He begged me to let him know how it was to be settled as soon as I could. I suppose you know that my aunt and Miss Philpot are at Southampton. I beg you will excuse me sending you this second letter, but I am quite upon the fidgets to know whether you and Colonel Fisher and some other good folks will be so merciful as to grant my request. I hope you and Sophia continue in good health. Pray let me know as soon as you can whether you are merciful. With love to Sophia, I remain, dear Aunt, "Your dutiful and affectionate Nephew, If Colonel Fisher asks whether I am willing to join my regiment now, as he did in April, pray tell him I shall be unhappy if I do not.' Woolwich: July 26, 1799. 'DEAR AUNT,-Words are too weak to express the happiness which your letter has given me. A sudden dread struck me when I received it. I knew it was either to make me happy or wretched; but when I read Colonel Fisher's determination I was something more than happy. I shall have a still greater regard for him, and all my friends if possible, than I had before for this last kindness to me. You have been the chief instrument in it, and I shall remember it as long as I live. Colonel Benson came to Woolwich last Sunday. He called upon me, but unluckily I was not at home. He wrote on Monday to one of the officers whom he saw the day before, and desired him to tell me that he had heard from you; that you had been so kind as to inform him of my desire for joining my regiment, and that he would endeavour to have my wishes gratified. 'I heard this morning from my uncle. He goes into Wales. on Thursday next, and wishes to see me on Monday in Kennington Road (where, I suppose, you know he is) if convenient. My masters have given me permission, provided I return as soon as I can, as I have so short a time to stay. I shall have an opportunity of calling upon Colonel Benson. I feel extremely obliged to all who are so kind as to be in terested about me, but I cannot help hoping my regiment may go abroad. It certainly will if there is no further alteration, as it is among the list of those who are to go; and it is to be completed with militia. I am very well aware of the fatigues and dangers which are likely to occur; but believe me, when 1 assure you that my attachment to the service shall enable me to surmount the former, great as they may be, and my duty to my king and country shall never let me shrink from the latter. I am rewarded by being in the service, and surely the utmost in my power is not too much. If I am to return, I shall enjoy the comfortable reflection "that I have done my duty"; if I fall, I shall at least fall gloriouslywhich always has been and always will be the summit of my desires. But think not that whilst I strive to discharge my military duties I shall forget my religious ones. I have always thought that he who observes the former and disregards the latter is at best but a civilised brute. He who wishes to be styled "a great man" must, in my opinion, look upon his religion as the foundation of his greatness. Courage, humanity, clemency, and all other virtues that constitute the "hero will necessarily follow. The character of Rolla in "Pizarro " (which I suppose you have read) is that which I should choose to follow. I can never enough admire it. I have troubled you with a great number of letters lately, but I believe I need not beg you to excuse me. Now that you have made me happy I shall not be so troublesome. Every day till I join my regiment will appear to me almost a week. I hope you and Sophia are both quite well. Pray give my love to Sophia, and tell her I thank her very much for her wishing me to stay at home, but I must be a soldier as well as a brother. It is now time for me to conclude, with assuring you that I remain, dear Aunt, Your dutiful and affectionate Nephew, All letters which are not entered as being written to others, are addressed to his sister Sophia. Sir William Gomm's attachment to the 9th Regiment continued to the end of his life. In 1872, when his old friend and former aide-de-camp, Sir Henry Bates, was given the regiment, he received the following note1: 'My much-esteemed and regarded successor to the colonelcy of the corps which called itself, and with universal acclaim from without, in my juvenile days" The Old Ninth," pray accept the united congratulations of Lady Gomm and myself on the appointment. "For "auld lang syne " I feel tempted to send you a few notes of my own début under the same august banner, copied verbatim from my journals of the period (ætat. 14). "August 13, 1799.-Joined the 1st Battalion 9th Regiment, encamped on Barham Downs, as lieutenant. 6.66 September 13.-Sailed for Holland. 16.-Landed at the Helder. 19.-Battle of Bergen and the Sandhills. "October 2.-Do., do., before Alkmaar. "October 28.-Adventuring homeward again; landing at Yarmouth." 