Oglethorpe's Regiment of Foot was an infantry 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 Gurk ...

formed for service in North America during the

War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is con ...

. It was commanded by

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

, first

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

Service

The raising of the regiment, ranked as the 42nd Regiment of Foot, was authorised in August 1737. The unit formed at

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

in the following year. They took part in the Siege of St Augustine in June and July 1740 and the Battles of Bloody Marsh and Gully Hole Creek near

Fort Frederica A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

in July 1742. The regiment was disbanded at the end of the conflict on 24 November 1748. Some of its discharged soldiers enlisted in the South Carolina Independent Companies.Foote 1966, p. 314.

References

Sources

* Cashin, Edwar J. (2009). ''Guardians of the Valley.'' The University of South Carolina Press. * Foote, William Alfred (1966). ''The American Independent Companies of the British Army 1664-1764.'' Thesis - University of California, Los Angeles. Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations disestablished in 1748 Military units and formations established in 1737 {{UK-mil-stub