A year later it was serving in the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13), taking part in operations along the Spanish coast and fighting at the Battle of Cadiz (1702), the Siege of Gibraltar (1704-05) and the Siege of Barcelona (1706).
In 1704 Donegal accompanied the regiment to fight in the War of the Spanish Succession in Spain, and was appointed major general of Spanish forces. He was killed in action in 1706 at Fort Montjuich near Barcelona, and was buried in that city.
The regiment suffered the hardships of the siege of Boston in spring of 1776 before sailing to Halifax where General Sir William Howe commanding the Crown forces commenced the training and reorganising of the British army prior to his campaign to capture New York.
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| Arthur Chichester, 3rd Earl of Donegall (1666-1706) and the founder and first colonel of the 35th Foot. |
The regiment lost its Colours at the Battle of Almanza (1707) and was nearly wiped out. After this, it returned to Ireland to recover.
Eleven years later, it was sent to garrison Minorca. Then, from 1725, it spent the next three decades back in Ireland. This period saw the regiment assigned the numeral 35 in the infantry order of precedence.
Eleven years later, it was sent to garrison Minorca. Then, from 1725, it spent the next three decades back in Ireland. This period saw the regiment assigned the numeral 35 in the infantry order of precedence.
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| The official dress of the 35th Foot during the Seven Years War and at the start of the American War of Independence. However fighting experience would lead to changes in dress to better suit the conditions experienced in America, and my 35th Foot reflect the dress code of many infantry units after Lord Howe's reforms in 1776. |
In April 1756 the 35th Foot embarked from Ireland to British North America for service in the Seven Years' War. The commanding officer of the regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel George Monro, led the defence of the Fort William Henry in August 1757 but was forced to surrender to the superior forces of General the Marquis de Montcalm.
The British troops were allowed to leave the fort with full honours of war and marched out, only to be attacked by France’s Native American allies, that resulted in over 180 men killed.
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| Massacre - Graham Turner https://www.studio88.co.uk/acatalog/Fort_William_Henry.html Men of the 35th Foot attempt to defend themselves during the surrender of Fort William Henry in August 1757 |
Taking part in the siege of Louisbourg in July 1758 when several of the regiment's officers were wounded, the regiment had its revenge on Montcalm the following year when in September 1759 it fought under General James Wolfe at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.
Regimental tradition later related that the 35th charged at bayonet point, broke and routed the French Royal Roussillon Regiment, which had been present at Fort William Henry, capturing its colours, whilst also taking white feathers from the enemy's hats as trophies. The regiment lost 6 dead and 35 wounded in the battle and the emblem of the 'Roussillon Plume' was later incorporated into the Royal Sussex Regiment badge.
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| The Royal Sussex Regiment badge incorporating the 'Roussillon Plume' |
It saw action again at the Battle of Sainte-Foy where twelve of its men were killed and the subsequent siege of Quebec in April to May 1760, before taking part in the final and decisive campaign between July and September 1760 that saw the fall of Montreal.
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| Details of the 35th Foot - British Army Uniforms 1751 to 1783, Carl Franklin |
The regiment proceeded to take part in the Invasion of Martinique in January 1762, and departed with the British expedition against Cuba and was part of the besieging force which took Fort Morro in July 1762 and Havana in August 1762; and the following year it proceeded to Florida, which had been ceded by Spain to Britain, before returning to England in 1765.
The 35th Foot returned to America arriving at Boston in April 1775 for service in the American War of Independence, suffering tremendous casualties at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, that saw all officers and non-commissioned officers of the Light Infantry killed or wounded and only five soldiers alive and unscathed of the Grenadier Company.
The regiment suffered the hardships of the siege of Boston in spring of 1776 before sailing to Halifax where General Sir William Howe commanding the Crown forces commenced the training and reorganising of the British army prior to his campaign to capture New York.
The 35th Foot would take part in the Battle of Long Island in July 1776 and the Battle of Harlem Heights in September 1776.
The commanding officer of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Carr, was killed at the Battle of White Plains in October 1776 and, under fresh command, the regiment fought again at the Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776.
During the Philadelphia campaign it was one of the seventeen battalions that proceeded to New York as part of the city garrison under General Sir Henry Clinton, and in July 1778 it sailed for the West Indies, taking part in the capture of St. Lucia in December 1778, before returning to England in September 1785. Four years later, it was given the county designation of Dorset.
Later in the 1870's as part of the Cardwell Reforms, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 35th was linked with the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot, and assigned to district no. 43 at Roussillon Barracks in Chichester, before, on the 1st July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 107th (Bengal Infantry) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Sussex Regiment.
My interpretation of the 35th Foot uses the plastic offerings from Perry Miniatures, but incorporating the sloped arms from the plastic Perry Continentals, many of which I had left over from previous work and with careful application of painted lace to the cuffs adds yet further variation to the look of my British infantry.
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| My 35th Foot in their first action at the Devon Wargames Group earlier this month in the Battle of Telegraph Hill. Devon Wargames Group - Battle of Telegraph Hill |
The colours are of course from GMB and the unit is finished off with a set of low-profile sabot basing units from Supreme Littleness Designs.
Additionally I have been working on a title for my AWI project that will carry the blog forward in the next few years and decided on 'The World Turned Upside Down', given that we are fast approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence as the collection comes together.
The title refers to the English ballad first published in the middle of the 1640's on a broadsheet as a protest against the policies of Parliament relating to the celebration of Christmas, and considering modern-day pronouncements from Parliament, plus ça change!
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| Victory at Yorktown by Don Troiani |
Perhaps it was just as famously reported to have been played by the British Army band under Lord Cornwallis when they surrendered after the Siege of Yorktown in 1781, they having been refused the honours of war by General Washington, for which they would have customarily played an American or French tune in tribute to the victors.
I have to admit, that having subscribed to being a maverick most of my life, the title appeals to my rebellious nature and seems a very fitting one for the theme and the times, then and now.
More anon.
JJ
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