Kitabı oku: «Historical Record of the Fourth, or Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoon Guards», sayfa 5

In July the regiment was inspected by Major-General Sir Charles Dalbiac, who expressed himself much pleased with its steadiness and discipline; and on the 10th of August it was inspected by Lieut. – General Lord Hill, the General Commanding-in-Chief, who was pleased to direct Lieut. – Colonel Chatterton to issue an order, stating that 'the appearance of the men and horses, and the discipline and interior economy of the regiment were such as to merit his fullest approbation; and that the squadron he had lately inspected at Canterbury was also in the most perfect order.'

A riotous assemblage of people having taken place at Steyning in opposition to the poor-laws, one troop marched thither on the 11th of September, and its timely arrival rescued the magistrates and relieving officer from a situation of very great danger. A troop also marched to Horsham for a similar purpose on the 15th of September; and another troop from Canterbury to Bath on the 20th of October.

The Colonel of the Fourth Dragoon Guards Lieut. – General Sir George Anson, G.C.B., inspected the regiment on the 26th of October, and directed the following paragraph to be inserted in the orderly books.

'Lieut. – General Sir George Anson has the greatest satisfaction in expressing his entire approbation of the general appearance of his regiment, and of the zeal and attention manifested by all ranks to good order and discipline.'

Their Majesties King William IV. and Queen Adelaide having arrived at the Royal Pavilion, the Fourth Dragoon Guards had the honour of being on the King's duty for the first time since the reign of William III. His Majesty heard the records of the regiment read in the early part of November, and expressed great interest and gratification at hearing their contents.

In December a detachment of the regiment was employed in aiding the civil power at Horsham; and a letter of thanks was received from the Duke of Richmond and magistrates assembled at that town, 'for the conduct of the detachment of the regiment there when called upon to assist the civil power, as well as for their excellent behaviour since quartered in that town.'

1836

On the 17th of December Colonel Lord Frederic Fitz-Clarence, with a number of noblemen and general officers from the Pavilion, saw the regiment; and on the 27th of January, 1836, it was inspected by His Serene Highness Prince Ernest of Hesse Phillipstal, who was pleased to say to Lieutenant-Colonel Chatterton – 'I have heard from every quarter the greatest praise of your regiment, but what I have seen has surpassed my utmost expectation, and I shall not fail to mention to His Majesty the pleasure I have experienced in seeing so fine a corps.' His Majesty was afterwards pleased to express his royal satisfaction at what Prince Ernest had reported; and also his approbation, and that of the Queen, at the excellent performance of the band at all times when playing at the Pavilion; and at the good conduct of the regiment during their Majesties' sojourn at Brighton.

A change of quarters took place in May, and the regiment was stationed at Dorchester, Trowbridge, and Weymouth, and was inspected on the 11th and 12th of July by Major-General Sir Charles Dalbiac.

1837

During the following summer the regiment marched for Manchester, and was stationed at Hulme barracks; and on the 29th of May took part in a grand procession and spectacle at Manchester in honour of His Majesty's birth-day.

The decease of King William IV. having taken place on the 20th of June, the Fourth Dragoon Guards, 48th regiment, and artillery, took part in a grand procession on the 23rd of that month, at Manchester, on the occasion of the proclamation of the accession of Her Majesty Queen Victoria to the throne. On the following day the regiment assumed the usual mourning for His late Majesty.

In July the regiment marched out of Manchester, during the election, and on two or three occasions the troops were called upon to assist the civil power at Salford, and also at Prescot; and on the 26th of July a subaltern and 20 men marched to Bury on a similar duty. On the 9th of August the regiment returned to Hulme barracks, and on the 10th and 11th was inspected by Major-General Sir Charles Dalbiac.

After the termination of the elections the following communication from Lord John Russell to the general commanding-in-chief was communicated to the regiment by Major-General Sir Richard Jackson.

'My Lord,

'I have received the Queen's commands to signify to your Lordship Her Majesty's entire approval of the conduct of the military employed during the elections in England and Wales, where their assistance has been called for by the magistrates for the preservation of the public peace; and to desire your Lordship will communicate to the military, whose services have been so required, Her Majesty's gracious approval of their conduct.'

