Historical Records of the 1st King's Own Stafford Militia - Now 3rd and 4th Battalions, South Staffordshire Regiment #228005

General Fraser, who was the Commander-in-chief, called out, Step out, old Serjeant. The Sergeant, who was uncommonly tall, being apprehensive that by so doing he should throw the battalion-men into disorder, though the Grenadiers might keep up with him, and, piqued for the honour of the Regiment, which stood very high in the scale of military estimation, ventured to destroy the command, by pretending not to hear it upon which the General repeated it with the addition of a menace, that if he did not step out, he would order the men to tread upon his heels. The Serjeant, however, rather chose to run the hazard of any consequences to himself from his perse verance, than of the least disgrace which might befall the Regiment. The General, probably imagining his command would now be obeyed, directed his observations elsewhere but the poor Serjeant was extremely mortified at this public rebuke, and his chagrin appeared so strongly marked in his countenance, that his Captain, who was witness to the whole affair, mentioned it to the Earl of Uxbridge, then Lord Paget, and Colonel of the Regiment, who, with the rest of the officers was engaged to dine with the General that day, and who gave him such a character of the Serjeant, as induced him to make him a reparation as public as the rebuke had been. Accordingly, on the day when the camp broke up, the Regiments being all drawn out, the General called out to him, Serjeant Sarjant and when he came up to him took a silver-mounted sabre from his belt, and said, You will accept of this, and wear it for my sake, as a token of the great Opinion I entertain of you as a soldier, and a non-commissioned oficer and then, to enhance the value of the gift, turning to Lord Paget, said, This sabre is not agreeable to the Stafiordshire uniform and therefore, I beg your Lordship will give the old gentleman leave to wear it whenever he pleases to which his Lordship assented. It would be an act of injustice to his noble patron, not to mention, that when he quitted the command of the Regiment soon after, he directed the Serjeant to draw on him annually for twenty guineas. The sabre and its scabbard were placed across each other on his coflin, at his funeral, which was celebrated with the usual military honours. He has bequeathed it to one of the brothers of his Captain, who is an emeer in America.