List of British units in the American Revolutionary War
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This is a list of British units which took part in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), fighting against the American rebels and their French, Spanish and Dutch allies in the thirteen North American colonies, including battles in Florida and the West Indies. In addition to the regular army the list includes German auxiliary units (known collectively as Hessians), and militia and provincial units formed from Loyalists, West Indians, and Canadians.
No battle honours were ever awarded to British regiments who fought in America as it was seen by the British to be a civil war. Four battle honours were, however, awarded for actions against the French and Spanish in the West Indies and other theatres.
Of the British Army regiments raised during the war, primarily for military service in North America or the Caribbean, only three, the 23rd Light Dragoons and the 73rd and 78th Foot, survived the post-war reductions in the Army. The 23rd Light Dragoons (later the 19th Light Dragoons) served in India until 1806; the 73rd (renumbered 71st in 1786) later became part of the Highland Light Infantry while the 78th (renumbered 72nd in 1786) became part of the Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs) in 1881.
The newly raised 85th Foot, 86th Foot, 87th Foot, 88th Foot, 89th Foot, 90th Foot, 91st Foot, 92nd Foot, 93rd Foot, 94th Foot and 99th Foot were stationed on garrison duty in the West Indies. All were disbanded at the end of the war.
Infantry units which remained in the British Isles during the war included the 2nd Foot (Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)), the 11th Foot (Devonshires), the 12th Foot (Suffolk), the 25th Foot (King's Own Scottish Borderers) at Sussex, the 32nd Foot at Cornwall, the 36th Foot at Herefordshire, the 39th Foot at East Middlesex, the 41st Foot, the 51st Foot and the 81st Foot.
The 78th Foot, the 83rd Foot and the 95th Foot were stationed in Jersey, where they defeated a French invasion of the island in 1781 (the Battle of Jersey). Other regiments were in service in India or Gibraltar.
British Regular Army[]
Artillery[]
Gunner from the Royal Artillery in Canada, 1777, with uniform adapted to North American conditions.
- Royal Regiment of Artillery
- 4th Battalion (battalion raised and based in the Americas)
- Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery (did not fight as a unit, but as drafts for British forces)
Cavalry[]
- 16th The Queen's Lancers a.k.a. the 16th (or The Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons
- 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons
Infantry[]
Foot Guards[]
Brigade of Guards (raised from drafts of 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, and 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards)
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
Line Infantry[]
- British Regulars
- 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot
- 3rd Regiment of Foot or "Buffs" and "Royal East Kent Regiment"
- 4th (The King's Own) (Lancaster) Regiment of Foot
- 5th Regiment of Foot (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers)
- 6th Regiment of Foot (Royal Warwickshire Regiment)
- 7th Regiment of Foot (Royal Fusiliers)
- 8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot
- 9th Regiment of Foot (East Norfolk Regiment)
- 10th Regiment of Foot (Royal Lincolnshire Regiment)
- 13th Regiment of Foot (Prince Albert's) (Somerset Light Infantry)
- 14th Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Own) (West Yorkshire Regiment)
- 15th Regiment of Foot (Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot) (East Yorkshire Regiment)
- 16th Regiment of Foot
- 17th Regiment of Foot
- 18th (or Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot
- 19th Regiment of Foot
- 20th Regiment of Foot
- 21st Regiment of Foot (Royal North British Fusiliers)
- 22nd Regiment of Foot (Cheshire Regiment)
- 23rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Welch Fusiliers)
- 24th Regiment of Foot
- 26th Regiment of Foot
- 27th (Enniskillen) Regiment of Foot
- 28th Regiment of Foot
- 29th Regiment of Foot
- 30th Regiment of Foot
- 31st Regiment of Foot
- 33rd Regiment of Foot
- 34th Regiment of Foot
- 35th Regiment of Foot
- 37th Regiment of Foot
- 38th Regiment of Foot
- 40th Regiment of Foot
- 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot
- 43rd Regiment of Foot
- 44th Regiment of Foot
- 45th Regiment of Foot
- 46th Regiment of Foot
- 47th Regiment of Foot
- 48th Regiment of Foot
- 49th Regiment of Foot
- 50th Regiment of Foot
- 52nd Regiment of Foot
- 53rd Regiment of Foot
- 54th Regiment of Foot
- 55th Regiment of Foot
- 57th Regiment of Foot
- 59th Regiment of Foot
- 60th (Royal American) Regiment of Foot
- 62nd Regiment of Foot
- 63rd Regiment of Foot
- 64th Regiment of Foot
- 65th Regiment of Foot
