| 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1793–1881 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Great Britain (1793–1800) United Kingdom (1801–1881) |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | One battalion (two battalions 1804–1816) |
| Garrison/HQ | Gough Barracks,Armagh |
| Engagements | French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 First Anglo-Burmese War Crimean War Indian Rebellion |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Joseph Morrison |
The89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot was a regiment of theBritish Army, raised on 3 December 1793. Under theChilders Reforms the regiment amalgamated with the87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot to form thePrincess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers) in 1881.
The regiment was raised inDublin by Major-GeneralWilliam Crosbie as the89th Regiment of Foot, in response to the threat posed by theFrench Revolution, on 3 December 1793.[1] The regiment was sent to join theDuke of York's army in theNetherlands in summer 1794 as part of the unsuccessful defence of that country against the Republican French during theFlanders Campaign.[2] It was posted toIreland and, under the command of Lieutenant-ColonelLord Blayney,[3] it saw action at theBattle of Vinegar Hill in June 1798 during therebellion.[2] The regiment became known for its perseverance in hunting down Irish rebels earning the nickname "Blayney's Bloodhounds".[4] It was posted toMalta in 1800 and arrived inEgypt in March 1801 for service in theEgyptian Campaign.[2] It saw action at theBattle of Alexandria later that month at theSiege of Cairo in April 1801.[2]
A second battalion was raised in Ireland in August 1804.[1] The 1st Battalion embarked for theHanover Expedition in December 1805 but lost itscolours in a storm offHolland.[2] After service inGermany the battalion returned to England in February 1806.[2] The battalion sailed forSouth America in spring 1807 and took part in the disastrousexpedition underSir Home Popham.[2] It sailed for theCape of Good Hope later that year and then transferred toCeylon in 1808.[2] It took part in theInvasion of Isle de France in November 1810, theInvasion of Java in August 1811 and theinvasion of Sumatra in March 1812.[2] It transferred toMadras in India in 1815 and re-absorbed the 2nd Battalion in November 1816.[2]
Meanwhile, four companies from the 2nd Battalion embarked forCádiz in October 1810 for service in thePeninsular War.[2] Under the command of Lord Blayney, the four companies of the 2nd battalion took part in abayonet charge at theBattle of Fuengirola in October 1810.[5] After defeat in the battle Lord Blayney and most of his troops were held asprisoners of war for the next four years.[5]
One company from the battalion embarked forNorth America in summer 1812 for service in theWar of 1812.[5] It saw action at theRaid on Black Rock in July 1813 and theBattle of Crysler's Farm November 1813.[2] At Crysler's Farm the men of the 2nd Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-ColonelJoseph Morrison, rose up out of concealment and opened fire on the attacking American Forces. The Americans dived behind tree stumps and bushes to return fire, and their attack lost all order and momentum. As ammunition ran short, they began to retreat out of line.[6] The battalion went on to fight at theBattle of Buffalo in December 1813.[2] At Buffalo, the men of the 2nd Battalion scored an early success when they drove off the American piquet atConjunckaty Creek and captured the bridge and the battery there.[7]
The men of the 2nd Battalion also fought at theBattle of Longwoods in March 1814.[2] They were less successful at Longwoods: Captain James Basden of the 2nd Battalion led a charge against the American position. As the British troops advanced towards a bridge, bunched into a column by the narrow road, the Americans poured a withering fire into them, mowing down the leading troops.[8] After the British troops had crossed the bridge, Basden was wounded in the leg, and his men fell back into a ravine where the Americans fired on them from a height and inflicted heavy casualties.[9] The men from the 2nd Battalion also saw action at theBattle of Lundy's Lane in July 1814 and theSiege of Fort Erie in August 1814 before embarking for home in June 1815.[2]
The regiment, still in India, fought thePindaris in 1817 and was deployed toBurma in 1824 for service in theFirst Anglo-Burmese War: it formed part of an army which advanced up theRiver Irrawaddy to theKingdom of Ava.[2] It returned to India arriving in Madras in 1826 and to England in 1831.[2] It embarked for theWest Indies in 1835 and went on toCanada before returning home in 1847.[2] It sailed forGibraltar in 1854 and then saw action at theSiege of Sevastopol in winter 1854 during theCrimean War.[2] It transferred to theCape Colony in 1855 to protect British interests there while thecattle-killing movement was at its height before embarking for India in 1857 to help suppress theIndian Rebellion.[2] It returned home in August 1865 and became the89th (The Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in May 1866.[1] It returned to India in 1870 and was deployed toRangoon in Burma in 1876 before going back to India in 1880.[2]
As part of theCardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 89th was linked with the94th Regiment of Foot and assigned to district no. 65 atGough Barracks inArmagh.[10] On 1 July 1881 theChilders Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot to form thePrincess Victoria's (Royal Irish Fusiliers).[1]
Battle honours won by the regiment were:[1]
Colonels of the Regiment were:[1]
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