The 78th Regiment, (Highland) Regiment of Foot also known as the 78th Fraser Highlanders was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

infantry regiment of the line that was raised in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1757 to fight in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(also known as the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

in the US.). The 78th Regiment was one of the first three Highland Regiments to fight in North America.

History

The regiment was raised in

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

by Lieutenant-Colonel Simon Fraser of Lovat as the 2nd Highland Battalion and ranked as the 62nd Regiment of Foot in 1757. It was re-ranked as the 63rd Regiment of Foot later in the year. The regiment embarked for

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

in July 1757 to take part in the

. Having been renamed the 78th (Highland) Regiment of Foot, or Fraser's Highlanders in June 1758, it took part in the Siege of Louisbourg later that month, the

Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe the North American theatre). The battle, which took place on 13 Sept ...

in September 1759 and the Montreal Campaign in August 1760. It was at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham that the 78th led the rest of the British forces in a charge against the retreating French. The 78th's portion of the charge is notable as the last known successful Highland Charge in history. During the war, the regiment suffered 103 soldiers killed and 383 wounded. The regiment was disbanded in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

in December 1763, with each man offered a grant of land if he stayed in Canada. Of those who accepted the offer, more than 300 joined the 84th Royal Highland Emigrants when it was raised in 1775.

Colonels

Colonels of the regiment were: *1757–1761 Lieutenant-Colonel Simon Fraser of Lovat *1761–1763 Major John Campbell of Ballimore

References

External links

Stewart Museum page on regiment's history

Reenactment group, Montreal, Quebec

( 2009-10-22)

Calgary garrison website

78th Fraser Highlanders, Fort St-Andrew's, Québec City
{{Authority control Infantry regiments of the British Army Highland regiments Military units and formations established in 1757 Military units and formations disestablished in 1763 1757 establishments in Scotland

History

Colonels

See also

References

Further reading

External links