On the 4th of October Major-General Sir Richard Jackson, K.C.B., inspected the regiment. In December detachments were employed in supporting the civil power at Halifax and Bradford against persons resisting the poor-laws.

1838

The regiment took part, with the royal artillery, 98th foot, and magistrates, clergy, &c., in a solemn procession in honour of Her Majesty's birth-day at Manchester on the 17th of May. During the following month it marched to the vicinity of London, and was quartered at Islington and Clerkenwell; and on the 28th of June two squadrons occupied stations near Westminster Abbey during the ceremonial of Her Majesty's coronation.

On the 8th of July the regiment took the Queen's Guard at the Horse Guards; and on the following day furnished two squadrons to keep the ground in Hyde Park during the time the Household Cavalry Brigade, Tenth Royal Hussars, Twelfth Royal Lancers, three troops of Royal Horse Artillery, three batteries of Field Artillery, four battalions of Foot Guards, and two battalions of the Rifle Brigade, commanded by General the Marquis of Anglesea, K.G. and G.C.B., were reviewed by Her Majesty. A letter was afterwards received from Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Gordon, G.C.B., Quartermaster-General, expressive of his 'perfect satisfaction at the very attentive and soldierlike conduct of, and the great assistance afforded by, the detachment of the regiment, whilst keeping the ground in Hyde Park.'

After the review, the regiment marched to Ipswich and Norwich, where it was inspected by Major-General Sir Charles Dalbiac, K.C.H., on the 23rd of July: the regiment had not been stationed in the county of Suffolk since the year 1688.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria was graciously pleased to approve of this regiment bearing on its standards and appointments the Harp and Crown, in addition to the Star of the most illustrious Order of St. Patrick, with the motto Quis separabit? as a national badge connected with its title of "Royal Irish Dragoon Guards."

On the 24th September a detachment of the regiment marched from Norwich to Stanfield Hall, where its presence was required to assist the civil power in securing some persons who were illegally assembled, and who bade defiance to the magistrates. After some resistance the rioters were secured, and eighty-four of them lodged in Norwich Jail. The Magistrates transmitted to the General Commanding in Chief a letter, explanatory of the circumstances which had occasioned them to call for the aid of the troops, and expressive of their thanks for the promptitude with which assistance was granted, as well as for the steadiness and good conduct of the detachment, and for the valuable aid afforded by the officers and soldiers.

The Fourth Dragoon Guards, under a well-regulated system of discipline and the direction of intelligent officers, in whom the men have confidence, have evinced their usefulness to the country by their firm and temperate conduct on home duty, as well as by their bravery in the field when called upon to combat a foreign enemy. Instances frequently occur, in which the magistrates call for the aid of the military, without whose co-operation the civil police would sometimes be unequal to repress and control the violence of a lawless mob. On these occasions, the conduct of the troops has been such as to draw forth the commendations and thanks of the civil authorities, which have been communicated to the General Commanding in Chief, and by his authority signified in orders to the troops who have been so employed, and whose conduct has merited such commendations.

SUCCESSION OF COLONELS OF THE FOURTH, OR ROYAL IRISH REGIMENT OF DRAGOON GUARDS

James Earl of Arran

Appointed 28th of July, 1685

The Earl of Arran was the eldest son of Lord William Douglas, a faithful supporter of the royal cause during the rebellion, who was created Earl of Selkirk by King Charles I. in 1646, and having married Anne Duchess of Hamilton, only surviving daughter of James first Duke of Hamilton, was, in consequence of a petition from the Duchess, created Duke of Hamilton for life by King Charles II.

