soldiers of the 18th foot
TRANSCRIPT
• 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot (Irish Establishment – Nine Companies), April 1767
• 31 Officers, 18 Sergeants, 9 Drummers, 2 Fifers, 270 Rank & File (330 total)
• 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot (Irish Establishment – Nine Companies), May 1, 1767
• 32 Officers, 18 Sergeants, 9 Drummers, 2 Fifers, 423 Rank & File (484; arrived with 501, two supernumerary privates in most companies)
Col. Lt.C Maj. Gren. I.H. H. A. J.S. G.S.
Shee Total
English 17 20 21 17 24 18 22 21 17 177
Scotch 2 4 3 5 3 15
Irish 15 10 8 11 6 9 10 11 12 92
Foreign 2 1 1 4
Totals 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 288
Average AgeOfficer 27.4 years oldSoldier 26.4 years old
Grenadier 28.3 years oldAverage Years of Service
Officers 9 yearsSoldiers 7.2 yearsGrenadiers 9.4 years
Height of the MenAverage of whole 5’7.7”Average of Battalion Men 5’7.3”Average of Grenadiers 5’10.4”
Average AgeOfficer 29.1 years oldSoldier 25.3 years oldGrenadier 25.5 years old
Average Years of ServiceOfficers 11 yearsSoldiers 3.4 yearsGrenadiers 3 years
Height of the MenAverage of whole 5’6.8”Average of Battalion Men 5’6.5”Average of Grenadiers 5’9.5”Average of Light Company 5’6.5”
Lost five officers including James Taylor Trevor, a young ensign who purchased out of the regiment in order to avoid overseas service
William Conolly became the newest officer to embark being commissioned in the 18th on April 4, 1767
Evidence of a commission broker being involved
49 Men were drafted from the 50th Foot at Cork on May 1, 1767
Recruiting parties were out when the 18th was inspected in April 1767
18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot (American Establishment – Ten Companies), April 1771
35 Officers, 18 Sergeants, 10 Drummers, 2 Fifers, 420 Rank & File (485 Total)
When the King authorized larger establishments for Regiments in America in August 1775, the 18th & 59th
Regiments were excluded from that expansion
18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot (British Establishment – Ten Companies), November 1778
35 Officers, 30 Sergeants, 20 Drummers, 2 Fifers, 740 Rank & File (827 Total)
Embarked from Cork in May 1767 Arrived Philadelphia in July 1767 Originally posted to the North Liberty Barracks in
Philadelphia Seven Companies were sent to western posts in Spring
1768 Two to Fort Pitt Five to Fort Chartres Two remained at Philadelphia Additional Company sent to Illinois in 1769
Companies in Illinois split between Ft. Chartes, Cahokia, and Kaskaskia
Additional Company raised in 1770 Became the Light Company in 1771
Eight companies were at Philadelphia by late 1772 Two companies remained at Kaskaskia (Ft. Gage) Three companies to Boston in October 1774 Five companies to NYC in October 1774 (replacing
RWFs) June 1775 saw NYC companies to Boston
Grenadiers fought at Lexington, Concord & Bunker Hill Eight companies drafted in December 1775 Two companies in Illinois ordered to Detroit in May 1776 Drafted in July 1776 Remaining troops stopped at Ft. Niagara on way to England Regiment rebuilt at Dover Castle 1776-1778 At Coxheath Camp 1778; Warley Camp 1779; Finchley, 1780 Ordered to London to help put down Gordon Riots Ordered to Channel Islands in 1781 Embarked to Gibraltar in 1783. Remained there 13 years. Embarked to Toulon in 1796 to support French Royalists
In short Sir, all here are in Confusion; many of the Principal Families are moving into the Country with their valuable effects, nothing is to be heard in Town but the clashing of arms & beating of Drums.
B.C. Payne to Sebright, New York 5 May 1775
67 Officers 756 Individual Other Ranks
501 Arrived on July 11, 1767 At least 48 were drafted into the 18th while in N. America
161 Died outside of hostile action 5 Killed in Action plus 2 Killed by Natives 161 Deserted / At least 16 returned from Desertion 201 Discharged 16 Officers Retired 157 Drafted in America to other regiments 120 Returned to England with the Royal Irish
At least three men served as sergeant major
61 served as sergeants; 45 promoted (22 while in N.Amer.; 23 after returning to England)
2 privates and 2 drummers promoted directly to sergeant
86 served as corporals; 68 promoted ; 22 reduced
27 served as drummers or fifers; 16 promoted; 11 reduced from drummer
709 entered as privates
Brogden had a small family to support and was often in debt to Cpt. Payne who paid off his other creditors. He appears to have been fond of drink as well. He was the company paymaster sergeant and appears to have used those funds inappropriately at times. According to Cpt. Mawby, he tried to press him to lend money to him right before he deserted. He was "over his head and Ears in debt to everyone round the Barrack.“
Listed as deserted June 5, 1775
Appointed 30 June 1775 as adjutant to Col. Alex. McDougall's 1st Regiment of New York in NYC. He went to Canada with the regiment and served until March 1776. In April 1776 he was appointed Lt. & Adj. of Col John Nicholson's NY Continental Regiment. He served in the northern theater until March 1777 when his regiment was disbanded.
