Shirley's Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 50th, or Shirley's Regiment of Foot was a British army
infantry
regiment
raised in 1754 in North America during the French and Indian War
.
Two regiments were raised in New England
with funds supplied by the British Crown, entering the army list as the 50th (Shirley's) and 51st (Pepperrell's)
Regiments of Foot. Both regiments took part in the disastrous British campaign of 1755/56. Overwintering near Lake Ontario
, the force occupied three forts, Oswego
, Ontario
and George, collectively known as Fort Pepperrell
. Surrounded and besieged by a French force under Montcalm
, both regiments surrendered after the local commander was killed. A fair number of the prisoners were massacred by the Indian allies of the French before they reached Montreal.
Both regiments were subsequently removed from the army list and higher numbered regiments were renumbered (i.e. the 52nd Regiment became known as the 50th
, the 57th Regiment became the 55th
, etc).
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
raised in 1754 in North America during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
Two regiments were raised in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
with funds supplied by the British Crown, entering the army list as the 50th (Shirley's) and 51st (Pepperrell's)
Pepperrell's Regiment
The 51st, or Pepperrell's Regiment of Foot was a British army infantry regiment raised in North America during the French and Indian War.Two regiments were raised in New England with funds supplied by the British Crown, entering the army list as the 50th and 51st Regiments of Foot...
Regiments of Foot. Both regiments took part in the disastrous British campaign of 1755/56. Overwintering near Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, the force occupied three forts, Oswego
Fort Oswego
Fort Oswego was an important frontier post for British traders in the 18th century. A trading post was established in 1722 with a log palisade, and New York governor William Burnet ordered a fort built at the site in 1727. The log palisade fort established a British presence on the Great Lakes....
, Ontario
Fort Ontario
Fort Ontario is a historic fort situated by the City of Oswego, in Oswego County, New York in the United States of America. It is owned by the state of New York and operated as a museum known as Fort Ontario State Historic Site....
and George, collectively known as Fort Pepperrell
Fort Pepperrell
Pepperrell Air Force Base, previously known as Fort Pepperrell, was a former United States military base located in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada which operated from 1941-1960....
. Surrounded and besieged by a French force under Montcalm
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm
Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, Marquis de Saint-Veran was a French soldier best known as the commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War .Montcalm was born near Nîmes in France to a noble family, and entered military service...
, both regiments surrendered after the local commander was killed. A fair number of the prisoners were massacred by the Indian allies of the French before they reached Montreal.
Both regiments were subsequently removed from the army list and higher numbered regiments were renumbered (i.e. the 52nd Regiment became known as the 50th
50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot
thumb|right|250px|soldier of 50th Regiment about 1740The 50th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1755 to 1881....
, the 57th Regiment became the 55th
55th Regiment of Foot
The 55th Regiment of Foot was a British Army infantry regiment which existed from 1755 to 1881. After 1782 it had a county designation added, becoming known as the 55th Regiment of Foot. or simply the Westmorland Regiment...
, etc).