42nd Regiment of Foot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot | |
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| Active | 1661 - 1881 |
| Country | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Nickname | Black Watch Forty-Twa Black Jocks |
| Motto | Nemo me impune lacessit |
| Battles/wars | American War of Independence Peninsular War Indian Mutiny |
| Battle honours | Egypt 1801 Corunna Peninsular Waterloo Alma, Sevastopol Lucknow Ashanti |
The 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The regiment's lineage could be traced back as far as the 1660s, when independent companies of men were formed to police the Highlands by the local clan chiefs.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early history
The first independent companies of the Black Watch were raised as a militia in 1725 by George Wade to occupy and keep peace in the Scottish Highlands after the 1715 Jacobite Rising. In these early days, members were recruited from local clans, the first six companies were one company from the Clan Munro, one of Clan Fraser's, one of Clan Grant's and three of Clan Campbell's. These companies were commonly known by the name Reicudan Dhu, or Black Watch
[edit] 18th-Century
The Regiment of the Line was formed officially in 1739 as the 42nd Highland Regiment of Foot under John, the Earl of Crawford, and first mustered in 1740, at Aberfeldy. In May 1740, when the Independent companies were formed into the 43rd Highland regiment (later the 42nd Royal Highlanders), Sir Robert Munro was appointed lieutenant-colonel, John Earl of Crawford and Lindsay being its colonel. Among the captains were his next brother, George Munro of Culcairn, and John Munro, promoted to be lieutenant-colonel in 1745. The surgeon of the regiment was his younger brother, Dr James Munro.
[edit] First action and Mutiny
The regiment's earliest days were inauspicious; ordered to London in 1743 for an inspection by King George II, rumors flew that they were to be shipped to the West Indies to fight in the War of Austrian Succession, and many left for Scotland. They were recaptured, three of the leaders shot in the Tower of London, and the remainder of the regiment shipped to Flanders. The regiment's first full combat was the Battle of Fontenoy in Flanders in 1745, where they surprised the French with their ferocity, and greatly impressed their commander, the Duke of Cumberland.
When the 1745 Jacobite Rising broke out, the regiment returned to the south of Britain in anticipation of a possible French invasion. From 1747 to 1756 they were stationed in Ireland and then were sent to New York.
[edit] The Americas
During the French and Indian War, at the first battle of Fort Ticonderoga (then named Fort Carillon) in 1758 the regiment lost over half of its men in assault. At that time they were already officially recognized as a Royal regiment. The second battalion of the Black Watch was sent to the Caribbean but after the losses of Ticonderoga, the two battalions were consolidated in New York. The regiment was present at the second battle of Ticonderoga in 1759 and the surrender of Montreal in 1760. They were sent to the West Indies again where they saw action at Havana, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Between 1758 and 1767 it served in America. In 1763, the Black Watch fought in the Battle of Bloody Run while trying to relieve Fort Pitt, modern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during Pontiac's Rebellion. The regiment went to Cork, Ireland in 1767 and returned to Scotland in 1775.
During the American Revolutionary War, the regiment was involved in the defeat of George Washington in the Battle of Long Island and the later battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, the siege of Charleston, and the final Battle of Yorktown. The regiment returned to Glasgow in 1790. It should be noted as a mark of respect to the American regiments that have fought alongside the Black Watch (World War I,World War II,Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom) The Royal Highland Regiment does not officially recognize the battle honors of the American Revolutionary War.
[edit] 19th-Century
The Black Watch fought in a dozen battles of the Napoleonic Wars. During the battle of Alexandria in 1801 a major in the regiment captured a standard from the French.
[edit] Corunna and the Peninsular
At the Corunna it was soldier from the 42nd Highlanders who carried the mortally wounded General Sir John Moore to cover and six more who carried him to the rear, but only after he had witnessed the victory in which the stout defence of the Black Watch played a major part. Moore's army was evacuated from Spain and the 1st Battalion of the 42nd Highlanders went with them.
As the 1st Battalion left the 2nd Battalion was dispatched from Ireland to Spain where it served through out the Peninsular War with great distinction in the Duke of Wellington's Army.
[edit] Waterloo
The 2nd Battalion was at the disorganised Battle of Quatre Bras on 16th June 1815 and two days later at the Battle of Waterloo , where the future 2nd Battalion, Black Watch the 2nd/73rd Highlanders were both in some of the most intense fighting in the battle and lost 289 men.
[edit] The Empire
It was one of the component parts of the Highland Brigade in the Crimean War, at Cawnpore and Lucknow in 1858, and the Anglo-Boer War.
The regiment captured its regimental gong during the Indian Mutiny. After that the gong has tolled hours in Black Watch quarters. The regiment received a new name from Queen Victoria in 1861 when it became The Royal Highland Regiment (The Black Watch). As part of the Childers Reforms of 1881, the 42nd was amalgamated with the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot to form a new regiment. In recognition of its famous nickname, the new regiment was named the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders).
