Protecting the Empire's Frontier: Officers of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot during Its North American Service, 1767–1776

Epilogue

 Epilogue A few days ago the shattered remains of the 18th Regiment of Foot, which was engaged in the action at Bunker’s Hill and reduced to only twenty-five men, arrived at Maidstone. —Unidentified British newspaper, 5 March 17761 The Royal Irish arrived at Maidstone, England, at the end of February 1776. The Royal Irish had left Cork Harbor, Ireland, in 1767 approximately 450 strong, but only 94 officers and men returned to England. Many of them would be discharged shortly, having been worn out in America. The remains of the Royal Irish were ordered from Portsmouth, England ,on 20 January 1776 and were marched about 45 miles to Basingstoke. The 59th Regiment of Foot,which had arrived with the Royal Irish from America, was ordered to nearby Petersfield at the same time.The officers and remaining core of men were sent out on recruiting parties to raise a new body of soldiers around the standards of the Royal Irish. After two months at Maidstone, on 7 May 1776, the Royal Irish was ordered to march to Dover Castle, in southern England, where it remained for the next two years. On 15 May 1777, the regiment was inspected at Dover Castle, and Captain Hugh Lord, four subalterns, six sergeants, three corporals , four drummers, and two privates were listed as recruiting. Captain Lord’s detachment arrived from America at the Downs near Deal and was ordered on 21 November 1776 to march the fifteen miles from Deal to  e pi log ue Dover Castle to join the rest of the Royal Irish for the first time in more than four years.2 In March 1777, a detachment of a subaltern, a sergeant, four corporals, two drummers and thirty-five private men were sent to Hampton Court to serve with a detachment of the 69th Regiment of Foot.The detachment remained there until ordered to return to Dover Castle on 13 May 1778.3 On 28 May 1778,the Royal Irish was ordered to march to Canterbury by 1 June and was then to march to Sittingbourne, Milton, and Lenham. The Royal Irish was ordered to arrive at the training camp at Coxheath onWednesday 3 June.According to British historian AlfredTemple Patterson , the regiments gathered at Coxheath were to be the main defending army against a Franco-Spanish Invasion in August 1778.4 The Royal Irish appears to have been on the left flank of the camp, with the Royal Dragoons , five other infantry regiments, fifteen regiments of militia, and three companies of artillery.5 In apparent preparation for the camp at Coxheath,the king appointed five new majors of brigade on 2 April 1778. John Mawby Sr. was one of those officers, and John de Birniere another. Mawby would play a significant role in the day-to-day operation of Coxheath. He was formally appointed as the major of brigade for Major General Jeffery Amherst’s brigade on 13 June.The Royal Irish was assigned to the left brigade of the left wing of the camp on 16 June.The left brigade of the left wing consisted of the Royal Irish, the 65th Foot, the 2nd (Queen’s Royal), and the WestYorkshire Militia.The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 1st (Royal) Foot, the 59th Foot, and the South Hampshire Militia completed the left wing.6 Two primary reasons for the camp, as part of preparing for the invasion threat,were to instruct the regiments in working as part of formations above the battalion level and to learn the new 1778 manual of arms that was being introduced.Orders for the adjutants and the four best exercising corporals of each regiment to report to headquarters on 16 June identify the beginning of instruction in the new manual exercise. John Mawby Jr. was the Royal Irish’s adjutant at the time. George Buttricke’s experience as the acting adjutant in Illinois and his previous experience as the sergeant major of the 2nd Battalion of the 60th (Royal American) Foot appears to be the reason he was assigned to work with the Essex Militia at Coxheath. In addition to instruction on the new manual of arms and brigade maneuvers, the Royal Irish was also taught to work with battalion guns, smaller artillery pieces designed to work directly with the infantry battalion  Protecting the Empire’s Frontier to which they were assigned.The battalions at Coxheath all appear to have been...