The 77th Regiment of Foot (Montgomerie's Highlanders) was a Highland Scots Regiment raised in 1757. The 77th Regiment was one of the first three Highland Regiments to fight in North America. During 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 ...

, the regiment lost 110 soldiers and 259 were wounded.

History

The regiment was raised at

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

by Major Archibald Montgomerie as the 1st Highland Battalion and ranked as the 62nd Regiment of Foot in 1757. Formed under a plan to increase the loyalty of the Highlanders to the Crown by sending 2,000 Highlanders to fight in North America, the battalion ultimately included thirteen companies with 105 enlisted men each for a total of 1,460 men with 65 sergeants and 30 pipers and drummers. The battalion was drawn from the Montgomery, Stuart,

Fraser Fraser may refer to: Places Antarctica * Fraser Point, South Orkney Islands Australia * Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen * Division of Fraser (Australian Capital Territory), a former federal ...

, MacDonald, Cameron, Maclean, and MacPherson clans. Montgomerie recruited the first ten companies in 1756 and an additional three in 1757. The first ten companies departed Cork on 30 June 1757 to reinforce the garrison of Charleston, arriving there on 3 September. At Charleston, 200 soldiers who were from the

Scottish Lowlands The Lowlands ( or , ; , ) is a cultural and historical region of Scotland. The region is characterised by its relatively flat or gently rolling terrain as opposed to the mountainous landscapes of the Scottish Highlands. This area includes ci ...

were transferred to the Royal Americans. The three new companies, meanwhile, were sent to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and arrived there on 22 April 1758, moving to Carlisle in May. The rest of the battalion was transported to Philadelphia and debarked there on 8 June. The battalion was renamed the 77th Regiment of Foot (Montgomery's Highlanders) in June 1758. The regiment took part in the

Battle of Fort Duquesne The Battle of Fort Duquesne was a British assault on the French-controlled Fort Duquesne (later the site of Pittsburgh) on 14 September 1758, during the French and Indian War. This force was out-maneuvered, surrounded, and largely destroyed by t ...

on 14 September, 1758, suffering 231 men killed and the capture of their commanding officer, Major James Grant. About 150 survivors later rejoined the main British force under Colonel Henry Bouquet and participated in the capture of

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne ( , ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed ...

on 24 November, 1758. In 1760, six companies participated in a campaign against the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

under the command of the regiment's colonel. It sailed for the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

in June 1761 and took part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762 and the

siege of Havana The siege of Havana was the successful capture of the Spanish-held city of Havana, Cuba in 1762 as part of the war between the two nations which formed part of the larger Seven Years' War. After the Spanish abandoned their former policy of neu ...

in June 1762. It went on to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in October 1762 and saw action at the Battle of Bushy Run in August 1763 after which it was disbanded later in the year.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Lace and colours of the 77th Foot
{{Regiments of Foot Infantry regiments of the British Army Highland regiments Military units and formations established in 1757 1763 disestablishments in Great Britain 1757 establishments in Scotland 1763 disestablishments in Scotland