| 88th Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 1779 – 1783 |
| Disbanded | 1783 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 900 |
| Engagements | American Revolutionary War |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel | Thomas Keating (1779–1783) |
| Lieutenant-Colonels | Sir Alexander Leith (1779–1780) Henry Phipps (1780–1782)William Gardiner (1782–1783) Charles Gunter Legge (1783) |
The88th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army from 1779 to 1783, formed during theAmerican Revolutionary War. It was raised in Worcestershire under Colonel Thomas Keating and saw service in Jamaica. It was disbanded in England in 1783 at the end of the war.
The 88th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment raised by Lieutenant Thomas Keating, ahalf pay officer from the42nd Regiment of Foot, in July 1779. Keating became the regiment's first and onlycolonel on 12 October, at the time of which the regiment was 762 men strong.[Note 1][2][3][1][4]Sir Alexander Leith was assigned as the regiment'slieutenant-colonel, with sevencaptains, a chaplain and anadjutant under him.[2]
The regiment was sent to serve in theWest Indies on 6 November, consisting at the time of 900 men.[3][5] Having arrived atJamaica as escort to anartillery train, the 88th joined the command of Major-GeneralJohn Vaughan on 7 December.[6][7] It was expected that Vaughan would attempt to attackPuerto Rico, or to retakeGrenada,Dominica, orSt Vincent.[6] Leith died at Jamaica on 3 October 1780 whilst preparing to command an expedition to theSpanish Main and was replaced by Lieutenant-ColonelHenry Phipps.[8][9] Disease impacted all ranks of the regiment, and recruiting officers were sent to find more men, some of whom were taken fromprison hulks stationed in North America.[10] Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam Gardiner took over from Phipps on 9 January 1782. Still at Jamaica on 1 March, the regiment had decreased in size to only 394 men, of which 142 were sick.[11][12][4]
Some time after this the 88th returned to England. Gardiner was promoted to colonel on 28 February 1783 and replaced by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Gunter Legge. Under Keating and Legge the regiment was disbanded later on in the year.[11][12]
The regiment wore yellowfacings, which sources describe as either pale yellow or bright yellow.[13][3] The regiment'sred coats were accompanied by whitebreeches andwaistcoats. Officers worelace and buttons made from silver, while that of the rank and file is not recorded.[13] It is likely that the regulation uniform was modified when the regiment began to serve in the hotter clime of the West Indies.[14]
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