- 69th Regiment of Foot
- 70th Regiment of Foot (Glasgow Lowland)
- 71st Regiment of Foot (Frasers Highlanders)
- 74th Regiment of (Highland) Foot
- 76th Regiment of Foot (Macdonald's Highlanders)
- 79th Regiment of Foot (Royal Liverpool Volunteers)
- 80th Regiment of Foot (Royal Edinburgh Volunteers)
- 82nd Regiment of Foot (1777)
- 83rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Glasgow Volunteers)
- 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) (Loyalist)
- 105th Regiment of Foot, (ex Volunteers of Ireland)
- 110th Regiment of Foot, (ex King's American Regiment)
- Regiments stationed in the West Indies
- 85th Regiment of Foot (Westminster Volunteers)
- 86th Regiment of Foot (Rutland Regiment)
- 87th Regiment of Foot (1779)
- 88th Regiment of Foot (1779)
- 89th Regiment of Foot (1779)
- 90th Regiment of Foot (Yorkshire Volunteers)
- 91st Regiment of Foot (Shropshire Volunteers)
- 92nd Regiment of Foot (1779)
- 93rd Regiment of Foot (1780)
- 94th Regiment of Foot (1780)
- 99th Regiment of Foot (Jamaica Regiment)
H.M. Marine Forces[]
- 1st Battalion
- 2nd Battalion
American establishment[]
- 1st American Regiment (formerly the Queen's Rangers) (1756–1783)
- 2nd American Regiment (formerly the Volunteers of Ireland, placed on British establishment, in 1782, as 105th Regiment of Foot) (1778-1784)
- 3rd American Regiment (formerly the New York Volunteers) (1776-1783)
- 4th American Regiment (formerly the King's American Regiment, placed on British establishment, in 1782, possibly as the 110th Regiment of Foot) (1776-1783)
- 5th American Regiment (formerly the British Legion, placed on British establishment, in 1782, as Tarleton's Dragoons) (1777-1782)
American Loyalist units[]
[]
- American Legion (1780-1783)
- American Volunteers (1779-1780)
- (1781-1783)
- Black Company of Pioneers (also, known as the Black Pioneers, later merged into the Guides and Pioneers in 1778), (pioneers, another name for military construction engineers) (1777-1778)
- British Legion (placed on in 1781 as 5th American Regiment) (1777-1778)
- Bucks County Dragoons (absorbed by British Legion in 1780) (1778-1780)
- Butler's Rangers (1777-1784)
- Caledonian Volunteers (formed part of the British Legion in 1778) (1777-1778)
- () (1781)
- (1777-1783)
- [1][2] (1775-1783)
- (1777)
- De Lancey's Brigade (1776-1783)
- (claimed descent from Roger's Rangers, later became 1st Battalion 119th Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan National Guard) (1778-1783)
- (also, known as Diemar's Hussars and Black Hussars, hussars, (light cavalry) (1779-1781)
- Duke of Cumberland's Regiment (1781-1783)
- (1776-1777)
- (chasseurs / light cavalry) (1777-1779)
- () (1781)
- (1780-1781)
- (there was also, a Local Volunteer Corps unit, of the same name) (1779-1781)
- (1779-1782)
- (1777-1781)
- (absorbed the Black Company of Pioneers in 1778) (1778-1783)
- (1780-1783)
- King's American Dragoons
- King's American Regiment (placed on , in 1781, as 4th American Regiment, part of the regular, British Army) (1776-1783)
- King's Rangers
- King's (Carolina) Rangers
- King's Orange Rangers
- King's Royal Regiment of New York
- (formed part of the British Legion in 1778)
- Loyal American Rangers (1780-1783)
- Loyal American Regiment
- Loyal Rangers
- Maryland Loyalists Battalion
- McAlpin's Corps (also, known as McAlpin's Corps of Royalists, absorbed the American Volunteers, , , and Adams' Rangers)
- Newfoundland Regiment (placed on British establishment in 1782)
- New Jersey Volunteers (Skinner's Greens)
- Newport Artillery Company (Rhode Island) 1741
- New York Volunteers (placed on , as 3rd American Regiment in 1779)
- (formed part of the British Legion in 1778)
- Prince of Wales's American Volunteers
- Queen's Rangers (placed on , in 1779, as 1st American Regiment, descended from Roger's Rangers)
- (1777-1778)
- Royal Fencible Americans
- (placed on British establishment in 178
- Royal Highland Emigrants (placed on British establishment in 1779 as 84th Foot)
- Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment
- () (1781)
- Volunteers of Ireland (absorbed the and New Jersey Volunteers and placed on , in 1779, as 2nd American Regiment, part of the regular, British Army) (1778-1782)
Militia[]
- (1780-1782)
- (1780-1782)
- (1775-1784)
- (1776-1783)
- (1781-1782)
- Georgia Militia (1779-1782)
- , (part of ) (1776-?)
- (also, known as Black Pioneer Troop) (1782)
- (1779-1782)
- (1780)
- (also, known as ) (1776-1783)
- Massachusetts Militia (1775-1783)
- (1777-1783)
- (1778)
- (part of ) (1777-?)
- New Jersey Militia (1776-1777)
- (1776-1783)
- (1776-1783)
- (1780-1783)
- New York Militia (1776-1783)
- (1776-1783)
- (1781-1782)
- (1775-1784)
- (1776-1781)
- (1775-1783)
- (1775-1783)
- (1781)
- (1775-1782)
- (1781-1782)
- (chasseurs (light cavalry) (1777)
- (1778-1781)
Local Volunteer Corps[]
- Adams Company of Rangers (also, known as Adams' Rangers) (1777-1780)
- (also, known as and Black River Volunteers) (1779-?)
