NAM.1987-07-31-1

The Diary of Lt Col James Russell 1st Dragoon Guards Flanders Campaign, 1793-1796. Photocopy of typescript diary of Lt Col James Russell, 1st (or The King's) Regiment of Dragoon Guards, August 1793-April 1796. Associated with Flanders Campaign, Wars of the French Revolution. Consists of brief daily entries describing the role of the Colonel and his regiment as part of the Duke of York's Army in the Low Countries. During the course of the campaign they marched from Oostend to Bremen, and returning to South Shields then travelled to Romford where the account ends. Until Mar 1794 they were camped near Oostend, and Russell noted the comings and goings of various regiments, the deaths of officers, and recorded court martials and the harsh punishments they awarded for stealing etc. They moved on to Notre Dame, and were reviewed by the German Emperor near Vallenciennes on 16 Apr. On 10 May they were attacked by an enemy force of 70,000 at Fremont, attempting to reach Tourney. The entry for 18 Aug described the execution of a deserter by firing squad before the army. Sep 1794 they advanced, crossing the Meuse, and moving on from Arnhem to Ostenbeck. The French attempted to cross the frozen Rhine on 14 Jan 1795 but were repulsed. The regiment continued its advance and reached Bremen on 18 May. Aug-Oct that year was mainly occupied with reviews by VIPs and field days, and they embarked at Bremen for England on 7 and 9 Nov, reaching South Shields on 28 Dec. Between 18 Jan and 9 Feb 1796, they marched 251 miles from Northallerton to Romford where the entries close. There then follows casualty figures for the regiment, a song written to celebrate the engagement of 26 Apr 1794, and 'references'- notes of important and interesting events, Jan 1794- Oct 1795. Associated with the Wars of the French Revolution, Netherlands (1793-1795).

Wars of the French Revolution, Netherlands (1793-1795)