The Highland Regiments
and the Wars with France

1789-1815

42nd Royal Highland Regiment
Black Watch

by Robert A. Mosher

On October 25, 1739 letters of service were addressed to John, 20th Earl of Crawford, appointing him to command the new regiment about to be formed from the ten independent Highland companies of the Black Watch. In May, 1740 it assembled at Perth as the 43rd Regiment of Foot. It became the 42nd Highland Regiment in 1749 following the dissolution of the previous regiment of that number. In 1758 it became the Royal Highland Regiment in recognition of its exemplary service in General Abercrombie's unsuccessful assault against the French at Fort Ticonderoga. Its service during the wars with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France were as follows:

    October, 1789 - May, 1790 England
    May, 1790 - May, 1793 Scotland
    May - October, 1793 On service in Flanders, about 400 men strong.
    October, 1793 - June, 1794 England
    June, 1794 - June, 1795 Service in Flanders, evacuated with the army to England.
    September, 1795 Recruited up to 1,000 men.
    February, 1796 Five companies dispatched to Gibraltar, five to the West Indies.
    August, 1797 - March, 1801 Battalion reunited at Gibraltar and is now 1,100 men strong. Participates in several operations in the western Mediterranean.
    March - October, 1801 Egypt
    October, 1801 - May, 1802 England
    May - November, 1802 Scotland. A 2nd battalion is raised.
    November, 1802 - August, 1808 lst battalion to Gibraltar, 850 men strong.
    1805 - April, 1809 2nd battalion in Ireland.
    August, 1808 - January, 1809 Ist battalion in Portugal.
    January - December, 1809 lst battalion returns to England. Joins the Walcheren expedition.
    April, 1809 - April, 1812 2nd battalion returns from Ireland and Joins the expedition to Portugal: Bussaco September 27, 1810; Fuentes de Onoro May 3-5, 1811.
    December, 1809 - July, 1810 lst battalion in England.
    July, 1810 - August, 1811 lst battalion in Scotland.
    August, 1811 April, 1812lst battalion in England.
    April, 1812 April, 1814lst battalion to Portugal. The two battalions are amalgamated, leaving the Ist battalion (now 1,160 strong) in Portugal and the excess personnel return to England: Salamanca - July 22, 1812.
    April, 1814 May, 1815 Ireland
    May - June, 1815 Joins Wellington's Army in Flanders: Quatre Bras and Waterloo - June, 1815.

More Highland Regiments

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