The history of the corps of Royal Sappers and Miners [microform]

1855·30.1 MB·English

by  Connolly, T. W. J. (Thomas William John)

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HISTORY OF THE CORPS
<ii'
ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS.
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T. W. J. CONNOLLY,
giARTEUMASTEB-SEROEANT OF TIIK COIU'S.
CO
CO
O 3?litb Scbcntcfu tColourcb J*llustrations.
" ormost (llsastrouachancps,
Ofmoving nrrltlmts, hy Hood and (icid;
Ofhair-brcadtli scaix's 1' tin' iniinliicntdeadly Itroacli."—.V/(rtA'«;)Crtrc.
" Thrre Is a corps wldrli is often alxint hlni, nnseen an<l iinsusperttNl,and
wlileh is lalMiurlngas hard lorlilni In penceasothersdo in wur."—TheTini'S.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
Vol,. I.
LONDON:
t...
LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS.
1855.
losnoN: rniMRn kv w. rrowr.fi Axnsex;:.sTAMFonnstrketandCHAhiNo moss.
rUEFA(
E.
In 1830, soon after Lieutenant Robert Dasliwood, K.K., was
appointed Aeting Adjutant of tl.e Royal Sappers and Miners
at \\\,(,lwieli, he was direeted !)y Brigade-Major, now ('olonel
Matson, to prepare a list ofofficers of the Royal Engineers who
had commanded, from time to time, the different companies of
the corps. I assisted him in the duty ; hut while he was in the
midst of his work, he wys prematurely cut off by death, and
the task of completing the statement devolved on mo. It now
forms a referential record at the hea(l-(,uarter office.
Led in its progress to consult old documents and returns, I
conceived the idea ofmaking myselfacquainted with the whole
history of the corps. With this view, after daily fulfilling the
routine duty of the office, I spent all my leisure intervals in
bringing to light old books and papers, which for years had
been buried in disused depositories and stores.
Whilst thus engaged, twoActingAdjutants, LieutenantsF. A.
Yorke and T. Webb, R.E., were successively appointed to the
eorps at Woolwich. Both officers entered with some spirit
into the attemi)t to trace a history of its services ; but before
they had proceeded to any great length, were interrui)ted in
their labours by removal to other stations in consequence of
promotion. Adjutant Yorke, however, succeeded so far, that
he drew up a brief account of the formation of the sappers.
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comiiujiK'ing with tlu* (iibmltar company in 1772, and detailed
its subsequent augnicntations and reductions. Tins statement
also forms a permanent record in the office ; and Captain \\\)hU
made fair progress with an outline account of its active ser-
vices. To both ()ffi(;cr8 it was my good fortune to alford sucli
aid as tliey recjuired, in tlie coih-ction of information for tlieir
respective (efforts.
In 1847, when medals were granted to the veterans of the
last war, Hrigade-Major, now ('olonel Sandham, observed the
readiness with which I spoke of historical events in which the
corps was concerned, and of the services of j)articular indi-
viduals who had belonged to it. He also saw the facility with
which I supplied the information re(|uired to estjiblish the
claims of the several apjdicants for medals and clasj)s. This
induced him, after some little conversfition on the subject, to
direct me to prepare for publicatioi isfory of the corps.
Much fragmentary matter I had ai...idy accumulated, for
twelve years had been consumed by me in wading through
books and documents in quest of dates and occurrences.
Nevertheless, it was not without serious misgivings that 1 set
myself officially to the task, and the researches and labours
embodied in the following pages are the result.
In the intervals of important and onerous public duty, the
materials for the memoir have been collected and the work
methodized and written. Necessarily severe was the applica-
tion required under such circumstances ; but by steady perse-
verance, even at tinjcs when my health was scarcely al)le to
bear up against the exertion it needed, I have succeeded,
without omitting any service that I know of, in completing the
history to the siege ofSebastopol.
The work (certainly is one ofno pretension, and on this score
may be regarded as having cost but little toil in its |)reparation ;
I'lfKIWCK.
Imt I may olworvf, tluit from tin ali.-fiuv of mail) partii'iilar
records, the uiiaccoiintaldo iu'«;l»'(t in furnisliin}.'; otlirrs, and
tlio strikiii*j; impcrfoctions in many of tlu; rcmaininu; pajn'rs,
arisinf^ from complexity, vagueness, obliteration, or decay,
more tiian ordinary ditlicuity, research, and troultle were expe-
rienced, in gathering the materials essential to give anything
like a reasonahle delineation of the events narrated in the
Memoir. Paucity of detail in numbers, want of description
with reference to jjarticular occurrcMices, and gaj)8 in many
years from the loss of muster-rolls and official documi'nts, run
through a period of nearly half a century, from 1772 to 1815 :
and strange as it may aj)pear, even the casualties in action so
carefully reported in other corj)s, have, from some inexplicable
cause, either been omitted altogether in the war despatches or
given inaccurately. In later years, however, the connexion
between the officers of the Royal Engineers and the soldiers of
the Royal Siippers and Miners has been so fully establisluMl,
tiiat attention to these important minuti.'c forms a decided fea-
ture in the improved command of the corps.
In employujents of a purely civil character in which the
Royal Sajjpers and Miners haveshared, care has been taken to
explain, as fully as the records and collateral evidence would
admit, the nature of its duties ; and, likewise, to multiply
authorities to prove the estimation in which it was held for its
services and conduct, 'i'his has been maiidy done, to offer a
practical reply to an association, incorjjorated within the last
twelve years, which, in the course of a futile agitation, endea-
voured by injurious statements to lessen the corps in public
esteem.
All mention ofthe Royal Engineers in this memoir has been
studiously suppressed, except when such was unavoidable to
give identity to the <lifFerent duties and services of the Royal