Most of the regiment’s arms were issued in 1765 while in Ireland with iron ramrods. They should have been marked Dublin Castle on the locks and engraved on the neck like this example from the 55th Foot in the Princeton Battlefield Museum.
The arms for the Light Company were sent to Philadelphia in 1772
Light Company was actually armed from the provincial stores at Ft. Pitt
Spare arms were made inoperable and captured in May 1775 in NYC
I am unaware of any extant Royal Irish firelocks from the period.
Tower Issue
The grenadiers did carry their hangers in America
We know this from several sources including the pension materials of Sylvanus Wood and various court martial testimony
Sylvanus Wood, a minuteman from Woburn, Massachusetts, claimed to have taken advantage of the situation. In his pension declaration, Wood snuck up on Lee (not a particularly tough task to sneak up on a deaf man) and relieved him of his weapon. Wood then marched Lee back to Lexington following the British column. In Wood’s own account, Lee was standing sentinel in Concord when captured. Lee was carrying a musket and bayonet along with a “cutlashand Brass fender” and two cartridge pouches. One over the shoulder with 22 rounds and one “box round the waist with 18 rounds.”
J. C. Dann, The Revolution Remembered: Eyewitness accounts of the War of Independence, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980, 6-8.
Men of the grenadier company appear to have been issued in April 1765 after the regiment’s review at Dublin Castle on April 11, 1767. New swords were issued in 1776.
Wednesday January 25th 1775GO. Boston The Grenadier Waist-Belts to be repaired as soon as possible, so that they will be able to carry their Hangers. All the Shoemakers, when off duty, to be employed at them till they are finished.
Lee was the 18th Foot’s master tailor Member of the Grenadier Company since arriving in
America Known to be hard of hearing Was listed as captured and killed in various returns
and reports. Occasionally listed as being in the 10th
Foot; listed as an officer in several secondary sources Actually drafted into the 10th in December 1775 Mary Piper on July 11, 1776 in Concord; had five
children, three boys and two girls Lee died on August 6, 1790 in Concord.
By 1772, the men of the regiment were wearing cut down hats.
Grenadier Nicholas Gaffney testified “that his hat was Cut, and two tassels put to it, a Tape band round the Mould of the Hat, white Looping and a black Tape that goes round both the [brim] and the mould of the Hat.”
WO 71/79, p. 320.
Nicholas Gaffney, a grenadier, complained about having to pay stoppages for a hat that didn’t meet the standards of the King’s Warrant in 1771
While the regiment was stationed in Illinois, the men appear to have cut their hats down as round hats.
Headgear of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot, 49 (4), 182
Grenadiers were issued new helmets in 1774. It is clear from regimental orders the previous caps had been poorly cared for.
Regimental Order: November 10th, 1774 The Grenadiers to get the Lining of their new Caps repaired that was so shamefully abused, and never again presume to make any Alteration of any Appointment whatever without the Orders and Approbations of their Commanding Officer. The Non-Commissioned Officers of that Company will be answerable for the obedience of this Order and see that the Men take the greatest care of them in their Rooms when off duty.
NAM Orderly Book, 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot
By 1774, it appears the 18th were issued new hats of a pattern conforming to the 1768 Warrant
First casualty due to hostile action Samuel Woodhead taken by Potawatamies while out
hunting alone against orders near Ft. Chartres in May 1771 What was believed to be his skeleton found the
following spring. Later listed as killed 25 March 1771
What was believed to have been his body was found in the spring of 1772
Arrived in Philadelphia as a private in Major Folliot’sCompany; same company became Capt. Evan’s Coy.
