The Irish standard., 1912-09-14
Records of the Dillon Regiment
Given by Correspondent of
the Freeman.
The Victory at Fontenoy Won by
the Irish in 1743 Broke Power
of the English.
King George Cursed the Laws
That Deprived Him of Such
Soldiers as They.

Tho following interesting achieve
ments of the Irish Brigade in the
service of France have been recorded
in O'Callaghan's history and taken
thcrefrom in letter addressed to the
Dublin Freeman's Journal by Luke G.
Dillon.
10 the Editor Of the Weekly Free
man:
Sir-The following notes Compiled
from O'Callaghan. Histoire du Slime
Regiment d'Infanterie de Ligne. etc.)
will interest Irishmen, who must feel
a Just national pride at being the
countrymen of such gallant heroes.
The first Regiment of Dillon was
raised in Ireland, June Goth, 1863. by
the Hon. Sir James Dillon (eighth son
OF the first Viscount Dillon), a gem
ernl in the French Army. After serv-
ing against Cromwell it embarked for
France and Joined tho Army under
'r'urenne. operating in Flanders
against the Prince de Conde, where
it particularly distinguished itself in
forcing the lines of Arras (1O06) at
the siege Of Dunkirk and the Battle
OF the Dunes (1663). The regiment
was disbanded in February. 1864.
In 1888. the regiment was reformed
in two battalions of 800 men zach (re-
cruited on the Dillon estates Of Mayo
and Roscommon) by Thoobald. scv-
enth viscount Dillon, Colonel of
James Ills Irish Guards. who was af-
terwarls killed at tho Battle Of Augh-
rim. 18th July, 1891. His widow (a
daughter of Sir Henry Talbot, Of
Mount Talbot) was killed by the Sec
ond bomb thrown into the town ut
tho Siege Of Limerick. 7th September,
1891. Lord Dillon conferred the coll
onclsh1p of the regiment upon his Sec
ond son. the Hon. Arthur Dillon, then
20 years of nge who took it to France
IN 1890 into the service Of Louis XIV,
and thus became the first Colonel
Proprietaire du Regiment do Dillon"
This corps, now extinct (unless we
choose to see in tho s7th French and
the 101st English Regiments anything
approaching to legitimate historical
descent) enjoyed the almost unique
distinction in the French Army of
never having It's name changed, and
during the whole period of it's exist
ence 1t was always commanded by
some member Of the family by whom
it was originally raised.
Tho Hon. Arthur Dillon, its first
colonel, became general at 80, was
Governor Of Toulon, and led his
lrishmen with high distinction under
the Duke dc Noailles, Tess, Vendome.
PHILIPPE de Vendome. villars and Ber-
wick. He was at the Siege of Urgel
u6SI. In 1894 he fought at the cap
lures of Palamos in June, of Ostalric
In July, and Castelfollit in September.
In June. 1886, he was at the defeat of
the Spanish cavalry under the Prince
Of Hesse-Darlnstadt by Vendome near
Ostalric, and in 1897 at the capture
of Barcelona by the same illustrious
General. In 1904 he was at the cap
ture of Vercelli, and being made
Marechal de Camp marched to the
Siege of Verue, which was not ter
minated until April, 1905. In 1907, un-
der Tesse. he eminently contributed
to the disastrous result Of the great
expedition of the Allies against Tou-
lon under Prince Eugene, aided by
Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovel. In
1712 he accompanied the Duke of Ber-
wick as one of his five Lieutenant
Generals on the expedition into Cata-
lonia for the relief of Girona, and in
the same year took the Castle of
Kaiserslautern and made its garrison
prisoners of war. His last campaign
was that Of 1714, when he served with
/ much distinction under Berwick at
the Siege Of Barcelona. Arthur Dill
Ion is represented to have been q gall
liant officer. beloved by his soldiers, in
person handsome, and very fortunate.
never having received a wound, not
withstanding the dangers to which he
had been exposed. sSs