Richard Kane - War of The Spanish Succession

War of The Spanish Succession

Kane was trained in battle tactics, (including the ‘English Square’) in the Eighteenth regiment under William III and fought in William's campaigns in Ireland in 1689-91, rising to the rank of major. In 1702, William died and the Duke of Marlborough took command of the army. Richard Kane fought under Marlborough in many bloody battles of the War of the Spanish Succession. His regiment was singled out in recognition of its bravery during the 1695 siege of Namur; he was severely wounded at Blenheim, and, in December, 1710, Queen Anne named him colonel of the Royal Regiment of Ireland. He was 47.

In 1711, Kane sailed to Canada in an unsuccessful expedition under General Jack Hill to take Quebec from the French. On that voyage, he visited Boston. In the following year he commanded British troops in a takeover of the town of Dunkirk which ended disastrously when an epidemic killed half of the men.