Shortly after the restoration the Earl of Arran obtained an appointment in the household of King Charles II.,²⁴ and after remaining some time at court, he was sent with a congratulatory communication to the French Monarch, and served two campaigns with the French army in the capacity of aide-de-camp to Louis XIV. In 1685, when the Earl of Argyle raised the standard of rebellion in Scotland, the Earl of Arran took an active part against the insurgents: he also raised a troop of horse for the service of King James II., who appointed him Colonel of the Sixth Regiment of Horse, now Fourth, or Royal Irish Dragoon Guards. He was nominated a Knight Companion of the Thistle, on the revival of that Order in 1687, and in the following year he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and appointed Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards. At the Revolution his conduct was remarkable for the unshaken fidelity which he evinced to his sovereign under all circumstances. When he could no longer serve the King in a military capacity, he performed his duty as gentleman of the bed-chamber, and attended His Majesty from the time of his departure from London to the moment of his embarkation at Rochester; and at the meeting of the Scottish nobility and gentry in London, in January, 1689, at which the duke, his father, presided, he expressed himself in reply to the request of the Prince of Orange for advice: – 'The surest way to heal the breach is to address His Majesty to return from France, and call a free parliament. I can distinguish between his popery and his person: I dislike the one; but I have sworn, and do owe, allegiance to the other.' He had previously been removed from his regiment by the Prince of Orange.

During the hostilities which followed the accession of William and Mary, the Earl of Arran did not appear in arms in favour of King James; but he was suspected of corresponding with the court of France, and was twice committed a prisoner to the Tower of London: he was, however, discharged without being brought to trial. After the decease of his father the dukedom of Hamilton reverted to his mother, in whom it was hereditary; but she resigned that honour in favour of his lordship, who was created Duke of Hamilton, by patent, dated the 10th of August, 1698. His grace adhered, privately, to the interest of King James and the Pretender, until his decease, which was tragical, being killed in a duel with Lord Mohun, who was also slain at the same time in Hyde Park, on the 15th of November, 1712.

Charles Earl of Selkirk

Appointed 20th November, 1688

Lord Charles Hamilton, third son of William Duke of Hamilton, entered the Life Guards in the year 1686, and obtained the appointment of Guidon and Major in the fourth troop. He was advanced to the peerage by the title of Earl of Selkirk, on his father's resignation of that honour, in October, 1688; and adhering to King James II. at the Revolution, was promoted to the Colonelcy of the Sixth Horse, in succession to his brother the Earl of Arran; but was removed from his regiment by the Prince of Orange, in December of the same year. The Earl of Selkirk subsequently entered warmly into the protestant interest, and held civil appointments under the crown in the reigns of William III., George I., and George II.; and died on the 13th of March, 1739.

Charles Godfrey

Appointed 31st December, 1688

When the army was augmented in 1678, in the expectation of a war with France, Charles Godfrey, Esq., obtained a commission in the Duke of Monmouth's Regiment of Horse, which was disbanded in the following year. He appears not to have held any military appointment from that period until the revolution in 1688, when, being a strenuous advocate of the protestant cause, he obtained, through the interest of John Lord Churchill, the Colonelcy of the Sixth Horse.²⁵ After the Earl of Marlborough had been sent prisoner to the Tower of London, on a charge of treason, Colonel Godfrey was removed from his command; and he did not afterwards serve in a military capacity. He was many years Master of the Jewel House, and a Member of Parliament in the reign of Queen Anne; and died in 1715.

Francis Langston

Appointed 7th March, 1693

This officer served under his brother, Captain Thomas Langston, who commanded a troop of horse at Tangier in Africa, and signalized himself against the Moors. When the troops of Tangier Horse were constituted Royal Dragoons, in 1683, Francis Langston obtained a commission in that corps, and he served in the Royal Regiment of Dragoons until December, 1688, when the Prince of Orange promoted him to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Eighth, or Princess Anne's Regiment of Horse, of which his brother was appointed Colonel. He proceeded with his regiment to Ireland in the same year; and his brother Thomas dying in that country, he was appointed to succeed him in the Colonelcy of the Eighth Horse. He served at the head of his regiment at the battles of the Boyne and Aghrim, and in numerous skirmishes, until the final reduction of Ireland under the dominion of William III. His services were immediately afterwards transferred to the Netherlands; and his regiment having suffered severely, from having been long exposed to a furious cannonade at the battle of Steenkirk, it was disbanded, and Colonel Langston was appointed to the command of the Fifth Horse, now Fourth Dragoon Guards. At the battle of Landen this officer highly distinguished himself at the head of the right squadron of his regiment, and was wounded and taken prisoner. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General on the 1st of June, 1697; and proceeding, after the peace of Ryswick, with his regiment to Ireland, he was placed on the staff of the army in that country.

