76th Regiment of Foot (Macdonald's Highlanders)

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For other regiments with the same number, see 76th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation)

The 76th Regiment of Foot ( Macdonald's Highlanders ), sometimes referred to as 'McDonnell's Highlanders' after its Colonel:- Col. John MacDonell of Lochgarry, was a Scottish Light Infantry regiment, raised in the west of Scotland and western isles of Scotland on 25 December 1777, by the Clan Macdonald. It consisted of seven companies of Highlanders, two of Lowlanders plus one Irish company.

It was presented with its colours at Inverness in March 1778 and moved into barracks at Fort George. In March 1779 it moved to Perth where, following a dispute over their pay and bounty payment, soldiers from the regiment took part in the Burntisland mutiny of March 1779, whilst under the command of Major John Sinclair, 11th Earl of Caithness (Lord Berridale), after which it was transferred to Jersey in the Channel Islands and embarked for New York in August 1779.

The regiment campaigned, from March 1781, under the command of Major Francis Needham, 1st Earl of Kilmorey (who was also the regimental Colonel of the 86th Foot), in the American Revolutionary War, at Petersburgh, Portsmouth and Osborne's Hill in the Battle of Brandywine. The regiment was captured in the Siege of Yorktown seven months later in October. It was split up and the troops were interned at various locations throughout Virginia. Following the end of the war in 1783 it returned to Scotland and was commanded by Sir Robert Stuart. The regiment was finally disbanded at Stirling Castle in March 1784.