The 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

, raised on 3 December 1793. Under the

Childers Reforms The Childers Reforms of 1881 reorganised the infantry regiments of the British Army. The reforms were done by Secretary of State for War Hugh Childers during 1881, and were a continuation of the earlier Cardwell Reforms. The reorganisation wa ...

the regiment amalgamated with the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot to form the

Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in 18 ...

in 1881.

History

Formation

The regiment was raised in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

by Major-General William Crosbie as the 89th Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, on 3 December 1793. The regiment was sent to join the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...

's army in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in summer 1794 as part of the unsuccessful defence of that country against the Republican French during the

Flanders Campaign The Flanders Campaign (or Campaign in the Low Countries) was conducted from 20 April 1792 to 7 June 1795 during the first years of the War of the First Coalition. A coalition of states representing the Ancien Régime in Western Europe – Au ...

. It was posted to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Blayney, it saw action at the

Battle of Vinegar Hill The Battle of Vinegar Hill ('' Irish'': ''Cath Chnoc Fhíodh na gCaor'') was a military engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 between a force of approximately 13,000 government troops under the command of Gerard Lake an ...

in June 1798 during the

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

. The regiment became known for its perseverance in hunting down Irish rebels earning the nickname "Blayney's Bloodhounds". It was posted to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in 1800 and arrived in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

in March 1801 for service in the

Egyptian Campaign The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

. It saw action at the Battle of Alexandria later that month at the

Siege of Cairo The siege of Cairo, also known as the Cairo campaign, was a siege that took place during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French and British with Ottoman forces and was the penultimate action of the Egyptian Campaign. British commander ...

in April 1801.

Napoleonic Wars

A second battalion was raised in Ireland in August 1804. The 1st Battalion embarked for the

Hanover Expedition The Hanover Expedition, also known as the Weser Expedition, was a British invasion of the Electorate of Hanover during the Napoleonic Wars. Coordinated as part of an attack on France by the nations of the Third Coalition against Napoleon by W ...

in December 1805 but lost its

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

in a storm off

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

. After service in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

the battalion returned to England in February 1806. The battalion sailed for

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

in spring 1807 and took part in the disastrous expedition under

Sir Home Popham Rear Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham, KCB, KCH (12 October 1762 – 20 September 1820), was a Royal Navy commander who saw service against the French during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is remembered for his scientific accomplishme ...

. It sailed for the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

later that year and then transferred to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1808. It took part in the

Invasion of Isle de France The Invasion of Isle de France was a complicated but successful British amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial military force was landed by the Royal ...

in November 1810, the Invasion of Java in August 1811 and the Invasion of

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

in March 1812. It transferred to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in India in 1815 and re-absorbed the 2nd Battalion in November 1816. Meanwhile, four companies from the 2nd Battalion embarked for

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

in October 1810 for service in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spai ...

. Under the command of Lord Blayney, the four companies of the 2nd battalion took part in a

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

charge at the

Battle of Fuengirola The Battle of Fuengirola (15 October 1810) was an engagement between a small Army of the Duchy of Warsaw garrison of a medieval Moorish fortress in Fuengirola against a much larger Anglo-Spanish expeditionary corps under Andrew Blayney. Blay ...

in October 1810. After defeat in the battle Lord Blayney and most of his troops were held as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

for the next four years. Memorial, Battle of Crysler's Farm, engraving

One company from the battalion embarked for

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

in summer 1812 for service in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. It saw action at the Raid on Black Rock in July 1813 and the

Battle of Crysler's Farm The Battle of Crysler's Farm, also known as the Battle of Crysler's Field, was fought on 11 November 1813, during the War of 1812 (the name ''Chrysler's Farm'' is sometimes used for the engagement, but ''Crysler'' is the proper spelling). A Brit ...

November 1813. At Crysler's Farm the men of the 2nd Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Morrison, rose up out of concealment and opened fire on the attacking American Forces. The Americans dived behind tree stumps and bushes to return fire, and their attack lost all order and momentum. As ammunition ran short, they began to retreat out of line. The battalion went on to fight at the Battle of Buffalo in December 1813. At Buffalo, the men of the 2nd Battalion scored an early success when they drove off the American piquet at Conjunckaty Creek and captured the bridge and the battery there. The men of the 2nd Battalion also fought at the

Battle of Longwoods The Battle of Longwoods took place during the Anglo-American War of 1812. On 4 March 1814, a mounted American raiding party defeated an attempt by British regulars, volunteers from the Canadian militia and Native Americans to intercept them near ...

in March 1814. They were less successful at Longwoods: Captain James Basden of the 2nd Battalion led a charge against the American position. As the British troops advanced towards a bridge, bunched into a column by the narrow road, the Americans poured a withering fire into them, mowing down the leading troops. After the British troops had crossed the bridge, Basden was wounded in the leg, and his men fell back into a ravine where the Americans fired on them from a height and inflicted heavy casualties.Zaslow, p. 139 The men from the 2nd Battalion also saw action at the

Battle of Lundy's Lane The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara, was a battle fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one o ...

in July 1814 and the

Siege of Fort Erie The siege of Fort Erie, also known as the Battle of Erie, from 4 August to 21 September 1814, was one of the last engagements of the War of 1812, between British and American forces. It took place during the Niagara campaign, and the Americans s ...

in August 1814 before embarking for home in June 1815.