During the wars in the reign of Queen Anne this officer was not employed on foreign service, but was continued on the staff of Ireland. He was promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 1st of June, 1703, and to that of Lieutenant-General on the 1st of June, 1704.

When the great Duke of Marlborough was removed from his military commands, Lieutenant-General Langston appears to have been considered too firmly devoted to the protestant cause, and to the succession of the House of Hanover, for the new ministry to confide in him, and he retired from the army. This veteran died on the 6th of April, 1723.

George Jocelyn

Appointed 20th October, 1713

This officer obtained the commission of Cornet in the Queen Dowager's Regiment of Horse, commanded by George Viscount Hewyt (now Sixth Dragoon Guards) in 1689, and served at the battle of the Boyne under King William III. On the 5th of May, 1690, he was engaged in a gallant affair with the enemy near Castle Cuff, and was wounded.²⁶ He also served at the battle of Aghrim, and siege of Limerick; and in 1693 at the hard-contested battle of Landen. After the peace of Ryswick he entered the corps of Life Guards, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of the Second Troop (now Second Regiment), commanded by the Duke of Ormond. On the 29th of May, 1706, he obtained the rank of Colonel in the army, and on the 12th of February, 1711, that of Brigadier-General. After the Duke of Ormond was promoted to the elevated station of Captain-General of the Forces, Brigadier-General Jocelyn obtained the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse; and when his Grace was removed from the command of the army by King George I., this officer obtained permission to dispose of his appointment: he died on the 9th of November, 1727.

Sherrington Davenport

Appointed 9th February, 1715

Sherrington Davenport was appointed Adjutant of the Queen Dowager's Regiment of Horse in 1687; and after serving at the battles of the Boyne and Aghrim, and at both sieges of Limerick, in Ireland; and at the battle of Landen, and covering the siege of Namur in the Netherlands, he was promoted to the Majority of the regiment on the 13th of August, 1696. He subsequently obtained a commission in the First Troop (now First Regiment) of Life Guards, in which corps he obtained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was appointed Brigadier-General in 1707, and Major-General in 1710; and being firmly devoted to the protestant interest, he was permitted, soon after the arrival of King George I. from Hanover, to purchase the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse, which he retained until his decease on the 2nd of July, 1719.

Owen Wynne

Appointed 6th July, 1719

Owen Wynne entered the army on the 8th of March, 1688. After the Revolution he proceeded to Ireland, of which country he was a native, and he was engaged with the Enniskillen men in their determined resistance to the power of King James II. When the Enniskillen bands were incorporated into regiments, he obtained a commission in Wynne's (afterwards Fifth or Royal Irish) Dragoons. With this corps he served in numerous skirmishes and engagements until after the reduction of the whole of Ireland under the power of King William III. He also served under the King in Flanders, and was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment on the 20th of July, 1695. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1703, and was commissioned, in 1705, to raise and discipline a regiment of foot, of which he was appointed Colonel. In 1706 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and on the 1st of January, 1709, to that of Major-General. His regiment of foot served the campaigns of 1710 and 1711 under the great Duke of Marlborough, and that of 1712 under the Duke of Ormond, and was disbanded after the conclusion of the peace of Utrecht; but in 1715, when Jacobite principles had become so prevalent in the nation that an insurrection was expected, a regiment of dragoons (now the Ninth Lancers) was raised, of which Major-General Owen Wynne was appointed Colonel; and he was instrumental in suppressing the rebellion which broke out in the autumn of that year in favour of the Pretender. In 1719 he was removed to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse; and on the 10th of March, 1726, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General. He was removed to the Colonelcy of the Royal Irish Dragoons, in which corps he had performed his early services, in August, 1732; and he held the command of that regiment until his decease on the 28th of February, 1737.