- (1778-1783)
- (1778-1783)
- (1780-1781)
- (1776-1779)
- (1777-1780)
- Ethiopian Regiment (1775-1776)
- (there was also, a Provincial Corps unit, of the same name) (1781-1782)
- (1773-1776)
- (1779)
- (1780)
- (1776-1781)
- Loyal Volunteers of the City of New York, under the command of Mayor David Mathews
- (also, known as Mackay’s Corps of Royalists, Pfister's Corps of Royalists, and Leake's Corps of Royalists)(1777-1781)
- Mayor's Independent Company of Volunteers of New York City under the command of Loyalist Mayor David Mathews
- McAlpin's Corps of Royalists (also, known as McAlpin's Corps and American Volunteers) (1777-1781)
- (also, known as and Black River Volunteers) (1779-?)
- (1781)
- (1779)
- (1779-1980)
- (1776)
- (1777-1781)
- (absorbed by Queen's Rangers in 1776) (1776-1783)
- (1775-1776)
- (1780-1781)
- (bateau|batteux) (1779-1781)
- (disbanded) (1775-1776)
- (1776)
- (1781)
- (1781-1782)
- (1778-1781)
- (1777-1781)
Associators and Refugees[]
- (1780-1782)
- [3] [4][5] (Black Loyalists) (1779-1783)
- Brant's Volunteers (1777-1779)
- (1776-1783)
- (partisan irregulars) (1779-1782)
- (1780-1782)
- [6] (1780-1781)
- (1779-1780)
- (1775-1776)
- (1779)
- (1775-1776)
- (1777-1779)
- (1779-1782)
- (1780-1781)
- (1779-?)
- [6] (partisan irregulars) (1780-1782?)
- (1775-1776)
- [6] (marines - naval-based infantry force) (1779)
- [6] (1780-1783)
West Indian Forces[]
- (1781-1783)
- (1775-1779)
- (also, known as the Jamaica Corps and Amherst’s Corps) (1781-1783)
- (absorbed by in 1780) (1780)
- (1780-1781)
- (1780-1781)
- (1779-1783)
- (absorbed the , after 1780) (1779-1781)
- (1781-1783)
German Auxiliaries[]
Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst[]
- (2 battalions, 1 infantry in Quebec (1778), and 1 "Pandour" in New York (1780))
Margrave of Ansbach and Bayreuth[]
- (later Regiment von Volt; 1st Anspach Battalion)
- (later Regiment Seybothen; 2nd Anspach Battalion)
Duchy of Brunswick[]
Electorate of Hanover[]
Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)[]
- (later Musketeer Regiment (1780))
- (later von Woellwarth (1777); von Trümbach (1779); d'Angelelli (1781))
- (later von Lengerke)
- (later von Loewenstein)
- (later von Graff; von Platte)
- (later von Benning)
- (later von Seitz; von Porbeck)
- (later von Knoblauch)
- Musketeer Regiment von Trümbach (later Von Bose (1779))
- (later Jung von Lossburg (1780))
- Musketeer Regiment Prinz Carl
- (later Landgraf (1777))
County of Hesse-Hanau[]
Principality of Waldeck[]
See also[]
- British Army during the American War of Independence
- List of Regiments of Foot
- List of British Army regiments (1881)
- List of Continental Forces in the American Revolutionary War
References[]
- Katcher, Philip, Encyclopaedia of British, Provincial and German Army Units 1775-1783, 1973, ISBN 0-8117-0542-0
- History of Hanoverian troops in Gibraltar: Minorca and the East Indies (in German)
- List of British Loyalist Regiments - The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies
- Regiments.org
- Revwar75 - Crown Forces
- the King's Own Patriots
- The Hessians in the Revolution
- Specific
- ^ Mary Beacock Fryer (1980). King's Men: The Soldier Founders of Ontario. Toronto: Dundurn. pp. 32, 77, 85, 94, 101, 105, 131, 135, 143, 348, 361. ISBN 9780919670518.
- ^ Charles Oscar Paullin and Frederic Logan Paxson (1914). "Guide to the Materials in London Archives for the History of the United States Since 1783, Issue 90, Part 2". Washington DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington. p. 538.
- ^ Newland, Samuel J. The Pennsylvania Militia:Defending the Commonwealth and the nation, 1669-1870 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Dept. of Military and Veterans Affairs (2002)pp36-45
- ^ Jonathan D. Sutherland (2003). African Americans at War. ABC-CLIO. pp. 420–421. ISBN 9781576077467. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ Black Loyalists:Our History, Our People. Canada's Digital Collection. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28.
- ^ a b c d "List of British Loyalist Associators - The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies".
External links[]
- Select Bibliography of British Participation in the American Revolutionary War compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
- The Brigade of the American Revolution (BAR), Recreated British and Allied military units (Living History)
- The Northwest Territory Alliance (NWTA), Recreated British and Allied military units (Living History)
Categories:
- Military units and formations of Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War
- Regiments of the British Army
- American Revolution-related lists
- Lists of British Army units and formations
- Loyalist military units in the American Revolution
- 18th-century history of the British Army