6th – 12th November 1745 – COMBINED.
As a young officer Colonel James Gardiner, of the 13th Dragoons, was equally notorious for his foul language and licentious lifestyle, as well as his valiant and adventurous activities during the Marlburian Wars. However, one night in July 1719, while waiting for a an assignation with a married woman, out of curiosity he picked up a book entitled ‘The Christian Soldier’, or ‘Heaven Taken by Storm’
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| Colonel James Gardiner, of the 13th Dragoons |
He was glancing at the book with no particular interest when all of a sudden the pages were illuminated by a blaze of light, and Christ appeared to him and reproved him for his evil conduct. Gardiner resolved at once to amend his ways, and began to set himself up as a religious warrior.
This caused much amusement and conversation amongst his friends, who put this behaviour down to a temporary madness caused by a recent fall from his horse.
On the morning of the Battle of Glasgow Mearns, Gardiner had had a new more terrible vision, of being attacked by Lord George Murray’s Division and being caught unawares resulting in a terrible defeat.
The events of that day proved the Colonel’s vision to be a foresight of the truth. After the retreat to Carlisle he suffered many restless nights culminating in a third vision, that of himself leading a righteous attack on the Jacobite hordes.
He set about planning to take the fight back to the rebels, an attack on Glasgow its-self would visit the wrath of the Lord God Almighty on his enemies.
The 13th Dragoons had not had an illustrious career, raised originally in Ireland, back in 1715 and still largely comprising of rough and ready, (and by may accounts untrustworthy), Irishmen. They had never fought in anger since their creation, yes they’d been on scouting missions and in skirmishing actions but no real stand-up battles. Even at Glasgow, they were never really deployed to take the line.
On the 6th November Gardiner’s plans were all In place, he’d been working night and day on these for the past two weeks and at 8:00 am he led his regiment of 200 men, split into 4 troops out of the town gates of Carlisle and marched north on the road to Scotland.
The horses and men of the regiment were not in great shape, their Irish accents gave onlooks cause for concern and Colonel Gardiner himself was hardly recognisable as a military man.
The 57 year old Colonel wore a long, dark blue overcoat and his hat was secured on his head by a handkerchief that ran over the crown and tied under his chin. He declared that he was sick and that he did not have long to live – he was right.
Despite their poor looks the Dragoons made a brisk pace as they marched northwards, travelling 25 miles across the border to Locherbie, on the first day where they rested the night.
Next morning on the 7th November they travelled from Locherbie to Moffat, just 16 miles but allowing the men and horses to rest a little on the way towards Glasgow, as the condition of the roads got worse.
On the 8th the Dragoons left Moffat to the cheers of the townsfolk and headed north to Crawfordjohn and the following day another 20 miles, in pouring rain, on to Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
A late start from Hamilton allowed the 13th time to arrive at Pollock Shields as dusk fell on the 11th November, each troop took separate quarters and made camp.
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| Detailed view of the Bridge & Gorbals Streets |
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| Typical view of the Dragoons on the Raid |
The 3rd Troop under Captain Patrick O’Brien pulled up as planned some 150 yards short of the bridge’s southern edge, deploying his troopers t either side of the road, they secured a small town square and the main entry points into and out of their position. The action was swift but noisy with loud Irish curses clearly heard as men skidded on the wet cobbled streets.
On rode the 1st and Second Troops, they were on the handful of grey clad towns guards before they were able to put up much of a fight, a few shouts here and there – the clatter of hooves on cobbles and six of the eight guards men were captured, more or less intact! One man was run through with a sword and lay dying on the ground, another, 23 year old John Walker, had jumped over the side of the bridge to escape the oncoming horses, only to have landed awkwardly on a lower parapet and broken his leg in two places.
Colonel Gardiner arrived on the scene and ordered Major Michael Reagan to secure the southern end of the bridge with his 1st Troop, he then called to Captain George O’Dowde to lead the way to the northern end of the bridge as fast as possible, whilst they still had the benefit of surprise.
As they galloped off Gardiner shouted back to Reagan – Hang ‘em High! Thus sealing the fate of the prisoners who despite their struggles were then summarily strung-up over the sides if the bridge, they danced and screamed until their necks broke, then there was silence.
As that pistol shot rang out, the Dragoons of O’Dowde’s 2nd troop crested the arch over the Clyde and began their descent on the northern end of the bridge. Here there were eleven City Guards clearly illuminated in front of their braziers, scrambling to load their ancient muskets and preparing to fire at the orders of their Guard Sergeant.
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| Dragoon of Gardiner's 13th Regiment |
In what seemed like moments to the guardsmen and hours to the dragoons the range closed and a ragged volley was fired by most of the guardsmen, it had little effect, emptying just one saddle and bringing down a horse, throwing the unfortunate dragoon sprawling forwards across the cobbles towards the Sergeant.
Then the dragoons were on them , those guardsmen who where not fast enough to turn and run where cut down on the spot, those that were able to run were cut down moments later as swords swung in the dawn light.
Only the City Guard’s Sergeant avoided the initial onslaught as he dodged two sword blows and as he stepped forwards to ram his spontoon into the still tumbling dragoon before him. He hesitated as he saw the King’s colours exposed but a pistol shot from Captain O’Dowd ended the matter with immediate effect.
The company drummer was ordered to sound the recall and the excited troopers rallied back on the northern end of the bridge. Five of the men still lived, despite various wounds and again Gardiner issued the order for these unfortunates to be hung over the sides of the bridge.
By now the commotion had started to wake locals and a general hue & cry was being raised. Other Guards men appeared on the spot and then just as quickly disappeared as they took in what was happening.
A few shots rang out, another dragoon fell from his saddle and Gardiner ordered the retirement of the troop to the southern bank of the river via the bridge. As they approached the southern bank, the sounds of sporadic gun fire was in the air.
Reagan’s dragoons were holding their ground but there were increasing numbers of locals gathering trying to impede their way or at least to see what was happening. Many of the locals were shouting obscenities at the dragoons and some threw stones.
The two troops were reunited and the three senior officers recapped their position and this lead to the order to fall back again to the position of the 3rd Troop some 150 yards further south.
As this order was being given a group of locals surged forwards over garden walls and wrestled a handful of dragons to the ground. One of these men was Colonel James Gardiner, although not unfit or a man of his age, a heavy landing on cobbles had winded and slowed the Hanoverian officer.
An axe blow caught him in his shoulder, then he was hit in his right thigh by a stray ball discharged by one of his men at his attackers, then a flurry of blows knocked him senseless to the ground.
He died two days later, never regaining consciousness.
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| A romanticised view of Gardiner's Death at the hands of the City Guards |
By the 12th the Dragoons were well on their way back to Crawfordjohn, celebrating their glorious victory and well and truely sending the Willies up McBlacks's Glasgow Garrison.