Thomas Pearce

Appointed 27th September, 1732

Thomas Pearce, choosing the profession of arms, obtained the commission of Ensign on the 28th of February, 1689, and after serving three campaigns in the Netherlands, he was appointed Captain of the Grenadier company in the Second Foot Guards in October, 1694. In the following summer he served at the siege of Namur, and was engaged on the night of the 8th of July in storming the covered way, when, led by his innate ardour, he advanced too far in front of his men, and was wounded and taken prisoner. He served in the expedition to Cadiz in 1702, and commanded the first division of Grenadiers, which effected a landing between Rota and Fort St. Catherine. Himself and eight men only had landed, when they were charged by a troop of Spanish horse. The grenadiers fought manfully, slew the Spanish commanding officer and five men, took two officers prisoners, and forced the remainder to retreat: he afterwards summoned the Fort of St. Catherine, which surrendered: he also commanded a party of grenadiers at the storming of the Forts of Vigo, and was wounded. His gallantry was rewarded, in April of the following year, with the Colonelcy of a newly-raised regiment of foot, from which he was removed in February, 1704, to an older corps – now the Fifth or Northumberland Fusiliers. In 1707, he proceeded with his regiment to Portugal; and in 1709 highly distinguished himself at the head of a brigade of infantry at the battle of the Caya, where he was taken prisoner. After being exchanged he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and returning to Portugal, commanded a brigade in that country until the peace of Utrecht. On the 5th of March, 1727, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General, and in 1732 he was removed to the Fifth Horse. He was a member of Parliament for Melcombe Regis, and died in 1739.

James Lord Tyrawley

Appointed 26th August, 1739

The Hon. James O'Hara was appointed Lieutenant in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, commanded by his father, on the 15th of March, 1703; and in 1706 he proceeded with his regiment to the relief of Barcelona. In the following year he served on the staff of the army in Spain, and was wounded at the battle of Almanza, where, it is said, he was instrumental in saving the Earl of Galway's life. He served several years at Minorca; and in 1713 obtained the Colonelcy of the Royal Fusiliers, in succession to his father, at whose decease, in 1733, he succeeded to the dignity of Baron Tyrawley. The rank of Brigadier-General was conferred on his lordship on the 23rd of November, 1735; that of Major-General on the 2nd of July, 1739; and in August of the latter year, he was removed from the Royal Fusiliers to the Fifth Horse. In March, 1743, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General; and in the following month obtained the Colonelcy of the Second Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards, from which he was removed, in 1745, to the Third Troop of Life Guards, which gave him the privilege of taking the court duty of gold stick. In 1746, when King George II. had resolved to disband the Third and Fourth Troops of Life Guards, his lordship was removed to the Tenth Foot; he was again removed, in 1749, to the Fourteenth Dragoons; in 1752, to the Third Dragoons; and in 1755, to the Second, or Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards. He was appointed Governor of Portsmouth on the 1st of May, 1759, and was promoted to the rank of General on the 7th of March, 1761. He held the appointment of Governor of Minorca for several years; was employed as Envoy and Ambassador to the courts of Portugal and Russia; and died at Twickenham on the 13th of July, 1773.

John Brown

Appointed 1st April, 1743

This officer entered the army as Cornet of horse on the 5th of August, 1704, and served several campaigns on the continent in the army commanded by John Duke of Marlborough. In 1735 he was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Fourth Dragoons, from whence he was removed to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the King's Horse (now First Dragoon Guards); and on the 10th of May, 1742, he was appointed Colonel of the Ninth Dragoons. On the appointment of Lieutenant-General Lord Tyrawley to the Horse Grenadier Guards, the Colonelcy of the Fifth Horse was conferred on Colonel Brown, who was promoted to the rank of Major-General on the 26th of March, 1754, and to that of Lieutenant-General on the 15th of January, 1758: he died in 1762.

James Johnston

Appointed 3rd August, 1762

James Johnston obtained a commission in the Royal Horse Guards, was at the battles of Dettingen and Fontenoy, and was appointed Major of the regiment on the 29th of November, 1750. On the 17th of December, 1754, he was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy; and he commanded the regiment at several engagements in Germany during the Seven-years' war. In 1762 he obtained the Colonelcy of the First Irish Horse, now Fourth Dragoon Guards; was appointed Major-General on the 30th of April, 1770; and on the 27th of April, 1775, was removed to the Colonelcy of the 11th Dragoons. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General on the 29th of August, 1777; and was removed to the Scots Greys on the 4th of February, 1785, the Colonelcy of which regiment he retained until his decease on the 24th of December, 1795.

