Military Subjects: Organization, Strategy & Tactics

British Cavalry Regiments and the Men Who Led Them 1793-1815: 3rd Dragoon Guards

By Steve Brown

Secondary Titles:

Prince of Wales’

Regimental History

1685:

Formed as cuirassiers from six independent troops of Horse raised during the Duke of Monmouth Rebellion

Colonels

1785: 

23 February

Richard Burton Phillipson

1792:

22 August

Sir William Fawcett, K.B.

1804:

2 April

Richard Vyse

Stations and Combats

1793:

April – 4 troops at Northfleet; to Ostend; Valenciennes; Rosendahl; Dunkirk; Ghent

1794:

Vaux; Premont; Marets; Catillon; Villers-en-Cauchie; BEAUMONT (Cateau); WILLEMS; Tournai; Retreat to Bremen

1795:

Bremenlee; November – to North Shields

1796:

England

1797:

England

1798:

June – Exeter; December – Weymouth

1799:

Salisbury; Swinley; September – Windsor

1800:

Romford; June – Windsor; September – Ipswich; December – Bury St Edmunds

1801:

Ipswich; December – Norwich

1802:

Norwich; Colchester; August – York; October – Scotland ; Hamilton, Perth & Dumfries

1803:

Hamilton, Perth, Dumfries & Dundee; Piershill

1804:

Edinburgh; February – Portpatrick; to Ireland ; Donaghadee; Londonderry; Enniskillen; Dublin

1805:

Ireland - Limerick; Fermoy; Mallow; Bandon; December – Dublin; half of regiment embarked to continent, order rescinded

1806:

Dublin; to Exeter

1807:

Exeter

1808:

Exeter; June – Dorchester; Chichester; Arundel; August – Brighton; December – Portsmouth

1809:

March – Portsmouth; April – 8 troops to Peninsula; Lisbon, 2 troops at Blatchington; Abrantes; TALAVERA; Guadiana; Mondego

1810:

Coimbra; Busaco; Santarem

1811:

Coimbra; Badajoz; Los Santos; ALBUHERA; Usagre; June – reduced from 8 troops to 6 (cadre of 2 troops sent home); received 3 batches of remounts from home during the year

1812:

Ciudad Rodrigo; Badajoz; Llerena; Llera; Maguilla; Belango; Villa Franca; Madrid; Membrio

1813:

St Vincent; retreat from Salamanca; VITTORIA; Pyrenees; received remounts

1814:

St Jean de Luz; received remounts; St Guadens; Toulouse; March to Calaise; July – Dover & Ramsgate; regiment reunited at Canterbury; reduced from 10 to 8 troops; August – York, Leeds & Sheffield

1815:

York; July – 6 troops to Ostend, 4 troops at Northampton; Paris; Army of Occupation

1818:

January – Calais; to Dover.

Careers of Senior Officers (shown as highest rank attained in regiment in the period)

Lt Col Richard Rich Wilford

Served in North America 1777 to 1778; Major in 3rd Dragoons 5 May 1783; Lieutenant-Colonel in 8th Light Dragoons 31 October 1789; exchanged to 3rd Dragoon Guards 2 April 1794; commanded a cavalry brigade in Flanders 1794; Brigadier-General in West Indies 1794 to 1796; ADC to King 1795; Brigadier-General in Ireland 1797; subsequently Major-General 1 January 1798; on half-pay 1802; Lieutenant-General 1 January 1805; Colonel of 7th Dragoon Guards 20 November 1813; General 4 June 1814; died 1822.

Major Thomas Tiddeman

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 21 October 1794; commanded 3rd Dragoon Guards in Flanders 1794; brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 9 January 1798; retired June 1799.

Lt Col Richard Brooke

Born Yorkshire 1744; Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 24 April 1779; brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 22 November 1790; Lieutenant-Colonel 9 September 1794; brevet Colonel 22 August 1795; died 16 July 1799.

