Page 141 - Wish Stream Year of 2017

the professional training of cavalry and infantry officers.
During the Flanders Campaign in early 1794, Le Marchant’s father died at his house in Bath, and so he took a brief leave of absence to attend the funeral and to put his father’s affairs in order. Later in 1794, on the recommendation of Gen- eral Harcourt, he purchased (with the financial help of his father-in-law, John Carey) a major- ity in the 16th Light Dragoons, receiving orders in September that year to join that regiment in England. He initially returned to Guernsey to be reunited with his wife and child.
Being restored to domestic bliss, he immedi- ately arranged for his family to move with him to Weymouth, where his new regiment was based attending the King. On his arrival in Weymouth, he was agreeably surprised after seven years, not only to be recognised, but effusively wel- comed by the King.
The ‘sword exercise of the cavalry’
After the Flanders War in 1795, the British Army was utterly discredited, as was the Duke of York who had commanded the campaign, so the King promoted him to Commander-in-Chief of the Army! But at Horse Guards (the Headquar- ters of the Army), he gave many years of steady service within the range of his limited ability, and was entirely devoted to the Army. Over the next two decades, at continuous war with France, the British Army was thoroughly over-
hauled and reorganised in equip-
ment, training and in the art of war-
fare. A discontented and restless
Le Marchant, determined to put his
campaign experience to good use,
was to have a very significant part
in this.
master sword-cutler from Birmingham (Henry Osborn), a brand new sabre for the light cav- alry which was lighter and better balanced than any of its predecessors, and considerably more lethal! By 1796, Le Marchant’s sword had been accepted by Royal Warrant on the recommen- dation of the Duke of York as the official 1796 pattern light cavalry sabre. An original example of the sabre is displayed at Sandhurst in the Le Marchant Room in Old College, together with Le Marchant’s personal signed copy of the ‘Sword Exercise’ manual.
After initial opposition from some cavalry regi- ments, Le Marchant’s ‘Sword Exercise’ also gained official recognition and was approved by the Commander-in-Chief as a permanent addi- tion to the regulations of the cavalry. During the rest of 1796, Le Marchant was sent with a cadre of an officer and twenty troopers from the 16th to teach the drill at successive centres round Britain and Ireland to cadres of officers and men from all cavalry regiments. The new exercise became the talk of the Army, and the King himself was known to become well acquainted with the exercises, quoting from the manual at every opportunity! The notably unathletic Duke of York was another enthusiast, receiving personal instruction from Le Marchant on several mornings. For this, the Duke presented him with a richly-mounted sword as a token of his appreciation.
Further promotion
Le Marchant had returned from
active service with a particularly
high regard for the Austrian cavalry, who he felt were superb horsemen who used their swords with confidence and skill. This was compared to his view of the British cavalry at the time, who he felt were little better than awkward amateurs, with cavalrymen often inflicting more damage to themselves or their horses than on the enemy! He therefore spent the summer of 1795 with his regiment in Weymouth developing, with the King’s full support, his ‘Rules and Regulations for the Sword Exercise of the Cavalry’. He also designed and developed, together with a famous
This separation put a considerable strain on both of them...
In 1797 Le Marchant began to worry about his financial circumstances when Britain stood in dire peril, daily expecting an invasion from France, the campaign in the Netherlands having failed disastrously. From his training travels he often wrote anx- iously to Mary, although she remained unimpressed, telling him not to be so gloomy! By this time Mary was living with her father in Guernsey at La Bigo-
terie together with the first four of their children – Carey, Denis, Catherine and Mary, solely for economic reasons. This separation put a con- siderable strain on both of them, as they were really only happy when together. Le Marchant’s frequent letters, many of which survive, are stud- ied with enquiries about her and the children’s health.
In the spring of that year the King had awarded Le Marchant a lieutenant-colonelcy immedi- ately without purchase, his second such free
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