Grenadier John Knight, killed by eleven Potawatamieswithin 100 yards of the post, while plowing a field for Cpt. Shee with another soldier
Near Cahokia, March 1772
In theory the natives knew he was British because he was working on a Catholic feast day
View of the Charles River, 1775, Lt. Richard Williams, 23rd Foot Boston Public Library
4 Good Shirts, 4 pr. of Stockings & 2 pr. of Shoes, 1 pr. Leather breeches, 1 pr. drawers
Ft. Pitt, 9 Aug. 1772 37th Foot’s Standing Orders The necessary's every soldier is expected to have constantly are as follows: four ruffled shirts, one black stock, four pairs of good white thread stockings
Simes, Military Medley, 1768, 63 shirts, 3 pr. of stockings, 2 pr. of shoes, 1 pr. red skirt breeches, 1 pr. drawers
Return of Necessaries Wanting to Complete Cpt. Johnsons Co 9 April 1772, Rockford Plantation MSS
Leather breeches were most likely a compromise at Ft. Pitt since the officers complained that they were spending their personal fortunes keeping their men clothed.
The ease of obtaining buckskin in the west clearly impacted the regiment to use a material that was able to hold up to the abuse of the frontier.
It isn’t clear if the companies in Illinois or Philadelphia were issued similar clothing.
Cloth trousers of some type also appear to have been issued
Moccasins were purchased by some of the regiment prior to traveling down river from Ft. Pitt
November 5, 1774, Leggings and mittens were issued for each man; Six watchcoats were to be made for each company
The men will immediately set about cleaning their Firelocks and Bayonets, polishing their Pouches, Badges and Buckles and washing their Waist Belts, Shoulder Belts and Slings, so that their Arms and Accoutrements may be in the best Order possible for Landing; at which time no Excuse will be taken for the smallest Neglect of any Article whatever.
Boston Bay. The serjeants of the different companies to taker care that each man has a clean shirt, and a pair of White thread stockings in readiness for landing in. The men’s best half Gaters to be well blacked and polished.After orders: The Cloathing and Hats of the three Companies to be unpacked at 8 o’clock to Morrow morning, and delivered to the Men, who are to brush and clean them fit for landing at a Moment’s Warning. The men to be very careful in cocking and brushing their hats.A review of arms and accoutrements this evening at 4 o’clock when the Commanding Officer expects everything to be in the best order agreeable to the orders of yesterday.
The Men to brush and clean their Coats and Hats immediately, and then lay them carefully by in their Berths, so that they cannot be dirtied aboard ship.
Received on March 9, 1771; potentially from another regiment
He worked as a tailor
Dabbadee was called to testify as a witness for the defense of Private John Green in a general court martial held at NYC in May 1774
He was unable to travel from Philadelphia to NYC due to the surgeon not allowing him
Dabbadee received 400 lashes for being very drunk and dirty when parading for church
Dabbadee deserted on 4 June 1774
October 27th 1774As the Men are not to land for some time the Serjeantswill take the new Cloathing and Hats of the differentcompanies and pack them up till further Orders. TheCommanding Officer expects that now the ship is cometo anchor, that all Men of the different Companies willclean themselves and appear as decent as their oldJackets and hats will permit.
A review of Arms, Accoutrements and Necessaries to take place to Morrow at 10 o’clock. The Men to have their Knapsacks with proper slings to them and be in the best Marching Order.
The 18th Foot definitely had a band of music It appears occasionally in the historical record;
performed at UofPA’s commencement in 1768 & 1773
“Old Davey” is mentioned as the bandmaster, but no matching soldier appears in the rolls. It is quite possible the band master was a civilian who accompanied the regiment
Of the 37 soldiers who served as drummers or fifers in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot between its being drafted in America in December 1775 and its participation at Warley Camp in the summer of 1779, only 12 were enlisted directly as drummers. None were enlisted directly as fifers. In fact, the three men who served as grenadier fifers during that nearly four year period, were all veterans of North American service. One, John Allen [Allen] was probably the son of a sergeant in the regiment. The other two were soldiers of at least a dozen year’s service by 1779.
Enlisted in 1764 Private in I. Hamilton’s Coy, 1767 Promoted to drummer, 5 Feb. 1769 while in Illinois Reduced to private on 5 March 1772 Promoted to fifer on 8 October 1774 Court martialed on 11 Feb 1775 for being “very drunk on the street and abusing
his regimental after Tattoo”; sentenced to 100 lashes; all remitted Returned to England (not drafted) Served in several companies as a drummer; Reduced to private in 1784 Remained with 18th through 1787 Transferred to the 41st Foot in 1787 Discharged at Hilsea Barracks as “afflicted with the scurvy” on 24 March 1789 Enlisted in Cpt. Malcom’s Ind. Coy of Invalids at Sheerness; discharged two
months later
c 1765
c 1770
c 1767
c 1785
Surgeon’s Mate in 18th
Purchases an ensigncy
Resigned in 1774 Joined PA Militia Adjutant General under Washington
c 1825
