's ragged bands in the States.
and bore their flag on the burning des-
cyto o. Egypt and in the mountains Of
Spain and Portugal. The noble Wolfe
fell at the head Of this regiment on
the plains Of Abraham. and its officers
to this day wear thread of black In
their uniform lace as a menento Of
that day. And they were with Sir
John Moore when he fell at Coruna,
an event celebrated In one OF the finest
poems In, the English tongue, begin
ming. 'Not a drum was heard, not
funeral note"
| When Washington was at White
Plains, the Gloucesters charged with
short swords and carried an important
outpost. earning by the act the name
of "Sla5hers," which has clung to them
ever since.
Among the great battles Of the Glou-
cesters during the 300 years Of the
regiments existence It counts Fonte-
noy. Families. Almanac. siege OF Ba.
dajos. one of the bloodiest in history;
| Albuera, Waterloo, Alma. Inkerman
| Sevastopol At Almanac the Glouces-
tershire regiment was completely de-
Btroyed by death and capture.
Only 100 men out Of a nominal roll
Of 500 of the Royal highlanders, or
| the Blnck Watch, answered to their
names after the battle of Magersfon-
tein. The Black Watch belongs to the
highland brigade, with General Methu-