The Victorian era

The regiment, still in India, fought the

Pindari The Pindaris were irregular military plunderers and foragers in 17th- through early 19th-century Indian subcontinent who accompanied initially the Mughal army, later the Maratha army, and finally on their own before being eliminated in the 1817� ...

s in 1817 and was deployed to

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

in 1824 for service in the

First Anglo-Burmese War The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmes ...

: it formed part of an army which advanced up the River Irrawaddy to the

Kingdom of Ava The Kingdom of Ava ( my, အင်းဝခေတ်, ) was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma ( Myanmar) from 1364 to 1555. Founded in 1365, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms of Myinsaing, Pinya and Sagaing ...

. It returned to India arriving in Madras in 1826 and to England in 1831. It embarked for the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

in 1835 and went on to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

before returning home in 1847. It sailed for

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

in 1854 and then saw action at the Siege of Sevastopol in winter 1854 during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. It transferred to the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...

in 1855 to protect British interests there while the cattle-killing movement was at its height before embarking for India in 1857 to help suppress the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

. It returned home in August 1865 and became the 89th (The Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in May 1866. It returned to India in 1870 and was deployed to

Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...

in Burma in 1876 before going back to India in 1880. As part of the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attention ...

of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 89th was linked with the

94th Regiment of Foot The 94th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised as the Scotch Brigade in October 1794. It was renumbered as the 94th Regiment of Foot in December 1802 and disbanded in December 1818. The regiment was reformed in Decemb ...

and assigned to district no. 65 at

Gough Barracks Gough Barracks was a military installation in Armagh, Northern Ireland. History The barracks were first established on the site in 1773. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the Cardwell Reforms and the bar ...

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the ...

. On 1 July 1881 the

came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot to form the

Battle honours

Battle honours won by the regiment were: *''Napoleonic Wars'': Egypt (Sphinx superscribed "Egypt"),

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

*''American war of 1812'': Niagara *''Anglo-Burmese Wars'': Ava *''Crimean War'':

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

Colonels of the Regiment

Colonels of the Regiment were:

89th Regiment of Foot

*1793–1795: Maj-Gen. William Crosbie *1795–1797: Lt-Gen. Andrew Gordon *1797: Lt-Gen Henry Bowyer *1797–1801: Gen. Alexander Ross *1801–1802: Gen. James Ogilvie *1802–1806: Gen. Sir

Eyre Coote Eyre Coote may refer to: *Eyre Coote (East India Company officer) (1726–1783), Irish soldier and Commander-in-chief of India *Eyre Coote (British Army officer) (1762–1823), Irish-born general in the British Army * Eyre Coote (MP) (1806–1834), ...

, GCB, KC *1806–1808: Lt-Gen.

John Whitelocke John Whitelocke (1757 – 23 October 1833) was a British Army officer. Military career Educated at Marlborough Grammar School and at Lewis Lochée's military academy in Chelsea, Whitelocke entered the army in 1778 and served in Jamaica and in Sa ...

*1808–1818: Gen.

Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey Lieutenant-General Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey (17 September 1744 – 18 September 1818) was a British nobleman and general. Early life Bertie was born on 17 September 1744. He was the son of Peregrine Bertie, a barrister of Lincoln's ...

*1818–1823: Gen. Sir George Beckwith, GCB *1823–1837: Gen. Sir

Robert Henry MacFarlane General Sir Robert Henry MacFarlane, KCB, GCH (19 April 1771 – 6 June 1843) was a British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars. Biography He was born in Calcutta, the son of Captain Robert MacFarlane, 9th of Gartartan. He joined the Briti ...

, KCB, GCH *1837–1857: Gen. Sir Charles Bulkeley Egerton, GCMG, KCH *1857–1864: Gen. Charles George James Arbuthnot *1864–1870: Gen. Charles Gascoyne

89th (The Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot- (1866)

*1870–1874: Lt-Gen. Sir John Garvock, GCB *1874: Maj-Gen. Caledon Richard Egerton *1874–77: Lt-Gen. Lord Henry Hugh Manvers Percy, VC, KCB *1878-1880: General

Sir Henry de Bathe, 4th Baronet General Sir Henry Percival de Bathe, 4th Baronet, KCB (19 June 1823 – 5 January 1907) was a British Army officer who achieved high office in the 1870s. Early life Bathe was born in Valletta, Malta in 1823, the son of Sir William Plunkett de B ...

*1880: General John Arthur Lambert

References

Sources

* *

External links

The War of 1812 Website Animated Battles
{{Regiments of Foot Infantry regiments of the British Army Irish regiments of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1793 Military units and formations disestablished in 1881 Defunct Irish regiments of the British Army British military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars 1881 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in the Peninsular War 1793 establishments in the British Empire Irish regiments British military units and formations of the War of 1812