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 Gur ...

, raised on 3 December 1793. Under the Childers Reforms the regiment amalgamated with the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) 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 List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs. ...

'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 dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Blayney, it saw action at the Battle of Vinegar Hill 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 transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

in March 1801 for service in the Egyptian Campaign. It saw action at the

Battle of Alexandria Battle of Alexandria, Raid on Alexandria, or Siege of Alexandria may refer to one of these military operations fought in or near the city of Alexandria, Egypt: * Siege of Alexandria (169 BC), during the Syrian Wars * Siege of Alexandria (47 BC), ...

later that month at the Siege of Cairo 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 ...

in December 1805 but lost its colours 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 province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

. After service in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

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 souther ...

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 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 in November 1810, the Invasion of Java in August 1811 and the Invasion of Sumatra in March 1812. It transferred to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Tamil Nadu, the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and territories of India, Indian state. The largest city ...

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 charge at the Battle of Fuengirola 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 Captivity, 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 priso ...

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

One company from the battalion embarked for North America 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 ...

. It saw action at the

Raid on Black Rock The Raid on Black Rock took place during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States on 11 July 1813, near the Niagara River in western New York State, USA. The British objective was to capture supplies and equipment from th ...

in July 1813 and the Battle of Crysler's Farm 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 in July 1814 and the Siege of Fort Erie in August 1814 before embarking for home in June 1815.

The Victorian era

The regiment, still in India, fought the Pindaris 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: it formed part of an army which advanced up the

River Irrawaddy The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeyarwady River; , , from Indic ''revatī'', meaning "abounding in riches") is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Orig ...

to the Kingdom of Ava. 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 Great ...

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 tota ...

before returning home in 1847. It sailed for Gibraltar 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 t ...

. It transferred to the Cape Colony 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 the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

. 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 governme ...

in Burma in 1876 before going back to India in 1880. As part of the Cardwell Reforms 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 and assigned to district no. 65 at Gough Barracks in

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 Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers).

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 Niagara may refer to: Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada *Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River *Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border *Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...

*''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, GCB, KC *1806–1808: Lt-Gen. John Whitelocke *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 *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