'The regiment enjoyed also the cognomen of "The Holy Boys"—an addition of doubtful origin, however: tradition tracing it on one side to a liberal distribution of "the best of books" among the men by their exemplary commandant and lady; ironically obtained, I fear, on the other by the prodigal sale of these goods presently after in exchange for creature comforts by the graceless recipients. 'Again, every paladin of the corps in my time was very proud of the figure of Britannia (see "Hart's Army List ") reposing on the breast of each, melodiously chimed upon and the lay entered, I believe, in its archives by some lady presumably young, regrettably before my time. When you go to inaugurate your accession to the throne of the 9th, I hope you will inquire of the elders of the corps, for my especial satisfaction, how far these titles of honour have been preserved in the family. 1 I am indebted to the kindness of Sir Henry Bates for this interesting and characteristic note. 'Lady Gomm unites with me, my dear Bates, in subscribing myself, as of old, 'Most sincerely yours, In the next letter to his aunt, dated Barham Downs, September 9, 1799, he says: 'As I think it will give you pleasure to hear that I have seen Sir Charles Grey, I send you a few lines to inform you that I called upon him a few days ago. He was excessively kind to me, and invited me to dine with him yesterday, which I did. I had the honour of being introduced to Prince Wil liam of Gloucester, who inquired very kindly after Henry, and wished to see him if he could go over to Deal before H.R.H. embarked, which, however, I am afraid he cannot do, as the Prince it is supposed embarks to-day. The Duke of York embarked yesterday evening. I hope now that I shall go over as a lieutenant, as I have heard nothing further about it since I received your letter. We were in hopes that we should have left Barham Downs last night at twelve o'clock. We are now in hourly expectation of departing, and are only waiting for the transports. I may not be able to write to you again before I am transported. Colonel Fisher has been at Barham Downs, and I am now provided with everything necessary. He does not go with us, being in the 3rd Battalion. We are all going on very well here, and are only wishing to face the enemy. You probably know that General Manners commands the 2nd Battalion of the 9th, and is now with us. 'Pray give my best love to Sophia, and tell her she shall hear some Dutch when I return from Holland,' Previous to this, in August, the first division of the English force, under Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, had landed in Holland, and had effected their landing in spite of the opposition of the Dutch under General Daendels; and the Dutch fleet, under Vice-Admiral Storz, had surrendered at the Texel to Admiral Mitchell. The British thus having Ꭰ the free navigation of the Zuyder Zee were enabled to establish themselves on the peninsula of the Helder, having the town of Schagenburg as headquarters; while the Dutch troops were concentrated between Rustenberg and the Koe Dyke; and the French troops, hitherto stationed in the province of Zealand, were directed to move towards Haarlem. Such was the position of the hostile armies in the beginning of September; Sir Ralph Abercromby acting on the defensive and waiting for the Russians and for the British reinforcements under the Duke of York, who was to take the supreme command. General Daendels had been unsuccessful in his attempts to force the British position, and on his part was looking for French reinforcements. It was on September 12 that the Russian contingent, 7,000 strong, under the command of Lieut.-General D'Hermann, arrived at the Helder from Revel, and were at once disembarked and marched down to strengthen the right of the position; while on the following day his Royal Highness the Duke of York and Lieut.-General Dundas also landed at the Helder from the Amethyst frigate, being followed in a few days by the third and last division of British troops, consisting of eleven battalions of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, the 7th Light Dragoons, and a body of artillery. The infantry had embarked at Deal, to which place they had marched from the camp at Barham Downs. After disembarking at the Helder these troops marched up to Schagenburg, where the men were quartered in the churches and the officers billeted on the private houses. The newly arrived regiments were brigaded as follows: 7th Brigade, under Major-General the Earl of Chatham. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battalions 4th King's Own, and the 31st Regiment. 8th Brigade, under Major-General H.R.H. Prince William of Gloucester. 1st and 2nd battalions of the 5th, and 1st and 2nd battalions of the 35th Regiments. 9th Brigade, under Major-General Manners. The 1st and 2nd battalions 9th Regiment, and the 56th Regiment. |