James Johnston

Appointed 27th April, 1775

This officer was cousin to the previous Colonel of the same name. He obtained the commission of Cornet in the Thirteenth Dragoons on the 5th of October, 1736, and was removed to the Royal Dragoons in 1739, in which corps he rose to the rank of Major, and was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Thirteenth Dragoons on the 2nd of December, 1754. In April, 1759, he was reappointed to the First Royal Dragoons, and proceeding in command of the regiment to Germany, served in the battles and skirmishes of that and the two succeeding campaigns under Ferdinand Duke of Brunswick. He particularly distinguished himself at the battle of Warbourg, and was wounded at the battle of Campen. In 1762 he was promoted to the local rank of Major-General in Germany; and he commanded a brigade of cavalry during the campaign of that year. He was distinguished alike for the sterner military virtues, – for a gentlemanly deportment, – and an amiable disposition, which procured him the esteem of all ranks; and on the breaking up of the army on the continent he received a flattering mark of the approbation of the hereditary Prince of Brunswick,²⁷– namely, a valuable gold snuff-box, embellished with highly-chased military trophies, accompanied by an autograph letter, of which the following is a copy: —

"Munden, ce 17 de Nov. 1762.

"Monsieur,

"Vous m'obligerez sensiblement, en acceptant la babiole que je joins ici comme une marque de l'estime, et de la consideration parfaite que je vous porte, et comme un souvenir d'un ami qui jamais ne finèra d'etre.

"Monsieur,

"Votre très humble et très devoué serviteur,

"Charles, Pr. Her. de B."

"A Monsieur

"Le Col. Johnston."

He was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the island of Minorca in 1763, and was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1770. In the following year this meritorious officer was rewarded with the Colonelcy of the Ninth Dragoons; in 1774 he was constituted Governor of Quebec; and in 1775 he obtained the Colonelcy of the First Irish Horse (now Fourth Dragoon Guards). Two years afterwards he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General; in 1778 he was removed from the First Irish Horse to the Sixth Enniskillen Dragoons; and was further promoted to the rank of General in 1793: he is stated to have been one of the most celebrated swordsmen of his time. The decease of this distinguished veteran occurred on the 13th of December, 1797, at Hampton, from whence he was removed with great state for interment in Westminster Abbey on the 21st of that month.

George Warde

Appointed 1st April, 1778

George Warde entered the army in the reign of George II.; was appointed Captain in the Eleventh Dragoons in 1748, and Major of the same corps in June, 1756. In 1758 he obtained the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Fourth Dragoons, at the head of which corps he served many years, and brought it into so high a state of discipline, that, whenever King George III. reviewed the corps, he expressed his approbation of its excellent condition in the strongest terms. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the army in 1772, and in the succeeding year he obtained the Colonelcy of the Fourteenth Dragoons. The rank of Major-General was conferred on this officer in 1777; he was promoted to the Colonelcy of the First Irish Horse (now Fourth Dragoon Guards) in the following year; and was advanced to the rank of Lieutenant-General in 1782. In 1792 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Ireland, and while in that country he devoted much of his time to the bringing of his regiment, – the Fourth Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, – into a most perfect condition for active service. He possessed the soundest ideas of what cavalry ought to be; he had an aversion to slow movements, and although nearly seventy years of age, he exercised his regiment five times a week, – often leading it across the country over hedge and ditch, to the astonishment of every one. He was promoted to the rank of General in 1796, and died on the 11th of March, 1803. He was celebrated for philanthropy, and was represented by historians as a man 'of inviolable, disinterested integrity, public and private; and the bestower of benefactions scarcely less secret than extensive.'

Miles Staveley

Appointed 12th March, 1803

Miles Staveley obtained a Cornetcy in the Royal Horse Guards in January, 1759, and served with that regiment a period of forty years. His first essay in arms was during the Seven-years' war in Germany, where he served under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. He also served in Flanders under his Royal Highness the Duke of York; and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Horse Guards on the 31st of December, 1794. During the following year he was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the army, and in 1798 to that of Major-General. In 1799 he obtained the Colonelcy of the Twenty-eighth, or Duke of York's own Regiment of Light Dragoons, which was disbanded at the peace of Amiens in 1802. In the following year he obtained the command of the Royal Irish Dragoon Guards; was subsequently promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General; and died in September, 1814.