In summer 1794 the Inniskillings had joined the Duke of York in Flanders for an invasion of France. The result was disastrous and culminated in their steady retreat through Holland. They arrived back at Portsmouth in April 1795 and were quartered in Dorchester Castle. In July 1795, they and four other regiments embarked at Portsmouth bound for Quiberon where they were supposed to support a royalist counter-revolution. The wind was unfavourable and the French Royalists had been defeated before they arrived. They returned to Southampton where they were reinforced by drafts from several of the newly raised corps (Copeland-Trimble).

This is an uncertain chapter in Joseph's life but it seems likely that he enlisted as a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion at Chatham in the latter half of 1795 (see footnote 2). He was on detachment recruiting at Chatham some time between 25th December 1795 and 24th June 1796 (see footnote 3) so he may have been fortunate enough to have missed Sir Ralph Abercrombie's abortive expedition to the West Indies which set sail on November 11th 1795. Fair weather and a favourable breeze saw 300 or so ships get under way before the flagship Impregnable went aground damaging its rudder. The fleet anchored while it was repaired. They set sail again four days later but encountered a furious gale in which several ships and many hundreds of lives were lost. On a third attempt at clearing the Channel the fleet encountered a violent storm which continued unabated for many weeks. Admiral Christian persisted until the end of January when many ships were so disabled that he had no alternative but to run for Portsmouth.18 About 50 vessels, including the transports of the Inniskillings, anchored at Portsmouth on 29th January 1796 after seven weeks at sea (Copeland-Trimble). Many of the fleet were scattered about in different ports in England; and 78 ships, which had successfully persevered in their voyage, straggled into port in Barbados. [For a detailed contemporary account see Stewart, 1825.] So the Royal Navy, never seriously challenged by the French, was frequently challenged by the weather and soldiers had to face seasickness, the possibility of shipwreck and the tedium of shipboard life before ever seeing active service.

Between 1796 and 1798 the Inniskillings saw service in the West Indies (Copeland-Trimble). On 9th May 1796 they landed at French occupied St Lucia, an island in the Windward group where African slaves laboured in large sugar plantations. They were in the thick of the fighting during two days of heroic action against the French garrison at Morne Fortuné. The French had superior firepower but were unable to withstand the bayonet; they fled and surrendered. The Inniskillings lost 120 men and many officers in the engagement but on 26th May at twelve o'clock the French garrison of about 2000 men marched out of Fort Charlotte to lay down their arms and become prisoners of war. The Inniskillings took possession of the Fort and were given the rare privilege of flying their colours over it.

After this action the Inniskillings were sent to reinforce the garrison of Grenada. Between June 1796 and February 1797 they lost 20 officers and 516 men from fevers and excesses (Pollock), far exceeding their losses in action. They returned to England in July 1798, arriving at Portsmouth and being quartered at Winchester until August when they were sent to Guernsey.