Lt Col William Payne

Born West Indies 1759; brevet Lieutenant-Colonel 1 March 1794; Major in 1st Dragoons 9 September 1794; Lieutenant-Colonel in 1st Dragoons same day; served in Flanders 1794; Lieutenant-Colonel in 17th Light Dragoons 9 September 1796; Lieutenant-Colonel in 3rd Dragoon Guards 5 October 1796; brevet Colonel 8 January 1798; commanded 3rd Dragoon Guards 1796 to 1805; to Lieutenant-Colonel in 10th Light Dragoons 12 April 1805; subsequently Major-General 1 January 1805; commanded cavalry in Peninsula June 1809 to June 1810; Lieutenant-General 4 June 1811; took additional surname of –Gallwey in 1814; died 1831.

Lt Col William Charlton

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 9 September 1794; Lieutenant-Colonel in 82nd Foot 21 December 1796 (on transfer from 3rd Dragoon Guards); Lieutenant-Colonel in 3rd Dragoon Guards 28 December 1796; retired December 1797.

Lt Col William Suckling

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 21 December 1796; Lieutenant-Colonel 21 December 1797; retired January 1801.

Major Philip Charlton

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 21 December 1797; exchanged to 25th Light Dragoons 4 April 1800.

Major John Mansel

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 6 June 1799; retired April 1801.

Lt Col Sir Granby Thomas Calcraft, Kt.

Born Dorset 1767; served in Flanders 1793; Major in 25th Light Dragoons 3 May 1799; served at Helder 1799; exchanged to 3rd Dragoon Guards 4 April 1800; Lieutenant-Colonel 25 December 1800; commanded 3rd Dragoon Guards in Peninsula April 1809 to December 1811; brevet Colonel 25 July 1810; commanded heavy cavalry brigade in Peninsula December 1811 to January 1812; and again December 1812 to April 1813; subsequently Major-General 4 June 1813; died 1820.

Major James Croft Brooke

Born Yorkshire 1776, son of (future Lt Col) Richard Brooke; Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 25 December 1800; retired December 1803; died 1837.

Lt Col Charles Luther Watson

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 24 April 1801; Lieutenant-Colonel 31 October 1805; commanded depot troops 1809; retired October 1811.

Major Arthur Benjamin Clifton

Born London 1775; Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 17 December 1803; served in Peninsula April 1809 to April 1814; Lieutenant-Colonel in 1st Dragoons 22 July 1810; died 1869.

Major Henry George Strutt

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 31 October 1805; served in Peninsula April to October 1809; died there of fever 3 October 1809.

Lt Col George Holmes, C.B.

Served in Peninsula April 1809 to April 1814; Brigade-Major to cavalry May to November 1809; Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 2 November 1809; Acting Assistant Adjutant-General May 1811; Lieutenant-Colonel 10 October 1811; commanded 3rd Dragoon Guards December 1811 to 1815; died 1833.

Major Arthur Weston

Served in Peninsula April 1809 to November 1810; Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 22 November 1810; again in Peninsula April 1811 to December 1813; commanded 3rd Dragoon Guards at Usagre; retired December 1813.

Major John Chapman

Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 26 March 1812; retired before 1820.

Major George Watts

Served in peninsula February 1810 to December 1812; wounded July 1812; Major in 3rd Dragoon Guards 27 May 1813; again in Peninsula October 1813 to April 1814; commanded remounts October 1813.

Sources:

War Office. Army Lists 1796 to 1815. London: various years.

Cannon, Richard. Historical Record of the Third, or Prince of Wales’ Regiment Of Dragoon Guards. London: William Clowes & Sons, 1838.

McKenna, Michael G. The British Army – And Its Regiments and Battalions. West Chester, Ohio: The Nafziger Collection. 2004.

Park, S.J. and Nafziger, G.F. The British Miltary – Its System and Organization 1803-1815. Cambridge, Ontario: Rafm Co. Inc. 1983.

Reid, Stuart. Wellington’s Officers, Volume 1. Leigh-On-Sea: Patrizan Press, 2008.

Philippart, John. The Royal Military Calendar, or Army Service and Commission Book. London: A.J. Valpy, 1820.

Queens Dragoons Website. October 2009.

London Gazette Website. October 2009.

Wikipedia. October 2009. Various pages.

 

Placed on the Napoleon Series: November 2009

 

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