Historical Record of the Twelfth, or the Prince of Wales's Royal Regiment of Lancers: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1715, and of Its Subsequent Services to 1848

In Short

This official military chronicle documents the origins, evolutions, and battle honors of the Twelfth Regiment of Light Dragoons—later reconstituted as the Prince of Wales's Royal Lancers—from its initial raising in 1715 through the Peninsular War, Egypt, Waterloo, and the subsequent peace of the mid-nineteenth century. Blending formal regimental history with concise biographical sketches of its commanding officers, it traces how a single cavalry unit adapted to changing tactics, uniforms, and weapon systems across decades of global conflict. It endures as an authoritative, highly detailed testament to British regimental tradition and battlefield legacy.

The Story

The chronicle opens in 1715 with the initial formation of the regiment under Brigadier-General Bowles during the Jacobite rising of the Earl of Mar. Though kept clear of the northern fighting, the unit escorts captured state prisoners to London for trial. By 1718, the regiment moves to Ireland, beginning a seventy-five-year period on the Irish establishment characterized by routine peacetime duties, gradual adjustments to uniform and accoutrements, and a succession of distinguished colonels.

This prolonged garrison era ends abruptly with the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. Withdrawn from Ireland in 1793, the Twelfth Light Dragoons embark for the Mediterranean. Part of the regiment assists in capturing Corsica, while another detachment lands in Italy, earning the formal thanks of Pope Pius VI for their exemplary conduct. By 1801, the regiment joins the campaign in Egypt under Sir Ralph Abercromby, distinguishing itself at the Battle of Alexandria and in the capture of a vital French convoy carrying troops, dromedaries, and supplies across the Libyan Desert.

Following the Egyptian campaign, the regiment returns to Great Britain before embarking again for the Iberian Peninsula in 1811. Placed under the command of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington, the Twelfth participates in crucial sieges and engagements across Spain and Portugal, including Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Castrejon, Salamanca, and Vittoria. They cover the retreat from Burgos, maintain vital communications through the treacherous Pyrenean passes, and cross into France after forcing the passage of the Bidassoa.

The fall of Napoleon brings a brief respite, but his return from Elba in 1815 calls the regiment back to active field duty in Flanders. At the Battle of Waterloo, the regiment occupies the extreme left of the allied line. Under the command of Colonel the Honorable F. C. Ponsonby, they execute a dramatic charge against advancing French infantry, only to be counterattacked in turn by Polish lancers amidst heavy artillery fire. Following the allied victory and subsequent occupation of France, the regiment is stationed near Agincourt, where officers and soldiers receive their Waterloo medals.

In 1816, the Prince Regent authorizes the regiment's conversion into a specialized corps of lancers, renaming them the Twelfth, or Prince of Wales's, Royal Lancers. The narrative concludes in the late 1820s and 1830s with a mix of overseas deployments to Portugal and domestic garrison rotations throughout Ireland, Scotland, and England, illustrating the regiment's ongoing role in maintaining national security and military readiness.

How It Unfolds

The domestic establishment Raised in 1715 to secure the realm during political instability, the regiment escorts rebel prisoners to London. It subsequently transfers to Ireland, spending seven decades maintaining internal order, undergoing periodic re-organizations, and adopting blue uniforms in place of red.

Mediterranean and Egyptian campaigns The French Revolution draws the regiment into foreign service, sending them to Corsica, Italy, and Egypt. Troopers engage French cavalry and capture a massive convoy in the Libyan Desert, earning the honor to bear the Sphinx and the word "Egypt" upon their standards.

The Peninsular War Joining Wellington's forces in Portugal and Spain, the cavalrymen cover major sieges and engage in heavy skirmishing at Castrejon, Salamanca, and Vittoria. They maintain vital communications across the Pyrenees and push French forces back across their own frontier.

The charge at Waterloo Stationed on the far left wing at Waterloo, the regiment charges advancing French columns under heavy fire. Despite heavy casualties and the wounding of their commanding officer, their actions help secure the decisive victory over Bonaparte's army.

Reconstitution as lancers Selected for the army of occupation in France, the unit receives its Waterloo medals on the historical field of Agincourt. The regiment adopts the lance as its primary weapon, receiving new royal titles, uniform facings, and post-war garrison assignments across the home islands and Portugal.

The People

• Brigadier-General Bowles: The founding colonel who raises the regiment in 1715, establishing its early discipline before transferring to another cavalry command.
• Sir James Steuart, Baronet: A seasoned officer trained in Germany who takes command in 1791, revolutionizing cavalry tactics and field movements across the British army.
• Lieut.-Colonel Archdall: A field commander during the Egyptian campaign who loses an arm while leading a daring charge against superior numbers of French cavalry and infantry near Alexandria.
• Colonel the Honorable F. C. Ponsonby: The brave leader of the regiment at Waterloo who personally leads a desperate cavalry charge, suffers severe wounds on the battlefield, and later receives honors and medals for hisPeninsular service.
• Lieut.-General Sir Hussey Vivian (Lord Vivian): A prominent commander of the regiment who later leads the forces in Ireland, honoring his men with public banquets and incorporating a Twelfth Lancer into his official heraldic coat of arms.

In Its Own Voice

"The character and credit of the British Army must chiefly depend upon the zeal and ardour, by which all who enter into its service are animated..."

"Dashing furiously upon his opponents, Colonel Archdall broke the French infantry at the first onset; their cavalry instantly fled, and the British troopers pursued..."

"In the mêlée, I was disabled almost instantly in both of my arms, and followed by a few of my men, who were presently cut down (no quarter being asked or given), I was carried on by my horse..."

What It's Really About

Beneath the steady chronology of troop deployments and commanding officers lies a study in institutional identity and military professionalization. The text explores how an armed force constructs its own tradition: every battle honor, modified uniform, and official badge serves as an intentional instrument to cultivate esprit de corps. By recording acts of personal courage alongside official dispatches, the work argues that a regiment's battlefield efficacy relies directly on maintaining a living history of past sacrifices. It frames war not merely as a sequence of geopolitical decisions, but as a continuous tradition carried forward by individual soldiers bound by shared symbols, rigorous discipline, and ancestral honors.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals directly to military historians, researchers of the Napoleonic Era, and readers who appreciate authentic primary-source documents over romanticized fiction. Rather than presenting a stylized narrative, it delivers an unvarnished administrative record of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century soldiering, complete with casualty returns, equipment lists, and primary accounts from the field.

The reader must navigate the formal, archaic prose typical of nineteenth-century official histories, alongside extensive lists of officer promotions, structural changes, and military appointments. The text reflects the uncritical imperial and patriotic perspectives of its contemporary period, offering no broader critique of the conflicts it describes. Yet, when the prose turns to first-hand battlefield recollections—such as Colonel Ponsonby’s stark account of lying wounded amidst the chaos of Waterloo—the narrative acquires an unforgettable immediacy. It stands as a meticulous, visually grounding document that captures the mechanics, hardships, and institutional pride of the historical British cavalry.

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